Taslima Nasreen | Poetry Hut Blog

Thanks to the kind folks at the William Penn House in DC, I have a cheap place to stay while at the Split This Rock Festival. (My dad is a Quaker.) I’m staying the first night in a hotel, since there was no room on that night. I’m looking forward to that trip.

Poetry News For January 24, 2008

Poetry News:

— Burmese poet held for insulting poem —

— One of the best Burns Nights I ever went to, the host left books of Burns poems round the table and just waited for people to relax [and Win a Year's Supply of Haggis on Burns Night at Scot Bingo yum] —

— People Of the Chapbook —

— Ted Berrigan and Jim Dine’s “Fragment for Jim Brodey.” —

— Giants Haiku: Super Bowl Edition —

— Delhi refuses to let France honour Taslima in India —

Poetry News For January 14, 2008

Poetry News:

— In ‘‘Elegy,’’ poet Mary Jo Bang has taken on one of the largest and most difficult subjects in all of literature —

— National Book Critics Circle finalists —

— John Milton: the poet who gave us ‘Star Trek’ and ‘The Matrix’ —

— Former poet laureate opening another chapter in his life —

— How lovely it is that there are words and sounds —

— John Ashbery, Octavio Paz, Stanley Kunitz and Robert Pinsky all wrote poems for him —

— he calls for the impeachment of George W. Bush, whom he calls “a booted, sombrero’d/cowboy Caligula/who couldn’t manage a straw/horse on a parade float…” —

— Ex-carpenter warms up tp poet laureate honor —

— Editorial: Frost home vandalism is deeply disturbing —

— Poets and jazz artists find rhythm and rhyme —

— Taslima Nasreen has been chosen for the prestigious Simon de Beauvoir feminist award in recognition of her writing on rights for women —

— Vendetta fear after poet murdered —

— Denise Clarke is entertaining as poet Anne Sexton in Sylvia Plath Must Not Die —

— If Fence magazine were an actual fence, it would be a portable one —

— A different kind of poetry concentrates more strikingly on expressiveness —

I’m going to Split This Rock Poetry Festival: Poems of Provocation & Witness in March. I bought a plane ticket but I don’t know where I’m staying yet. I’ve only been to D.C. once, for some computer security training. But I took a train to the Mall area and wandered around for half a day. Saw about an hour’s worth of the Smithsonian. I wish I had more time to see stuff but I won’t. I’d like to meet with my members of Congress, too, but I won’t be there on those specified constituent days. After all the letters I’ve written them I’m not sure their staff would schedule me anyway hahaha.

Poetry News For January 3, 2008

Poetry News:

— Federico García Lorca called it “el duende” — in Spanish, the elf — a dark, irrational muse that leads artists to tragic depths —

— It was beyond my imagination that in a secular democracy this can happen to a writer —

— Police Get Tips in Frost Vandalism Case [and sad pictures]—

— Poetry, community and the small press —

— I’m sorry, this made me laugh —

— Absent of stanzas and line breaks, and sounding very poetic, the prose poem is taking over American poetry —

— Sylvester Pollet Remembered as Great Teacher and Good Human Being —

Poetry News For December 19, 2007

Poetry News:

— The most accomplished poetess in the English-speaking world today is Marianne Moore, a greying, mobile-faced, almost reckless spinster, born in St. Louis, Mo. in 1887 —

— She started by looking at the $50000 question: According to its author, what famous poem was conceived during an opium-induced dream? —

— Looking Back: The poet of the American Revolution —

— ever since, heterosexual critics have turned themselves into pretzels trying to explain why Shakespeare reserved his most passionate love lyrics (”You are my all the world”) for a member of his own sex —

— Haiku in English —

— Gloria Steinem slams govt for shunting out Taslima —

Poetry News For December 10, 2007

Poetry News:

— Last week two U. S. lady poets, whom repute places high above the ruck of feminine poetasters, smote their lyres in unison —

— A doctor and poet in Boston, Campo writes eloquently about his divided loyalties in “How I Learned English: 55 Accomplished Latinos Recall Lessons in Language and Life” —

— The attraction of opposites —

— Drinking games don’t often involve meter and verse, unless you were composing poetry back in ancient China —

— Social Network for Authors Red Room Gets $1.25 Million —

— Chapbooks and zines get the personal touch —

— Taslima had expected to win her return ticket to Calcutta after expressing regret and deleting the offending portions from her book —

— What are You Recommending, Daisy Fried? —

— To take a random-sample handful of its subjects, there’s Freud, Duke Ellington, Beatrix Potter, Tony Curtis, Anna Akhmatova, and GK Chesteron —

Poetry News For December 3, 2007

Poetry News:

— War Has Stopped European Letters and Art; But After Peace Old Forms Will Be Inadequate to Express New and Tremendous Experiences Says Arthur Bullard - By Joyce Kilmer. —

— Freelance writer and Navy veteran Jeff Hess is starting a writers group specifically for those who have served in the military [cool, Jeff]—

— Beat Philip Whalen’s poetry collected in one sprawling volume —

— “Poet’s Choice” columnist Robert Pinsky fields questions and comments on this year in poetry — submit your questions —

