faulker020

Colleen Abel, in the  Ploughshares online Reading site, posted an article “ The Poet’s Manifesto: Three Ars Poeticas ”  ( a rs poetica is Latin for “the art of poetry” and  is  a phrase taken from the ancient Roman l yric poet,  Horace) .   She talks about how art exhibits will usually include and “Artist Statement.” When my daughter set out in the art world with her own exhibits and curating some art shows in town, I became aware of those artist statements myself. Abel compares the ars poetica to the artist statement, and shares three different poems in which each poet presents their own a rs poetica.     I like the concept of “artist statement” being applied to the poetic works, but I like even more the phrase in the title of Abel’s essay: “the poet’s manifesto.” As I read her essay, I was reminded of another ars poetica , this one by Robert Graves in his short story, “The Shout.” Graves stated that he wrote it to illustrate how disruptive poe...

“Sonnet Concerning Poetic Vision,” was one of my early poems written shortly after I began to take the poetic endeavor seriously. It was among the poems I read at my very first public poetry reading which some friends and I organized at a coffee shop in San Francisco. After that period, I put the poem away and have not read it in any of my public readings since. I recently revisited that poem. In the years that have ensued, I can say that poetry has continued to be a wondrous guide along an unsure path. I have come to see this early poem as my " ars poetica ." Sonnet Concerning Poetic Vision (with apologies to John Milton ) When I consider how my light has come Ere half my days in this vast world and wide, And that one talent which I'd love to hide Springs forth unmercifully, I ask some More restful state be given for my home. Much inward stress is placed on those denied The convalescence of the blinder side Of life. For art and vision in a womb Create travail one soul ca...

The meme above may represent misheard lyrics, but from one Toto to another, here is the 1982 hit, "Africa." -

During the week of Bob Dylan's birthday, which was May 24, I celebrated by posting 16 covers of Dylan's work by various artists (17 covers when you figure that Eric Clapton did two). Onething I tried to do was to show the range of Bob Dylan's appeal, from Black Gospel choir, to folk, to rock, to country; from tender love songs to biting social commentary to sheer celebration.  Below is the list of songs, with a hyperlink to each post: Pressing On (Chicago Mass Choir) A quoi ça sert de chercher à comprendre (French translation of “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright by Hugues Aufray) Blowin in the Wind (Peter, Paul & Mary) Mr. Tambourine Man (The Byrds) The Times They Are a-Changin' (Tracy Chapman) Lay Down Your Weary Tune (Marley's Ghost) Mississippi (Sheryl Crow) What Was It You Wanted? (Willie Nelson) I'll Remember You (Grayson Hughes) A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall (Jason Mraz) Love Minus Zero/No Limit, and Don't Think Twice, It's Alright (Eric Clapto...

This week I have been posting videos of other singers performing the music of Bob Dylan, in honor of his 77th birthday (May 24). I have only posted 16 covers out of the many hundreds that are out there. Dylan said in Martin Scorsese's 2005 documentary,  No Direction Home  that "an artist has got to be careful never really to arrive at a place where he thinks he is  at  somewhere. You always have to realize that you are constantly in a state of becoming." The following video is a one of my favorites. This rendition of "My Back Pages" is from Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary Concert in 1992. It is a veritable Who's Who of musicians on hand to celebrate his music. This week we celebrate the artist who is "constantly in a state of becoming." -

In honor of Bob Dylan's birthday this week, I'm sharing some of his songs performed by other singers. Emmylou Harris sang "Every Grain of Sand" at Johnny Cash's funeral in 2003. She recorded the song for her album The Wrecking Ball. Dylan first recorded the song for his Shot of Love album released in 1981. -

In honor of Bob Dylan's birthday this week, I'm sharing some of his songs performed by other singers. Nanci Griffiths has had a long successful musical career that has included country and folk genres. Here is a magical rendition of "Boots of Spanish Leather." -

an empty rowboat on the still summer waters entices dreamers __________________________ Image: "Bathers at La Grenouillere," at the National Gallery, London, UK Artist: Claude Monet Medium: Oil on Canvas Date: 1869 -

In honor of Bob Dylan's birthday this week, I'm sharing some of his songs performed by other singers.Adele brings her own special touch to this tender love song, "Make You Feel My Love," which Dylan released on his Time Out of Mind album. -

In honor of Bob Dylan's birthday this week, I'm sharing some of his songs performed by other singers. George Harrison included Dylan's "If Not for You" on his first post-Beatles solo album, All Things Must Pass , released in 1970.The song was on Bob Dylan's New Morning album, released in 1970. -

Continuing with Dylan covers on Bob's Birthday today, Eric Clapton gives a soulful rendition (with some ethereal guitar solos) of Love Minus Zero/No Limit and Don't Think Twice, It's Alright. -

In honor of Bob Dylan's birthday this week, I'm sharing some of his songs performed by other singers. Jason Mraz offers a very fine rendition of "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall." Dylan first released the song in 1963 on The Free-Wheelin' Bob Dylan. -

In honor of Bob Dylan's birthday this week, I'm sharing some of his songs performed by other singers. "I'll Remember You" is from Dylan's 1985 album, Empire Burlesque . Grayson Hughes' version of the song was used on the soundtrack for Fried Green Tomatoes . The song very effectively underscored the emotional impact of that film as the credits began to role at the end.  -

In honor of Bob Dylan's birthday this week, I'm sharing some of his songs performed by other singers. Bob Dylan recorded "What Was It You Wanted?" on his 1989 studio album, Oh Mercy . Willie Nelson included the song in his Across the Borderline album in 1993. -

