Nobody knows this little Rose— It might a pilgrim be Did I not take it from the ways And lift it up to thee. Only a Bee will miss it— Only a Butterfly, Hastening from far journey— On its breast to lie— Only a Bird will wonder— Only a Breeze will sigh— Ah Little Rose—how easy For such as thee to die!
Some years ago I thought it a little eccentric to throw birthday parties for Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. But then, over time I have become very much a part of the annual events held by the Montgomery County Literary Arts Council. Now I ponder the need to celebrate the birthdays of other greats in the arts.
Since my brother, Tom, is always reminding me of the birthdays of his “heroes” (mine too), today I received a reminder that today is the birthday of someone who changed the face of music forever, Miles Davis — May 25, 1926 – September 28, 1991. So, what’s good for Whitman and Dickinson should also be for Davis. Maybe I have a new project?!
Although his genius influenced many, then in 1970 “Bitches Brew” was recorded and the music world has never the same since — now we have the world of “fusion!”
Miles Davis will always amaze the music world of generations to come. One of those people is my good friend, Rafael. Check out Rafael and his friends.
Oh, happy birthday Tom! (May 23rd) And, thanks for caring and sharing.
“Like trains of cars on tracks of plush
I hear the level bee:
A jar across the flowers goes,
Their velvet masonry
Withstands until the sweet assault
Their chivalry consumes,
While he, victorious, tilts away
To vanquish other blooms.
His feet are shod with gauze,
His helmet is of gold;
His breast, a single onyx
With chrysoprase, inlaid.
His labor is a chant,
His idleness a tune;
Oh, for a bee’s experience
Of clovers and of noon!”
— Nature, Poem 15: The Bee by Emily Dickinson
******
“The world is rude, silent, incomprehensible at first,
nature is incomprehensible at first,
Be not discouraged, keep on,
there are divine things well envelop’d,
I swear to you there are divine beings
more beauty than words can tell.”
On the same day the Blues world lost one of its own (Mean Gene Kelton) , I received word that one of the past Writers In PerformanceEmily Dickinson panelist, Susan Bright, long time poet / publisher (Plainview Press) succumbed to liver cancer. Susan was author of 19 books of poetry, three of which have been recipients of Austin Book Awards. As editor/publisher of Plain View Press since 1975, she had published 100 books. Her work as a poet, publisher, activist and educator has taken her all over the United States. Montgomery County Literary Arts Council founder, Dave Parsons shared in an email how Susan adored swimming at Barton Springs, “. . . which of course, made her my blood-sister…she was a real force for poets in Texas…here is a poem she wrote which has been published on Facebook as a fitting tribute:”
Mother Fish
The Swimmers,
the real ones
are clear
and emerald
like the water
that pulses
up from the center
of the planet
spinning
and cold.
They
blend with the water
so fast
you don’t see them
except when
they get in
or out–
they are invisible
once they’re
moving.
They dry off
quickly
and go
but the essence
stays with
them,
a glow
just below the surface
of the skin–
emerald light.
~Susan Bright – from “House of the Mother”, Austin Book Award, 1994
Last week the Montgomery Country Literary Arts Council had another one of their annual Emily Dickinson Birthday Celebrations and for two years I have missed this celebrated annual event. So, I have selected a few photos from past celebrations to share in my online celebration of Emily’s birthday. Long live the celebration!
Visitors to this blog site know that I often use the title-lead, “Capturing the Moment.” I also use the title-lead, “Capturing the Word,” but have been neglectful in using this lead-in of late. Last July 9th, I posted, “Capturing the Word — Robert Hass.” For the most part, the “Capture the Word” series was my way of featuring writers presented at the “Writers In Performance” series, at Lone Star College – Montgomery, over the years. The series, started by my friend Dave Parsons (Texas State Poet Laureate, 2011) and under the guidance of the Montgomery County Literary Arts Council (MCLAC), has attracted many outstanding writers, including Poet Laureate of the United States, Robert Hass and his wife, Brenda Hillman. They appeared in the early days of the series, March 10, 1996, only three years after the series began. (The series is still going strong, with the next event being the 19th Annual Emily Dickinson Birthday Celebration with Nationally acclaimed Dickinson scholar, author and educator, Brenda Wineapple, who will discuss her book, White Heat: The Friendship of Emily Dickinson and Thomas Wentworth Higginson— and as always the “Gathering of Poets” at Conroe’s Corner Pub.)
