Clarity Speaks

Letter to my Teenager

2014-11-30T13:59:00.001-05:00

I know you do not understand why I yell sometimes

To you, it comes out of nowhere when all you did was...

Please understand that rage is but a manifestation of fear

When I yell, I am experiencing this fear and sharing it with you

Not in the best way, but how I experience it in that unloosed moment

when I do not know what or how or when and why is an unthinkable reality I do not want to manifest.

When I yell, I am saying to you in a new way because calmly didn't work – you must know when to be respectful. I have threatened to kill you but we both know I will not. When you disrespect me, I still love you. If you carry that behavior with you outside of home, you may be killed.

When I yell, I am pleading with you to not be killed when it can be avoided.

When I yell, I am frustrated that your hormonal response to moving into adulthood may too easily be misconstrued. You must have more control over these biological changes than other teenagers whose skin burns in the sun while yours blossoms. You must not stomp away or demand to know why the officer has asked you so many questions when all you are doing is walking home from school laughing loudly with your friends while all of you wear hoodies and carry skateboards or basketballs or --god forbid--baseball bats and gloves.

When I yell, I am pleading with you not to be killed because even a wallet in your hand is a weapon.

When I yell, I am entreating you to understand that no matter what transpired before, this time may be different. Be they friend or foe, so few people can be trusted; you have to magically balance this reality with openness so that you do not close the door to opportunity. Be open and watchful and kind and aware that your kindness may be taken for weakness. Live peacefully and sleep with one eye open and, when someone shows you who they really are, when their deeds reveal their true selves, believe.

When I yell, I am pleading with you to be careful who you trust or they may set you up to be killed.

When I yell, I am shouting that I love you too much to sit back and let you fail without trying to catch you, help you, stop you and you won't listen to reason. I have every reason to want to see you succeed and sometimes, when I can see you on that opposite path and rational discussion has yielded no results, I choose to yell. Every action and inaction is a choice. We all choose the path with obstacles and pain sometimes but, because we have the freedom of choice, we can choose to turn to a different path.

When I yell, I am pleading with you to learn from your mistakes; you can still be successful if you learn and grow from them but if you choose stubbornness instead, you may help yourself be killed.

When I yell, I am screaming I love you, please do not be killed! Please do not let yourself be killed! Please do not help others kill you! Please live! PLEASE LIVE! PLEASE LIVE!

48 LIVE - The Nationwide Odyssey of a Storyteller

2012-11-24T01:48:00.003-05:00

48 LIVE - The Nationwide Odyssey of a Storyteller

Woodrow Landfair

A 24-year-old spends a little over a year motorcycling across the 48 contiguous states on a journey "to discover America." This occasionally over-emotional, largely levelheaded, “confused young man,” Woodrow Landfair, finds his way and finds himself in the process. The story is told to a live audience whose reactions add ambience and complete the interaction. It would have felt less real without them.

Prosaic moments and melodious lines appear in this tale and enrapture, like when Woodrow describes stars as "rebel cut outs of the sun" and his description of a place “where the waves come crashing violently against these stones."
It’s on the cusp of political but just shy in a good way that leaves room for the listener to think.
Acoustic interludes performed by Dave McKeon and Chris Aaron Behrmann carry the emotion and speak what Woodrow probably shouldn't. Yet he doesn’t evade the difficult; among other harsh realities, his narrator-self shares of New Orleans in ruins two years after Hurricane Katrina at one point and men in entry lines of New York City homeless shelters while the affluent scoff at another.
During the high moments, he plays a little with the audience and ego, bringing levity and balance in this nearly hour-long telling. As with any good production, it was exciting and emotional, thought provoking, and left me feeling good. I mean, how many storytellers can you listen to at the gym?

48 LIVE is available on iTunes and on the author's website, iwoodrow.com.

NaNoWriMo

2011-10-31T23:15:00.001-04:00

NaNoWriMo

Say what? It's November (in an hour or so) so it's NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. Sign up at the NaNoWriMo website and write your 50k length tome. The idea is to get you writing and keep you writing so that, in 30 days, you'll have a first draft of substantial writing from which to edit. One longtime user summarized it quite well in a forum post,

"A writer doing NaNo has a first draft at the end of the month. A first draft is *not* polished; in fact the point of NaNo is that you let go of the worries of writing something beautiful in the first draft and just write *something* The attitude I take, and my usual signature on the forums is "Nanowrimo: because you can't improve what isn't there." NaNo is not about producing a finished product. It's about producing a story, that, if you want to, you can improve later. It's a brain dump, it's an exploration, it's for fun."

