Thursday, December 30, 2010

Sat Jan 1: Poets Welcome the New Year at Bowery Poetry Club 2pm-12am

January 1, 2011
DARK MATTERS
The 17th Annual Alternative
New Year's Day Spoken Word/Performance Extravaganza
150+ Artists will Play Music, Read poetry and Dance
+ Open Mic
@
The Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery St.
(between Houston and Bleecker Sts.)
New York, NY
212-614-0505
http://www.bowerypoetry.com/

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD NEAR AND FAR THAT THE LINK


FOR THE BOWERY POETRY CLUB STREAMING PAGE IS:

http://www.bowerypoetrylive.com/




FREE

I'll be reading sometime between 8 and 10pm. 

By Subway: Take F to 2nd Ave. or 6 to Bleecker St.


A Non-Stop Poetry Reading, Spokenword and Peformance Poetry Marathon.

Starts at 2 p.m. and continues all afternoon, thru' the evening, till midnite.
Admission is FREE!!!
Please bring  paperback books for Books Through Bars, a nonprofit organization that gives literature to prison inmates, and canned and dried goods for Urban Pathways, Inc.

Come out and celebrate the New Year with some great readings and great sounds!

Performers Include:

Hassan Abdullah
Nelson Alxndr
Austin Alexis
E J Antonio
Madeline Artenburg
Dorothy Friedman August
Brett Axel
Faruque Azam
Jane Grenier B.
Albey Balgochian
Berty Barranco
Philip Beitchman
Sarah Bernstein
Mark Blickley
Steve Bloom
Hobo Bob
Laura Boss
Andrew Boston
Christina Bruni
Charles Butler
Steve Cannon
Patricia Carragon
Samantha Chanse
Peter Chelnik
Shafi Chowdury
Rafaella Ciavatta
Mary Elizabeth Clark
Douglas Collura
Mitch Corber
Erika Dagnino
Steve Dalachinsky
Sylvie Degiese
Laura Dinnebell
Pete Dolack
Dubblex
Robert Dugdale
David Elsasser
Nicole Failla
Adam Falkner
Jim Feast
Adam Fitzgerald
Yolaine St. Fort
Luis H. Francia
Thomas Fucolora
Kathy Georges
Robert Gibbons
J M Theison de Gonzalez
Laraine Goodman
Ann Hanavan
Leigh Harrison
Bob Hart
Stephanie Hart
Jane Heil
Bob Heman
Cindy Hochman
Roxanne Hoffman
Bob Holman
John Holt
David Huberman
Patsie Ifill
Kate Irving
Evie Ivy
Jon Jenson
Larry Jones
Caledonia Kearns
Ron Kolm
Richard Kostelanetz
Peter Kozlowski
Lutnun Nahar Lata
David Lawton
Jane LeCroy
Master Lee
Joy Leftow
Jean Lehrman
David Leopold
Linda Lerner
Rick Librizzi
Tsaurah Litzky
Wayne Lopes
Hiram Lorenzen
Fran Luck
Ellen Aug Lytle
Michael Lytle
Stan Marcus
Susan Maurer
Virginia Mayer
Nancy Mercado
Big Mike
David Mills
Barbara Minch
Lissa Moira
Velez Moore
Gertrude Morris
Ras Moshe
Ngoma
Nicco
Maureen Nolan
Jeff Norman
Ronnie Norpal
Tom O.
Obsidian
Valery Oisteanu
Jane Ormerod
Yuko Otomo
Amy Ouzoonian
Eve Packer
Angela Peluso
Mireya Perez
Bobby Perfect
Puma Perl
Howard Pflanzer
Jim Pignetti
Su Polo
Jim Porter
John Marcus Powell
Kelly Powell
Ron Price
J D Rage
Nicca Ray
Nancy Reghay
Eugene Ring
Lucas Rivera
Robert Roth
Harilyn Rousso
Armand A. Ruhlman
Shahed Sadullah
Metta Sama
Jon Sands
Sarah Sarai
Tom Savage
Sohnya Sayres
Iris N. Schwartz
Ilka Scobie
Susan Scutti
Naznin Seamon
Nina Sharma
Jackie Sheeler
Veronika Sheer
Phillip Sherrod
Danny Shot
John Silver
Hersch Silverman
Sparrow
George Spencer
Diane Spodarek
Miriam Stanley
Max Steele
Shelly Stenhouse
Lawrence Swan
Alice B. Talkless
Mary Jane Tenerelli
Ken Thompson
Habib Tiwoni
Zev Torres
Angelo Verga
Jeanann Verlee
Faith Vicinza
Robert Viscusi
Laura Vookles
George Wallace
Barry Wallenstein
Bruce Weber
Joanne Pagano Weber
Richard West
Nathan Whiting
Liza Wolsky
Chavisa Woods
Jeffrey Wright
Van Yu
Susan L. Yung
Zork








Roxanne & Friends in MOBIUS, The Poetry Magazine, 28th Anniversary Issue

MÖBIUS,The Poetry Magazine
28th Anniversary Issue


 I've just received my beautiful azure blue copy of MÖBIUS,The Poetry Magazine, 28th Anniversary Issue and delighted to be included with several friends: Austin Alexis, John J. Trause, Gil Fagiani, Margery Hauser, Erica Mapp, Jim Pignetti, Thad Rutkowski, Mary Orovan, Laura BossPatricia Carragon and of course editors Juanita Torrence-Thompson, Dominick Arbolay, and Diana Festa,  amoung the luminaries: Rita Dove, Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, Lyn Lifshin, Daniella Gioseffi and Hal Sirowitz.


By coincidence this fall I've been rereading several collections by Nikki Giovanni & Rita Dove but only recently discovered the work of Ms. Sanchez.   I was totally charmed by Ms. Giovanni's Bicycles: Love Poems and intrigued with Ms. Dove's contemporary application of Persephone myth in Mother Love.  I highly recommend you get your hands on copies of each title to keep you company this winter.


Copies of MÖBIUS are available from the publisher at $15 a copy which includes $3 for shipping and handling within the USA.  (Outside the USA, please pay S&H using International Reply Coupons. Order forms are available at http://www.mobiuspoetry.com/. ) Please send your checks to:


MÖBIUS,The Poetry Magazine
P.O. BOX  671058
Flushing NY 11367-1058, USA




For a sneak peak, here is my contribution:



WIND CHIMES
5-7-7 Katuata in Sedoka Pairs

in the summer breeze
what song do the wind chimes sing
with their jingle jangling song?

wind chimes play your song
the one muddy rivers sing
as you skip across their stones
in the summer breeze
what song do the wind chimes sing
with their jingle jangling song?

wind chimes play your song
darning needles hum along
the sun dances on your back
in the summer breeze
what song do the wind chimes sing
with their jingle jangling song?

wind chimes play your song
goldfinch twitter rambles on
su-weet, su-weet, so sweetly!
in the summer breeze
what song do the wind chimes sing
with their jingle jangling song?

wind chimes play your song
ring ring Canterbury bells!
harken bumble bees to dine!
in the summer breeze
what song do the wind chimes sing
with their jingle jangling song?

wind chimes play your song
trumpet flowers regale us
the sparrow from his perch chirps
in the summer breeze
what song do the wind chimes sing
with their jingle jangling song?

wind chimes play your song
sunlight shimmies on water
the tall grass becomes a harp


Copyright 2010 Roxanne Hoffman


All the Best Wishes for a Very Happy & Healthy New Year to You and Yours! 

