tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46195093810795877542024-02-24T12:46:33.087-08:00Yesterday's PoemMusings on my Writing Life or Lack ThereofAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-83533716578468305112011-01-05T09:00:00.000-08:002011-01-05T09:00:02.236-08:00Accepted - Red Lion Square<a href="http://www.redlionsq.com/uploads/2/7/5/9/2759478/8227037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.redlionsq.com/uploads/2/7/5/9/2759478/8227037.jpg" /></a>I'm excited to share my <a href="http://www.redlionsq.com/1/post/2011/01/episode-28-colleen-kolhoff-little-and-patricia-maaru.html">poems</a> "<a href="http://yesterdayspoem.blogspot.com/2010/06/aiyana.html">Aiyana</a>" and "<a href="http://yesterdayspoem.blogspot.com/2008/04/nylons.html">Nylons</a>" on Red Lion Square's audio magazine.<br />
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Let me know what you think!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-30004351540255631472010-12-24T18:44:00.000-08:002010-12-24T18:44:05.044-08:00Gil Scott-Heron - Winter in America<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fGlRsjHTkbs?fs=1&hl=en_US">
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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fGlRsjHTkbs?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-46114087134911750812010-11-03T21:05:00.000-07:002010-11-03T21:05:00.858-07:00ObeahwomenOne look <br />and she knows <br /><br />a spirit woman can<br />see another <br /><br />there's no veil<br />just pathways of light <br /><br />she tells me of <br />her friend <br /><br />at 5:00 pm <br />an endoscopy <br /><br />a tube and camera<br />to peer inside <br /><br />it should detect <br />the source of the bleeding<br /><br />pancreatic cancer<br />the only two words I say<br /><br />Her steel blue eyes<br />look up from scanning <br /><br />in wonder, in knowing <br />yes, it's probably that <br /><br />The patient has no family<br />the clerk tells me <br /><br />I will have to manage<br />the death by myself <br /><br />just like that<br />we predicted the future<br /><br />that was already<br />coming to pass<br />
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#new #novpadAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-69609038232981632132010-11-02T21:03:00.000-07:002010-11-03T21:04:22.806-07:00OfferingOffering<br /><br />Dear one,<br /><br />you'll never know <br />that which endures all things<br />because you cast your old <br /><br />to meddle in dens <br />in front of tv sets <br />longing for connection<br /><br />your ambition is lust<br />for success, for reward<br /><br />but it is at your <br />grandmother's feet <br />where you learn love<br />
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#new Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-61563772889622060222010-11-01T23:53:00.000-07:002010-11-01T23:53:21.443-07:00Haint<a href="http://yesterdayspoem.blogspot.com/"> </a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">sandalwood sawdust skin </span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">you creep into my poems</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">and tread the borders </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">of my psyche. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">your familiar scent:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">brushfire on highways,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">flyblown bushes,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">the haint confusion </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">of manna and falling birds. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">I would write I love you,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">but that does not conjure you</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">here </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">only </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">in whispers.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">*I'm participating in Novpad with a few modifications. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;">1)I'll probably only participate Monday - Friday. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">2) My focus is on revising poems rather than creating new ones.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">3)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> I will
add new poems. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">4) My goal is to stop the bad habit of writing poems
that stay in my notebook never to be published. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">5) I'm using novpad to
practice self-editing so I can send these off to markets.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-88259741606412563442010-10-18T17:05:00.000-07:002010-10-18T17:05:00.165-07:00The Artist's Relationship with Silence<blockquote>
"Phillis Levin, poet-in-residence at Hofstra University on Long Island, N.Y., describes how her inspiration comes from retreat. 'For me, poetry in particular comes from this source of silence. It's the opposite of that white noise that's created by too much stimulation.'</blockquote>