There are plenty of forums for ideas, feedback, and encouragement so you'll stay busy and motivated. You can even find writing buddies in your genre for a more personalized interaction.

Ready, set, go!

(Yes, it's ok to get started early. Although, it's now 45 minutes to the official start time.)

Music: The New Flesh by Top $ Raz

2011-10-28T02:36:00.001-04:00

The New Flesh is a platform through which we experience facets of a man. From the opening track, Mountains, New York native Top $ Raz informs the listener that this endeavor is serious business. Not a game. Not practice. His philosophical lyrics and vigorous flow confirm this notion, "Mountains may crumble/but I will never break/I pick the world up, it's heavy/breathe but my knees will never shake." This is the grownest young man I know. His project exudes musical maturity not often present in a man of so few years.

The New Flesh is both physical and spiritual. In So Beautiful and Don't Mind, Raz makes his fleshly desires plain. The Man is a change in vibe with in your face swagger and fun. Jack and Coke Flow is unfair in that it grabs the hell out of you, shakes you, and drops you in midair. No, your track didn’t skip. Yes, he did accomplish that much in so little space. Whether he chooses to punchline you drunk or to weave a tale, you feel the generations of compressed wisdom as Raz’s “literary mind drops bombs that’ll blow like they’re literally mines.”

The features are unexpectedly pleasant, bringing a verve that matches the artist's own lyrical strength and tremolo. Check Don't Mind ft. Cyph Diggy for a verse with lines so funky "the smell will fester." If they overwhelm you, just “spray some pine air freshener.” Alvietron, Scienze, YC the Cynic, Mic Blaque, Cavalier, and Grace Kalambay also bring their verbal dexterity to the assembly. Nine producers, including Thinker, Coole High, and J. Monopoly contributed to this effort, bringing heavy hitting and melodic tracks that serve as a sturdy platform for Raz’s emotion-laden delivery. The synergy of music and lyrics is apparent in The Plague with J57’s thrilling, back alley vibrations and in War and Peace with Thinker’s heart-pounding turned heartwarming intonations.

Not every moment is perfect, there’s some repetition and a few moments challenge my aesthetic. The low tones of the chorus of Love Me No More beg for some height, which would have been a solid juxtaposition to Raz’s voice and rounded out the track. There's a hint of it, but it's too far in the background to enjoy. Also, I’m not a fan of the sexually explicit stuff. Lyricists, take a lesson from a master, Prince, and grind a metaphor ‘til you wear out the gears. Overall, the New Flesh delivers. Top $ Raz is comfortable in his skin. No delusions of grandeur, he knows how little he is in the universe and how large a presence he is nonetheless. This artist pursues his destiny fully aware of the difficulties and pain that accompany his journey; he recognizes the grit and grime of life― The Holy Ghost, The Plague ― but does not let these difficulties thwart his movements ― Cold Fresh, The New Flesh. When his pursuits take him to blend the gutter and the futuristic, he is a force with which few can reckon ― The Man, The One.

Listen to The New Flesh in your best headphones to experience the depths of emotional vibrations reached through the melding of voice and track, especially prevalent in Mountains, War and Peace, and Golden, raw, gritty songs that scream with the positive and the powerful.

If the next generation of hip-hop is bringing this much vigor, then I’m a supporter.

www.topdollagotit.com

The New Flesh is available on iTunes

Words

2011-07-06T23:23:00.000-04:00

Filmmakers Will Hoffman and Daniel Mercadante have made an intriguing video that is a play on words (all puns intended). It's been on NPR, blogged, and reblogged but so interesting it's worth repeating. There are additional videos on their website, http://www.everynone.com/.

I haven't shared many words recently so I owe you some.
Enjoy!

Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott

2011-04-23T21:23:00.000-04:00

Bird by Bird is a collected reflection on the writing process. Author Anne Lamott begins with a vignette on the origin of the writer within, then discusses writing styles while adeptly weaving in examples, writing in different instances as a child, for a child, and as an adult reflecting on childhood so her students, er, readers experience the affects of character and narrator on a story. One can appreciate the candor with which the author reveals the realities of a writer's life (although it seems more specific, perhaps a middle-class, sufficiently connected writer's life): the bumps, trips, jealousy, depressions and near breakthroughs and almost made its and little acclaim for all that effort. Though the book attempts to defy categorization, this writer has labeled it a narrative lesson plan for a writer’s workshop with real life illustrations. Perhaps Lamott is a sweet but determined gangsta issuing a thinly veiled warning to aspiring writers that this is tough work and her turf. Maybe she's a writer with a deadline and a drawer full of notes (on writing?) jotted on index cards that, with her insistence, arranged themselves into this book. Peruse the collection and draw your own conclusions.

What Dr. Spock Didn't Tell Us by B.M. Atkinson

2011-03-09T23:56:00.002-05:00

What Dr. Spock Didn't Tell Us or A Survival Kit for Parents by B.M. Atkinson, Jr. is an entertaining list of afflictions parents and their children acquire quite naturally in the course of living. The book, replete with illustrations (by Whitney Darrow, Jr.) of the bedevilments parents can at best mentally prepare for, succinctly describes these ailments; most are a paragraph long but a few of the more complicated dis-eases take a page to fully explain. Soon-to-be parents, nervous Nellies that they sometimes are, may miss a few hours of sleep over the adroitly named memories most veterans will laugh and cry about. If any of this bedlam is in the traditional parenting books, it surely isn’t presented in such a seriously funny manner. Parents, sit down and enjoy What Dr. Spock Didn't Tell Us, you'll need all the help (and rest and laughter) you can get. If nothing else convinces you, consider the author’s explanation and the remainder of the book’s title: An encyclopedic guide to hitherto uncatalogued afflictions, aberrations, exotic diseases of the American Child. Told ya.

How to repurpose this enjoyable read for the classroom?
These encyclopedic explanations of children's supposed afflictions can serve as an entertaining example of a typical summary assignment. In a reading/writing class, students could create comical letter entries for a chosen topic; in a class of 26, each student could be assigned to one letter of the alphabet. In a sociology class, students could create new humorous (or ridiculous) definitions of standard terminology. Imagine the hilarity of the students' responses and the extensive discussions that would follow as the students presented their entries to the class. Now, go make it happen!

The Campaign to Make "Thrice" A Cool Word

2011-02-21T12:37:00.001-05:00

Conan O'Brien is correct. Some words may have ebbed in American usage but that does not diminish the quality of those words. And the nonsense with which they are being replaced? Gadzooks! We do not need strangely compounded words like ginormous (it even looks weird) when we already have gigantic and enormous.

As for thrice, I'm not sure why it has waned. We use once and twice regularly, and the number three is otherwise popular. "Three's a crowd," "third times a charm," and "three strikes and you're out" immediately come to mind. Perhaps the adjective thrice has no colloquialism to keep it in the minds and mouths of the populace.

As Conan has stated, thrice is a perfectly good word and is worth our dedicated attention to restore to its rightful place in our language. For his part, Conan has aired several sketches that present occasions when the word thrice is an appropriate choice. Do your part and use thrice as often as you find occasion to count to three.

Thank the wily crafters at deadcraft.com for the this custom* little Conan you see here. Yet another way to welcome Conan into your home.

*Note: I used the word custom, not custom-made. The adjective custom means made specially for individual customers. (My contribution to the Campaign Against Wasted Words; more to come in future posts.)

A Few Moments

2011-02-19T20:57:00.000-05:00

Think      breathe    slowly
inhale              exhale
allow     the calm       to envelop

I'm spending so much time these days rushing through, squeezing in, multi-tasking in the truest sense, that I sometimes fail to recognize the few moments during which I can allow calm to prevail. (Even the word prevail is loaded with the effort of overcoming and the impending threat of chaos or, at least, busyness.)

At times such as these when I can welcome the rhythm of the train rolling along the tracks and tune out the conversation of some and syncopated beats escaping the headphones of other fellow straphangers, I am grateful. Each opportunity, a joy. There are toxins yes, but, in these moments, they are limited. The occasional onion-laden burger eater does distress the faculties, as do the mariachi bands, drummers, and whatever it is that woman who bangs and sings, "It ain't no joke, for real I'm broke" in an effort to garner money from other subway riders does. The presence of these polluters intrude upon my opportune mental quiet.