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Wed Dec 8: Love Songs and Monkey Lab at The Tank Tonight!

LOVE SONGS AND MONKEY LAB AT THE TANK TONITE! 


December 8th, 2010 [New York City]: Alphabet Soup Productions brings NO PIANOS ALLOWED to The Tank for a night of acoustic and electroacoustic, vocal and chamber music. In a nostalgic, tree-clubhouse fashion, we highlight the creation of new works without the iconic, Romantic instrument. The result is a concert with an eclectic mix of music with live electronics, guitars, vocals, computers, and acoustic orchestral instruments featuring works from living composers: Composer in Residence David Morneau, Camila Cano, Matt Frey, Yotam Haber, Marie Incontrera, Rob Voisey and Rain Worthington.

Described by Molly Sheridan as a "flashing beacon" of inspiration, David Morneau's eclectic output is best exemplified by 60x365, his "ambitious yearlong musical project" for which he composed a new one-minute composition every day; which was highlighted on "The Year of Musical Thinking, A Minute
At A Time" for NPR's All Things Considered.

Morneau has been selected as this season's composer-in-residence with Alphabet Soup Productions, which will feature selections from Love Songs Project. The project is a collaboration with eleven poets that combines Shakespeare's sonnets with contemporary poetry in genre-crossing songs.

Robert Voisey who has been described around the world as "mad" for his 60x60 project. "With few opportunities and much competition, young composers show creativity in just getting heard." And in Chris Pasles's article in the Los Angeles Times, Robert Voisey is highlighted as one of those composers. In David Cutler's book The Savvy Musician, he describes Voisey as "an artist who knows how to create opportunities where they don't exist"

His collaboration with David Morneau in "Monkey Lab" describes a journey to reach the monkey lab from a labyrinth of catacombs below - nothing less than madness for Robert Voisey's Birthday!

Marie Incontrera was awarded the Meet the Composer's Metlife Creative Connections to be a featured guest composer and speaker at the Hartford Women Composers' Festival. This performance will feature Two American Poems, a short cycle comprised of contrasting poetic texts: the first, Requiem, is Mark Twain's adaptation of Robert Richardson's poem Annette; the second Little Orphant Annie, by James Whitcomb Riley, a humorous, popular children's poem about the importance of being good and obedient.

"The rhythmically thoughtful works of Rain Worthington take ideas of American musical style to a new place - like a walk in a familiar, yet very different park." -- Kyle Gann, Chamber Music,

Yotam Haber has received the Frederic A. Juilliard/ Walter Damrosch Rome Prize. He also won the second bi-annual ASCAP/CBDNA Frederick Fennell Prize for the wind ensemble work, Espresso, which was performed at Carnegie Hall.

Alphabet Soup Productions is a female-run opera company based in New York City that focuses on works by living composers. The Board of Directors is comprised of talented and dedicated musicians, each of whom exhibit a strong investment in premiering new works. During their first season (2009-2010), ASP proudly celebrated many successes, including the full production of a night of new electro-acoustic opera, High Voltage Opera, at Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn, NY. High Voltage Opera was featured on the international television network Noticias Culturales Iberoamericanas. In addition to producing operas, ASP also hosts the Alphabet Soup Concert Series, which features guest artists and chamber musicians.

NO PIANOS ALLOWED
Dec 8, 2010 9:30 PM
The Tank
354 West 45th Street
New York, New York 10036
http://www.thetanknyc.org/

Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=171255912895937


* * *
http://5of4.com/
http://60x365.com/
http://www.immigrantbreastnest.com/releases/ibn009/


Reprinted from Press Release Email, Dated: Wednesday, December 8, 2010 11:15 AM, From: David Morneau

Shakespeare Anyone?

David Morneau's "No Pianos Allowed" concert is on Wednesday, 12/8.

David will be presenting three songs from his LOVE SONGS PROJECT:

  • "Behind Corneal Gates," Shakespeare's Sonnet 56 with poetry by Patricia Carragon
  • "Music In Me," Shakespeare's Sonnet 8 with poetry by Susan Maurer
  • "Now I Love You Best," Shakespeare's Sonnet 115 with poetry by Roxanne Hoffman

These will be performed by Mary Hubbell (soprano), Roberta Michel (flute) and Ernesto Ramos (guitar).

LOVE SONGS is a new songwriting project that pairs sonnets by William Shakespeare with poems by contemporary writers. Each collaborating poet selects one sonnet and pairs it with a work of their own—an existing poem or one written especially for the project.  David is setting each pair to music.
You can preview "Behind Corneal Gates"  at the 5OF4 website: http://5of4.com/love_songs/sounds.html

The text for all 3 pieces as well the other pairs selected for the project can be read at the 5OF4 website:
http://5of4.com/love_songs/poets.html



Also Robert Voisey and David Morneau will performing MONKEY LAB.

NO PIANOS ALLOWED CONCERT
Wednesday, December 8, 9:30pm
@
The Tank
354 West 45th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues)
$10 ($7 - students)

 (212) 563-6269

Take the 7, N, Q, R, 1, 2, 3, A, C, E to 42nd Street Times Square

For more information about David Morneau and various projects visit:

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

IN THE (NEW VERSE) NEWS: SALVATION RINGS ON FIFTH


Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

James Penha, Editor THE NEW VERSE NEWS (who by the way is the author of SNAKES and ANGELS: Adaptations of Indonesian Folk Tales, Winner of the 2009 Cervena Barva Press Fiction Contest) has posted a jpg of  my poem "SALVATION RINGS ON FIFTH" this morning.  Check it out: http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fnewversenews.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fsalvation-rings-on-fifth.html

Here's the original, written 11/24, in anticipation of tonights (11/30) Tree Lighting at Rockefeller Center, NYC:



SALVATION RINGS ON FIFTH

( *
avenue
bellringers
chiming
A
ZZZZ
V
dollars
emerge$
$faith
gleams
==
Heaven’s
intermittent
jovial kaddish
looms majestically!
Newsrooms observe:
+ + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ + pilgrims + + + + + + + + +
+ + + + + + + + + queuing + + + +
>|< >|< >|< >|< >|< >|< >|< >|< >|< >|<
Rockefeller’s *S*P*R*U*C*E* twinkling
>|< >|< >|< >|< >|< >|< >|< >|< >|< >|< >|<
>>>>>>>> underneath? voices <<<<<<<<<
: )       
!WOW!       
X-MAS-SIVE!        
YULE-TIME-ATE!        
ZONIC!       


~ rmh 11/24/2010



Happy Holidays!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

SKIVE Nov 2010 Americana Now Available on LULU!

I just got the good word from SKIVE Magazine Editor Matthew Ward that the November 2010 "Americana" issue is in print and now available on LULU (please see my note about November LULU coupon codes at the end of this post):

Hi

The printed November 2010, "Americana" issue of Skive is now for sale

260 pages, perfect bound.

