tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22213318312001965422023-11-16T08:39:46.820-06:00Bareback AlchemyUnbridling the MuseMelissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-3199518820287510902015-11-13T11:02:00.003-06:002015-11-13T11:10:04.524-06:00VIDA Voices & Views - Rita Dove Interview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="s1">I'm thrilled to announce that I'm hosting a new video interview series for VIDA-- <b>VIDA <i>Voices & Views</i>.</b> The program<i> </i>is an interview podcast designed to call attention to a plurality of voices by interviewing writers, editors, publishers, series curators, anthologists, awards committee members, and other dedicated members of the literary community about their own work, vision, and concerns, as well as topics at the forefront of literary activism. The program seeks to foster a better understanding of the literary landscape and the issues facing artists of both genders, as well as to provide nuanced conversation about gender parity, race, disability, LGBTQ, economic, and other crucial issues impacting writers today. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The executive producer of digital media for the program is the very talented <b>RJ Jeffreys</b>, who created a beautiful look for the series. You can read more about Jeffreys and the program here: http://www.vidaweb.org/about-vida-voices-views/.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">My first conversation is with the wonderful human and poet <b>Rita Dove</b>. She gives a marvelous reading of her poems "Parsley" and "Claudette Colvin Goes to Work" and discusses topics ranging from literary bias masquerading as objectivity to sharing poetry with preschoolers. You can read more about Rita Dove and the episode here: http://www.vidaweb.org/rita-dove-vida-voices-views/.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>As well, these are some of my favorite Rita Dove quotes from the episode: </b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">“My most radical pronouncement, if I were queen or something, would be that anywhere where there is more than one child together—any kind of group, if they have a schedule for the day—to end the day with a poem… sort of like pledging allegiance to the flag.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“There is not going to be any change unless we can begin to talk about any little fear, any little hatred, any little bias that we might have and to admit that all human beings have them.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“I wasn’t looking to lard [<i>The Penguin Anthology of 20th Century American Poetry</i>] with rainbow colors. This is just the way it happened. These were the poems that were being published, and it made me feel hopeful. I said, ‘Look, look! Things are changing here.’”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“I remember what it was like as a child when I was reading poetry and couldn’t find anyone who had my life, who looked like me, who had the same kind of experiences, and how lonely that was …”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Pulling someone into the spotlight, out of the shadows … I don’t feel that it casts aspersions on those who are already in the sunlight. It’s more like there can never be enough poetry, and there can never be enough heroes.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“As a writer I couldn’t exist not being honest, totally honest, with the world, and with myself.”</span></div>
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-53066289344024224812015-09-14T10:10:00.000-05:002015-09-14T10:11:02.668-05:00"Respect" Translated into Gujarati <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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What a delight last week to discover one of my poems translated into Gujarati by Dr. <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=680961366" data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/vivekmtailor" href="https://www.facebook.com/vivekmtailor" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Vivek Tailor</a>. Here's the translation, along with a link to Dr. Tailor's site, which includes both the poem in its original English version and Dr. Tailor's wonderful comments:</div>
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કેમકે એનું શરીર ગુફા ભીતરનો શિયાળો છે<br />
કેમકે કોઈકે ત્યાં આગ સળગાવી<br />
અને હોલવવાનું ભૂલી ગયું છે<span class="text_exposed_show" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />કેમકે નિદ્રાકાળ એક કિલ્લો છે<br />જે તેણી પોતાની ભીતર બાંધી રહી છે-<br />ખાઈ,<br />જાળીબંધ દરવાજા<br />અને ધુમ્મસભરી બાલ્દીઓથી<br />કેમકે જ્યારે તમે જતી કરો છો<br />લગામ<br />ઘોડાઓ<br />ગબડી પડે છે કરાડ પરથી અને<br />પતંગિયામાં પરિવર્તિત થાય છે<br />તળિયે પછડાતાં પહેલાં<br />કેમકે એમની ખરીઓ મધરાત્રિના લિસોટા છોડી જાય છે<br />આકાશમાં<br />કેમકે ઠાંસી ભરેલાં સસલાંઓ<br />રહસ્યો ગોપવી રાખવા માટે બહેતર છે<br />અટકાવી રાખતા હાથ કરતાં<br />કેમકે જ્યારે દુનિયા<br />એની ભીતર ઘુસાડી દેવાય છે<br />એ કેગલ બૉલની જેમ<br />એને ચુસ્ત પકડી રાખે છે<br />અને વિસ્મિત થાય છે<br />એ સંઘર્ષથી<br />જે એટલસે કરવો પડ્યો હતો<br />આવડી નાનકડી ચીજ<br />પીઠ પર ઊંચકવામાં</span></div>
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– મેલિસા સ્ટડાર્ડ<br />
(અનુ. વિવેક મનહર ટેલર)</div>
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-27917654465155544182015-07-31T13:27:00.000-05:002015-07-31T13:27:56.958-05:00Interview on Gypsy Poet Radio<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So excited to be interviewed tonight by Sophia E. DiGonis for Gypsy Poet Radio!! I'll be reading some poems too. It's at 10 PM CST live, and on archive thereafter. </div>
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-83276454761341573972015-07-26T19:07:00.000-05:002015-07-26T19:09:29.930-05:00Respect<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">More than a day late but less than a dollar short. Happy to see my poem "Respect" as Poem-a-Day at the Academy of American Poets:</span><br />
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-76247423772930743322015-06-18T16:04:00.001-05:002015-06-18T22:49:11.529-05:00Melissa Studdard - Poetry is Dead - Interview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Thanks to Weasel for the great questions! :)</div>
Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-44713991048124841942015-05-14T12:49:00.000-05:002015-05-14T12:49:07.473-05:00Indiewire Review of Dan Sickles’ Film Adaptation of “I Ate the Cosmos for Breakfast”<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Amazing, amazing, glorious beauty. Via Indiewire, here is Dan Sickles' lush, primeval, sensuous film interpretation of my short poem "I Ate the Cosmos for Breakfast," shot on location in Puerto Rico. And huge thanks to the good folks at Motionpoems & VIDA: Women in Literary Arts for making this happen!</div>
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<br /><a class="ot-anchor aaTEdf" data-mce-href="http://www.indiewire.com/article/watch-poetry-comes-to-life-in-exclusive-i-ate-the-cosmos-for-breakfast-short-film-20150513" dir="ltr" href="http://www.indiewire.com/article/watch-poetry-comes-to-life-in-exclusive-i-ate-the-cosmos-for-breakfast-short-film-20150513" rel="nofollow" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">http://www.indiewire.com/article/watch-poetry-comes-to-life-in-exclusive-i-ate-the-cosmos-for-breakfast-short-film-20150513</a></div>
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-70886033594879878932015-04-27T14:25:00.004-05:002015-04-27T14:25:47.147-05:00I Ate the Cosmos for Breakfast ranked #7 in Love Poetry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This is so cool. The new paperback version of 'I Ate the Cosmos for Breakfast' is ranked in the 6,000s at Amazon and #5 in Love Poetry. I had no idea poetry books could rank so well. People must be hungry for star meat and syrup-covered stacks of sky! :)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Long live poetry!</span><br />
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-8266937554361272632015-03-27T21:17:00.001-05:002015-03-27T21:17:35.881-05:00GALATEA RESURRECTS #23 (A Poetry Engagement): I ATE THE COSMOS FOR BREAKFAST by MELISSA STUDDARD...<a href="http://galatearesurrection23.blogspot.com/2014/12/i-ate-cosmos-for-breakfast-by-melissa.html?spref=bl">GALATEA RESURRECTS #23 (A Poetry Engagement): I ATE THE COSMOS FOR BREAKFAST by MELISSA STUDDARD...</a>: EILEEN TABIOS Engages I Ate the Cosmos for Breakfast by Melissa Studdard (Saint Julian Press, Houston, TX, 2014) Since I knew Me...Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-40436779009814563392014-11-20T22:39:00.001-06:002014-11-20T22:39:32.124-06:00To Love One Thing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<em style="background: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” — Howard Thurman</em></div>
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When I was a kid, I used to love to sit at the top of my jungle gym and watch the goings on of the neighborhood. My fence cornered two others, and I could see four more backyards besides. I knew which couples got along and which were fighting. I knew where dogs hid their bones. I watched swimming pools dug and gardens planted and other kids swinging so high I thought they wanted to marry the sky. I could tell you what time each family ate dinner and when the moms made their kids sit down to homework. I was a human calendar that could have divulged the events of many days before they even unfolded.</div>
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Then one fall, shortly before Thanksgiving, something unexpected happened: A man in my neighborhood became enamored with baking muffins—blueberry, banana nut, ginger lemon, chocolate chip, jalapeño cheddar, onion walnut—you name it, he baked it. Oh how he came alive! This once very ordinary, nondescript man, who I’d never bothered to watch much before, was now lit with the fire of passion. He was radiant as he stood over the stovetop in his apron and mitts, face aglow with oven light and infatuation, waiting for his muffins to cool. He was radiant and happy, and he made others happy too. Neighborhood children began to hang around his yard and driveway to watch him bag up muffins at his worktable in the garage. Women stopped by with casseroles in hopes of receiving muffins in return. Everyone offered help when they saw him repairing a board in his fence or trimming back a hedge. The bottom line is that this man adored muffins, and through loving muffins he loved the world and the world loved him back.</div>
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Because it was close to Thanksgiving, I began to associate my muffin-baking neighbor with the concept of gratitude, and it occurred to me then, as it does now, that there are few greater ways to express thanks for these lives we have been given than to find something that thrills us and to spend our time doing it.</div>
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When we brim, when we shimmer, when we glow with love for something, <em style="background: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">anything, </em>we become conduits of magic, and we ourselves become gifts to the world. I don’t care if it’s muffins or poetry or nursing or duct tape art or spelunking or carving idyllic picnic scenes into egg shells; when we love what we do, that love becomes an elixir for all who are lucky enough to know us. We are not only expressing our appreciation for our lives; we are giving others reason to be thankful for us too.</div>
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To read the rest of this post, visit <span style="background: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #2f79b5; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/one-true-thing/201411/gratitude-and-passion-love-one-thing" style="background: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #2f79b5; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><em style="background: transparent; border: 0px rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Psychology Today</em></a></span>.</div>