Is there a point here? I ask myself as I look up and notice that this evening's ride is a less crowded one as compared to my usual commute; there is no passenger seated or standing in the arc of chairs around me. My personal space restored, I feel as though I am frolicking in a meadow. (A bit ambitious? Still, I do.) I am breathing air not immediately released from another's nostrils which is tantamount to fresh in this largely underground railway where at any moment the stench of rat excrement or decay can climb into one's nostrils and seize one's sensibilities. But, the point?
The point, I suppose, as I cross the venerable Manhattan bridge, the cream-filling of a Brooklyn-Manhattan bridge sandwich, is that any small bit of peace/tranquility/quiet/calm one can muster in this oxymoronic cosmos is a good bit.

As I wrote the last three words of the previous sentence, which I thought would conclude this writing exercise (and yes, I do write in a journal with pen and paper sometimes), the train doors opened to Grand St. and the underwhelming odor of closing fish markets swept through the train car.

At least I had a good little bit.

Read Miracle at St. Anna

2011-02-01T10:31:00.001-05:00

Inspired by 60secondreview.blogspot.com, a blog that respects that your time is limited and that you are interested in the new and different, be it books, musics, or products.

Ever get so caught up in someone else's story that you are there? You feel yourself a participant or bystander in the action. Your heart races when danger is imminent and you're awash with relief when the group reaches relative safety. James McBride's Miracle at St. Anna does just that. Descriptions of war and beauty and human suffering that can only be experienced in one's innermost parts reverberate in the mountains and foothills of the Italian landscape. The dramatic, descriptive prose manages to maintain an element of suspense that keeps the reader/partaker feeling as though the novel is perpetually leading up to something (in a good way). The Buffalo Soldiers, like McBride's proud uncle who inspired the book, aren't simply characters, they are undeniably human with flesh that wounds and bleeds red blood, hearts that pound with joy in pleasant moments and sorrow at loss, and minds that are forced by circumstance to grapple with unholy realities. Read Miracle at St. Anna and experience an oft-ignored part of the Good War.

P.S. – Then watch Spike Lee directed movie adaptation released in 2008 with the tagline -

World War II has its heroes and its miracles.

Math on the Brain

2011-01-17T02:36:00.005-05:00

During the holiday break in December, I was in the company of a teenager who was eager to get outside and enjoy a snow day but for some geometry problems I had committed to review with her. It was standard school stuff as vacation break homework goes, so we both expected to breeze through it. Mindful of the axiom that we learn/digest information most thoroughly when we explain it to others, I asked her how she came to each answer. She sighed at the obvious delay my inquisitive method would cause but settled in to do what must be done.
I am not one to shy away from math, but this selection of problems were in my least favorite area. (Pun intended? Not really.) We proceeded rather quickly through the first few problems, the softballs, where the rule to follow and the algebra required were simple. But the curve balls came only a few pitches later. While the questions didn't become more difficult, most of the nearly 100 items were encumbered by multiple layers of work one had to peel through to arrive at the solution. These questions required knowledge of terminology including chord, tangents, secants (the last of which I do not recall ever knowing though I successfully completed calculus in my school days); an understanding of geometric shapes; and problem-solving skills.
As it turned out, this doughty teenager had all the requisite skills but had not applied them to each question and did not always recall her method for solving the problems, so we traversed the bumpy land of geometry together, with her class notes and regents prep website as our guides.
During one of several backtracks to figure out what we had done wrong when our solution was not one of the available choices, I realized that this endeavor extended beyond math skills, this was math, this was literacy, and this was practical application of multiple skills. We found, as is usually the case when one errs, that one of several of our assumptions and decisions could have veered us off course:

faulty multiplication - calculators should not be allowed for all casual classwork use; her ultra-reliance on them and my disallowance of them for all simple computations slowed our progress and increased her contempt for manual labor;

difference in our meanings during our discussions - when we spoke about a shape without drawing it, we often visualized it differently which led to differing approaches; our verbal communication was less effective alone while we traversed mathematical mountains;

difference in usage of theorums - (Yes, theorums, ugh!) while it was not clear to me whether she had spent much time proving them, she was apt to rely on a theorum so long as it applied to the items involved, even when it did not address the problem we were to solve. (A chord and a secant mentioned? This must be the right theorum.) She had arrived at many of her incorrect answers using this impratical application method. I spent some time directing her towards thinking about what matter the theorum addressed so she would choose based on analysis of the information rather than based on keywords or visual cues alone.