Only $14.95*

Secure site where you can use your credit / debit card or PayPal

http://budurl.com/SkiveAmericana

cheers

Matt


Also, you can join up to the free Skive Facebook group to get the latest in Skive news. See link below

~~~

Matthew Ward
Editor,
Skive Magazine

http://www.skivemagazine.com/
Facebook Group: http://tinyurl.com/SkiveFBGroup

* Enter these verified coupon codes at the checkout on your LULU book purchases this month:


Save 20% on book orders (Save up to $10) with NOVEMBOOK (Expires: 11/30/2010)
Save 10% with TURKEY through November 30, 2010 and help your favorite author win this month's sales contest.

Each coupon can only be used once and cannot not be used in combination with any other coupon. LULU may pull the plug on these at anytime.
Hey, you can use these on all LULU books except your own titles!
Read my poem "Once Was A Banker" in the November 2010 "Americana" issue of SKIVE MAGAZINE!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

House of Horror Anthology Raises Money for Children's Charity

HOUSE OF HORROR Announces £1 from Every Book Sale Goes to Children's Charity Fund.




The House of Horror Best of 2010 Anthology is now available for pre-order!! Woohoo. It is  £11.99 with free shipping from http://www.houseofhorror.org.uk/ -- just go to the Book Shop.  £1 from every book sale goes to the HOH Children's Charity Fund. Please remember to type the name of your favorite contributor (hopefully that's me!) into the BUYERS INSTRUCTIONS section on the order and that writer, artist or interviewee will receive a small royalty as well. The book will be ready in 2 weeks time and sent straight out to those who have ordered them.

The lyrics to my popular Halloween song "Rattle Them Bones" are included in the Poetry section!

Here's a complete listing of the Table of Contents -- 257 pages chock full of some of the finest contemporary horror writing availabe today!:


Contents

Introduction

Fiction
The Rock Garden, Stacey Boli
Blind Date, John F. Taylor
My Sweet Prince, Nandy Ekle
Rope, Gayle Arrowood
Lunch Date, R. A. Hunter
Dark Water, George Wise
Route Cobra, Jason Duke
Leech, Travis Gate
The Victim, Jason D. Brawn
Mike Patterson, Murderer, Jokeen Krupyer
Cactus Face, Joseph Hill
A Little Bit of Heaven, Aaron J. French
Presence, Charlotte E. Gledson
Death Comes in Pieces, Shells Walter
There's a Light, A. E. Churchyard
Family Legacy, John Arthur Miller
A New Day,Alva J. Roberts
Pocket Giant, Gary McKenzie
Grandpa Jack O' Lantern, Ken L. Jones
Price to Sell, Kevin L. Jones
Phases, J. Derris Ward
Incarnation, E. W. Bonadio
The Disappearers,  Jeffrey B. Burton
Bad Teeth, Marc Lyth
Mayonnaise, The Real Story, Neil E. Leckman
Darkness Within, Ash Krafton
Getting Home, David Bernstein
Dinner is on the Table, Chris Dean
Theatre of Pain, Lee Pletzers
Suffering Begins in the Mouth and Ends in the Belly, Alan Spencer

Poetry
Bloody Cup, Kim Talafuse
Elsie's Friend, Sharon M. White
Dies Irae, Sharla Anderson
Fur to Suit, Rhonda Parrish
My Final Masterpiece, Richard H. Fay
Serial, Stephen D. Nadaud II
Raggedy Hag, William Andre
The First Cut, Doree Weller
Blood Bound, Graylin Fox
Rattle Them Bones, Roxanne Hoffman
Night of the Demons, Stephanie Smith


Artwork
Darren James
Nick Rose
Sandy Swagger
Bret Jordan
A.W. Gifford
Gary Mclusky

Articles
Writing for Yourself, Shells Walter
Learning from the Best, A.E. Churchyard
Imagination, Simon Marshall-Jones


Interviews
Alan Spencer
Shane McKenzie
Lori Titus
David Dunwoody
Eric S. Brown
Jerrod Brown
Kevin Wallis
Suza Kates
Tonia Brown

Book Reviews
Inside the Perimeter
Unbound and Other Tales
Ruthless
Whispers of a Witch
Lucky Stiff

Desiree
The Occult Files of Albert Taylor





Sam Cox, Editor in Chief
Charlotte Gledson, Poetry Submissions Editor
Nandy Ekle, Copy Editor
AJ Brown, Proof Editor
House of Horror
http://www.houseofhorror.org.uk/

Thursday, October 21, 2010

November Edition of SKIVE Magazine celebrates Americana

SKIVE MAGAZINE
Nov. 2010
"Americana"
$14.95
On Sale (at LULU.com)
1 Nov. 2010
And if you are wondering why I am mentioning this ...

I just received word from Editor Matthew Ward that my poem "Once Was A Banker" will appear in the November 2010 "Americana" issue.  Skive Magazine has published 506 Authors published since 2003! Check out the roster of past contributors at http://www.skivemagazine.com/  and those knock-'em-dead covers.

And if you are wondering what that magazine name is all about I found this information on contributor Scott Taylor's All Night Diner blogspot:

skive: verb, infinitive to skive, third person singular skives, simple past skived


To avoid one's assigned work or duty. To slack off.

Scott's story "Club for Exceptional Gentlemen"  appeared the August 2010 "Vampire$, we're all cashing in on Twilight" issue. Friend, Daniel de Culla, has poetry in the same issue.   Here are the comments posted on LULU for this past issue:

"Amazing. The stories are chilling, beautiful, haunting and vivid. The poetry is stellar. And the issue itself is aesthetically appealing with a great montage on the back cover. I've been very pleased with my copy and look forward to the next." -- KAKEITH
"An excellent read! Skive just seems to get better. " -- ANDREW SCOBIE


SKIVE MAGAZINE
Aug. 2010
'Vampire$'
$9.95
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/skive-magazine---vampires-august-2010/12046931
And you know how much I love vampires so I've just ordered my copy and am very much looking forward to receiving both issues.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Another work accepted by HOUSE OF HORROR!

THE VAMPIRE POET
[Photo Credit: Madeline Artenberg]


I just got the good news from Sam Cox, Editor of HOUSE OF HORROR, that the lyrics to my popular Halloween song "Rattle Them Bones!" will be published in the magazine's special Halloween edition due out October 31, 2010.

In the meantime, please visit their website at http://www.houseofhorror.org.uk/  and check out Issue #16 featuring reviews of Desiree by Ken Goldman, The Horror Zine Volume Two: Twice the Terror and The Occult Files of Albert Taylor by Derek Muk also an Interview with author of Lucky Stiff, Tonia Brown.

If you can spare a few pounds/dollars, I urge you to grab one of their anthologies to help raise money for their childrens charity. They are all inclusive of shipping and if you mention a contributor's name for Frightening Fables, Stitched Up or A Pint of Bloody Fiction, on your paypal order then they will receive a royalty payment.


###

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Update from David Morneau on the Love Songs Project

Will Shakespeare

Hi everyone,

I'm writing to give you a quick update on Love Songs Project. Things are beginning to move quickly now, and I'm excited about how it's going.

First of all, the first track is almost finished. You can hear it here: http://5of4.com/love_songs/sounds.html  It features Patricia Carragon's "The Corneal Gates" and Sonnet no. 56. The performance is by soprano Mary Hubbell. She's great and will be recording one more song for me, as well as performing more songs too.