— Transcendentalism, however, became, in Gura’s words, a “many-headed Hydra,” flourishing in myriad forms —

— Ashbery’s anthology ‘Notes From the Air’ delivers, despite himself —

— Tehran was enjoying a mild Prague Spring in the late ’90s when I first read García Lorca —

— Therefore, her writings assail the canon itself and problematises the notion of ‘literary merit’.” —

— I find an element of nonsense can add an interesting sense, and these phrases have an interesting rhythm —

— A late, underappreciated poet’s simple, spare style contrasts with elaborate exuberance —

— Confession is only for people who already know what’s wrong with them, and knowingness was Hughes’s bete noire —

Sometimes it is really hard to find *any* MSM news (non-blog) article about a female poet. I’m starting to feel torch-pitchforky.

Most popular outgoing links for November, as far as Feedburner is concerned:
1. How to Win a National Book Award in Five Easy Steps

2. Big brother is reading your poetry

3. (tie) it’s impossible not to ask some hard questions about his status and whether it is deserved

3. (tie) since somebody published a poem I wrote when I was 19, which has been mocked, thoroughly, I don’t think those are going to be appearing anytime soon

Poetry News For November 29, 2007

Poetry News:

— Nothing But Itself Can Harm American Poetry; May Riley Smith Thinks Magazines Fail to Benefit It, Because They Do Not Demand a High Order of Verse — By Joyce Kilmer —

— Entries wanted for ‘Dylan Days’ creative writing contest —

— Flash of bad sex wins late Norman Mailer coveted book prize —

— Candle Vigil For Taslima —

— His own religion … the Blake window in St Mary’s Church, Battersea —

— After two previous nominations, Domanski earns Governor General’s Literary Award for latest collection —

— Any hope of life to come is removed; this place is born of the loss of her father and her mother’s betrayal —

My mom is still in ICU but stable after surgery and a couple blood transfusions. Thanks for your good wishes.

***

I can’t help it. I’m rubbing my hands together in anticipation.

Poetry News For November 27, 2007

Poetry News:

— How Does the New Poetry Differ from the Old?; Amy Lowell Laments the Lack of Authoritative Criticism in America — Says No One Should Make a Living by Writing — By Joyce Kilmer —

— it’s impossible not to ask some hard questions about his status and whether it is deserved —

— In a poem of this sort one is trying to record the precise instant when a thing outward and objective transforms itself, or darts into a thing inward and subjective —

— BJP seeks political refugee status for Taslima —

— Havana-born, Chicago-based writer Achy Obejas first won a NEA grant for her poetry in 1986 —

— As good as life gets —

— Love, Ted —

— Many thought that Ivor Gurney’s claim to be ‘England’s first war poet’ was a symptom of his insanity —

My mom is intensive care again, so I may stop blogging (without much notice).

Poetry News For November 26, 2007

Poetry News:

— Our Rich Authors Make Cheap Literature; Ida M. Tarbell Laments Tendency of Some of Our Modern Writers to Sacrifice Their Independence and Self-Respect for the Sake of High Prices By Joyce Kilmer —

— Controversial Bangladeshi feminist writer Taslima Nasreen has been flown out of the Indian city of Calcutta after violent protests by Muslims —

— Nor was it a simple matter to find a poem that would serve as the essential illustration of Ashbery’s quality —

— It is not poetry that lasts but good poems, a critical difference. —

— The Chilean Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), one of the world’s most popular writers, found his gift early in his prolific career —

— NYT’s 100 Notable Books of the Year —

— Facebook is removing profiles of small Canadian publishers —

— Prize rewards younger poet’s technique, vision —

— Matthew Higgs … explores language as a visual-art medium that is also directly linked to poetry —

— Think Global, Read Local —

— Keats’s Secret: Exploring the Real Power of the Imagination —

— Paul Roche, Poet in Bloomsbury Group, Is Dead at 91 —

— Here are three of the five nominees for this year’s Governor General’s Award for poetry, each a many-layered reading experience —

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving. We went to our friend Erma’s and it was fun and delicious. After dinner, there was a many-hour jam session & I even played bass on one song — “Killer Joe” because it is really easy and I don’t really play anymore, LOL.

Public service announcement:

Seeking poets who might have an extra copy of their chapbook or book they’d be willing to donate to a lucky student. Each week, during my 8-week undergraduate poetry class, there will be a drawing to see who wins the book a poet has been generous enough to donate. The winner will be responsible for reading your book, reviewing it, and selecting a favorite poem to read to the class the following week. If you like, contact information and book price should be included so that others in the class can buy your book. Students will be STRONGLY encouraged to buy the books of poets who, after all, were kind enough to contribute a book to their education. If you’re willing, please send your book (autographed would be nice) and contact and price details to:

Jeff Winke
Upper Iowa University - Milwaukee Center
620 S 76th St.
Milwaukee, WI 53214

If you've clicked on a tag, you will see posts from my blog that have featured that tag. At the bottom of the page is a list of all the tags I've ever used on this blog. -- Jilly