Poetry Hut Blog

Poetry News:

1. — Poetry as Right-Hemispheric Language —
2. — “There certainly isn”™t enough genuine talent for us to take notice” —
3. — Poet John Donne was a compulsive conceit practitioner —
4. — The correspondence started after Schillaci submitted poems for publication in a now-defunct University of New Hampshire literary magazine —
5. — This remarkable true story is recounted in a new book, The Zookeeper’s Wife, by naturalist, poet and essayist Diane Ackerman —
6. — The war against Hitler was barely a year old before newspapers began asking: Where are the war poets? —
7. — Call for submissions on the literary grotesque - the monstrous, the unusual, the abnormal —
8. — a lot was taken from the single Graham lines I listed —
9. — Artists often think of their creations as brain-children, plucked from the air. But perhaps a work of art is closer to actual offspring. —
10. — I am sad but he had a good life I guess. —
11. — Muslim cleric demands Taslima be driven out sighgh —

I may work in a grim cubicle but at least it is not orange. I wonder what the suicide rate was for folks who worked in those? By 10:02am everything would be vibrating and spots would be floating in front of the monochrome CRT displays.

In 1973, basically the population of the entire lower-peninsula of Michigan was poisoned with Polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs). Sadly there isn’t much in Wikipedia about this. It was a chemical-based disaster in which cows were fed tainted feed — “Firemaster” flame-retardant accidentally got shipped with a cattle feed supplement called “Nutrimaster.” A dairy farmer, Frederic Halbert, (who fortunately had an MS in Chemical Engineering) tried to get the state to realize um, something is wrong with the feed, & they didn’t really listen to him at first. But he didn’t give up, thank gawd. But in the meantime everyone was drinking the milk, etc. Once the magnitude of everything became clear, Michigan asked the Federal Government to help out — $$$ — & it refused. Hard to believe, nowadays. I don’t know whatever happened with that.

I’m reading a book about it, Bitter Harvest, out of print 0-8028-7039-2. My Uncle’s dairy farm was quarantined I think? I’ll have to ask my dad; perhaps that is my imagination. But it was one of those haunting childhood things for me — thousands of bloated, frozen, hoove-up-dead-cows-in-the-snow on TV, alongside images of Vietnam …

… and so began my distrust of the government hahahaha. What’s that, Senator Clinton? The government intricately involved with my healthcare? No. No thank you. hahahaha.

There are thousands of PBB cows, chickens, etc buried in a big clay-lined pit in Kalkaska, Michigan and in Mio, Michigan. And PBBs all over the place. But people are working on it and maybe poetry is helping them a little bit?

Poetry News:

1. — Poet and short story writer Grace Paley, a literary eminence and old-fashioned rebel who described herself as a “combative pacifist,” has died (and NYT) —
2. — Fatwa offers unlimited money to kill Taslima —
3. — Remembering Liam Rector —
4. — Out of this has come a small industry in creative writing courses —
5. — We Need Models of Revision —
6. — four impressive new collections —
7. — Langston Hughes was one of the most respected poets in 20th century American literature, though you”™d never know it from Isaac Julien‘ pretentious and monotonous 40-minute hodgepodge —
8. — the similarities and differences between the “New Gen” poets [of the U.K.] and their U.S. contemporaries —
9. — Until yesterday, Deboer was one of just two independent distributors operating on the East Coast —

“The next Powerball drawing will be on Saturday, August 25th, 2007 with an estimated Grand Prize of $300,000,000 ($140,300,000 cash).”

Michael G. generously posted some gazpacho recipes in the comments of yesterday’s post. Sounds great — I will be eating that all weekend I think. Over 100F yesterday again.

Sweet baby carrots recalled in six states

FDA officials said the carrots might be contaminated with bacteria (Shigella) that poses a serious health risk from some people, especially the very young or elderly.

The product was sold under two labels — “Los Angeles Salad Genuine Sweet Baby Carrots” and “Trader Joe’s Genuine Sweet Baby Carrots.”

The “Los Angeles Salad Genuine Sweet Baby Carrots” label was distributed by Kroger Co. and King Sooper stores in Tennessee, Kroger Co. and Ralph’s supermarkets in California, Publix supermarkets in Georgia and Florida, and Get Fresh stores in Nevada.

All of the packages were sold in flexible plastic bags in 7- and 8-ounce sizes with a “sell by date” up to and including Aug. 16.

The second label — “Trader Joe’s Genuine Sweet Baby Carrots” — was distributed by Trader Joe’s stores in Arizona and California in 7-ounce flexible plastic bags with a “sell by date” up to and including Aug. 8.

The recall was initiated after it was discovered the same product sold in Canada was contaminated with Shigella.

Consumers with questions can contact Los Angeles Salads at 626-322-9017.

Poetry News:

1. — Poets of the magnitude and agility of Tsvetaeva and Pasternak are, in all senses, hard to follow —
2. — Instead of love ballads sung by scantily clad singers, the contestants offered the rhyme and rhythm of a flowery style of Bedouin poetry known as Nabati —
3. — Local writer wins poetry prize —
4. — Rowling said in an online chat the Hallows were in part inspired by The Pardoner’s Tale, one of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales [spoilers in this article!] —
5. — Sussex hotel linked to poet Shelley is sold —
6. — for the first time since 1912, you too [americans] can legally partake of absinthe —
7. — Try your hand at his workshop on dramatic poetry —

“Who are the great deep dreamers of our culture now?“

If you run a lit mag, Luna Park would like to speak with you.