<a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/17/entertainment/la-ca-artists-time-20101017">A creative retreat in the digital age - Los Angeles Times</a> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjInW2tNhCrMCWH42bf65ea9XHdpEN5A_jwIJQ9mXilOnCYTAYDGvbVN-5wCVbwkAQvdFiL7gV9vOlXvpCTaeeBmtY_MTEcJ-atKaDqEM6Ug8pAD-1qndv47EkM_fgd4JBrULEd8tRNuKo/s1600/sad+love+story.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjInW2tNhCrMCWH42bf65ea9XHdpEN5A_jwIJQ9mXilOnCYTAYDGvbVN-5wCVbwkAQvdFiL7gV9vOlXvpCTaeeBmtY_MTEcJ-atKaDqEM6Ug8pAD-1qndv47EkM_fgd4JBrULEd8tRNuKo/s320/sad+love+story.png" width="215" /></a>My daily quest is to find that hour of silence. In this silence I can create a poem. I can edit a poem. I can listen for its wonder or finally relent that it falls flat. Without silence, I can't write. Nor can I read. Silence is my muse and accomplice. Without it, I'm useless as a creative.<br />
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In this article, John Lopez asks artists how they balance their need for solitude to create with the hyperconnectivity of the world. Many cope by turning off their devices and escaping to a retreat. Some see the effects of the digital age on their audience. One novelist , Gary Shteyngart preidcts <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400066409?ie=UTF8&tag=yestspoem-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1400066409">a dystopian future</a> where "long form text has disappeared and novels themselves are considered gross relics of a past age." Hopefully, this is just his imagination; I sense it's a warning signal.<br />
<br />
Even if there isn't an audience to consume my work, I still will turn off the world seeking silence. Expressing myself in the written word is not just an artistic pursuit. It's matter of survival and self-care.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-49161970371066958752010-10-11T09:00:00.000-07:002010-10-11T09:00:03.417-07:00A Suite of Poems<p>Would you pay 5 dollars to listen to 5 poems?  What if you also had an accompanying booklet with the poems? In Pobiz,  this would be too expensive. Since books are expected to be around $10 -$12, paying half that for just 5 poems seems exorbitant.  But if Nikki Giovanni was hustling her early poems in this market, I'd think she would do just that. This is a woman who even made a "single" for her books putting an A and B poem on a 45.  </p> <p>I want us poets to return to this era when poetry was literally for the people. When<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_RwLNyBod3H0/TLKZ5TPsmVI/AAAAAAAAAOo/GJEA94LBPj4/s1600-h/Nikki%20Giovanni%20-%20Truth%20Is%20On%20Its%20Way%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="Nikki Giovanni - Truth Is On Its Way" border="0" alt="Nikki Giovanni - Truth Is On Its Way" align="right" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFeRNHtwYWAHab0e_1PPRJU8iBGujoHlsxGa9XU7JAmDZEi3XtnQy3r-Ug5PTsEQrdH8KWmacxbhPnpsR7pgqD6kIfQK7z2dkj1ZizeE2Gr5aKM0geWml2ff1FmrxwYT8ZkR5tl7aA7M/?imgmax=800" width="134" height="134" /></a> poets didn't wait for market listings and chapbook contests to sell their work. I'm a throwback poet. I want a solid collection of about 60 poems. I want to distill those into 10 for a vinyl record LP. I want a 5 poem suite to package as an EP. I want a 45. The literal record and perhaps the Itunes download.</p> <p> <br />Is this wrong? To think that poetry has a monetary value? Spoken Word Artists (SWA) would reply no. In my neighborhood, an SWA  may sell their work after a performance and at the local supermarket. I don't have the confidence to hand sell in such an aggressive way.  But I wonder, why not? Why not go the full Maya Angelou route and sell poetry on cards, cups and plates?  Does this cheapen the art? </p> <p>Maybe it does. <br /></p> <p>Maybe it broadens the audience. </p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-89267459911322732172010-09-16T22:23:00.001-07:002010-09-16T22:23:30.369-07:00#JustFinish<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_RwLNyBod3H0/TJL7SE5No7I/AAAAAAAAAOY/vwD7mlMa0cc/s1600-h/The%20Color%20Purple%20Us%20Never%20Part%5B21%5D.jpg"><img style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto" title="The Color Purple Us Never Part" alt="The Color Purple Us Never Part" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_RwLNyBod3H0/TJL7TH5atmI/AAAAAAAAAOc/CKx6RWkJFlg/The%20Color%20Purple%20Us%20Never%20Part_thumb%5B19%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="400" height="323" /></a></p> <p>I’m a member of a virtual poetry workshop. We meet Saturday mornings at 8 am PST on webcam via Tinychat. It’s one hour of line-by-line feedback, laughter and pobiz discussion. Less the pobiz discussion.  There are 5 members, but only 3 have virtually met: <a href="http://evelynnalfred.blogspot.com/">Evelyn,</a> <a href="http://submitit.blogspot.com/">Jonterri</a> and me.  Even though I tell them my birth name, they still refer to me as Viz and that’s ok.  I try to keep my identity on the web semi-secret (ip addresses tell the truth) because I’m an educator.  My students tried their best to Google me and only found a few references to my young organizing days. Yay me for beating Eric Schmidt at his own game!   </p> <p>Each Friday, we email each other a submission set.  The next morning, scraping the sleep out of our eyes, we read our poems, try to figure out appropriate line breaks, titles and offer encouragement.   