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-15958548510724795212014-09-15T16:45:00.001-05:002014-09-15T16:45:42.737-05:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-35251690608180022082014-04-25T13:41:00.000-05:002014-04-25T13:42:21.428-05:00Tiferet Talk with Molly Fisk<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I'm so excited! This Tuesday I get to talk with </span><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=633794584" href="https://www.facebook.com/molly.fisk.poet" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Molly Fisk</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> AND </span><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=660953531" href="https://www.facebook.com/donnabaierstein" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Donna Baier Stein</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">. We'll be talking about Molly's essay collection, Blow-Drying a Chicken, as well as her poetry and other work. Here's a great blurb from </span><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=254115868056566" href="https://www.facebook.com/JohnUpdikeAuthor" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">John Updike</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">: "Molly's</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> voice is crisp and decided yet relaxed and just close enough somehow...and the pieces all are impeccably shaped and written. Fearless, clear-eyed work."<br /><br />And I can attest that Blow-Drying a Chicken is delightful, and Molly's poetry is brave, skillful and beautiful.<br /><br />Donna Baier Stein will be joining me as the new co-host of Tiferet Talk!<br /><br />Details Here: <a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftiferetjournal.com%2F42114-molly-fisk-3%2F&h=CAQHM1AfL&enc=AZOr2aSsU0dCIlUDllDZfXdyyPbCXrw2YMpJ0Gk265NQyFLUr1T-EQJcVYLe11u5l3mwpJU63gmOF6mzn95R2kLfdj3Bdj1HzNs1NgeeTZxthOquYrDQX41OuixQgX6GxBcj-7Jr2B3xBk4fB4MFUO_1&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://tiferetjournal.com/42114-molly-fisk-3/</a></span></div>
Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-54997228394060590732014-04-21T13:54:00.000-05:002014-04-21T13:55:47.406-05:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm pleased to announce that The Tiferet Talk Interviews book was selected as a finalist for Foreward Review's <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: -webkit-auto;">2013 Book of the Year Award/IndieFab Awards.</span></span></div>
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-59735112201824878702014-04-13T17:55:00.003-05:002014-04-13T17:56:25.662-05:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span class="userContent">Many thanks to <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1165306138&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/gleelee">Gloria Lee</a>
for </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span class="userContent"><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"></span>picking up the title poem from my forthcoming collection, <i>I Ate the
Cosmos for Breakfast</i>, from </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span class="userContent"><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span class="userContent"><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=212841855436414&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Your-Daily-Poem/212841855436414" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Your Daily Poem</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> and sharing it </span></span></span>at the wonderful Nonduality Highlights blog. I'm
thrilled to be in such great company! <br /> <br /> <a href="http://nonduality.org/2014/04/04/5201-i-ate-the-cosmos-for-breakfast/" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://nonduality.org/2014/04/04/5201-i-ate-the-cosmos-for-breakfast/</a></span></span></div>
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-74336452688414195552014-04-01T21:54:00.001-05:002014-04-01T21:54:51.136-05:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">The Flammarion engraving, by an unknown artist, 1888</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">I'm thrilled to announce that </span><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=212841855436414&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Your-Daily-Poem/212841855436414" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Your Daily Poem</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> posted the title poem from my forthcoming collection, <i>I Ate the Cosmos for Breakfast</i>, to kick off their Poetry Parade. Happy Poetry Month, everyone! </span></div>
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-91325151268591434412014-03-10T13:28:00.000-05:002014-03-10T13:28:26.574-05:00Caroline Leavitt and Tomorrow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Is This Tomorrow? I can't wait! Tomorrow's the day I get to interview the fabulous <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=558195251&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/carolineleavitt" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Caroline Leavitt</a> about her newest novel, "Is This Tomorrow" and other things literary and soulful. She promises to spill her soul and her secrets. Generous <span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">woman! Join us from 7-7:30 EST.<br /><br /><a href="http://tiferetjournal.com/22414-caroline-leavitt-2/" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://tiferetjournal.com/22414-caroline-leavitt-2/</a><br /><br />*Note* In case you can't make it live, all Tiferet Talks are archived permanently at iTunes, blogtalk, and the Tiferet website.</span></div>
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-68300338182610019522013-05-29T16:06:00.000-05:002013-05-31T10:18:09.274-05:00Upcoming Tiferet Talk with William Kenower<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In celebration of my upcoming <i><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/tiferetjournal/2013/06/03/william-kenower-tiferet-talk-with-melissa-studdard" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Tiferet Talk</span></a></i> with <a href="http://williamkenower.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">William Kenower</span></a> next Monday, 6/3/13, at 7 PM EST, I'd like to share a recent blog post of his. But first, allow me to introduce him to those of you who may not already be familiar with his work. K<span style="color: windowtext;">enower is the author
