Dare you!

Someone sent me this and dared me to watch without getting a tear in my eye. I couldn't. It's wonderful, so I had to share.

John Lee Hooker and Van Morrison sing GLORIA! wow!

Poet Nguyen Chi Thien --The Journey of a Thousand Autumns

I must read this book!

PROFILE: Vietnam poet Thien's prison years left "no time to love"

By Pat Reber Jun 13, 2007, 0:55 GMT


Washington - His words always got him into trouble.

In 1960, Vietnamese poet Nguyen Chi Thien tried to teach the truth about the defeat of Japan in World War II to a Haiphong high school history class.

He countermanded the official communist textbook, which gave credit to the Soviet Union, and revealed the United States was, in fact, the one that ended the war by dropping the atomic bomb on Japan. Read more HERE and HERE. This latter link contains a brief interview.

What a life of courage. What a life of endurance and ceaseless creativity.

Dante's Prayer Loreen McKennitt

Her best song, in my opinion, accompanied here by a very unusual video.

In The Fray now out

http://inthefray.org/content/view/2307/29/

Click the above link to see my poem, Runway, published in In The Fray accompanied by the very fine art of Mary Hillier (Sunlady Art on MySpace). The journal's theme this month is 'fat', both literally and metaphorically. If you hit 'home' you'll see links in the upper right quadrant to more very good articles.

Once within each section, hit on the heading link. For example, mine is under 'identities', but the poem doesn't show until you click Runway, the title of my poem. Take time to explore the other sections. One is a story of a woman's fight with obesity and the genetic compoment involved. Another is metaphorical...a 'fat' house (clutter). I'm really pleased to be a part of this issue.

Annette Marie Hyder, who has a site also on my space is editor of the portion of In The Fray where I'm published and on the editorial board. She's also a poet, journalist, and founder of the project Facing Feminism: Feminists I Know.

BTW, There's a section under each poem and article for comments. Take the time to do so if you can.

And what was very nice is that I was paid. :-)

Live Reading on youtube by S.A. Griffin

The first poem is an early erotic poem, then he finishes this L.A. reading with his infamous, fantabulous The Revolution is being Televised. S.A. was co-editor of The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry. A wonderful reading!




By the way, a book representing the best of S.A.'s poetry over the last 30 years is just out by Rank Stranger Press. Ordering information is below:

S.A. Griffin
Rose of Sharon Press
POB 29171
Los Angeles, Ca. 90029-0171

The cost is 20 dollars, plus 5 dollars mailing (It's a big book). Make checks payable to Charlie Whitley.

A video reading at Poetryvlog.com

I'm reading (video) three poems at www.poetryvlog.com, a site
run by George Wallace and his associate, Michael Mart, for a week. I made a few flubs, but hope they're not terribly noticeable.

There's a spot for comments for those of you who feel moved to make one. And no, 'throw tomatoes at her' wouldn't be one of my favorite choices lol.

I'm excited about this. The video is short so I hope you'll take time to watch. The default player on the site is Quicktime, but you can click your choice of another player just beneath the box. I use Windows Media Player to watch it, myself.

I did this in three separate readings, due to my voice limitations, and couldn't find the shirt I wore in the third (recorded first), hence the sudden change in clothes.

Pris

NOTE: Even though I'm featured this week I'll go into the archives, so late readers of the blog can still find me there:-)

What neat news!

This came in today's email. I'm surprised and pleased. This poem had a lot of personal meaning to me, so the honor was even more special.

Announcing May 2007 Peer Award for Best Poem of the Issue
To the members of Boxcar Poetry Review


Neil Aitken

Today at 2:16am
Reply
After tallying the votes, we are pleased to report that Pris Campbell's "Undertow" is our Peer Award winner for Best Poem in the May 2007 issue. She will be receiving $25 and a "gold star" for her efforts :)

Peer Award Winner
"Undertow" - Pris Campbell

Runners Up
"Oneiromancy" - Doug Ramspeck
"North Carolina By Greyhound: First Christmas After the Funeral" - Joe Wilkins

Once again it has been an honor to showcase all of your work -- we've heard many wonderful comments from readers and contributors regarding the poems in this particular issue. If you haven't already, take some time and reread these excellent poems at Boxcar Poetry Review ( www.boxcarpoetry.com)

Best wishes,
Neil Aitken, Editor
Boxcar Poetry Review

Tom Blessing and Mark Hardenbach collaborate!

These two men are both poets I admire and love to read. I think Mark Hardenbach is probably one of the more prolific poets today. Tom posted his song on Ron Androla's board (It's linked under poetry boards in my links as the Underground Board).

Someone suggested it be put to music. Voila....the result. Below the youtube video are the words to Tom's song. Mark Hardenbach is the one who set them to song. I think this is a wonderful collaboration...and a fun one, too. Rave on, you two!



A Sad Song About the End of Love

refrain

i ain't nothin' but an old man
please take me by my hand
lead me outta this sad land
lead me outta this sad sad land


good times won't come again
no the good times are gone
i been traveling this lonely road
too long, yeah, far too long

r

thought love would be eternal
last forever, so they say
seems forever is a short time
seems i lost the way

r

i've tried dancing with the bible
and dancing with the wind
but when she left for another
i started dancing with sin

r

thought whiskey was my savior
but whiskey don't pay for meals
that just an airy illusion
it was either work or steal

r

i saw her once in Detroit
my flesh began to crawl
i lit out for Chicago
ran into that old blues wall

r

got down, so far down
couldn't see for tears in my eyes
whatever friends i had
looked at me with despise

r

i'm so tired of traveling
on liquor and the bus
so tired of traveling
feeling like a wuss

r

time to be a leaving
can you show me the way
preachers tried and bottles tried
i got nothing left to say

r