Overall, it was an interesting, multi-hour journey through the mathematical dregs of high school that renewed my already ample appreciation for educators who do this everyday with partially attentive students who often misappropriate the shortcuts and keywords given to guide them. It especially renewed my appreciation for teachers who go to great lengths to help students fully digest mathematical concepts. I met one middle school teacher who uses dance, song, rhyme, written assignments, and other suggestions and ideas he could implement to facilitate the development in his students of more than rote mathematical skills but complex problem-solving ability using all available resources. When and wherever you encounter such an educator, be grateful and demonstrate your gratitude.

Stoudty is a TEN!!!

Math, Craft, and Literacy

2011-01-10T15:21:00.001-05:00

Ever see stripes that seem off or weird? That almost make you uncomfortable?
I have and, in crocheting a striped scarf I have been careful not to replicate that off-putting stripeyness (my Colbertesque word). To remain safely in comfortland, I've crocheted even patterns, 3 rows of green, 3 rows of black, etc. whenever I've gone with stripes. Now I'm ready to stretch myself and create a beautiful, more complex striped pattern, maybe even the one pictured above.
Beauty is well-acknowledged as in the eye of the beholder and there is evidence that the eye appreciates symmetry, even when it appears in less than obvious forms.
Mathematical constructs like the Fibonacci sequence is one such form that can be followed to make eye-catching stripes.
( http://www.crochetcabana.com/specialty/fibonacci_and_crochet.htm )
By the way, it seems to me that this author, Sandra Petit, embraces distractions, or tangents in writing as a natural part of the thought process and unabashedly shares them. I Love it!
See my post, "The Distracted Person's Dilemma."
So math has its uses in daily life after all!

Mathematical sequences can also serve as a great entry into language and math literacy through craft. A teacher or facilitator in a math or crafting class can discuss the craft (or clothing or blankets, etc.) with the students, focusing on the topic of creating eye-catching stripes.
S/he can transition to mathematical sequences, their origins, and how to use them to create stripes and other patterns (especially for afghans and other items crafted in the square and for spirals).
Students can then plot and or create (crochet, knit, sew, etc.) an item using a mathematical construct to determine the striping. To facilitate metacognition, language development, and integration of this new material into their knowledge base, students can write about the class discussion and their creative exploration of mathematical sequences. As a closing activity, students can present their writing and craft to the class.


This mosaic was constructed by Jim Bumgardner.

Whether they intend to or not, participants are bound to learn about the interesting intersection of math and design and to experience the resonance of mathematical concepts in our daily lives.

Graffiti Needs Help

2010-11-18T16:11:00.002-05:00

I'm as urban as the cool, headnodding to (insert favorite music genre) person sitting next to me on the subway. I know that graffiti can be art. Graffiti is a form of artistic expression that, at its best, compels one to contemplate one's viewpoints and place in the world and instigates other profound thought. I've seen Basquiat's extensive work, viewed Five Pointz from the number 7 train, and was raised in BedStuy, home of some of the most awesome graf murals on the planet. I have also seen the much denigrated other side: graffiti littering neighborhood walls, serving as evidence of adolescent boredom, acknowledgments of gang members, turf, and the like. But what is this?

It is not art and it ain't gangsta.

Granted using a USPS Priority Mail sticker for tagging is a waste of tax-payer money and is also annoying to remove but fiscal irresponsibility isn't hardcore. Neither is the writing of the friend or foe who chose to violate the January 2008 stamped sticker by scribbling over the thick sharpie strokes with an ink pen.
Are the days of interesting, (semi-) legible graffiti in NYC gone? This blogger hopes the answer is a definitive no. Help me believe in great graf again. Post your favorite graf "finds" in the comment section.

Paper Star Wars

2010-10-15T15:22:00.004-04:00

Any true Star Wars fan will appreciate this reenactment featuring paper-made characters by Eric Powers. Jeremy Messersmith's song "Tatooine" is a fitting score for this brief version of the legendary tale. At about 2 and 1/2 minutes, it's cohesion with the film in pace and feel are admirable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_3xbcJBUxY&feature=player_embedded

I couldn't help but think, this is multi-modal literary construction in the "flesh." I can imagine this as half of a presentation, the other half being the written component that explains and connects the Star Wars story to the presentation. The film garners its full credit in my assessment; I appreciate and applaud the ingenuity of paper repurposed as physical objects, music that bleeds emotion, succinct lyrics that wrench multiple meanings from metaphor. My favorite moment: "Solos are fine but duets are romantic." Watch it and enjoy the wit of this line for yourself.