of </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Write-Within-Yourself-Authors-Companion/dp/1620151243/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362695225&sr=1-1&keywords=Write+Within+Yourself"><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Write Within Yourself: An Author’s Companion</span></i></a><span style="color: windowtext;"> and Editor-in-Chief of </span><a href="http://www.authormagazine.org/"><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Author</span></i></a><span style="color: windowtext;">
magazine, an online magazine for writers and dedicated readers. He writes a
popular </span><a href="http://www.authormagazine.org/editors_blog/"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">daily blog</span></a><span style="color: windowtext;"> for the magazine about the
intersection of writing and our daily lives, and has interviewed hundreds of
writers of every genre. He also hosts the online radio program </span><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/author-magazine"><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Author2Author</span></i></a><span style="color: windowtext;"> where every
week he and a different guest discuss the books we write and the lives we lead. </span><br />
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<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Write-Within-Yourself-Authors-Companion/dp/1620151243/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362695225&sr=1-1&keywords=Write+Within+Yourself"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Write Within Yourself</span></a> </i>is getting great reviews! Two of my favorites blurbs are below:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"This is a book you'll want to keep on your nightstand or desk, always available, ready to inspire you."</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;"> -- </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;">Erica Bauermeister </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;">"These stories and essays can't help but land in the heart of the reader."</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> -- Laura Munson </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: windowtext;">And, now, for the post:</span></div>
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<div class="Title1" style="text-align: center;">
What Isn’t There<o:p></o:p></div>
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by William Kenower</div>
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<span class="FirstLetter"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">D</span></span>uring my brief tenure at Concord Films, B
Movie King Roger Corman’s small but profitable film company, I had one
opportunity to get close to the great one himself. His personal assistant
needed two hours for a doctor’s appointment, and I was recruited to man the
desk. It was my Big Chance. Corman and I would fall to chatting, and being an
insightful, streetwise Hollywood mogul, he would spot my intelligence and
moxie—and the rest would be history.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It turns out my job was to
sit at a desk ten feet from his closed door and answer the phone. The assistant
whose job I was filling explained to me that unless the person on the other end
of the line was one of Mr. Corman’s children, I was to apologetically inform
the caller that Mr. Corman was “in a meeting.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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For two hours I answered
call after call, apologized for Mr. Corman’s indisposedness, and recorded the
callers’ names and numbers in a kind of ledger I suspected would never be read.
I felt as if I had been recruited into the role of soulless gatekeeper in a
Kafkaesque drama. The assistant returned from the doctor and reclaimed her
chair. Corman’s door remained closed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Years later I was flipping
through my son’s copy of <i>Top 100 Horror
Movies</i>, whose forward, lo and behold, had been written by Corman, who waxed
nostalgic for the days when filmmakers were forced to frighten their audiences
with what <i>wasn’t</i> there. “It’s [the
audience’s] imagination that does the heavy-lifting,” he wrote, “not some
digital effects house in Hollywood.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have to agree with my old
boss. We always frighten ourselves in this way—filling in the details of an unwritten
future with nightmares we dream today. When the nightmares don’t come true, we
usually forget we ever dreamed them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I can’t think of Corman
without seeing that closed door. Like so many executives, editors, and agents,
he can easily become one of those monsters hiding in the shadows of his early
films, a cold closed door of a soul, uninterested in the aspirations of new
talent—not a busy man, hoping for a call from his children.</div>
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-14994134817260109842013-05-27T14:35:00.000-05:002013-05-27T14:49:02.259-05:00Six Weeks to Yehidah Wins 2013 International Book Award for Children's Fiction<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">I'm thrilled to announce that <i>Six Weeks to Yehidah</i> won the 2013 International Book Award for the Children's Fiction category. This is the 5th seal for this book. I'm humbled, honored, and feeling the need to put my nose back to the grindstone for the next book. Thanks to all you wonderful people who have been so supportive of me, especially my publishers, Phil and Deb at </span><span style="color: black;"><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=346040814781&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/ATTMPress?directed_target_id=0" style="background-color: white; cursor: pointer; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">All Things That Matter Press</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">In other author news, <i>The Tiferet Talk Interviews </i>is on blog tour and is receiving wonderful reviews. My two favorites so far are from C</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #333333;">hristine Bissonnette at </span><span style="color: #bf9000;">The </span><a href="http://the-positivity-project.com/2013/05/22/book-review-the-tiferet-talk-interviews/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #bf9000;">Positivity Project</span></a> </span>and Janet Boyer at <a href="http://janetboyer.typepad.com/blog/2013/05/the-tiferet-talk-interviews.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #bf9000;">Fizz of Ideas</span></a><span style="color: #7f6000;">. </span>Huge thanks to both of them for the extensive time and care they obviously put into the reviews.</span></div>