Second, as I mentioned before, I've been honored to be the composer-in-residence for Alphabet Soup Productions this season. I will be presenting 2-3 songs on each of their concerts so that by the end of the season all 11 songs will have received a performance. The first concert is on Wednesday, December 8, at the Tank. I'll send more details as it gets closer. For that concert, I will be presenting "Behind Corneal Gates" (on Patricia Carragon's "The Corneal Gates" and Sonnet no.56), "Music In Me" (on Susan Maurer's "Music" and Sonnet no.8) and "Now I Love You Best" (on Roxanne Hoffman's "Many Have Asked How We Stay Together" and Sonnet no.115)

Finally, I want to again encourage you to promote and share this project with you friends and fans. Together we can make this a big success for all involved. Several of you have been so kind as to make a financial contribution, which is most welcome. However, there is still a long way to go. Please take a moment to forward the project site to your lists and ask them to consider supporting our work as well.

Thanks so much,
David Morneau

http://5of4.com/
http://60x365.com/
http://www.immigrantbreastnest.com/releases/ibn009/

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Dear Friends & Fans,


Maureen Brady & I will be reading at Vittoria Repetto's Women's & Trans' Poetry Jam & Open Mike the last Tuesday of October, October 26 at the Bluestockings Bookstore, located at 72 Allen St. (between Staton & Rivington) about 1 1/2 blocks south from E. Houston.  7PM - 9PM.


Bluestockings Bookstore
72 Allen Street
(Btwn Staton & Rivington)
1 1/2 blocks south from E. Houston
New York, NY 10002
http://bluestockings.com/
info@bluestockings
212-777-6028

Ladies bring your poetry, your prose, your songs, and your spoken word to share at the open mic. Gentlemen are welcome to cheer us on but this open mic is for us gals only. (Maybe our host will let you on if you come in drag!) 8 minute limit, please. Open mic sign up starts at 7PM.

Maureen Brady
Maureen Brady will read from a new collection of linked stories about a woman who stabs her abusive husband and runs away before knowing if he will survive, and makes her way to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Yay for Maureen!  To find out more about Maureen visit her website www.maureenbradyny.com

I will be sharing some work about my multi-ethnic heritage, growing up female in this too often male dominated world, my mother dating at 80, as well as my vampy favorites. (Heck, it will almost be Halloween!)

Your $5 suggestion donations (that means please give what you can) will be most welcome as they help to pay the featured readers. We will be bringing our books, cds, and whatever we have to sell too.

Take V or F train to 2nd Ave. and exit from the 1st Ave exit at E. Houston St. and walk south down Allen St. (aka. 1st Ave) 1 ½ blocks to the store.

This event is graciously and generously hosted by Vittoria Repetto, the hardest working guinea butch dyke poet on the lower east side.

Press Contact: Vittoriar@aol.com

p.s. Mobius: The Poetry Magazine accepted "Wind Chimes" for this year's issue due out this November.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Memorial Reading for Barbara Brackney: Sunday September 12 @ CakeShop


BARBARA BRACKNEY
Memorial Reading
Sunday, September 12
5pm
@
CAKESHOP
153 Ludlow Street
New York, NY
http://www.polestarpoetry.com/
Hosted by Melissa Broder
& Jason Schneiderman

~featuring~

LATE AUGUST
by Barbara Brackney
Paperback, Oct 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-929355-58-7
Pleasure Boat Studio
$9.00

11 Poets Read from Ms. Brackney's

posthumously published chapbook

MELISSA BRODER
JACK ESTES
STACEY HARWOOD
ROXANNE HOFFMAN
JOAN LARKIN
NICOLAS POWERS
JOSEPH RIPPI
PAUL ROMERO
NICK POWERS
JASON SCHNEIDERMAN
JANICE SUSSMAN




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Barbara Brackney spent her youth living in the deep south, California, and Europe. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan and resolved to make Ann Arbor her lifetime home. After graduation, she became a professor of psychology, had a clinical private practice and spent her free time traveling. In 1998, she retired quite early, eager to explore aspects of life that working precludes. One of these avenues was poetry, which opened up an exciting world of inner exploration. Barbara developed terminal cancer but this only fueled her desire to continue in her poetry quest. She died in 2007.

PRAISE FOR LATE AUGUST:
 
"Late August by Barbara Bracknew does what great poetry should do: it elucidate our ephemeral human condition and brings us comfort.  Her poems are clear, consise, intelligent indictments of death, illness, her own short comings, God and everything in between.  But they're also exquisite and funny.  She writes from a place where there's nothing to hide, and reveals an unsentimental, eternal love for our lot."
~ Jennifer L. Knox
 
"Brackney's space and honest work is beautifully powered by the cruel, churning motor of urgency. Balanced between deep breaths of acceptance and wornder, each poem serves as a postcard to the living, reminding the reader that death is as much a part of life as love, sex, and beauty.  She asks,, "May I leave this black?" and  the world answered Yes, but what remains in a recording of that black, a way through, a light."
~ Ada Limon
 
20% of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Susan B. Koman Breast Cancer Foundation.  A further portion (10%) will be donated to Alcoholics Anonymous.
 
PLEASURE BOAT STUDIO: A Literary Press
www.pleasureboatstudio.com
201 West 89th Street
New York, NY 10024
 
Contact: Jack Estes
Fax: 888.810.5308
Email: pleasboat@nyc.rr.com

Thursday, September 2, 2010

88 Stories Campaign Against Domestic Violence To Raise Funds For Abused Moms & Kids

I am very honored to have my story "Yom Kippur, circa 1962" included in this new anthology from Familia Books which includes the work of 86 daughters and sons. Each of  us has shared a very personal story about their mother or grandmother and in doing so hopefully some insight into "motherhood" and what makes a mother a mother.  Editor/Publisher Eric Bowen has pledged a percentage of the proceeds from sales of this book to aid shelters for women and their children who are escaping abusive relationships.   Please support this effort by buying copies for yourself and your friends and letting your friends and family know about this publication.  The Facebook page for Familia Books is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bellingham-WA/Familia-Books/119264101459401. Please join the  WISDOM OF OUR MOTHERS Group Page at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=151600108186145.




 

WISDOM OF OUR MOTHERS
Stories and Poems by Daughters and Sons
Edited by Eric Bowen
Trade Paperback, 296 Pages
ISBN 978-1453631010
Familia Books, 2010
$14.95
Now Available at CreateSpace.com
https://www.createspace.com/3461303
&
from Amazon.com
http://amzn.com/1453631011

From the mother who taught her daughter to wire a lamp
to the mother who recruited the President to save her daughter's life,
the memories of daughters and sons of the remarkable wisdom and dedication
of their mothers come to vivid life in this anthology of true stories.

