Awarded!

I am very pleased to report that on Friday May 9, 2014, I was awarded the 2014 Larry Neal Writers' Award for adult poetry. These awards, now in their 31st year, are given by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and honor the great African-American writer and activist who served as the first chairman of the Commission. It is therefore a special honor and pleasure for me to be recognized by and in the city that I have called home for almost 34 years. My thanks to the many of followers of this blog who have been my readers and supporters!

New Year News

Welcome to 2014! I have two items of interest to poetry lovers.

§ The 2014 Split This Rock Festival, presenting and celebrating poems of provocation and witness, is coming soon. Running from March 27-30, this event offers workshops, panel discussions, socializing, opportunities for activism, and readings featuring a stellar lineup of writers. The organizers particularly want the public to know that readings by the festival's featured poets are free and open to all and they would love to have large numbers attend, especially residents of the Washington, DC metro area. This festival is a long-running tradition and, to my knowledge, there is nothing like anywhere else. It deserves the strong support and participation of DC-area poets, literary folks of all kinds, and activists. For more information and to register, visit the Split This Rock website.

§ On a more personal note, I want to point my readers a newly posted interview with my dear friend, companion, and comrade-in-poetry Naomi, whose wonderful book, In Yolo County, I have written about before, has an excellent interview at Delphi Quarterly, an online journal featuring interviews with writers of all kind, in which she discusses the genesis of the book and gives some fascinating insights into her process of writing it. It's touching and informative and a good reminder that if you haven't bought the book, now is a good time to do so. Links to ordering it are in the article.

Happy New Year and may it be productive and poetic!

Support Your Local Music

I don't generally promote music on this blog, though I do link to some excellent music blogs. But I recently received an e-mail from an up-and-coming DC-based band, gave 'em a listen, and decided to try to give them a little boost. Go to their website and check out the sample tunes, maybe look at their gig schedule and plan to catch a show. We need to support our local artists of all kinds.

http://www.reverbnation.com/atlasmusicdc

And watch this space for a new recorded poem and some publication news coming soon!

Bourgeoning

The first of two poems is up at Bourgeon, an excellent DC arts and entertainment website. Pay them a visit and check out the many other items of interest for residents of the DC area.

Statuesque

I went to Martin Luther King Library in downtown D.C. the other night to see a photo of mine in the Free Space Exhibition. The Smithsonian Museum of American Art is just across 9th Street and the luminous blue color of this sculpture caught my eye. Looked at one way, it's a rather stylized (cubist?) face; another, and it's an interesting abstract; another...?

Rewards of Getting Up Early

I am not a morning person. However, getting up early sometimes has its rewards. I took the above photo recently at about 7:45 a.m. on 16th Street in Mt. Pleasant as I was walking down to the bus stop from my building.

Linked!

I was recently asked to have the Salon linked to the directory at DCGuide. I was naturally flattered and agreed promptly. The permanent link to the Guide is at the right just under my profile. My posts are linked there under Greg. My thanks to Mike at DCGuide! Please pay it a visit.

Pause for Reflection

I haven't posted in awhile. I do have a new poem, but it needs a bit more polish. I've been enjoying the spectacular D.C. Spring and the arrival of migrating birds. Other than that, I've been working hard.

And on the subject of work, a bit of news: I have decided to leave my part-time job at Borders Books & Music after nearly 12 years. I had many wonderful experiences, learned a great deal about books and the retail business, and made uncountable new friends. However, at almost 56, I'm tired of trying to juggle two jobs, fatherhood to one teenager and one young adult, a lovely romantic relationship, my poetry, and everything else that comprises my life. I am looking forward to more free time, new adventures in writing, and more time with my sons.

Happy Spring!

Ending the Month

This April has been too busy for much posting, so I have been unable to post excerpts from favorite poems as I have done in the past. However, I am happily able to close out National Poetry Month 2009 with a new poem of my own. Once again, a few minutes at One Word has produced pay dirt.

Glossy

the sky yesterday
where it edged
the roofs of buildings
and lay on the surface
of the water in the
fountain basin in the park
and how the sun poured
down and gave
a sheen to the feathers
of the grackle bathing
in the fountain and to
all of us just
and unjust alike
out under the sky

The poem evokes a lunchtime walk I took on Tuesday to Lafayette Park (last four pictures).

Happy May!