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-64352950364918878462013-03-29T23:01:00.000-05:002013-03-29T23:01:33.867-05:00Book Release and Audio Release<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have a few exciting author updates this week. First, <i>The Tiferet Talk Interviews</i>, a collection from my first year with Tiferet Talk, has been released by Tiferet Press. <i>The Tiferet Talk Interviews</i> contains thought-provoking and inspiring interviews with literary and spiritual luminaries, such as former US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, Guggenhiem President Edward Hirsch, author and medical pioneer Dr. Bernie Siegel, and creativity guru Julia Cameron. These wonderful authors share insights about writing, craft, spirituality, and more. You can watch the Tiferet Facebook Page for news of upcoming online release parties and other related events. </div>
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As well, I have recently learned that my wonderful publisher for the Yehidah books, All Things That Matter Press, has contracted with a producer to release an audio version of Six Weeks to Yehidah. The audio book is due for release mid-summer. As new developments arise, I'll continue to post more news.</div>
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Have a great holiday weekend, everyone! </div>
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-74538204960494765202013-03-17T14:45:00.002-05:002013-03-17T14:45:58.070-05:00The Mnemosyne Monthly: Poem Forty-Four (Evening Chant) and TIferet Talk with Natalie Goldberg<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Photo by <a href="http://www.kevinsmoul.com/about/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Kevin Moul</span></a></div>
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Tomorrow I will have the great fortune of speaking with author, poet, teacher, and painter, <a href="http://nataliegoldberg.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Natalie Goldberg</span></a> about her forthcoming book, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-True-Secret-Writing-Connecting/dp/1451641249/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363549461&sr=8-1&keywords=the+true+secret+of+writing" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">The True Secret of Writing</span></a> </i>for <i><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/tiferetjournal/2013/03/18/natalie-goldberg-tiferet-talk-with-melissa-studdard" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Tiferet Talk</span></a></i><span style="color: #b45f06;">.</span> Goldberg is the author of the seminal writing books <i>Writing Down the Bones</i>, <i>Wild Mind, Thunder & Lightning</i>, and <i>Old Friend from Far Away</i>, which, together with her life-changing workshops, have rent open the landscape of creativity and inspired a revolution in the practice of writing in this country. Goldberg’s own gorgeous creative works include the novel <i>Banana Rose</i>; the memoirs <i>Long Quiet Highway</i> and <i>The Great Failure</i>; and the painting and poetry books <i>Living Color, Top of My Lungs, </i>and <i>Chicken & In Love. </i><div>
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Goldberg’s books have sold millions of copies worldwide, and her extraordinary teaching methods have drawn students from across the globe. <i>The True Secret of Writing</i>, due for release 3/19/13, is the capstone to four decades of Goldberg’s teachings and reveals newly-developed methods not found in Goldberg’s previous books.<br /><br />Of <i>The True Secret of Writing</i>, Noah Levine states, “Natalie Goldberg has done the unthinkable, she has shared the secret teaching. The buddhas of time immemorial are rejoicing and the literary bodhisattvas are smiling in silent approval. Read this book, then write a revolutionary manifesto!” </div>
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In celebration of this interview, I'd like to do something a little different with Mnemosyne this month and memorize a chant instead of a poem. Mnemosyne started because I was so in love with certain poems that I wanted to bring them into my breath and being. I wanted to feel them in the beats of my heart. I feel the same way about this chant, "Evening chant," which is a traditional opening for mediation sessions and which has many variations. I like Goldberg's version the best of any I've heard, because it is more immediate and visceral than the others. </div>
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Enjoy! </div>
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I beg to urge you everyone:</div>
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Life and death are a Great Matter<br />Awaken, awaken, awaken<br />Time passes quickly<br />Do not waste this precious life</div>
