Poets – Politics – Jazz

April is the month devoted in Washington, D.C. to a month-long celebration of jazz. It’s also National Poetry Month. Two art forms distinguished by what appears to be a dynamic, almost spontaneous beauty, but that in reality, result from wedding discipline to inspiration. Last month I attended the Split This Rock poetry festival, which brought together poets from all over the nation and all over the world, to celebrate the poetic imagination and the need to continually work for peace, justice and equality.

Poets from Iraq, Iran, Cuba, Asian American and African American poets and poets of every race and nationality it seemed, came together to offer spiritual nourishment for the hunger in our souls. I was engaged and energized by the festival’s ability to break through the cultural barriers that so many of our political “leaders” often seek to perpetuate. More than ever, in 2010 as a world, as a globe, as a planet, we’ve got to become a rainbow coalition. Visit Split This Rock’s website www.splitthisrock.org, to find out about the literary and cultural work they do and sign up to receive a poem of the week.

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Favorite Poets

One of my favorite poets, Lucille Clifton, recently died, and she will be sorely missed. She was the author of eleven books of poetry, a National Book Award winner and a former poet laureate of the state of Maryland. She once said that “poetry teaches us that everything is connected. There is so much history that we have not validated.” Clifton was an exceptionally generous teacher and a poet of the first rank. Known for the brevity of her poems, she said that she perfected that style when as a housewife and mother of six children in her early days of writing, she composed poems between her children’s naps and feedings and housework. Her poems were often short but they were also finely cut polished diamonds.

Sonia Sanchez, another poet/prophet has a new book of poetry called Morning Haiku. At a recent reading from the book. Sanchez showed that a haiku, a Japanese poetic form that consists of three short lines, can tell any story and can do anything. Check out this excerpt from her poem 10 haiku (for Max Roach)

1.
Nothing ends
Every blade of grass
Remembering your sounds

2.
Your sounds exploding
In the universe return
To earth in prayer

3.
As you drummed
Your hands kept
Reaching for God

In her reading/talk, Sanchez praised young people, our future leaders, for the vision they often possess, and which adults often ignore/overlook, and she said to the young people in the audience, “This is your century, the last century was mine, this one is yours.” I loved that statement because it recognizes that young people have to claim ownership of their personal and political futures. Celebrate National Poetry Month by buying Lucille Clifton’s books of poetry or Sonia Sanchez’s new book, which will make you rethink completely the power and beauty of haiku.

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Marita’s Birthday

April is also the month of my birthday. How will I celebrate? With champagne and birthday cake and a weekend in the Big Apple with my soul mate and husband Joe. We’ll be seeing the musical FELA (inspired by the life of the great Nigerian musician/activist Fela Kute) for the second time. I can’t imagine anything more fun and I’ll probably be reading poetry on the bus ride to Manhattan.

Till next time,

Marita

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Tell Your Story True: A 2-Day Memoir/Autobiography Intensive

If you would like to tell your unique personal story through a memoir or autobiography then the Tell Your Story True workshop is for you. During this workshop you will:

• find the courage to tell your story and find the meaning in your life
• learn how to defeat the fear of criticism and rejection
• discover the writing techniques that are most effective for telling YOUR story
• learn how to honor the truth of your unique personal story and master techniques that make it memorable

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Imagi-Nation: A 2-Day Fiction Writing Intensive

If you are writing a novel or short story then this is the workshop for you. This workshop will teach you:

• how to create fascinating characters
• how to create tension, conflict, and effective pacing
• the elements of an interesting plot

~ Fri. July 16 & Sat. July 17, 2010

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Related Articles:

• Writing Class
• Women WRITE Now!
• Marita Golden’s E-Newsletter – February 2011
• Manuscript Evaluation Service
• Marita Golden’s E-Newsletter – October 2010