I’ve been in several poetry workshop groups and collectives. This is by far the best. Even when I show up without poems, just with ruminations Ev humors me. She’s tired of that so I must produce a set again.  </p> <p>I’ve only sent out two subs in the last 10 weeks but I’m new to this game.  It’s a gamble, but it’s also a bit fun. Where’s the fun? Not in rejection but in assembling suites(or sets) of poems each week. Ev and Jay are quick to point out what works and what doesn’t, what fits and what juts out. It’s taught me a fine lesson in grouping poems.  </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_RwLNyBod3H0/TJL7SE5No7I/AAAAAAAAAOg/pLeKJsWsdLc/s1600-h/The%20Color%20Purple%20Us%20Never%20Part%5B18%5D.jpg"></a></p> <p>I hope we never part. I hope we grow into annual retreats, quarterly workshops, and monthly goals.  But even if we just stay 3 women meeting on the Internet until we’re all grey at the edges – it will be worth it. </p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-84024900281421448312010-09-12T23:19:00.000-07:002010-09-12T23:19:36.148-07:00YouTube - Poet Ntozake Shange on Mental HealthPoet, Choreographer Ntozake Shange speaks about living with a mental disorder at the National Book Club Conference in July. Thanks to the folks at the <a href="http://aalbc.com/authors/ntozake.htm">African American Literature Book Club</a> we have the video below.
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://epc.buffalo.edu/authors/spahr/spahr300.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://epc.buffalo.edu/authors/spahr/spahr300.gif" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a class="zem_slink freebase/en/juliana_spahr" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliana_Spahr" rel="wikipedia nofollow" title="Juliana Spahr">Juliana Spahr</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
'Juliana Spahr, a poet in San Francisco, put it brilliantly,' says Skinner. 'She said the nature poet focuses on the bird and the bird's nest, but doesn't turn around to confront the bulldozer … Ecopoetry expands the frame to include the bulldozer.'<br />
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'Nature poetry is observational,' adds Snyder. 'It is gazing at nature, and also about the psychological state of the observer. Whereas ecopoetry ....is looking for wildness wherever one can find it. Not just in wilderness areas, but everywhere human beings let go of the controls.'"
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<a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/29/entertainment/la-ca-ws-merwin-20100829/4">Dean Kupers in an article about New Poet Laureate W.S. Merwin - LA Times</a><br />
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Submit a review of a poetry book about ecopoetics to the <a href="http://ecopoetics.wordpress.com/about/">Journal of Ecopoetics</a><br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">
<img alt="" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=464046ef-e69d-4285-8bd2-373e3638b7f3" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /><span class="zem-script more-related more-info pretty-attribution paragraph-reblog"><script defer="defer" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript">
</script></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-51134876683328727212010-09-07T12:19:00.000-07:002010-09-07T12:19:51.143-07:00Bookslut | The Problem with American PoetryWell <a href="http://www.bookslut.com/authors.php?author=Josh%20Cook">Josh Cook</a> somewhat agrees with me that MFA programs are creating professors, not necessarily poets.<br />
<blockquote>
<br />
"I would ask poets to initially eschew MFA programs.
Get a job, read, and write for a few years first. This is not to say MFA programs are valueless, but that it is important to find a vision before one hones the craft of communicating it.<br />
<br />
I'm not outright condemning MFA programs, either. There are many good poets (including some of my favorites) coming out of them (though coincidence does not imply causation), but I don't believe the institutions of today are capable of producing the visionaries of tomorrow."</blockquote>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<a href="http://www.bookslut.com/features/2010_09_016571.php">Bookslut | The Problem with American Poetry</a>
via a retweet by <a href="http://twitter.com/tarabetts">Tara Betts</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-81614111119485132782010-09-05T16:21:00.000-07:002010-09-05T16:30:16.609-07:00Review: Virgins in the Beehive by Kola Boof<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040JHQPO?tag=yestspoem-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B0040JHQPO&adid=02ZRBSF94D23JQG5WKDB&"><i>Virgins the Beehive</i></a>, <b>Kola Boof,</b> Atlantic Library, Kindle
Edition</div>
<br />
Mike Levine and Rahel Thorsten of Atlantic Library confirm that <b>Rob
McEntegar</b><b>t</b>, Vice President of Lion's Gate Studios and film
producer<b> Alex Barkaloff</b> are interested in casting superstar Alicia Keys
in a big screen adaptation of Kola Boof's sizzling hip hop novel, "Virgins In
the Beehive" (Atlantic Library). Many in the industry are already saying that
Alicia Keys would essentially be playing a fictionalized version of her friend
Whitney Houston.
