"A melon strolling on two tendrils"*

Happy Tuesday!

I came across this Sylvia Plath poem last week, and I just had to share. I think any woman who has been pregnant can empathize with the speaker here. I know I can. It's not necessarily a very happy or positive poem, but some of Plath's metaphors—like the one I used to title this post—make me smile. Enjoy!



Wishing you all a wonderful Tuesday. ☺

(*From "Metaphors" by Sylvia Plath.)

Sunday inspiration

Happy Sunday, friends.

Today I'm once again finding inspiration in animated poetry, specifically this one by American poet Edward Hirsch. If you've ever fallen in love with libraries and books, I think you'll really enjoy this short poem.


(Read by Edward Hirsch. Animation by Tommy Simms.)

Wishing you all a creative and inspirational Sunday. ☺

When life gets you down

Happy Wednesday, friends!

I had planned a happier post for today, but sometimes life finds a way to mess up our plans, doesn't it? Anyway, one of the not-so-good curveballs I was thrown over the summer has returned. I don't want to go into specifics because it's kind of hard to talk about, but I'd really appreciate any positive thoughts you can send my way.

Over the years, I've learned that one thing that helps me when I'm down is poetry. Its language is universal, and when we read it, we all take something different away. I find solace in the words of others; I get lost in them and am able to forget (for a time, at least) whatever it is that's bothering me. (And sometimes a little chocolate doesn't hurt either!) When the curveball came yesterday, though, it felt right to lose myself in some poetry, like this piece by former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins:


(Read by Billy Collins and animated by Julian Grey of Headgear.)

Where do you turn when life gets you down?

Wishing us all a wonderful Wednesday. ☺

Now and then

Happy Tuesday, friends!

I hope you're all having a great week so far. I'm glad to say that things are starting to slow down a little here after the last couple of weeks filled with birthday celebrations and family visits. We'll be taking a long trip back to my hometown in a few weeks, but until then, I plan on enjoying a little relative peace. ☺

Last Saturday, my friend Keith at Musings of an Unapologetic Dreamer wrote a great post about the tendency of some people to romanticize the past. Reading it made me think of this very short poem by former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins. In it, Collins expresses an appreciation for the simpler days of "then," preferring them to the busier, more noise-and-image-packed days of "now." What do you think? As you look back on your life, do you find you have more appreciation for simpler times, or do you prefer life as it is now?


(Read by Billy Collins and animated by Eun-ha Paek of Milky Elephant.)

Wishing you all a fantastic Tuesday. ☺

Six-word Saturday

Back in school—and loving it!

Last April, some of my poet friends told me about a wonderful free poetry course offered through Coursera, Modern & Contemporary American Poetry. I checked it out and signed up right away, and I'm looking forward to its start in September. I also signed up for some other great courses, and this week I began my first one, History of Rock, Part 2. I'm really enjoying the lectures and the discussions. It's been many years since I graduated with my master's degree—seventeen, actually. Yikes!—but I've always missed being in school, and now it's great to be back!

 

Have you ever taken a Coursera course? Would you?
 

Wishing you all a happy Saturday. ☺

 

So much excitement!

Photo: John Nyberg, rgbstock.com

Happy Thursday, friends. ☺

There's been a lot of excitement at our house this week:

♥ My six-year-old son lost his first tooth on Tuesday morning. (You've never seen such a proud boy!)

♥ The kids were able to play in their new inflatable pool for the first time on Monday. (They had outgrown their old one.)

♥ I made it through Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred, Level 1. Whew! (I'm starting Level 2 today! Wish me luck...)

♥ I signed up for another Coursera course, History of Rock, Part 2. It begins in a less than two weeks. I'm also signed up for a fall poetry class that I've heard some great things about: Modern & Contemporary American Poetry.

♥ I've been doing more work on my dad's memoir—so much fun!

♥ The kids and I survived the first week of summer vacation. ☺

Speaking of that last item, I've been trying to find interesting things to do to keep the kids occupied and entertained. Yesterday I discovered this fun video about creating instant ice. A future project? Perhaps!