Robert Hass is one of contemporary poetry’s most celebrated and widely-read voices, so I was surprised to read of his being clubbed recently during an Occupy Wall Street protest in Berkley, California. Hass and his wife had gone on campus to see what was happening and how the police and students behaved. “If there was trouble, we wanted to do what we could to protect the students,” Hass wrote in today’s New York Times — “Poet-Bashing Police.” Trying to protect Brenda, after a cop shoved her to the ground, Hass was clubbed. Click here to read the opinion piece.
“There are moments when the body is as numinous
as words, days that are the good flesh continuing.
Such tenderness, those afternoons and evenings,
saying blackberry, blackberry, blackberry.”
A box of film negatives purchased at a Chicago auction in 2007 by John Maloof, a young real estate agent, may turn out to be the discovery of the Emily Dickinson of Photography. To date, little is known about this private, “keep your distance” excentric. Yet, as the photography world becomes aware of her captivating photos, she quickly becomes a much-admired photographer after her death two years ago. Starting the past Friday, the Chicago Cultural Center has a one-woman show, “Finding Vivian Maier: Chicago Street Photographer.” Only time will tell if Vivian Maier will reach the statue of an Emily Dickinson of Photography, but interest she has already created can’t help but make one wonder.
Here are some links where you can learn more, see some of her work, and judge for yourself:
Admittedly, I may be biased, having grown up in the Chicago area during the ’50s and ’60s, which is the time frame of many of the current prints. The images offer a much appreciated photographic history of this great city in the mid-twentieth century.
On the same day the Blues world lost one of its own (Mean Gene Kelton) , I received word that one of the past Writers In Performance Emily Dickinson panelist, Susan Bright, long time poet / publisher (Plainview Press) succumbed to liver cancer. Susan was author of 19 books of poetry, three of which have been recipients of Austin Book Awards. As editor/publisher of Plain View Press since 1975, she had published 100 books. Her work as a poet, publisher, activist and educator has taken her all over the United States. Montgomery County Literary Arts Council founder, Dave Parsons shared in an email how Susan adored swimming at Barton Springs, “. . . which of course, made her my blood-sister…she was a real force for poets in Texas…here is a poem she wrote which has been published on Facebook as a fitting tribute:”
Mother Fish
The Swimmers,
the real ones
are clear
and emerald
like the water
that pulses
up from the center
of the planet
spinning
and cold.
They
blend with the water
so fast
you don’t see them
except when
they get in
or out–
they are invisible
once they’re
moving.
They dry off
quickly
and go
but the essence
stays with
them,
a glow
just below the surface
of the skin–
emerald light.
~Susan Bright – from “House of the Mother”, Austin Book Award, 1994
kenne
(Click here to view the Susan Bright Memorial Page.)
Emily Dickinson’s Birthday Celebration at the Corner Pub in Downtown Conroe, TX — Image by kenne
Again this year, poets and commoners will be gathering to share their love for the poetry of Emily Dickinson. There will be two events tomorrow, December 16, 2010 — 3:00 p.m. at Lone Star College-Montgomery Library. First, Dickinson Scholar Brenda Wineapple will discuss her book White Heat: The Friendship of Emily Dickinson and Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle and a New York Times “Notable Book.”
7:00 p.m. at The Corner Pub on the Square, 302 North Main in Conroe Gathering of Poets celebration readings, book sales, signings, cake cutting, and frivolities featuring some of Texas’s finest published poets, including:
Paul Christensen, Sarah Cortez, Sybil Estess, DeDe Fox, Carolyn Florek, John Gorman, Lyman Grant, Grady Hillman, Ken Jones, Rich Levy, Jerome Loving, Janet Lowery, Ange Mlinko, Janet McCann, Hallie Moore, Katherine Durham Oldmixon, Dave Parsons, Deseree Probasco, David Rossi, Paul Ruffin, Melissa Studdard, Chuck Taylor, James Ulmer, Randall Watson, Mick Lowell White
I will miss being unable to attend this annual event, which has become a highly respected Lone Star College – Montgomery and Conroe Commission on Arts.
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
Roses in Tucson Garden — Images by kenne
Hummingbird Computer Art by kenne
Miles Davis — Image by kenne
Image by kenne