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RwLNyBod3H0/TIQlDYcb4CI/AAAAAAAAAOA/1rKbr61aBeU/s1600/KolaBoof2007300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
Kola Boof excels at weaving myth, magic, and mayhem in the lives of her
female protagonists. In her award-winning novel <i>Flesh and the Devil</i>, she
used Princess Ife Ife to reclaim a solid African creation tale rooted in woman's
experience.
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNA7IvBEAI4SprHYWr5nZ-B97vSNzIJNVVHHpkJgHeiRM6BfECHUcDXnAkG8GwSw7anP0PVxXTc0tXKVCCtF7_gzm-AzhOsZ5NWrk9O7h4XWTOGdudhBraf5WLGGoIMyz-kdlAXYIA7_Q/s1600/Virgins+in+the+Beehive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNA7IvBEAI4SprHYWr5nZ-B97vSNzIJNVVHHpkJgHeiRM6BfECHUcDXnAkG8GwSw7anP0PVxXTc0tXKVCCtF7_gzm-AzhOsZ5NWrk9O7h4XWTOGdudhBraf5WLGGoIMyz-kdlAXYIA7_Q/s320/Virgins+in+the+Beehive.jpg" /></a></div>
<i>Virgins in the Beehive</i> tells a story of a girl group. This trio
includes JennaSet, Darling Nikki and Destiny Matthews. The novel explores what
it takes for a woman to survive in the music industry.
<br />
<br />
JennaSet dreams of being an icon. She's deep sienna, thin, but not petite
enough for the industry’s baby doll standards. JennaSet wants it all. She wants
the classic fairytale romance and finds it in Steven Frame. He's every bit of
Idris Elba fine with a Malcolm X sensibility. She wants sisters, so she forms a
girl group with womanish Destiny Matthews and songwriter Darling Nikki. She
wants a long career with complete artistic freedom. Executive Tommy Mott will
give her the status she seeks with a few adjustments. But JennaSet's small
compromises turn into complete submission then loss of identity in the music
industry.
<br />
<br />
We follow JennaSet and her girls so closely, almost as personal assistants in
their lives. We witness them carry the weight of others’ judgments. At times,
even their spouses didn’t believe they were worthy of success.
<br />
<blockquote>
<i>It was suddenly apparent that his woman-of-the-world wife was in</i>
<br />
<i>reality nothing more than a child-woman, a hyper child who seemed </i>
<br />
<i>all alone even as he sat next to her."</i></blockquote>
<br />
<a name='more'></a> Woven into <i>Virgins</i> is the question, “Who determines who is beautiful?”
Boof uses her characters’ body type, complexion and hair texture to illuminate
popular culture’s quest to commodify beauty.
<br />
<blockquote>
<i>"According to Hip Hop Beauty Standards, it literally became a</i>
<br />
<i>sin in America to be a black woman who looked black- nothing</i>
<br />
<i>could be more masculine and unattractive the music videos</i>
<br />
<i>seemed to say. "</i>
</blockquote>
This isn't a typical story of music. What’s being described as a pop novel
works as a critical examination of popular culture. We meet executives Jiffy Pop
and Tommy Mott who closely resemble names of well known label heads. It's hard
not to laugh at the somewhat unrealistic character names, until we think about
the characters they mimic.
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RwLNyBod3H0/TIQlDYcb4CI/AAAAAAAAAOA/1rKbr61aBeU/s1600/KolaBoof2007300.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RwLNyBod3H0/TIQlDYcb4CI/AAAAAAAAAOA/1rKbr61aBeU/s320/KolaBoof2007300.JPG" /></a></div>
It makes sense that some celebrities may be a bit concerned about this book.
Though names are changed, there are unmistakable pop divas here. Rumor has it
that the source of this book may be more than the author's imagination. Her
friend Whitney Houston's back-story lies in the pages of this book.
