Paul Ruffin at “Writers In Performance” series at Lone Star College Montgomery
“I’m a Renaissance man,” Paul Ruffin told Jeannie Kever, the Chronicle reporter whose article, “Well-Versed in Creativity,” on Ruffin appears in today’s paper. Whatever the label – I think the label one can invoke from the placement of an article on Ruffin being in the Obituaries, Editorials, Outlook and Weather section might be much better – he embodies a lot of contradictions, existing somewhere in between. However, he seems to thrive in a dichotomistic world, which more often than not he creates and expresses in a very trusting voice – this is what makes him a great storyteller.
“He slices off the tip of the pink sack
of my fifth bull of the day, works
the testicles out until they protrude
like angry bullets of flesh, and cuts
them away with one stroke of his knife,
whose blade has been honed to a sliver.
He hands the steaming lumps to his son,
The youngest, who reaches through the fence.
‘They’ll be fried later,’ he finally says
in answer to my question,
‘when we have a quart or so.’”
— from the Paul Ruffin poem, “Cutting”
As a member of the Montgomery County Literary Arts Council (MCLAC) and close friend of it’s founder, Dave Parsons, it was with mixed emotions that we received the news from Dave that Paul had been named the new Texas poet laureate, an honor for which both were finalists. Although the irony of Dave having nominated Paul can’t go unnoticed, Dave would have it no other way. We are blessed to have both these great writers living in Montgomery County, fast becoming a literary hub.
For years, the Montgomery County Literary Arts Council (MCLAC) has cellebrated Walt Whitman’s birthday on his birth date, May 30th. However, this year the event took place May 9th. I have photos and video of the party, but have yet to process them, only the one above.
Rather than share some of Whitman’s poetry, I have chosen something by Van Morrison, since I feel he embodies Whitman — Whitman zealots may find that offensive.
Rave on John Donne, rave on thy Holy fool
Down through the weeks of ages
In the moss borne dark dank pools
Rave on, down through the industrial revolution Empiricism, atomic and nuclear age
Rave on down through time and space down through the corridors
Rave on words on printed page
Rave on, you left us infinity
And well pressed pages torn to fade
Drive on with wild abandon
Uptempo, frenzied heels
Rave on, Walt Whitman, nose down in wet grass
Rave on fill the senses
On nature’s bright green shady path
Rave on Omar Khayyam, Rave on Kahlil Gibran
Oh, what sweet wine we drinketh
The celebration will be held
We will partake the wine and break the Holy bread
Rave on let a man come out of Ireland
Rave on on Mr. Yeats,
Rave on down through the Holy Rosey Cross
Rave on down through theosophy, and the Golden Dawn
Rave on through the writing of A Vision
Rave on, Rave on, Rave on, Rave on, Rave on, Rave on
Rave on John Donne, rave on thy Holy fool
Down through the weeks of ages
In the moss borne dark dank pools
Rave on, down though the industrial revolution
Empiricism, atomic and nuclear age
Rave on words on printed page
The more studious me is here to tell you it is birthday party time for America’s greatest poet, Walt Whitman. This year’s event will be Saturday, May the 9th. Click here to go to the Writers In Performance blog for more information.
Like many young men in the 1960’s, I was drafted into the military. Having just received an Associate Degree, before I knew it, I was at Ft. Polk, Louisiana standing with many other dazed young men in the early morning darkness. At twenty-five, I was an old man compared to most, yet equally disoriented. The previous cold January day at the Chicago Induction Center had been the pre-draft physical day for three of us from Naperville. Now being barked at by teenage boys who had only arrived months before us (still too early in the morning for the lifers to be doing the barking), I had no idea that within a year, I would be the only one of the three of us still alive.
We all figured we would be going to Vietnam, and in time, most did. But, I was among the lucky ones receiving other orders, spending 18 months in the South China Sea on the island of Okinawa. Although I was not in Nam, the people I knew, worked with or met while on “The Rock” had the first-hand experience of the war. A STRATCOM (Strategic Army Communication) Tech Controller, by MOS, I communicated daily with my brothers of the faith in Vietnam, many of which worked in trailers out in the jungle. If you get the picture, these guys were “sitting duck” and often were on the air with us when the link was lost — it wasn’t because the channel went down. We all lived by a very special language of survival, which served as the thread to the fabric clothing our very souls. Now some forty-plus years later, it is rare that I hear someone who speaks the language. The fabric is the same, only the clothing designs have changed.