(Go here to find more tips for making this project work.)

So that's my world this week. What's exciting in your world?

Wishing you all a fantastic Thursday. ☺

"Start with a mouthful of sentence"

Happy Tuesday, friends!

Some of you know that I'm a poet. I love poetry; I love reading poems by my favorite poets, and I love hearing poets read their work, which I think often adds so much to the meaning of the poem. However, even I have to laugh at this hilarious video from Fishbowl Improv, which pokes fun at the way some poets read. Enjoy!



Wishing you all a Tuesday filled with smiles. ☺

Bringing words to life

Happy Monday, friends. ☺

On Friday I mentioned that I thought my weekend would be busy, and I was definitely right! I missed my Saturday and Sunday posts because of it, and I'm glad to be back today. I hope you all had a great weekend.

Today I'd like to highlight one of my favorite poets, former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins. Like my all-time favorite poet Ted Kooser, Collins writes about everyday life in a very conversational and accessible way. Bruce Weber of The New York Times once called him "the most popular poet in America."

I began reading Collins' poetry a couple of years ago, and during my research, I learned that several artists have worked to create animated videos of some of his poems, bringing them to life even more vividly than the poet's words alone. I'd like to share one of those short videos with you today. I hope you enjoy it.


(Animated by Julian Grey of Head Gear Animation. You can find the poem here.)

Wishing you all a fantastic Monday. ☺

Note: For some reason, Blogger is not allowing me to respond to all of the comments on this post. I appreciate them very much and will be visiting each of your blogs during the next few days. Thanks again.

We all contribute a verse

Happy Monday!

I've mentioned before that one of my all-time favorite movies is Dead Poets Society. I've always thought that the scene in which Mr. Keating (quoting poet Walt Whitman) explains the importance of poetry is one of the best in the film. He says we read and write poetry because we are members of the human race; because life exists; because life's powerful play goes on, and we all contribute a verse. Keating's question at the end of the scene is a good one for all of us: What will your verse be?



Wishing you all a beautiful Monday. ☺

Subtlety

Happy Monday!

Today I want to share another video from poet/singer/songwriter Tanya Davis. In this spoken word performance, Davis tells why she feels we should never repress our true selves. "Subtlety," she says, "is just never gonna be my specialty"—and perhaps it shouldn't be ours, either. Tanya's words not only inspire me but put me in the mood to create. I hope you find some inspiration in this video as well.



Wishing you all a beautiful and creative Monday. ☺

Six-word Saturday

Looking forward to a relaxing weekend.

In April, I participated in two writing challenges—the Blogging from A to Z Challenge and the Pulitzer Remix. For the A to Z Challenge, I had to write twenty-six alphabet-themed blog posts, and for the Pulitzer Remix, I was required to write one found poem per day from John Updike's Rabbit is Rich. 

 

Although I'm now exhausted, I had a wonderful time with both challenges! This was my second year participating in the A to Z, which is a great way to meet and interact with other bloggers. The Pulitzer Remix was a new project and a lot of fun, and I feel honored to be among the eighty-five poets asked to participate.

 

This weekend, though, I think I need a little rest. I pulled more than a few all-nighters last month, so I'm looking forward to relaxing and enjoying this gorgeous sunny weekend with my family.

 

How about you? What are your plans for the weekend?

 

 

Wishing you all a wonderful Saturday. ☺

 

 

Z is for (Lora) Zombie

Happy Tuesday!

Well, here we are at the final letter. It's funny how a month can seem to pass so quickly and so slowly at the same time. ☺

Today's video inspiration comes from an artist who's relatively new to me: self-taught Russian artist Lora Zombie. Zombie creates what she calls "grunge art," something that I think is better experienced than explained. The video I'm posting today shows Zombie at work on one of her pieces—a fascinating process. You can see more of Zombie's work at her Web site, found here. Enjoy!



Today also marks the end of National Poetry Month and the Pulitzer Remix, a wonderful project I'm honored to have participated in this month. I've had a great time, and I'm sad to see the project end.