<br />
Many of the characters are familiar celebrities. In fact, at times, Boof is
telling us the secrets about some of the renown. They are drug addicts. They are
cheaters. They are violent, even murderous. They live for the lush life. There
is also an element of hyper sexuality. Everyone has sex irrespective of gender
and once-assumed sexual orientation. The erotic intensity of the love scenes in
this book would make Zane blush.
<br />
<br />
Included in the narrative is a magical realist subplot. A Mexican
songwriter is on a quest to prove a myth of black sexuality. He travels to
Africa seeking what priests back home tell him is an ancient cure. If not for
his profession as a songwriter, the story of Ernesto Fox's quest for the holy
grail of sexuality would seem to be a separate book entirely
<br />
<br />
What Boof calls her pop novel is actually a satire of popular culture. What
do the entertainers risk striving to be number 1? What do they gain as they
acquire access to the world's most restricted paradises? Is it worth it?
<br />
We may see these questions answered in a Lion’s Gate release. The buzz is
Alicia Keys may star. Like other pop divas, Beyonce Knowles, Whitney Houston,
and Mariah Carey she appears in the pages too. But maybe her ego is a bit like
JennaSet so she's able to separate fact from fiction.
<br />
<br />
It's no wonder this book was already optioned for film. It's Valley of the
Dolls meets DreamGirls. Full of scandal, drama, treachery, lust, and the pursuit
of fame that only the energy of 3 women striving for success can bring. If
you've always wondered about the inner lives of pop divas, Virgins in the
Beehive will more than satisfy your curiosity about the truth behind the
glamour.
<br />
<blockquote>
<i>"None of us ever asked to come here-none of us ever asked to </i>
<br />
<i>come here-but we’re here now and we’re all family.”</i></blockquote>
<b>Note</b>: <a href="http://www.rollingout.com/insiderohome/ro-today/10770-virgins-in-the-beehive-by-kola-boof.html">Rolling Out</a> printed a review to their large web audience. I'm happy to print the extended review for my readers here. Please support <a href="http://www.kolaboof.com/">Kola Boof</a> and buy the book available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040JHQPO?tag=yestspoem-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B0040JHQPO&adid=02ZRBSF94D23JQG5WKDB&">Kindle. </a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-5046017639046917832010-08-31T09:07:00.000-07:002010-08-31T09:07:00.574-07:00Writing My Truth<p>Even though I don't believe in it, I had Writer's Block. That is probably why I neglected  this blog for so long. But I've been writing, I tell myself.  But it's not <strong>writing my truth</strong>. It's lesson plans, workshops, all kinds of randomness in emails, but not my truth.  </p> <p>Instead of using this blog as a platform to highlight Black women poets and artists, I'll use it to highlight me. Yep, spotlight on me. Well, not necessarily me.  It will be a way to offer <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_RwLNyBod3H0/THwebqD4uSI/AAAAAAAAANY/gPtmtWfS5aI/s1600-h/flood%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="flood" border="0" alt="flood" align="right" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_RwLNyBod3H0/THwedZJ7mjI/AAAAAAAAANc/HmUZ-EQyOGM/flood_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a>updates on my writing life. That's what most other writers use their blogs for, duh! </p> <p>Don't fret, if you like my mini-reviews on poets and singers, check out my <a href="http://vizionheiry.tumblr.com">tumblr</a> where I post clips there. Also check out  Poet/Professor  <a href="http://phillisremastered.wordpress.com/">Honoree Jeffers</a> blog that highlights  poets.   </p> <p>This means I'm changing the tag to "<strong>Musings on my Writing Life, or Lack Thereof.”  </strong>I like it. It's not anything to live up to, just me.  Don’t delete me out of your RSS feeds yet - I'm back.   However I think I'll only post about once  a week. Maintaining a blog is a bit too much for me to handle right now.  Still I want to stay connected to you in a longer format than my foolery on Twitter.   </p> <p>Thank you to all the people who have subscribed (still haven't fixed my Feedreader) by RSS or Google connect.  You each give me inspiration to update this blog.  </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlNpvhshqrYtuv5YHTSlYO3Esf5WPCmy2G78L1UWl3ahwaODJAmifVKOxpyvP_qRXA24mObmKMWLjGgXjweixQhUBdAae_XrjIFexeU0a1ASAaK8xXXJHaymRiHEhg4XKiA48JkWWqUY/s1600-h/Mythium%5B7%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Mythium" border="0" alt="Mythium" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1goGAbYP8-Lp8q5zi2u8vchgjAdND28XFowAEVqodQYLNhn7Jjg9Ele1FT6S5fjQIXtjoERXCqlF8jcvFOsja0E001UsAPKGGma5mjpVZ2PqnsbKhvgDhCW90Znx0Z-THP_4_5bh4GE/?imgmax=800" width="175" height="142" /></a> Meanwhile, check out <a href="http://crystal-wilkinson.blogspot.com">Ms. Crystal Wilkson's blog</a>.  She is an author, co-editor of literary journal <a href="http://mythiumlitmag.com/">Mythium,</a> professor and all around cool person.  Her post on <a href="http://crystal-wilkinson.blogspot.com/2010/08/little-boxes-in-bookstore-little-boxes.html">book segregation</a> in  is reminiscent of Carleen Brice's <a href="http://welcomewhitefolks.blogspot.com/">I Love Black Authors Movement</a>.  Read both articles and become a member of the Book Mafia.  </p> <p>Those who believe this is a bribe post to get into Mythium are correct in their assumption. However, I haven't event compiled a submission yet so they can't even accept my work yet (which I'm sure they’ll do #bribepost). </p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-4276221436005486362010-07-24T20:51:00.000-07:002010-07-24T20:51:45.435-07:00On Not Living Up To MyselfI'm going to change the tag to this blog (#youcare). It will be something about following my journey in writing poetry and learning about pobiz (sorry Keith). I don't want the pressure of posting bits about Black women songwriters. Blogger doesn't offer the easy-to-post format that I need for those posts. I want to share more Black women poets and their poetry. Since I primarily purchase their books, that will be easy. <br />
<br />
I really like the style that <a href="http://evelynnalfred.blogspot.com/">Evelyn</a> and <a href="http://keithswilson.blogspot.com/">Keith</a> take on their blogs. They're personal. Keith offers anecdotes and Evelyn offers her discoveries. When Jonterri posts, it's about her thesis and MFA journey. <a href="http://www.naturallyalise.com/">Alise </a>posts her own poems and provides a platform for other poets. [I follow many more poets' blogs but these are ones I try to read each week].<br />
<br />
In order to free myself from not 'living up to my tag' I'm going to change it. <br />
<br />
If you like the randomness, that is me, please follow my tumblr. I have a feeling that I will soon close this blog and mesh the posts with my <a href="http://vizionheiry.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a> account. Until then, keep this blog in your feed, and add my <a href="http://vizionheiry.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a>. <br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-28337159213103664302010-07-23T00:50:00.000-07:002010-07-23T12:25:55.155-07:00Literary Apartheid by jessica Care moore<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;">"I struggled with young students or advisors, for that matter, labeling me a “Hip Hop Poet, Spoken Word Artist (something I’ve never called myself), or dancing money nigga poet who jumps rope while reading poems in black face."</span> </blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote>
- Jessica Care Moore</blockquote>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://afrostoshelltoes.com/word/2010/07/18/literary-apartheid-by-jessica-care-moore/">Read more from the Source: Afros to Shell Toes</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-61417814888097185952010-06-29T01:33:00.000-07:002010-06-29T01:40:51.151-07:00Lauryn Hil on Making Music<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2NMaGiyMCQx42Yy29Vu2a8MlFXmZ0k5F5sS-IwKBZWQOLqFSAfjMoMKojldzaml6UVl1PXwFkAH9R1gTq4UKDDQPquW9ytVT7VwRI48M10J0hh7nNhiiLkRgaiGczILiHSOCxoN4rOA/s1600/LAuryn+Hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2NMaGiyMCQx42Yy29Vu2a8MlFXmZ0k5F5sS-IwKBZWQOLqFSAfjMoMKojldzaml6UVl1PXwFkAH9R1gTq4UKDDQPquW9ytVT7VwRI48M10J0hh7nNhiiLkRgaiGczILiHSOCxoN4rOA/s400/LAuryn+Hill.jpg" width="269" /></a></div>
<br />
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;">"I think you could argue </span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;">that there is a creative addiction </span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;">but, you know, the healthy kind."