The Distracted Person's Dilemma

2010-10-14T16:59:00.005-04:00

I find myself to be easily distracted. I am at once reading intently, focused on the words before me, and again minutes later, wondering what I have just read as some phrase or sentence three paragraphs ago led me to a thought process not wholly related to the material in front of me. This very post grew out of one such moment. After completing my deterrent though and approximating how much of my reading material I hadn’t fully processed as a result, I was faced with the distracted person’s dilemma, should I go back and re-read what I’ve half-absorbed or should I plunge ahead with the hope that I’ve retained enough to sustain my understanding? Unfortunately, the answer isn’t always the same. Or, as s public policy professor taught me years ago, the answer is always the same – it depends (Thanks Prof. Sermier). I have to ask myself, is the reading interesting enough or important enough to warrant a return to the partially digested paragraphs? My stubbornness in needing to have examined the fullness of a text’s offerings wins about 98% of the time. Nevertheless, on rare occasions, for me it comes down to mood.

By the way, I do pause occasionally when reading to absorb the information (especially for dense material) but frequent pauses would disrupt the flow of the text. [Aside: I toyed with the idea of beginning the previous sentence with the text-friendly "Btw" rather than the traditional, fully expressed version that I ultimately chose. I haven't decided whether the grammarian in me wouldn't allow it, although it does allow contractions, or whether it was a style decision. I suppose that's fodder for another post.]

How do those of you afflicted with the distracted person's dilemma handle half-absorbed readings? Does distraction disturb other areas of your life? Share your stories and tips in the comment section.

Knit and Crochet to Save the World!

2010-09-07T13:34:00.003-04:00

Apparently, I'm a "craftivist." I create (mostly) crochet items for family and friends and, whenever a charity event comes along, I do my best to participate. While perusing my overflowing inbox today, I read about an opportunity to contribute my skills to society via the Caps for Good Campaign. The gist of it is that "Save the Children and the Warm Up America! Foundation will again ask Americans to pick up their knitting needles and crochet hooks to help save the lives of nearly four million newborn babies in the developing world." We're making caps for newborns!
While I'm sure I can whip up a few dozen myself between now and February 2011 when this season's campaign ends, together we can give a great deal more. Free patterns are available at http://www.goodgoes.org/caps. Full details are on Save the Children's website. For those pros out there who dare not use another's pattern, all caps are to have a 12" circumference.
Get stitching!

Response to Texts and a "Blackout" Poem

2010-05-03T12:39:00.000-04:00

Recently, I've been catching up on back issues of magazines that are faithfully delivered to my home and just as faithfully squeezed into the bulging, oversized magazine basket in my entryway. Among my favorites are Spin and Poets & Writers. Kevin Larimer's profile of David Rhodes in the Sept./Oct. 2008 issue inspired me to create a blackout poem a la Austin Kleon (Newspaper Blackout: Austin Kleon). Though I used a magazine instead of a newspaper and I circled the chosen words rather than marked out all others--minor alterations--I'm sure this endeavor still qualifies. I was rather tempted by the flow of Larimer's novelistic phrases but I carefully avoided their gravitational pull for a more sparse effect.

coming after
that interaction,
a certain sense, unrelated,
of abstraction
and
unmoored abandon
needles in

With this unexpected found poetry, I also discovered the germ of a poem.

Media Can Engage and Entertain

2010-04-12T14:43:00.003-04:00

We live in a culture of communication. Media has only expanded if not exacerbated the forms through which we do so. Many teachers with access to technology in the classroom have incorporated media into their lessons to share information with, provide examples for, and generally engage students.
With You Tube the go to site for video clips of all kinds, it seems fitting to provide an example from its massive files. A 3-year-old explains his relationship with his mother to his mother. The gist - "I like you only when you give me cookies"- but its better than that! Watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8aprCNnecU

After the hilarity of the moment, this video is an excellent opening for discussions with children of all ages (and I do mean all, but especially with teens). Did I hear Aretha humming in the background? R.E.S.P.E.C.T.s that the remix? R.E.C.I.P.R.O.C.I.T.Y.
And the list goes on and on.... (sweetly hummed a la India.Arie)

Newspaper Blackout: Austin Kleon

2010-04-01T11:57:00.001-04:00

Newspaper Blackout Poetry - redacting newspaper articles with a magic marker to make poems - is becoming a popular activity for teaching poetry in English classrooms. Blackout poems, said to be part of the new “remix” culture, are a great entry point for students who keep poetry at arms length and an inticing task for readers and writers alike. Writer and cartoonist Austin Kleon has created a collection of this "found poetry" or "altered text” in his poetry collection Newspaper Blackout, forthcoming from HarperCollins this month (April 2010).