~Contributors~
Aderemi Adegbite
Lily Alex
Liz Allen
Sally Bellerose
B. Lynch Black
L. Michael Black
Sylvia Bright-Green
Rheana Lee Campbell
Iona Carroll
Selene Castrovilla
Vijayalakshmi Chary
Eve Cogdell
JaeLynn Conrad
Flavia Cosma
Althea Gael Coupé
Shirley Anne Cox
Julie Curwin
Lynne Daroff
Carole Davis
Laura Aviella Davis
Mary Dempsey
Liz Dolan
Melissa England
Fred Evans
Deepanjolie Sonya Figg
Sandra Fischer
Virginia Fortner
Michele Graves
Susan Harmon
Jean M. Hendrickson
Roxanne Hoffman
Stephanie Holbrook
Andrea Hernandez Holm
Anne-Marie Hood
Dee Ann E. L. Horvath
Patrick Hurley
Amanda Hyslop
Beverly Jackson
Sally Jadlow
Diane Kolb
Kathy Krisko
Erin Lawlor
Loraine Lawson
James W. Lewis
Christy Lowman
Rose Marks
Tara Masih
Caryl McAdoo
Lyn McConchie
Myrna McKee
Rajendar Menen
Susan E. Méra
Jayne Moraski
Brooke Mullins
Hugh Neeld
Jean Noble
Lucy L. Painter
Sr. Josie Palmeri, MPF
Roberta Filzer Pearl
Perry P. Perkins
Carolyn Piper
Gayle Portnow
Oluwafemi Reis
Pat Richards
Dmae Roberts
Gwen Russell Green
Sheri Ryan
Wanda Ryder
Lynn Veach Sadler
Mark Scheel
Jacqueline Seewald
Virginia Settle
Ryma Shohami
Sheila Sievewright
Sharon Skinner
Serena Spinello
Madeline Steeg
Deborah Straw
Annmarie B. Tait
Laura Tamayo
Nicole A. Tatum
Rita Janice Traub
Dalia van den Boogaard
Sarah Wagner
K. K. Wilder
Lisa K. Winkler


Opposing domestic violence: In honor of those mothers doing their work in the most difficult of circumstances, editor Eric Bowen has pledged to donate one-half of his profits from the sale of this book to shelters for women and their children who are escaping abusive relationships.

About the Editor

Born in Renton, Washington State in 1953, Eric Bowen uses his day job as an accountant to support his family and his various hobbies and social activities, including Toastmasters, the Unitarians, hiking, taekwondo, linguistics, singing, and of course writing. His first book, An American View of Wales, chronicled his decade of volunteering for the Welsh home rule and language restoration movement.

* * * FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE * * *

Aug 25, 2010

Contact:

Patricia Carragon
917 679 5002
pcarragon@gmail.com



EIGHTY-EIGHT STORIES CAMPAIGN AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Anthology aims to raise funds for abused mothers and children

Bellingham, Washington (July 1, 2010) Wisdom of Our Mothers (Familia Books, 2010) is an anthology of true stories and poetry based on the theme of lessons learned from the authors’ mothers. It is the brain-child of part-time philanthropist Eric Bowen.

Following the publication of Tim Russert’s popular Wisdom of Our Fathers, Bowen saw the need for a companion volume of maternal wisdom. Bowen solicited writers from around the world to contribute their stories of what they had learned from their mothers. Guided by his own mother’s teaching that “one does well by doing good,” Bowen has pledged half his profits from the book to raise funds for shelters for abused mothers and children.

Everyone has a mother, and readers will doubtlessly find stories in this anthology that relate to their own experiences. Yet Bowen’s presentation isn’t sentimental. The mothers profiled in the stories are human. Their virtues are balanced by their flaws, and in some cases, the lessons learned from those flaws form the basis of the story.

The anthology explores maternal wisdom in various categories: emotional, relationship, and practical skills; virtues, humor, and heritage. One chapter delves into “the dark side,” profiling some truly dysfunctional mothers. “From other lands” describes motherhood in cultures outside the American mainstream.

For more information about Wisdom of Our Mothers, please visit http://www.familiabooks.com/ or contact Eric Bowen at 360-384-1028.


About Eric Bowen:

Eric Bowen has worked as an occasional free-lance reporter. Of Welsh descent, he covered the Welsh nationalist movement of the 1990s, summarizing his work in his first book, An American View of Wales. In addition to his writing experience, Bowen brings to his new book a social conscience and multicultural perspective developed in his volunteer work with the United Farm Workers and Amnesty International. These perspectives, coupled with his personal trauma as both an observer and victim of domestic violence in his extended family, are evident in the yeasty, gritty, and multicultural facets of the anthology.

About Familia Books:

Familia Books is Eric Bowen’s publishing enterprise. In addition to Wisdom of Our Mothers, Bowen plans further anthologies including Wisdom of Our Children and Surviving Domestic Violence.

###

Sunday, August 22, 2010

The Rutherford Red Wheelbarrow No. 3: Now Available from LULU.com

The Rutherford Red Wheelbarrow No. 3

ISBN 978-0-557-58376-8
Paperback: 232, Price: $15
Red Wheelbarrow Poets,  August 2010

Masthead:

Editor: Jim Klein
Managing Editor: Mark Fogarty
Managing Editor: Sondra Singer Beaulieu
Designer: Claudia Serea
Editor Advisor: John Barrale
Editor Advisor: Céline Beaulieu
Editor Advisor: George DeGregorio

Contributors (in alphabetical order):

John Barrale
Céline Beaulieu
Sondra Singer Beaulieu
Marian Calabro
Teresa Carson
George DeGregorio
Gil Fagiani
Jane Fisher
Mark Fogarty
Elissa Gordon
Max Greenberg
Roxanne Hoffman
Pamela Hughes
Josh Humphrey
Gail King
Jim Klein
Melanie Klein
Janet Kolstein
Joel Lewis
Maria Lisella
Pete Loria
Zorida Mohammed
Michael O'Brien
Moira O'Brien
Tony Puma
Gabriella Radujko
Susan Rappaport
Susanna Rich
Dan Saxon
Claudia Serea
Ed Smith
Rosemarie S. Sprouls
Anna Toher
John J. Trause
Miyuki Tsurumaki
David Vincenti
B.J. Ward
Dorinda Wegener
Don Zirilli
Sander Zulauf

~BOOK LAUNCH~
 
William Carlos Williams Poetry Cooperative of Southern Bergen County
Presents
Poetry in Rutherford

Wednesday, September 1, 2010
7:00 PM

~Featuring~

THE RED WHEELBARROW POETS

&

Celebrating the Release of the Third Edition of
THE RUTHERFORD RED WHEELBARROW

Plus the work of
WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS
presented by JOEL LEWIS

&

Open Readings from the floor



This program is held at:

Williams Center for the Performing Arts
One Williams Plaza
Rutherford, NJ 07070
Tel: (201) 939-6969
Fax: (201) 939-0843
http://www.williamscenter.org/ 


Call the Rutherford Public Library at 201.939.8600 for more information.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Virgogray Press on YouTube.com

VIRGOGRAY PRESS Publisher/Editor Michael Aaron Casares is providing updates on his press on YouTube.com at http://www.youtube.com/user/VGPMEDIA.  The July 21 installment of his video blog includes announcements for a new chapbook NEW POETRY GARAGE SALE by Peter Maggliocco,  the re-release of  LIMBO by Michael Aaron Casares, and the new chapbook anthology AMERICA REMEMBERED.  A sound clip of my reading of "The Wright Brothers" from the new VGP chapbook anthology is included on the broadcast.
 
Michael also mentions his inverview on SIX QUESTIONS FOR ... , a new blog maintained by Jim Harrington "where editors, publishers, agents, educators, and writers discuss writing."  For more information about this blog and to read the inverview visit http://sixquestionsfor.blogspot.com/. The interview was posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 and is catalogued under Virgogray Press.