You can find my final haiku here. I am truly grateful for those of you who have supported me by reading and commenting on my work. Poetry is my passion, and your comments have meant so much. Thank you.


Wishing you all a wonderful and relaxing Tuesday. ☺

Y is for Yawp

Happy Monday!

Throughout this challenge, I've been posting about the many things that inspire me. I'm excited to reach the letter Y because the word I've chosen for today, yawp, holds a very special meaning.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that this post—with a few changes—is the same one I used for Y during last year's Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I did write a new Y post to use this year, but I wasn't very happy with it. Since my A to Z theme is inspiration, I decided to go with the post that inspired me most. ☺

A yawp is a raucous noise, a yell. Children are, of course, masters of the yawp. Like all kids, mine love to be loud and boisterous and often exercise this love from the moment they wake up until the moment they lay their heads down at night. Yawp can also be used in reference to clamoring and complaining, which I'm sure describes us all from time to time. I heard the word used in this sense more than once when I was growing up: "Dana, quit your yawping and clean up your room." (I never thought I'd one day be saying the same thing to my own kids!)

However, the yawp I want to write about today is a different kind of yawp—it's the barbaric yawp that American poet Walt Whitman described in his "Song of Myself":

I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable,

I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.

Who can forget that wonderful scene in Dead Poet's Society where English professor John Keating (played by Robin Williams) encourages his timid student (Todd Anderson, played by Ethan Hawke) to find his yawp--that indefinable something that lives inside each of us, waiting to be given its voice. In this clip, Todd hasn't been able to complete his assignment, which was to write a poem, and Mr. Keating uses Whitman's idea of the barbaric yawp to help Todd express himself through poetry in a way Todd had never thought possible:



I cry nearly every time I watch this scene. I used to teach college English, and I hope that I was able to inspire at least one student the way that Mr. Keating inspired Todd, showing him that not only does he have a barbaric yawp but he can express it--and needs to express it. We all do.

I, too, sound my barbaric yawp. I sound it each time I write a poem, and I sound it here. This blog is my barbaric yawp, my conduit for expressing myself. It's where I give voice to that something deep inside me that aches to be heard. Every time I post, I sound my barbaric yawp across the blogosphere.

We all do.

And I think Mr. Keating—and Mr. Whitman—would be proud.

What's your barbaric yawp? What have you chosen to give voice to today?


**My daily haiku is up at the Pulitzer Remix site. You can find it here. Thanks again to all of you who have been reading and commenting. I'm honored to be participating in the Remix, and your support means so much.


Wishing you all a beautiful Monday. ☺

Can we really be nearing the end?



This little guy at the zoo has the right idea: Relax! It's Sunday.

The end of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, that is. ☺

Happy Sunday! I can hardly believe that those of us participating in the challenge have only two letters to go before it's all over for another year. In many ways, this month has passed quickly, but I'll admit that some days (and some letters), made the month feel like it was dragging along. How has the challenge been for you? Am I the only one who feels like taking a nap?

For those of you who are interested in checking it out, my daily haiku is up at the Pulitzer Remix site. You can find it here. I've been having such a great time with the Remix; I'll be sad when it's over at the end of the month. Thank you again to everyone who has been reading and commenting. I'm grateful for your support.


Wishing you all a relaxing Sunday. ☺

X is for X-ray Art

Happy Saturday!

Today's inspiration comes from a type of art that I learned of only recently but find completely fascinating and inspiring: X-ray art. Nick Veasey, a British photographer, works with images created from X-ray imaging, some of which he then manipulates with Photoshop to create some absolutely remarkable results. This video showcases some of his work. Enjoy!



My daily haiku is now up at the Pulitzer Remix site. You can find it here. National Poetry Month is nearly over, and I've been having such a great time participating in this project. Thank you to all of you who have been reading and commenting. Your support means so much.


Wishing you all a fantastic weekend. ☺

W is for Words

Happy Friday, friends!

Today's inspiration is all about words. I love words. I always have. When I was in elementary school, my favorite word was identification. I remember spelling it out loud over and over again, no doubt driving everyone around me crazy. I just liked the way it sounded: id-en-ti-fi-ca-ti-on. I admired its beauty and rhythm, even if I couldn't express those feelings at such a young age.