</span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128149135">Lauryn Hill: Interview : NPR</a>:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*Dear Photographer, I couldn't find your name. If you come across this image on my blog, please feel free to remind me of your copyright. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-72713319275814071342010-06-04T01:02:00.001-07:002010-06-04T01:02:12.548-07:00Aiyana II<p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" width="335" height="28" id="divplaylist"><param name="movie" value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=11585794-92a" /><embed src="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=11585794-92a" width="335" height="28" name="divplaylist" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></object></p> <p>II </p> <p>What happens when they <br />use your name <br />as a banner? </p> <p>Will they look after Grandma? </p> <p>Will they marry your mothers? </p> <p>Protect your sisters? </p> <p>Will they be there <br />in the middle of a <br />raid with a pistol? </p> <p>Will they fire back <br />at the brutal police officer? </p> <p>or </p> <p>Will they use your name <br />as a banner? </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_RwLNyBod3H0/TAizAG9M5QI/AAAAAAAAANI/3YOnIWoOYHw/s1600-h/Derrion%20Albert%20Sun%20Times%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Derrion Albert Sun Times" border="0" alt="Derrion Albert Sun Times" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKm7iHsTYCH8JSfPlvN9JCC9CXft6_iTS9FVnxRkE4Epwx_mqtGUli1-eR22nGEUrUKTeNMjQJEz7JPmyHJh6NzxH6vrqXc-_XFrpkIjxaXeN4NQ71N1iucDGw3uPI0AujrwjGRMnkEU/?imgmax=800" width="200" height="244" /></a> </p> <p>Photo from <a title="http://media1.suntimes.com/multimedia/g092809vigil3_cst_feed_20090928_20_23_37_3890-400-326.imageContent" href="http://media1.suntimes.com/multimedia/g092809vigil3_cst_feed_20090928_20_23_37_3890-400-326.imageContent">Sun Times</a></p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-47316022370963140892010-06-03T04:11:00.001-07:002010-06-03T04:11:01.444-07:00Aiyana<p> </p> <p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" width="335" height="28" id="divplaylist"><param name="movie" value="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=11578101-b4d" /><embed src="http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=11578101-b4d" width="335" height="28" name="divplaylist" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></object></p> <p>How did your seven-year-old body <br />creep its way <br />into our collective consciousness? </p> <p>Girls die everyday. </p> <p>Black girls </p> <p>But you force us to face <br />the questions we all fear. </p> <p>What is the value of a <br />Black girl body? </p> <p>Who prizes it? her? </p> <p>How many Black bodies <br />will crumble <br />in front of badges? </p> <p>How many more blues songs <br />for our girl-bodies? </p> <p>Who, will protect us? </p> <p> </p> <p>This begins my suite of poems around Aiyana Jones (I have 5 written with one more hatching in my heart). Ev (<a href="http://evelynnalfred.blogspot.com/2010/05/poem-about-my-father.html" target="_blank">who posting a suite or series about her father)</a> and I had a lil discussion about self-sabotage (<a href="http://yesterdayspoem.blogspot.com/2010/05/confession.html" target="_blank">see previous post),</a> so I will try not to hold out from sharing my poems because they are unedited.  Feel free to workshop this one (and all other poems on the blog) fellow poets. </p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-43475857416098892722010-05-30T23:57:00.001-07:002010-05-30T23:57:45.189-07:00ConfessionI have this thing. I don't post poems until I edit them. In fact now, I don't want to post poems until I record them. This, is probably some sort of self-sabotage of sorts since I write a poem almost every day.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-65050453056646562872010-05-30T21:32:00.000-07:002010-05-31T17:13:08.973-07:00The Temptations - Treat Her Like A LadyAli Ollie Woodson
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PPUsQDm-HQY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PPUsQDm-HQY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-70563243004795233102010-05-13T22:26:00.001-07:002010-05-13T23:11:26.266-07:00Newfoundland [Poem 4]land bare, untilled soil<br />
waiting for cow dung, water,<br />
some place to call home<br />
<br />
<a href="http://evelynnalfred.blogspot.com/search/label/a%20mercy" target="_blank">Evelyn</a> is leading a <a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23amercy" target="_blank">Twitter bookclub</a> on Toni Morrison’s A Mercy. She’s also adding two poetry prompts per week based on the text. Hard for me to post unedited work. Urgh. I just hate it. Feel free to workshop it though. <br />
<br />
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</style><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=yestspoem-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0307276767" style="border-style: none ! important; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> <iframe frameborder="1" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=yestspoem-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0307276767" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-23043030744870419982010-04-23T20:54:00.000-07:002010-04-23T20:54:39.515-07:00Harryette Mullen wins $50,000 Jackson Poetry Prize<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/english/images/hmullen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/english/images/hmullen.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>
