On the Write SideWriting and reading in community:
I share my observations and experiences on writing, reading and listening. Venues include: open mics, Zoom readings, workshops, publications, book clubs and beyond... because everything has a story, it is open for interpretation. |
Mrs. Sheila Marchbanks is the consummate cultural event planner. When she extends an invitation to attend a gathering it is promised to feed mind, body and spirit. So, it was a great honor when she invited me to give a presentation on my book Sirens in Her Belly to the PageTurners Book Club. I arrived a little early and Mrs. Loretha Nwosu graciously lead me on a tour through the pleasant, well-lit, Ontario Museum. Sistah Readas began arriving and many brought a guest with them for the event. This was one of those days where everything took its cue from the weather and the book club members made a unanimous decision and requested that the meeting be moved to the museum courtyard. As soon as the request was made, Mrs. Loretha Nwoso graciously orchestrated the arrangement of the tables and chairs. When Mrs. Sheila Marchbanks arrived so did the delicious homemade food. The day blossomed into a picnic with Sistah Readas. The ladies came prepared with questions; conversations unearthed emotions and explored the roots of situations in the poems, our society, and our personal lives. We closed the day with a writing exercise and future plans.
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A little of Bessie Smith's Black Water Blues and Give Me One Reason - by Tracy Chapman, coupled with a template on how to write the blues, made for a fun evening of playing with rhythm in poetry. All I needed to do was bring ingredients and stir, and the creativity poured out.
Kris Peterson wrote and performed blues at the workshop.
Thank you PI Founder and IE Literary Laureate, Nikia Chaney for the invitation to teach. It was great fun being a guest facilitator for the lesson: Writing in Rhythm at PI - The Poetry and Performance Alliance of the Inland Empire in San Bernardino's Garcia Center, 536 W. 11th St. They meet every other Monday evening 6 - 8 p.m. It is one of my refilling stations and I'm looking forward to our next poetry rendezvous in music, meters and memory.
We are all gifted, that's our inheritance. - Ethel Waters To close out Black History Month and usher in National Women's History Month, on the last Sunday in February, Inlandia Literary Laureate Nikia Chaney, along with curator Lisa Henry, coordinated a poetry reading at the San Bernardino Garcia Center, in honor of Our Ladies of Blues. Artist Linda J. Phelps Young's vibrant depictions of blues giants: Josephine Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters was infused with an art deco style. You could feel the camaraderie and love of life and entertainment from each framed regal blues lady. Before the reading, I refreshed my memory with research on their lives and From Billie's rough harsh beginnings, to Bessie literally singing and dancing for her supper, I am in awe of the power and resilience of these five creative warriors. These weren't "nasty women" they were women who could stare nasty in the eye and shame him. Jim Crow's wings were amputated in their presence. Two Conversations in Blue Composed of Quotes from the Five Ladies of Blues If I don't have friends then I ain't got nothin' - Billie Holiday Billie Holiday: I've never had a chance to play with dolls like other kids. I started working when I was six years old. Ethel Waters: I've never been a child. Bessie Smith: I ain't good lookin' but I am somebody's angel child. Josephine Baker: Beautiful? It's all a question of luck. I was born with good legs. As for the rest ... beautiful, no. Amusing, yes. Ella Fitzgerald: What everyone wants more than anything else is to be loved. Josephine Baker: The things we truly love stay with us always, locked in our hearts as long as life remains. . * * * * * Josephine Baker: I was learning the importance of names - having them, making them - but at the same time I sensed the dangers. Recognition was followed by oblivion, a yawning maw whose victims disappeared without a trace. Bessie Smith: It's a long road, but I know I'm gonna find the end. Billie Holiday: I'm always making a comeback but nobody ever tells me where I've been. Ethel Waters: We miss a lot in life because we don't know when to quit, what to leave out. Ella Fitzgerald: It isn't where you came from, it's where you're going that counts. "I plan to present Sirens at the California Association Teachers of English Conference." There was no plan at the time, only what seemed like a logical hope. Working with the editors at Jamii Publishing, it was suggested that I put footnotes with the poems. I never expressed it, but internally, I felt uncomfortable ...and it was interesting to hear a well-established poet announce her dislike of poetry with footnotes at a writer's workshop... I took note and thought about how, at one point, I might have agreed, but the Sirens journey requested to be clearly identified - and the answer served well. One of my colleagues was eager to teach the poems to her class. The footnotes were an opportunity to provide historical background. Invited into her classroom, I saw how the issues addressed were points that could be explored even further.... It was at this point that I was grateful for the footnotes and those footnotes were a springboard to creating unit lesson plans - research - technology and providing my colleague with a myriad of options for teaching some of the concepts. It was more than exciting as she shared the growth and talked about her appreciation of the rigor, the engaging resources and most importantly student learning. Footnotes - technology - website - zoom. With her feedback and conversations with students - that unplanned declaration became a planned presentation. Sirens and the CATE presentation were a perfect combination that I couldn't have planned in my best dream. Could it rain any harder? Rain is great weather for writing poetry but not so great for people to get in their cars and drive to hear poetry. Yet, the first 2017 Fourth Sunday Claremont Poetry reading was well-attended. If you aren't familiar with Claremont, it is one of those perfect college towns, with streets lined with well-rooted trees, guardians of wisdom and stability, and a natural welcome that assures safety. The buildings are classic, sturdy, grey, stone-solid, not too ornate, but enough to ensure art and creativity are afoot. It is not a hustle-bustle campus but a pleasant stroll to and from class, quiet enough to construct new universes of thought and being. In other words, the perfect place for a poetry reading. My older son, Marcus, was visiting with me, which was perfect because I forgot I was supposed to have someone to introduce me. All poetry venues have some unique quality; it could be the setting, the personality of the host, a ritual, or regular readers. The Claremont Fourth Sunday has the reader bring their own, not introduction, but person to introduce them... Usually, the poet has no idea what their guest introducer will say, so it is as much a treat to the reader as the audience. Who better to introduce you than your own son - and thankfully he was willing. That was the highlight as well as the pensive and empathetic facial expression that created an immediate bond. It was wonderful to see some of my students and their parents and talk with them during intermission. I had the pleasure of reading with Karen Greenbaum, who is witty and vibrant, her poetry is a tour through literature, love, landscapes interior and exterior. Her husband introduced her and between his touching introduction and her poetry I felt as though I had been invited into their world and was able to glimpse the soul of their union... I know that sounds mushy - but it's true. I seldom - I don't remember the last time I used the word soul in anything I have written - but there it is. The perfect way to start a new year. |
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