Now, at a significantly older age, I can appreciate the sound and beauty of words, how they hit the ear and feel on the tongue, and as a writer, I'm inspired by the way they can be crafted and turned into something quite beautiful. I think that's the main reason I enjoy writing poetry so much, particularly haiku. I love the pictures I can paint with the right choice of words.

In addition to being beautiful, though, words are also powerful, as you'll see in today's video inspiration. I hope you enjoy it.



My daily haiku is now up at the Pulitzer Remix site. You can find it here. To those of you who have been reading and commenting: Thank you. Your support means so much!


Wishing you all a wonderful Friday. ☺

V is for (Creative) Videos

Happy Thursday! Can you believe we have only four more letters to go in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge? ☺

My inspiration today comes from the interesting and innovative videos I find on YouTube. I'd like to feature two of my favorites today. I've posted both of them in the past year or so, but I think they're exceptional and definitely worth posting again! I hope you enjoy them.

The first video comes from UK-based filmmakers Luke White and Remi Weekes. Known as Tell No One, the duo posts videos of their experiments with in-motion sculpture and other video techniques. You can see more examples of their work at their Web site, found here.



I'm absolutely in love with this second video, which was filmed for A Fine Frenzy's "Sleepwalking." It's done using stop-motion techniques, and I think it's creative and magical and beautifully done. ☺


Lyrics here.

My daily haiku is now up at the Pulitzer Remix site. You can find it here. A big thanks to those of you who are reading and commenting. I appreciate your support!


Wishing you all a magical Thursday. ☺

U is for Unique Art

Happy Wednesday!

Today's inspiration comes from the unique art of multimedia artist Phil Hansen, whose work as been featured on the Discovery Channel, Dr. Phil, Good Morning America, CNN, and many other media venues. He is a master at creating art from such nontraditional objects as burger grease, worms, and tricycle wheel imprints. In this video, he shows how he uses a pushpin to tattoo a banana—pretty creative!

If you'd like to learn more about Phil, be sure to check out his sites: At Phil in the Whaaat? you can see more of Phil's nontraditional art. To check out his more traditional work, go to Phil in the Circle.



My daily haiku is now up at the Pulitzer Remix site. You can find it here. Many thanks once again to all of you who have been taking the time to read and comment. It really means a lot!


Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday. ☺

T is for (Reality) TV

Happy Tuesday!

I love reality TV—good reality TV. I'm talking about the kinds of shows that feature people who are working toward obtaining a serious goal, something they've dreamed about doing for most (if not all) of their lives. Some of my favorites are Top Chef, Project Runway, the now-canceled Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, The Voice, and American Idol. The men and women participating in these shows have dreams—to be a great chef or fashion designer, to become the next big thing in the art world, to rise to the top of the music charts—and I admire their determination to go through whatever obstacles they must go through to make those dreams come true.

(Now if only they made a reality show about writers working toward book contracts. I would definitely tune in to that!)

How about you? Do you watch any reality shows? What do you like (or dislike) about them?

The following video clip is from The Voice. It features Judith Hill, just one of the singers hoping to make her dream come true.



My daily haiku is up at the Pulitzer Remix site. You can find it here. Many thanks to those of you who have been taking the time to read and comment. I'm very grateful for your support!


Wishing you all a fantastic Tuesday. ☺

S is for Stop-Motion Videos

Happy Monday! Can you believe we're already up to Day S in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge?

Today's inspiration comes from my fascination with stop-motion video, which Wikipedia defines as "an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence."

I admire and respect everyone who works with this technique, but my absolute favorite stop-motion video features singer Oren Lavie's "Her Morning Elegance." It's a beautiful video comprised of an amazing 2,096 still frames. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.


Lyrics here.

My daily haiku is up at the Pulitzer Remix site. You can find it here. Thanks again (and again!) to all of you who have been reading and commenting. Your support means so much!


Wishing you all a lovely Monday. ☺