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(Natalie Goldberg's version of the Evening Chant, written on the wooden han)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-51901137309824063832013-02-22T16:45:00.001-06:002013-02-22T16:49:05.360-06:00Tiferet Talk with Julie Maloney<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #444747;">This upcoming Monday, 2/25/13 at 7 PM EST, 6 PM Central, I'll have the pleasure of interviewing writer and writing teacher, Julie Maloney for </span><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/tiferetjournal/2013/02/26/julie-maloney-tiferet-talk-with-melissa-studdard" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>Tiferet Talk</i></span></a><span style="color: #444747;">. Maloney’s first poetry collection, </span><em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Private-Landscape-Julie-Maloney/dp/0974518565/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361549195&sr=8-1&keywords=private+landscape+julie+maloney" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Private Landscape</span></a><span style="color: #444747;">, </span></em><span style="color: #444747;">was published in 2007, and in 2003 she founded </span><a href="http://www.womenreadingaloud.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Women Reading Aloud</span></a><span style="color: #444747;">, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting women writers through special events and workshops. Maloney is a trained workshop leader in the </span><a href="http://www.amherstwriters.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Amherst Writers and Artists Method</span></a><span style="color: #444747;">, an organization whose philosophy is that “every person is a writer, and every writer deserves a safe environment in which to experiment, learn, and develop craft.” Maloney’s teachings focus on what she calls the 3-in-1 principle, which asserts the equal value of the writer, the reader, and the listener. “Listening is one of the greatest gifts we can give to each other,” Maloney says.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444747;">Of Maloney’s first collection, Poet and Barnard University Lecturer </span><a href="http://www.charlottemandel.com/about.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Charlotte Mandel</span></a> <span style="color: #444747;">states, “Julie Maloney's poems in her collection - <i>Private Landscape</i> - move with the exquisite grace of her abilities as a dancer and choreographer. Dream narratives sing in delicate imagery. Pain of cancer is here, honestly revealed and transcended; love is here, in its greatest giving. There is not a trace of easy sentimentality. This is a collection to remember, at once personal and universal.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444747;">As well, Maloney, has been kind enough to share one of her new poems with us below. Enjoy!</span></div>
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PEE<o:p></o:p></div>
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Darkness seeps over the walls,<o:p></o:p></div>
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slides across my mouth and <o:p></o:p></div>
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silences my wail. Inside
the palm <o:p></o:p></div>
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of my hand lays a dead emergency button. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Broken and unplugged, the button drags<o:p></o:p></div>
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me down inside a pool of piss.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Squeeze tight.
Squeeze tight.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Where do I put my pee?<o:p></o:p></div>
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No one to hear me, no where<o:p></o:p></div>
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to drain the neglected vessel. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I fantasize letting it all run down<o:p></o:p></div>
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my legs onto the clean sheets.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Relief sends a shiver up my body. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“Yes, do it,” a voice says.
“Let it go.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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I stare down the pain of being full. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Focus on the steady contraction <o:p></o:p></div>
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of a bladder bulging into ferocity. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I call on my resolve and wait <o:p></o:p></div>
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through the night without a clock<o:p></o:p></div>
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to tell me how long I have lived.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-70425723691283776742013-02-04T21:11:00.000-06:002013-02-04T21:35:11.305-06:00The Mnemosyne Monthly: Poem Forty-Three (Shikibu)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Izumi Shikibu</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This month's Mnemosyne poem, by <span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izumi_Shikibu" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Izumi Shikibu</span></a><span style="color: #222222;">, comes from </span><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ink-Dark-Moon-Komachi-Shikibu/dp/0679729585" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">The Ink Dark Moon</span></a> </i><span style="color: #222222;">and is translated by </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Hirshfield" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Jane Hirshfield</span></a><span style="color: #222222;">, who I will interview this upcoming summer for </span><i style="color: #222222;">Tiferet Talk</i><span style="color: #222222;">. If you're not familiar with her work,</span></span> Izumi Shikibu is a mid Heian period Japanese poet and a member of the Thirty-six Medieval Poetry Immortals--a group of Japanese poets chosen by Fujiwara no Kintō as models of Japanese poetic ability. Because of her<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> numerous affairs and marriages and the passionate nature of her writings, </span>Izumi Shikibu<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> became known as The Floating Lady. Enjoy ...</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> In this world</span><br />
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love has no color</div>
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yet how deeply my body </div>
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is stained by yours.</div>
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--by Izumi Shikibu</div>