And some press on Dennis Cooper's blog, DC's, for another title from VGP, MOSTLY SPINACH by Joseph Goosey.  http://denniscooper-theweaklings.blogspot.com/2010/07/please-welcome-joseph-gooseys-mostly.html.

I hope you will take a few moments an tune in to Michael VGPMEDIA channel on YouTube.com, watch his video blog, listen to my reading and subscribe to his channel.    Also, please check out Jim Harrington's SIX QUESTIONS FOR ... , and Dennis Cooper's DC's.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

September 1: Launch for THE RUTHERFORD RED WHEELBARROW 3

I will be reading at this event. 2 of my poems are included in this anthology.


William Carlos Williams Poetry Cooperative of Southern Bergen County
Presents

Poetry in Rutherford
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
7:00 PM

 
~Featuring~
THE RED WHEELBARROW POETS
&
Celebrating the Release of the Third Edition
of
THE RUTHERFORD RED WHEELBARROW
Plus the work
of
WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS
presented by JOEL LEWIS
&
Open Readings from the floor
 
 
 
This program is held at:
 
Williams Center for the Performing Arts
One Williams Plaza
Rutherford, NJ 07070
Tel: (201) 939-6969
Fax: (201) 939-0843
http://www.williamscenter.org/  

Call the Rutherford Public Library at 201.939.8600 for more information.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Poem Accepted for LIPS Poetry Magazine


I've just learned from LIPS Poetry Magazine editor Laura Boss that my poem "The Burden of the Body" has been accepted for the next issue due out Spring 2011. I'm honored to be included in this fine magazine of poetry founded in 1981 by Laura Boss that has included poems by Robert Bly, Allen Ginsberg, Ruth Stone, David Ignatow, Marge Piercy, Michael Benedikt, Nicholas Christopher, Anne Waldman, Ishmael Reed, Gregory Corso, Lyn Lifshin, Ted Berrigan, Paul Hoover, Jana Harris, Toi Derricotte, Joseph Bruchac, Alice Notley, Warren Woessner, Robert Phillips, Hal Sirowitz, Theodore Weiss, Alicia Ostriker, Maria Mazziotti Gillan, Stanley H. Barkan, Michael Weaver, Molly Peacock & Richard Kostelanetz.

Laura Boss is a poet that I've admired for years and an important influence on my own work. I first heard her read at Symposia Bookstore in Hoboken, New Jersey when she read for the Debaun Spoken Word Series, and always enjoy the humor, insight and compassion she shares in her work. She is a great observer of human nature and a gifted story-teller.

To find out more about LIPS and Ms. Boss please visit the LIPS website at http://home.earthlink.net/~poetry_magazine/Lips.html.

Find Me at Amazon Author Central

I have an new author page at Amazon Author Centralhttp://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003XQKL5M 

I just found out that anyone who has authored, edited or contributed to a book that appears in the Amazon.com catalogue can create a page for free, link their blog and also post their events.  So far I've uploaded my photo and a brief bio and I am starting to link all my titles in the Amazon.com catalogue. There is a section for "Customer Discussions" so please feel free to post your questions and your comments.

SLIVER OF STONE: Inaugural Issue is Now Online!

 

 
August 1, 2010

 
Sliver of Stone just announced that its inaugural issue is now available online.  The issue features the poetry of Denise Duhamel, non-fiction by Kim Barnes and fiction by John Dufrense. The other contributers to this issue are Alan Britt, Alex Alderete, Andrea Askowitz, Andrew Abbott, Changming Yuan, Chloe Nimue Clark, Ernest Williamson III, Gabriela Suarez, Jennifer Hearn, Jessica Barrog, Joe Clifford, John Riley, John Solensten, Jon Page, Jonathan P. Escoffery, Julia Meylor Simpson, Laura Merleau, Mary Christine Delea, Nicholas Garnett, Pete Borrebach, Rae Spencer, Robert E. Wood, Roxanne Hoffman, Russ Hicks, Russell Reece, Samantha Knapp, Sherry O’Keefe, T.J. Beitelman, Terry Sanville, Tim Curtis, Whitney Scott, and Yia Lee.

My poem "Choosing" is included in the magazine and can be read at: http://site.sliverofstone.com/Roxanne_Hoffman.html

The editors are looking for submissions for their second issue! DEADLINE: October 31st.

 
Sliver of Stone is a bi-annual, online literary magazine dedicated to the publication of work from both emerging and established poets, writers, and visual artists from all parts of the globe. We publish work that is surprising and inventive.
 
The editors are interested in the following:
  • Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Essays (3,500 words or less).
  • Poetry, any form or genre (No more than 5 poems)
  • Visual art
Note the following restrictions:
  • Multi-authored works are not eligible.
  • No previously published works.
  • Simultaneous submissions are acceptable but we must be notified immediately should your work be accepted elsewhere for publication.

 

For complete submission guidelines, please visit http://www.sliverofstone.com/

 

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

2 Poems Forthcoming in THE RUTHERFORD RED WHEELBARROW 3!

Just sharing some good news!  Two of my sonnets, "My Love for Will" and "Track Marks," have been chosen for publication in the forthcoming The Rutherford Red Wheelbarrow 3, which will be launched on Wednesday, Sept. 1 at the Williams Center for the Arts in Rutherford, New Jersey.

Here is "Track Marks" with a self-portrait by Leonardo Da Vinci -- his words inspired the poem:

Leonardo DaVinci, Self-portrait in red chalk,
circa 1512 to 1515.
Royal Library of Turin

TRACK MARKS
For Leonardo Da Vinci, who said "After forty years, a man is responsible for his face."

...a man is responsible for his face.
And way beyond the razor nicks—
Each laugh and worry leave their trace,

Brow, raised-and-furrowed till inscribed.
The broken nose you would not fix.
The shots of alcohol imbibed.

A life’s indulgence, doubling chin,
Rounds out the once slim oval bisque.
Sun’s worship flecks translucent skin.

And pleasure’s crows? Their footprints race.
Life’s little torments, we self-inflict,
Write lines, time nor artist can erase,

Tattle tales of just where and how we’ve been—
Track marks of escapades expose each sin.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Poem Accepted for 1st Issue of SLIVER OF STONE Magazine


A new bi-annual, online literary magazine Sliver of Stone, founded by M.J. Fievre, is launching August 1, 2010.  I just found out from the founding editor my poem "Choosing" will be included in the first issue.  The magazine promises to be "dedicated to the publication of work from both emerging and established poets, writers, and visual artists from all parts of the globe," and "publish work that is surprising and inventive."