Knowing “Paco’s Story,” I had been looking forward to Larry Heinemann’s reschedule Writers In Performance Series reading. I love Heinemann’s writing, but listening to him read from Paco’s Story was simply priceless – even more so, when during the Q&A, he began sharing his feelings on Vietnam. The following video may not mean much too most, especially the several generations since the Vietnam War. But, for me, he knows how to strike the cores that generate music to my ears. Still, some will always hear the music and continue to pass it on to future generations just as it had been handed down from generations of other young men who had been lied to. Keep the faith!
Yesterday’s Houston Chronicle, The Woodlands section, had an excellent article on long-time friend and fellow member of the Montgomery County Literary Arts Council, titled, Local man a finalist for poet laureate of Texas. Dave is the current Montgomery County Poet Laureate. I consider Dave my literary arts mentor, since hiring him to teach the first Creative Writing class at Montgomery College in 1993. We are very proud of our poet and active participant in local and state literary arts activities.
The following poem is from Dave’s book, “Editing Shy,” published in 1999
The Wisdom of Forms
Entering the water
I found the wisdom
of forms –
the giving
and the
taking of bodies,
without the torque
Of metal
or the tourniquet
of wind –
the way odd shapes
slip
like our future,
making
unconscious and precise
the many decisions
of faith.
— Dave Parsons
The beautiful cover artwork was created by Dave’s wife, a talented artist in her own right. The art on this cover is one of my favorites.
An audiance of over fifty attended this month’s Writers in Performance series to meet and listen to Larry Heinemann read from his National Book Award novel, Paco’s Story. You can read more about his appearance by going to the Montgomery County Literary Arts Council (MCLAC) blog: http://mclac.wordpress.com
If We Didn’t Know Elizabeth Alexander, We Will Soon — Click here to see my posting on the Montgomery County Literary Arts Council (MCLAC) Writers In Performance blog.
The Montgomery County Literary Arts Council (MCLAC) held its annual Emily Dickinson Birthday Party at the Corner Pub this past Thursday (December 4, 2008). You can learn more about the event and see photos at http://mclac.wordpress.com
Summer is a great time of year, offering opportunities to take vacations, long weekends for hobbies and just catching up on special projects — in general a break from the routine. As with all good things, they have a downside and for the summertime the break from the routine means we often don’t have time for our friends.
So, I was delighted to see a friendly face on the cover of this week’s The Villager, Kuyk Logan. Kuyk has had a long career in communications, teaching and newspaper business, which included fourteen years with the Houston Post. However, I was not aware of his interest in printing until he and wife Dianne hosted a Montgomery County Literary Arts Council event in my honor. Kuyk printed up special napkins for the occasion.
Kuyk’s interest in letterpress printing has been a part of who he is since a child. Some people are fortunate to gain valuable life skills by experiencing their hands working with the ordinary. Over time we learn what it is to be real. Congratulations Kuyk on being one of those people.
If you are an author, the place to read and discuss your publication(s) in Houston is the Brazos Bookstore. The New York Times has called the Brazos “Houston’s premier literary marketplace – a Mecca for touring authors since 1974.” Therefore, for local writers Dave Parsons and Cliff Hudder to be “recognized in your own home” made for a very special evening, we will long remember. As fellow members of the Montgomery County Literary Arts Council, I didn’t hesitate to mark my calendar when getting word on their June 12th readings at the Brazos.
After introducing Dave and Cliff, Dave began the reading session by reading from his books of poetry, “Editing Sky” and “Color of Mourning.” Having read both books, it’s always a pleasure to hear Dave read his own poems. I find Dave’s poems to be very existential, having also lived much of my life “ . . . based on false premises.”
Next on the evening’s agenda was Cliff reading from his recently published novella, “Splinterville.” Since I had not yet had an opportunity to read Cliff’s award-winning novella, listening to his entertaining read was the perfect promo to do so. Cliff’s writing illustrates what talent can do to make a snapshot in our history very interesting, especially since I’m not one to always read the footnotes.
To share the special evening with friends and peers, Dave scheduled time for food, drinks, and conversation at the nearby Stag’s Head Pub. If only there were a way to “bottle” it, I would do so, sharing such moments with others needing to quench a literary thirst. To drink from such a bottle is to become drunk on life — recalling William Yates line,
“The problem with some people is that when they aren’t drunk, they’re sober.”
Paul Ruffin at “Writers In Performance” series at Lone Star College Montgomery
As a member of the Montgomery County Literary Arts Council (MCLAC) and close friend of it’s founder, Dave Parsons, it was with mixed emotions that we received the news from Dave that Paul had been named the new Texas poet laureate, an honor for which both were finalists. Although the irony of Dave having nominated Paul can’t go unnoticed, Dave would have it no other way. We are blessed to have both these great writers living in Montgomery County, fast becoming a literary hub.
Award-winning author Larry Heinemann