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-60522152042375057282013-01-30T19:53:00.001-06:002013-01-30T20:14:48.590-06:00Montgomery County Book Festival and Inteview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'm thrilled to be hosting the Tweens Read Too Panel at the Montgomery County Book Festival. Here's an interview with me at the festival blog site: <a href="http://mocobookfest.blogspot.com/2013/01/an-interview-with-melissa-studdard.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>Melissa Studdard's Interview</b></span></a>. For the panel, I'll be interviewing the authors listed below, and all of us will be signing books and book plates between sessions. Hope to see some of you there!</div>
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<b>Kimberley Griffiths Little</b> is the critically acclaimed author of the <i>Southwest Book Award</i>, Winner of the Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel of 2010, Bank Street College Best Books of 2011, Crystal Kit Finalist, and New Mexico Book Award Finalist. Her books have sold several hundred thousand copies in the Scholastic Book Fairs and have been chosen for many state reading lists. She lives on a dirt road in a small town by the Rio Grande with her husband, a robotics engineer, and their three sons. Kimberley is a favorite speaker at schools around the country, presenting "The Creative Diary," a highly successful writing workshop and has also been a keynote speaker at various conferences. She is a co-founder of SPELLBINDERS, a national newsletter for Educators and Librarians to create life-long readers. Learn more about her at her website.</div>
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<b>Nikki Loftin</b> lives with her Scottish photographer husband just outside Austin, Texas, surrounded by dogs, chickens, and small, loud boys. Her debut middle-grade novel, <i>The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy</i>, is available now! You can visit her online at www.nikkiloftin.com or at twitter: @nikkiloftin or Facebook at Splendid Academy. The website for the book is www.SplendidAcademy.com</div>
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<b>Bethany Hegedus</b> is a well-published author and owner of The Writing Barn, a writing retreat and workshop space in Austin, Texas. Her award-winning books include <i>Truth with a Capital T</i> (Delacorte/Random House) and <i>Between Us Baxters</i> (WestSide Books). Forthcoming from Atheneum/Simon & Schuster is the picture book <i>Grandfather Gandhi</i>, co-authored with Arun Gandhi, grandson of the Mahatma. Bethany has served as the <i>Hunger Mountain </i>Young Adult & Children’s Editor since the prestigious journal went online in 2009 and once worked at The Writers’ League of Texas as Office Manager. A graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in Writing for Children & Young Adults, Bethany teaches privately and speaks across the country. She lives in a private home, with her husband and their dog, Toby, on the same 7.5 acres that The Writing Barn shares. Learn more about her at her website.</div>
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<b>Jo Whittemore</b> is the author of the tween humor novels, <i>Front Page Face-Off, Odd Girl In,</i> and<i> D is for Drama</i>, as well as <i>The Silverskin Legacy</i> fantasy trilogy. She is a member of the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and is one of the founding members of The Texas Sweethearts & Scoundrels. Jo has also written for, and been featured in, newspapers and national magazines. When she isn't writing, Jo spends her time with family and friends in Austin, dreaming of the day she can afford a chocolate house with toffee furniture. Discover more about Jo Whittemore at her website.</div>
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-50351052833016043892013-01-28T08:16:00.001-06:002013-01-28T08:19:16.825-06:002013 Tiferet Talk Schedule<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Hip Hip Hooray! The first <i>Tiferet Talk</i> interview of 2013 is tonight at 7 PM, and I'm excited to also share the schedule for the year: </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> Judith Hanson Lasater 1/28, 7 - 7:30 pm EST</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> Julie Maloney 2/25, 7 - 7:30 pm EST</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> Natalie Goldberg 3/17 or 3/25/13, 7 - 7:30 pm EST</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> Jim Hanson 4/29, 7 - 7:30 pm EST</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> Molly Peacock 5/20</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">, 7 - 7:30 pm EST<br /> Jane Hirshfield 6/17, 7 - 7:30 pm EST<br /> Doug Anderson 7/29, 7 - 7:30 pm EST<br /> Ann Hood 8/19, 7 - 7:30 pm EST<br /> Andrea Polard 9/30, 7 - 7:30 pm EST<br /> Alfred Corn 10/21, 1:-1:30 PM EST<br /> Helene Cardona and John FitzGerald 11/25, 7 - 7:30 pm EST<br /> Kanta Bosniak 12/16/13, 7 - 7:30 pm EST</span></div>
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For more information about the talks or to subscribe to the journal, please go to: <a href="http://tiferetjournal.com/">http://tiferetjournal.com/</a><br />
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-72351209910033863872013-01-25T09:54:00.002-06:002013-01-25T09:57:59.999-06:00Judith Hanson Lasater on Making Peace with the Present Moment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmUIE7Fp8YDxFaha7amM8EdrcrpMXf-wAyIx6gnro0B8mh40oTYBNGsw1wlLX76_FORPQ3FkrSrjW_lDU9bCBnAeZsc7ewv4ORL5adQaD_T9bJ-3wBzmxtmyrJqgUxWgN0ytXEcpvQvQf/s1600/judithIyengar220w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmUIE7Fp8YDxFaha7amM8EdrcrpMXf-wAyIx6gnro0B8mh40oTYBNGsw1wlLX76_FORPQ3FkrSrjW_lDU9bCBnAeZsc7ewv4ORL5adQaD_T9bJ-3wBzmxtmyrJqgUxWgN0ytXEcpvQvQf/s320/judithIyengar220w.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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Judith Hanson Lasater with B. K. S. Iyengar</div>