In honor of Bob Dylan's birthday this week, I'm sharing some of his songs performed by other singers. Sheryl Crow ramps up the pace and give this Dylan number her own flavor. -

In honor of Bob Dylan's birthday this week, I'm sharing some of his songs performed by other singers. The Northern California group, Marley's Ghost, covered an early Bob Dylan tune on their 1989 album, Haunting Melodies . -

In honor of Bob Dylan's birthday this week, I'm sharing some of his songs performed by other singers. Who better than Tracy Chapman to perform Dylan's signature song, "The Times They are a- Changin'." This performance is from a celebration of Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary as a recording artist. -

In honor of Bob Dylan's birthday this week, I'm sharing some of his songs performed by other singers.The Byrds used many of Bob Dylan's songs in their early years in rock and roll. "Mr Tambourine Man" was released by Dylan in 1965 on his album Bringing It All Back Home . The Byrds recorded it that same year and helped to launch the folk-rock genre in the music industry. -

In honor of Bob Dylan's birthday this week, I'm sharing some of his songs performed by other singers. When Peter, Paul and Mary performed Blowing in the Wind in live concerts, Peter Yarrow would introduce the song saying, "This song asks nine questions. The answers to these questions could determine the fate of all of us in this next generation." -

French singer, Hugues Aufray, has done many Bob Dylan covers translated into French. "A quoi ça sert de chercher à comprendre" is his cover of "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright." -

In honor of Bob Dylan's birthday this week, every day I'll be sharing some of his songs performed by other singers. Today, Regina McCrary and the Chicago Mass Choir take "Pressing On" to another level. -

a brood of chickens scratching along in the dirt throughout history __________________________ Image "Bantam Cock, Hen, and Chick" Artist: Ohara Koson  (Japanese, 1877-1945) Medium: woodblock print -

[ Note: the following essay was first posted on February 12, 2012 ] I clearly remember the catalyst that moved me to grant forgiveness in my heart. That catalyst came in a single day through two separate NPR broadcasts back in April of 1995. It was on a Good Friday. At noontime I was listening to a portion of a Good Friday service being broadcast on the radio while I was in my car while running some errands. Two of the people reading scripture and offering commentary were Martin Luther King, Jr.’s son (Martin Luther King III) and the Methodist minister from Piedmont, Alabama (Kelly Clem) whose young daughter had been killed in church the year before when a tornado struck. I don’t remember who said what, but I remember the message that came across – that there are times when we suffer losses and times when we must forgive those who have wronged us. At the forefront of my thoughts was my own need to forgive that person who had betrayed me some four years earlier. Later that day, I was ...

Next week, I'll be featuring Dylan covers all week in honor of his birthday (May 24). We'll be hearing other people play Bob Dylan's songs. Today, we have Bob Dylan performing Woody Guthrie's song, Do Re Mi, at the Malibu Performing Arts Center in January 2009. Dylan shares the stage with two other renowned musicians/composers Ry Cooder and Van Dyke Parks . -

shrimp boat comes to shore under a red evening sky time to celebrate _________________________________ Image: Sunset on Dauphin Island (Alabama) Photo by Joy Harper Hartley Russell -

Photo by Charles Kinnaird The National Memorial for Peace and Justice opened in Montgomery, Alabama on April 26, 2018. Last week, my daughter and I toured the new memorial which is known as “the lynching memorial.” The day we went, it was well attended, with about an even number of black people and white people present. During the time between Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Movement, many thousands of African Americans were lynched, and those lynchings served to preserve white supremacy – to assure that blacks “knew their place,” as the saying went down here in the South.  It was a time of systemic terrorism aimed at black citizens whereby lynching served to instill fear and subjugation. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice is intended to be a legacy for those African Americans who were “terrorized by lynching,” and “humiliated by racial segregation.” Confronting Our Past Most whites, by virtue of their innate societal privilege, had no awareness of the fear and o...

I have heard "500 Miles" all my life, it seems. It was written in 1961 by folk singer Hedy West and quickly became so ingrained into the fabric of our culture that most Americans probably know the song. Sometimes the simplest of songs can become the most enduring and profound. I gained a new appreciation for the song in 1981 when I went to Hong Kong to teach English for two years. One of my colleagues, Linda Pegram, worked with the Vietnamese refugees. At that time there were large refugee camps in Hong Kong and in The Philippines to aid in the resettlement of refugees from Vietnam to other parts of the world. American folk songs were quite popular throughout Hong Kong, but I learned from my friend, Linda, that among the Vietnamese refugees, "500 Miles" was one of the best loved songs. It, of course, spoke to their own plight of being far from home, with few possessions to call their own. I cannot hear the song today without seeing the images of those refugee camps....

still waters in the cool valley spring crossing ________________________________________ Image: Benkei Bridge Artist: Tsuchiya Kôitsu (Japanese, 1870–1949) Medium: Woodblock print -

During the month of April, in celebration of National Poetry Month, I highlighted poetry as an oral art form – the spoken word delivered to an audience. I noted that “the speaking and the hearing of poetry have always been central to its beauty and its effect upon people.” Throughout the month, I shared video presentations of poets reading or reciting their works as well as other people reading the works of poets. I was able to share oral presentations of nine poets from diverse backgrounds. There were well over 1,0 00 views of those blog posts. The work of local spoken word artist Michael Harriot, “My Mama's So Black” received the most views, followed closely by Helen Mirren's reading of Tennyson's “Ulysses.” All of the presentations seemed to be well received. Particularly effective was Bill Murray's reading of “What the Mirror Said,” by Lucille Clifton, and, of course, Maya Angelou's own presentation...