Visit his website for samples of poems from the book and checkout his blog for drawings and new blackout poems. I came across a few poems that I found especially intriguing. One, machine and memories, I'nve included here in its original form:

AUSTIN KLEON is a writer who draws. His He has drawn for clients such as Austin City Limits and South by Southwest. He works a day job designing websites, and lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife Meghan and their dog Milo. You can see his work online at www.austinkleon.com.

Heineken Goes Viral

2010-03-22T12:35:00.002-04:00

Going viral used to be a bad thing. Now it's good and, as Heineken has proven, it can be rather entertaining. With deception and willing accomplices, Heineken crafted a master prank for the ages. They combined the football (aka soccer) fan's assumed worst nightmare - a classical music concert with poetry - scheduled it to conflict with an all too important game and compelled the sports fans to attend. Heineken's massive marketing effort has surely reaped them much reward. Watch the video and enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEqJV1acgN4

Curious Pages Blog

2010-01-26T18:45:00.000-05:00

If you're a fan of the obsurd, check out http://curiouspages.blogspot.com/
It approaches (mostly) the illustrations of not so innocuous children's books from an adult sense of humor.

The nerd in me most enjoys Grammar Can Be Fun by Monro Leaf featuring the so lazy he is nearer death than most Ain't who graces the cover but unfortunately doesn't survive beyond the first page. I'm not sure what's funnier, Leaf's prose or the blogger's commentary.

This book and others feature detailed illustration that make the experience especially enjoyable. It's akin to watching a movie on mute and creating your own dialogue except without the embarrassment if someone walks in on you doing it alone.

Check it out and share your favorite or now favorite children's book.

Haiti Needs Our Help

2010-01-21T13:38:00.004-05:00

All of you know by now of the terrible effect of the earthquake in Haiti.
There are many ways we can help.

If you'd like to donate time, money, or other resources, you can check out these websites for details:
http://www.redcross.org/
http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/h/blog/volunteering--2010-style

The $10 text donation has become quite popular. Millions of dollars have been donated thus far. Here's how you can join in:

TEXT "HAITI" to 90999
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Cricket                           Virgin Mobile

30 in 30 Update

2010-01-10T22:09:00.000-05:00

So the challenge is days from over and I'm far behind schedule. I've written a few words here and there but surely not 30 of them. I think I'll post them in groups of 10. I have 5 full days so there's hope yet! Check out the progress of others who have accepted the 30 in 30 challenge at http://30poems30days.wordpress.com/
and be inspired to start or complete your own!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T10:03:00.000-05:00

New year, new goals, new things to look forward to. This is the year I will push myself to new limits. That said ( ;) ), the 30 in 30 challenge is still on, I have a lot of catching up to do. I'll be delving into more discussions of language as I read, write, and perform (yes perform, I'm returning to the stage, albeit the small stage of lounges and cafes). I look forward to travleing this leg of my journey with you.

30 in 30

2009-12-16T15:06:00.000-05:00

In my previous post I alluded to my hesitation to...
The finality of a text...
(See what I mean? You will.)
I tend to feel like a work needs time to marinate, then I can return to it, edit, and then repeat the process before I consider it complete.
As I sit here, masters degree (figuratively) in hand, on the cusp of assigning papers with deadlines to undergrad students, I think I need to experience these deadlines more intensely, in a way my recent classes have not required of me.
A friend of mine mentioned a few days ago that he was going to challenge himself to complete a 30 in 30 - to write 30 poems in 30 days. He told a few friends and now its grown into a movement (of sorts). What better way to get back into the groove of writing poems than with a challenge that also shakes my core beliefs about writing. So I'm on board. I'll post my haphazard, underwritten, incomplete poems here and, as they spark my mind and spirit, maybe they will spark yours.

Find more information about and join this 30 in 30 challenge here:

http://30poems30days.wordpress.com/welcome-faq/

And it started yesterday, so hurry up and get started!