I can’t let January end without posting. It’s been a tough month for some, what with the flu, the current news, and the fact that there were five Monday mornings to wake up to in January. Tonight three lunar events take place: a blood moon, a super moon, and a blue moon, giving us a Super Blue Blood Moon. Unfortunately Chicago is not well-placed to witness this rare event. But I'm hoping the moon will still have its positive effect on us! I’ve been hibernating. I know … [Read more...]
February 1: new month, new start
Hello out there! I've had a heck of a time trying to think of what to post. I've been down in the dumps and looking for solace, and it's hard to come by these days. But it's February 1, and I hope to start fresh, with a new resolve. Today marks the birthday of one of my favorite poets, Langston Hughes. You can read more about his life and work at the Academy of American Poets and The Poetry Foundation. His poetry is not in the public domain so I cannot give you an … [Read more...]
First news of the year –accomplishments and passages
January is peppermint. Candy canes are the last of the holiday candy. Shadows stripe the days. And the arctic air makes your breath seem almost mentholated. Everything's a little sharper. It is wonderful to see Solace in So Many Words contributors do illustrious things. BIG congrats to Ellen Bass, who recently was elected to the Academy of American Poets Board of Chancellors. BTW, if you resolve to read more poetry this year, check out the Poem-A-Day series. And … [Read more...]
Slice of Solace: Edward Hirsch
“Implicit in poetry is the notion that we are deepened by heartbreaks, that we are not so much diminished as enlarged by grief, by our refusal to vanish---to let others vanish—without leaving a verbal record.” Edward Hirsch I came across this quote yesterday when a FB friend posted it. I think it comes from "Poetry, Prayer, and Process: Edward Hirsch and Rachel Eliza Griffiths In Conversation" posted June 26, 2014 on the Academy of American Poets site. … [Read more...]
Slice of Solace: Carl Sandburg “At a Window”
I can image Carl Sandburg looking out the window at the treetops and being inspired to write this poem. It is from the “Fogs and Fires” section of his Chicago Poems. Like much of Carl Sandburg’s works, this poem is in the public domain. There’s lot of his work available on the Internet; I got this from a site devoted to of all his poems from this book. At the site for the Academy of American Poets, you can find more by Carl Sandburg. And if you’re a Chicagoan, particularly a … [Read more...]