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On Monday, 1/28/13, from 7-7:30 PM EST, 6-6:30 PM CST, for <i><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/tiferetjournal" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">Tiferet Talk</span></a></i>, I will have the honor of speaking with writer, yoga instructor, psychologist, and physical therapist <a href="http://judithlasater.com/books/livingyouryoga.html" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank"><span style="color: orange;">Judith Hanson Lasater</span></a> about how to live your yoga and other vital topics. Lasater, who has been teaching yoga since 1971 and is the president of the California Yoga Teachers' Association, is a founder of both the Iyengar Yoga Institute in San Francisco and <i>Yoga Journal</i> magazine. As well, Lasater is the author of many books, including <i>What We Say Matters: Practicing Nonviolent Communication </i>(with Ike Lasater, 2009), <i>Living Your Yoga: Finding the Spiritual in Everyday Life</i> (1999), <i>A Year of Living Your Yoga</i> (2006), and <i>Relax and Renew: Restful Yoga for Stressful Times</i> (1995), all published by<a href="http://rodmellpress.com/" target="_blank"> <span style="color: orange;">Rodmell Press</span></a><span style="color: orange;">. </span><br />
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In praise of Lasater, Patricia Walden states, “Judith Lasater presents timeless wisdom with clarity and insight. She is a well-seasoned yogini, who writes from personal experience on how to use the events of daily life as yoga poses for the mind and heart.”</div>
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Erich Schiffmann states: "Yes! Living Your Yoga is what it's all about. Here is a clear and friendly book that will help anyone embody the wisdom of yoga by consciously bringing it into daily life. The exercises are fun. They can help you learn how to do yoga all the time—now and now and now—when you are in the yoga room and when you are not. Take this book to heart."<br />
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Below, you will find some words of wisdom that Judith was kind enough to share from her blog, as well as a link to the show. The link will become active once the show goes live on Monday.<br />
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Make Peace with the Present Moment</div>
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by Judith Hanson Lasater</div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Too often our mental process is to judge ourselves for what we are thinking or feeling. A thought arises and our inner dialogue says something like, “Oh, I shouldn’t be thinking that” or “How can I be thinking/feeling that when I am a yoga student, teacher or meditator?”</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Then we react to those judgments with even more judgments for judging, and we are caught in a repeating pattern from hell.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">A practice I have been enjoying for some months now is to “make peace with the present moment.” That means that when thoughts arise followed by thoughts of judgment I tell myself that the whole process is part of my practice: the original thoughts and the secondary or following thoughts as well. I do this by saying to myself, “how human of me to have a thought of X.” This helps so much when I look at the behavior of others as well.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">When I say silently to myself, “How human of him to act/react with anger or fear or disappointment” then there is a space for compassion to arise in me. And I like how that feels. Then I am at peace with the present moment.</span></div>
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Copyright 2013 by Judith Hanson Lasater. Reprinted with permission.</div>
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http://judithlasater.com/writings/index.html</div>
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2221331831200196542.post-88832443704783883872013-01-07T21:48:00.000-06:002013-01-08T21:27:15.735-06:00The Mnemosyne Monthly: Poem Forty-Two (Doolittle)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Orchard</div>
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H.D. (Hilda Doolittle)</div>
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As noted last week, The Mnemosyne Weekly has now become The Mnemosyne Monthly, and we're moving right along to the forty-second poem. What a joy it's been to carry these poems around through my days, pulling them deeper and deeper into my being until they reside among the internal resources I can call on for wisdom and beauty. With the new monthly format, I'm looking forward to even greater intimacy with the poems.</div>
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This week's poet, H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) was recommended to me by my friend R Jeffreys of The Write Step. I've been somewhat familiar with H.D.'s work in anthologies, but this past weekend I sat down and read my first full H.D. collection, the salty, blossoming <i>Sea Garden, </i>from which I selected this beautiful poem, "Orchard." </div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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Orchard<br />
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By H. D.<br />
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I saw the first pear<br />
As it fell --<br />
The honey-seeking, golden-banded,<br />
The yellow swarm<br />
Was not more fleet than I,<br />
(Spare us from loveliness)<br />
And I fell prostrate<br />
Crying:<br />
You have flayed us<br />
With your blossoms,<br />
Spare us the beauty<br />
Of fruit-trees.<br />
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The honey-seeking<br />
Paused not,<br />
The air thundered their song,<br />
And I alone was prostrate.<br />
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O rough-hewn<br />
God of the orchard,<br />
I bring you an offering --<br />
Do you, alone unbeautiful,<br />
Son of the god,<br />
Spare us from loveliness:<br />
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These fallen hazel-nuts,<br />
Stripped late of their green sheaths,<br />
Grapes, red-purple,<br />
Their berries<br />
Dripping with wine,<br />
Pomegranates already broken,<br />
And shrunken figs<br />
And quinces untouched,<br />
I bring you as offering.<br />
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Melissa Studdardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369397486727790844noreply@blogger.com2