I was glad to hear that Helen Degen Cohen's posthumous poetry collection My Life on Film is now out. A founding editor of Rhino Poetry, Helen Degen Cohen was a central figure in the Chicago area poetry community. When she died in 2015, she left behind several projects-in-progress, including an almost-finished manuscript of poems highlighting her in-depth interest in film. My Life on Film is published by Glass Lyre Press and the launch for it is Sunday, September 23rd … [Read more...]
Rainy days and difficult teachers
It’s been rainy for days here in Chicago. Fortunately I’ve had a good book to keep me occupied and which I recommend. It’s Night Hawks by Charles Johnson (Scribner, 2018). It is a collection of stories. Many of the stories start with an epigraph. The story “Welcome to Wedgewood” begins with a quote from an Associated Press news item and one from Kahlil Gibran. It is this latter one that has occupied my thoughts so I share it with you. Peace, love, and solace I … [Read more...]
New way to look at death (and life)
This past weekend I went to a memorial service and I’m inspired to share something with you. You may be familiar with it since it was featured on NPR in June of 2005, but it was new to me – it is “Eulogy from a Physicist” by Aaron Freeman. Aaron Freeman lives in the Chicago area; I’ve known of him through his comedy and journalism. But I guess he is also a physicist. You may also want to check out “My Inner Particle” by Aaron Freeman, which appeared in Symmetry … [Read more...]
You will fall in love with Sadie too
Congrats to Rochelle Distelheim! Her debut novel, Sadie in Love, is now out from Aubade Publishing. The book launch is this Sunday at The Book Stall in Winnetka. Back in 2014 Rochelle let me share her short-short story "The Kiss-Me-Quick" on this site. If you’d like some more literary treats, visit Rochelle’s website where you can sample several of her fiction pieces. (Then go buy her book.) Peace, love, and solace … [Read more...]
Mary Oliver and a tiny amphibian
Summer is almost officially here—I’m wishing you sunny days in all ways. This past weekend I went to a memorial service on Saturday and on Sunday, we celebrated Father’s Day. At the memorial service, we heard the Mary Oliver poem “In Blackwater Woods.” It is from her book American Primitive (1983, Back Bay Books) and it ends with these lines: “To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones … [Read more...]
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