Looking at their new website, http://www.sliverofstone.com/, and checking out the masthead I see Ms. Fievre is the author of several books in French, both mystery novels and children books, and has has her poetry and short stories published in P'an Ku and The Mom Egg.   One of the 3 poetry editors, Marina Pruna, is a native of Patagonia, Argentina and has work coming out in Flatmancrooked’s Slim Anthology of Contemporary Poetics 2010. The other editors include: Corey Ginsberg, non-fiction editor; Fabienne S. Josaphat, fiction editor; Laura Richardson, poetry editor; Patricia Warman, poetry editor; and Holly Mayes, art editor. Abigail Sedaris is the webmaster. Most of masthead seems to be affiliated in some way with Florida International University's Creative Writing program, either having graduated from or currently enrolled in the MFA program.

I am thrilled to be included in their new venture and looking forward to the inaugural issue of Sliver of  Stone.  (I just love that name.  By coincidence, my poem references a chunk of green slate.)

###

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

4 Poems in July Issue of Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine Out Now

Dark Gothic Resurrected Summer Cover 2010

Four of my poems, "Once Bitten," "This Kiss," "Just a Little Bit of Hocus Pocus," and "Letting Him Go," appear in the July Issue of Dark Gothic Resurrected out now.  The issue is available in both print and e-book (pdf download) formats from LULU.com, fairly priced at $10 and $5 respectively. To order your copy visit http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/dark-gothic-resurrected-magazine--summer-2010/11609560 . For more information about the magazine and their submission policy, please visit: http://bloodtouch.webs.com/darkgothicmagazine.htm

The 172-page perfect bound 8.5" × 11" magazine is chock full of dark delicious goodies.  Kudos to Publisher and Editor Cinsearae Santiago.

Authors in this issue: Sana Riaz, Christopher Newman, Matthew Piskun, Daniel Fabiani, Nora Weston, Nigel Holt, Mike Florian, Michelle Willis, Peter Baltensperger, Roxanne Hoffman, Alec Kowalczyk, Gary Bewick Raven, Garrison R. Emmet, Corvis Nocturnum, Brian J. Smith, Tony Svaldi, David Perlmutter, Lanie Shanzyra Rebancos, Michael Upshaw, Anton Glascow, Rebecca Sarte, Rocky Caldwell, David Renfrow, Michael Garza, Luke Campen.

Interviews with: Suzanne Rock, Paige Leroy, Jade Perez, Anthony Beal, Calvin Miller II, Tony Paul deVissage, Clown Corpse, and John Neumeister.

The V Files spotlights Kiefer Sutherland.

The Batty Bookshelf contains the latest releases by Bryl R. Tine, John B. Rosenman, Teel James Glenn, Brain L. Porter, Cate Masters, D.M. Slate, Yolanda Sfetsos, Samuel King, Christy Poff, Lisa Lane, and Margaret Marr!

Book/Music Reviews of: Unholy Embrace by Neil Benson, Whitechapel Road by Wayne Mallows, Eden's Hell by Dawne Dominique, Het Madden by Calvin Miller II, Audio Zombie Vol. #1, Orchestra of the Dead, and The Zombie’s Playground by Audio Zombie Sound, and Dark God Descending by Tony Paul deVissage.

Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine
Publisher and Editor: Cinsearae Santiago
http://bloodtouch.webs.com/darkgothicmagazine.htm

Monday, June 28, 2010

June 28: Goth Night with Gordon Gilbert 6-8pm at Yippie Cafe, NYC

GOTH NIGHT THIS EVENING
WITH GORDON GILBERT & MORE!

Roxanne, The Vampire PoetMonday June 28, 2010 6:30PM-8PM @ Yippie Museum Cafe, 9 Bleecker Street, between Bowery & Elizabeth Streets, An Evening of Vampire Poetry & Performance featuring Big Mike, Mike Fiorito, Nicholas Fofonoff, Robert Gibbons, Gordon Gilbert, Viviana Grell, Roxanne Hoffman, Evie Ivy, Orion 0.62, Puma Perl, Minnie Petruzzi, and Tom White.
Hosted by Gordon Gilbert.  No Cover. 
Please purchase a beverage to help support the venue.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

VGP Chapbook Anthology: America Remembered Now Available

Reposted from Virgogray Press:

VGP Chapbook Anthology: America Remembered


Thanks to everyone who sent their work in for the America Remembers Anthology. We are very pleased to release this anthology as it has been a goal in our mind’s eye for sometime and we extended deadlines for this project and prompted with calls for submissions. The poets responded and the time has come. We are proud to release a publication on the topic of our nation, the United States of America. This fine menagerie of writers present a spirit of pride, concern, and honor to the American way of life and that which it once stood for. These poems evoke many images, ask many questions and proffer answers, and affirm commitments to what it means to be American and the many freedoms that are entitled.

Contributors include:
Danny P. Barbare, Roxanne Hoffman, David S. Pointer, Elizabeth Chapin-Pinotti, Michael Aaron Casares, J.P. Christiansen, Christa Pandey, Franklin Metro, Matthew Nadelson, Scot Siegel, Mitchell Waldmen, Thom Moon Bird, Chevalterre Nabil, Sal Treppiedi, James Brush, Elzy Cogswell, Claire Vogel-Camargo, Mikel K.

$7 + S/H.

Michael Aaron Casares
Publisher/Editor
Virgogray Press
http://virgograypress.wordpress.com/

http://virgograypress.wordpress.com/2010/06/22/vgp-chapbook-anthology-america-remembered/

Monday, June 21, 2010

VGP Chapbook Anthology: America Remembered Due Out June 22

Sharing some good news! I just found out from Michael Aaron Casares, Editor/Publisher of Virgogray Press that my poem "The Wright Brother" will be included in a new VGP chapbook anthology AMERICA REMEMBERED, due out June 22, 2010.  Michael describes the poem as  "a quaint expression of American history" and thought it would "work nicely in the text."

The poem was inspired by Wilbur Wright's letter to Octave Chanute, dated May 13, 1900. “For some years I have been afflicted with the belief that flight is possible by man.” is the first sentence Wright's letter. In the second paragraph of the same letter, Wilbur Wright explains how “knowledge and skill” are critical to man’s flight. The incidents mentioned are documented in Wikipedia and other sources.

Here's the poem with a sound clip. Enjoy!


THE WRIGHT BROTHERS
by Roxanne Hoffman


Given to mischief, Orville was once expelled,
but could his father have predicted
his older son Wilbur would be so compelled?
“For some years I have been afflicted

with the belief that flight is possible by man.”
What most men only dared dream, his boys would plan.
Was it the hockey stick that struck Will’s face at 8?
Or the toy brought back from France propelling fate?

Made of bamboo, cork and paper with a rubber band,
flown and flown until it could fly no more,
then they made their own inventions soar!
As men they would glide over dunes of sand,

expanding their knowledge, honing their skill.
To unlock the secret of flight, their thrill.

“For some years I have been afflicted with the belief that flight is possible by man.” is the first sentence of Wilbur Wright's letter to Octave Chanute, dated May 13, 1900. In the second paragraph of the same letter, Wilbur Wright explains how “knowledge and skill” are critical to man’s flight.

Last year,  my poem "Ash Wednesday" was published in another chapbook anthology from Virgogray Press, SO IT GOES, on the theme of death.

To find out more about Virgogray Press, their publication, and how to submit your own work, please visit Michael Aaron Casares at http://virgograypress.wordpress.com/.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

New Review of Maja Trochimczyk's CHOPIN WITH CHERRIES Posted