In their announcement of the award, the judges wrote that Mullen's work
is<br />
<br />
"brilliant and enigmatic,<br />
familiar and subversive.<br />
Like jewels,<br />
her poems are multifaceted and<br />
shoot off lights.<br />
<br />
Mullen uses the techniques of sound association,
innuendo, and signifying, and this way makes the reader alert to the
cunning of the English language."<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1505235621"><br /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2010/04/harryette-mullen.html">Harryette Mullen wins $50,000 poetry prize </a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-71064756128795197952010-03-30T09:53:00.000-07:002010-03-30T09:53:16.945-07:00Erykah Badu on Creative Process<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;"><img=http: 9278503="" _="" erykah+badu+badu.jpg="" serve="" userserve-ak.last.fm=""></img=http:></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/9278503/Erykah+Badu+Badu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/9278503/Erykah+Badu+Badu.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><img=http: 9278503="" _="" erykah+badu+badu.jpg="" serve="" userserve-ak.last.fm="">
"Music is what brings it out of me. I've never written lyrics without music — that would be <b><i>poetry</i></b>. </img=http:></span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;"><img=http: 9278503="" _="" erykah+badu+badu.jpg="" serve="" userserve-ak.last.fm="">It's the music first, then I hum in a rhythmic, syncopated way. The next part is listening to it and decoding what I'm saying. </img=http:></span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;"><img=http: 9278503="" _="" erykah+badu+badu.jpg="" serve="" userserve-ak.last.fm="">It's almost like a lump of clay and carving away at it, revealing what's under it."</img=http:></span></blockquote>
<img=http: 9278503="" _="" erykah+badu+badu.jpg="" serve="" userserve-ak.last.fm="">
<a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/03/erykah_badu_on_being_the_queen.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nymag%2Fvulture+%28Vulture+-+nymag.com%27s+Entertainment+and+Culture+Blog%29">Erykah Badu on Lady Gaga, Mary J. Blige, and Being a Twitter Goddess -- Vulture</a></img=http:><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<img=http: 9278503="" _="" erykah+badu+badu.jpg="" serve="" userserve-ak.last.fm=""><a href="http://brandisthephotographer.blogspot.com/">Link via Brandi's Photoventure</a></img=http:></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-55794339527999547962010-03-30T00:49:00.001-07:002010-03-30T01:25:33.469-07:00Joan Armatrading – This Charming Life<p align="center"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/swflash.cab" id="Player_e8aa1cde-d5e0-45ae-adb7-70dd787427c0" width="336px" height="280px"> <param name="movie" value="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Fyestspoem-20%2F8014%2Fe8aa1cde-d5e0-45ae-adb7-70dd787427c0&Operation=GetDisplayTemplate" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Fyestspoem-20%2F8014%2Fe8aa1cde-d5e0-45ae-adb7-70dd787427c0&Operation=GetDisplayTemplate" id="Player_e8aa1cde-d5e0-45ae-adb7-70dd787427c0" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="Player_e8aa1cde-d5e0-45ae-adb7-70dd787427c0" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" height="280px" width="336px"></embed></object></p> <p> </p> <p>While Ms. Badu releases her fifth studio album <a href="www.erykahbadu.com" target="_blank">New Amerykah: Return of the Ankh</a>, there’s another legacy artist releasing her album across the pond.  Joan Armatrading releases her 20th album <em>This Charming Life</em> today.  This album has Armatrading adding poignant lyrics atop guitar riffs and simple drums.  </p> <p>On “Heading to New York City” she duets her bluesy voice atop two competing guitars and drums.  On “Cry” she reveals “nothing you can do/is ever going to hurt like this.”  Haven’t you felt that way?  </p> <p>Lyrically ‘Virtual Reality’ is the unique song encouraging listeners to unplug and“get right back in the arms of real life.” </p> <p>If you like bluesy folk, check out Joan’s latest offering. As of today, it’s only $4 for the entire mp3 album on Amazon. </p> <p align="center">I’ll use the occasion to finally spin my vinyl album of  Armatrading’s  <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000008CYK?ie=UTF8&tag=yestspoem-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000008CYK" target="_blank"><em>The Shouting Stage</em></a> purchased almost a year ago. </p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4619509381079587754.post-1237820089253481702010-03-29T14:43:00.000-07:002010-03-29T19:32:19.165-07:00Jill Scott - Do You Remember Me?<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>We built sandcastles in the
Serengetti</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>You
splashed my face with Nile water</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://vizionheiry.tumblr.com/post/482529421/i-believe-that-we-should-hold-on-to-our-cultures"><b><i>Do you remember me? </i></b></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15171507692922556089noreply@blogger.com0