Some news from Maja Trochimczyk, Editor of Chopin with Cherries: A Tribute in Verse: Alison Ross just posted her review of the anthology on Clockwise Cat. Follow the link to read her review: http://clockwisecat.blogspot.com/2010/05/cherry-fully-chopin-book-review-by.html 

The first official review of Chopin with Cherries appeared the Spring 2010 issue of The Cosmopolitan Review, a Canadian journal:
http://cosmopolitanreview.com/articles/56-2010-spring-vol-2-no1/204-chopin-with-cherries-review. John Guzlowski writes: "I cannot remember reading an anthology of poems centered around a single-theme that I liked more." The issue also includes a selection of poems by: Kerri Buckley, Ryan McLellan, Rick Lupert, Elizabeth Murawski, Ruth Nolan, William Pillin, Katrin Talbot, and Maja Trochimczyk.

Another review was published in London, March 2010 in The Polish Weekly.

This anthology of contemporary poetry celebrates the 200th birth anniversary of Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849). The volume presents 123 poems by 92 poets, including moi! The book is illustrated with vintage Chopin postcards and includes a translation of "Chopin's Piano" by Norwid. The editor, Dr. Maja Trochimczyk, is a Polish-American poet, music historian, photographer, and translator. She published four books on music, two books of poetry, and hundreds of articles and poems.



G
By Roxanne Hoffman

G,

I tell my piano
the things I used to tell you,
pull back its fallboard
after propping up the lid,
stroke its sturdy trusses,
hear the strings vibrate in sympathy,
undampered escapement permits,
as my fingers depress and release its keys
to unlock unsaid thoughts,
the music I dream.
The solid back frame
understands the balanced tension
of romance:
the give and the take
of the player and the played,
the rhythm of two heartbeats, even at rest,
the somber melody
of disharmony.
We of equal temperament
speak at length,
practice our arpeggios and scales,
regulate our voices,
and play Mozart in your absence.

F.

Note: Lines 1 and 2 are a quotation attributed to Chopin. Toward the end of his life he had a falling out with his long time love George Sand, they separated, and she was absent from his funeral. A final request of Chopin’s was to have Mozart’s Requiem sung in his memory. After his death, among his possessions, a lock of her hair was found in a small envelope embroidered with their initials “G.F” tucked in the back of his diary.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Response to Shakespeare's Sonnet 115 on David Morneau's 5 OF 4 MUSIC

MANY HAVE ASKED...
A Response to Shakespeare's Sonnet 115
by Roxanne Hoffman


My response to Shakespeare's Sonnet 115, "Many Have Asked How We Stay Together" is now up on David Morneau's 5 OF 4 MUSIC website (http://www.5of4.com/love_songs/poets.html).  Last August, David contacted me, after getting my name from fellow writer Susan Maurer, to participate in his "Love Songs" project.  A composer,  he is creating a set of songs based on Shakespeare's Sonnets. Each song is actually a pair of poems: one sonnet and one contemporary poem.

Here is the original description of the project he sent me:
My goal for these pairings is to find find a contemporary poem that addresses a subject similar to one of Shakespeare's sonnets. I am not looking for a specific relationship between the two beyond this. The modern poem can affirm, contradict, illuminate, ignore, embrace (etc etc) the sonnet. I am not simply looking for tributes or modernizations (though these are also fine). Also, I'm not necessarily looking for sonnets.
By leaving it this open (and vague) I am hoping that a poets choice of their own work also says something about their relationship to Shakespeare and their attitude about his work. I do not want to assume that everyone loves his work, after all not all composers like Mozart.


The other thing I'd like to get from you is input about how the pairing works within the song settings. Which poem comes first? Are they combined in one song or separated into two? Once I have a pair from you I will work on setting them for soprano voice and piano.

— David Morneau
A lover of Shakespeare and a songwriter I was certainly enticed to participate!  David is only accepting one pairing from each contributor but I've continued to work on additional responses.

"Listen," my response to Shakespeare's Sonnet 23, appears in Pushing The Envelope: A Literary Magazine, Issue 2, Part 2 (http://ptealiterarymagazine.blogspot.com/).

LISTEN
A Response to Shakespeare's Sonnet 23
by Roxanne Hoffman


Here's other pairing previously shared with Facebook friends:

LXXII

O, lest the world should task you to recite
What merit lived in me, that you should love
After my death, dear love, forget me quite,
For you in me can nothing worthy prove;
Unless you would devise some virtuous lie,
To do more for me than mine own desert,
And hang more praise upon deceased I
Than niggard truth would willingly impart:
O, lest your true love may seem false in this,
That you for love speak well of me untrue,
My name be buried where my body is,
And live no more to shame nor me nor you.
 For I am shamed by that which I bring forth,
 And so should you, to love things nothing worth.

— William Shakespeare



MY LOVE FOR WILL
For The Bard
A RESPONSE TO SHAKESPEARE'S SONNET LXXII

Some say my love for Will is obsolete!
And that these saucy verses we’ve learned to repeat
Have soured — relish turning vinaigrette.
And those fourteen lines that make a sonnet?
Offer little meat to sink one’s teeth into,
Giving these zesty twists of wit less than due.
Perhaps in an age before DVDs and iPods,
When all to pass the time was sex, wine and bards,
Such screws of tongue & ink deserved their fame.
Still — much less has changed while more remains the same —
Don’t we line up to hear the poets slam and sling?
Rejoice while wincing from the smarts of verbal stings?
 And since Love’s pen is not yet out of style,
 I think I’ll keep my love of Will a while!

I for one will not let [Will's] name be buried where [his] body be!  And apparently several others feel the same.  Susan Maurer, Patricia Carragon, Anne Cammon Fiero, Ana Bozicevic, and Cindy Hochman have already contributed their pairs to "Love Songs."  You can read their contributions and learn more about them on David Morneau's 5 OF 4 MUSIC website (http://www.5of4.com/love_songs/poets.html).

David is still looking for additional contributions to his project, so please take this opportunity to reread Shakespeare's sonnets and create your own match pair! He is also looking for help in raising funds to support "Love Songs" so he can create a CD.  I think you will find Shakespeare address topics we still find relevant today: friendship, love, sex, jealousy, beauty, aging, mortality, and death.  For more information about "Love Songs" contact David Morneau by email: david at 5of4 dot com.

One song, Patricia Carragon's "Corneal Gates," has already been set to music and will have its premiere performance at the end of September. Details follow:


Composer's Voice Concert
Sunday, September 26, 2010
1:00 PM
Jan Hus Church
351 E 74th Street
New York, NY 10021
Free Admission


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