A Poetic Quest

Once again, I feel very honored to be in the company of a group of amazing writers (many of whom I've admired for a long time) in the current issue of MiPOesias Magazine, Quest, guest edited by the wonderful writer Evie Shockley (her a half-red sea is a poetic must have, btw). As an extra bonus, you get to hear many of the poets (myself included -- thanks Brian!) reading their work as well. Here's the line up:

Tara Betts, Derrick Weston Brown, Christian Campbell, L. Teresa Church,
Kyle Dargan,
Camille Dungy,
Cherryl Floyd-Miller,
Tonya Foster,
Aracelis Girmay,
C.S. Giscombe,
Duriel Harris,
Reginald Harris,
kim d. hunter,
Geoffrey Jacques,
Brandon D. Johnson,
A. Van Jordan,
Doug Kearney,
Raina León,
Carl Martin,
Lenard D. Moore,
Opal Moore,
Thylias Moss,
Marilyn Nelson, Mendi Lewis Obadike, G. E. Patterson, Meghan Punschke, Ed Roberson, Reginald Shepherd, giovanni singleton, Chris Stackhouse, Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Treasure Williams, and Tyrone Williams

What Evie has done here, in part, strikes my eye and ear as a continuation of the work done at the Marjorie Cook Conference on Diversity in African American Poetry held at Miami University in September 2003, and collected in the (also must have) anthology Rainbow Darkness: an attempt to expand our notion of what we talk about when we talk about 'black poetry'. As she says in her editor's note to the issue, "i’ve gathered samples of the outrageous, the deep-blue, the needle-tipped, and the butter, the kinds of work i know and love, created by daring, caring, wayfaring poets."

We as a community contain multitudes, and we as individual writers often explore a variety of styles and modes as well. Thanks, Evie, for this chance to show another side to our work and ourselves.

(FYI: the lovely collage -- Wanderlust Wonderland -- is by poet/artist Krista Franklin)

On Art and Life

It's been one of my pleasures to know the visual artist Morgan Monceaux for a number of years, and last year even took a Mental Health 'art day' off from work for the unveiling of his work at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington. His portraits of figures from history (US Presidents and First Ladies, jazz musicians and singers, figures from the Black West, etc) often have found elements and text added onto the paintings.

For example, his Ray Charles (right, in the Portrait Gallery collection) uses popsicle sticks to represent the piano and microphone. The sunglasses Ray wears and the buttons on his coat Morgan found on the street. A short bio of Ray surrounds the figure. The more you look at one of Morgan's paintings, the fuller, denser and more complex they become.

A recent profile in the Baltimore Sun details some of the monumental issues he has been dealing with both in his work and his life. It's an excellent and all too rare portrait of a vital, working African American artist.

I been particularly honored to have been able to see some of his recent work, his series on African American opera 'Divas' from conception to completion. This is a perfect subject for him, by the way, since the artist can be a bit of a 'diva' himself! Visiting him in his home (also childhood home of "Mr. Hi-de-ho" Cab Calloway -- there must be something special about that house!) and seeing his 'Madame Butterfly' (below) develop over a number of weeks was astonishing. As usual, the reproduction does not do justice to the glorious burst of colors that vibrate off the canvas (the gold of the tatami mat, the kimonos, the cherry blossoms in the background...). One evening, I watched as a pencil-drawn line was painted, then transformed into a door frame, and layer after layer of paint was applied to create just the right shade of red for the doors themselves, as Puccini's music surrounded us.



While I may be a writer, I admit to having little understanding of the creative process, particularly in other art forms. I can't carry a tune in a shopping cart, so singers amaze me. Me, draw a straight line, a circle, anything? Forget about it...so artists astound me. To my mind, Morgan has to be some kind of alchemist, wizard, Maji, something, in order to be able to do what he does. His work has certainly kept him alive and active while going through difficult trials (HIV, cancer, the break up of a long-term relationship) that would have felled a lesser person. A remarkable man, and a remarkable artist.

Tim Gives Gays a Hardaway to go

Today, I was reminded of something I heard my parents and older relatives say when I was growing up. They'd remark that they actually preferred the hard line segregation and open racism of the pre-Civil Rights South to the quiet, subtle, subversive racism of the North. "At least down there, you know how people feel about you," they'd say. "You KNOW they don't like you. In the North, folks might smile at you and seem to be nice, but in their heart of hearts still hate your guts."

So in some ways I'm greatful to Tim Hardaway for his recent "I hate gays" comment. At least he's being honest and we know exactly where he stands. As long as everyone who feels the way Hardaway does keeps it hidden, there will never be any opportunities for dialog, learning, or possibilities for change. (To it's credit, the NBA has removed Hardaway from any future league-related events.)

As a gay person, I also know that Hardaway's not alone -- there are a lot of people who feel the same way he does, for whatever reason. As John Amaechi said, responding to Hardaway, "These are the comments that create the atmosphere that allow some of the tragic incidents of homophobia that we've seen. This is what makes the lives of gay and lesbian young people in schools miserable. It's what stops gay and lesbian people in the workplace from coming out as well as the fact they can be fined in 33 states for being gay."

Hardaway's comment gives people an idea of some of the things many of us have to go through every day, and why it is so difficult for people to 'come out' (I also think people who hold such strong views have some internal issues to deal with as well...but maybe that's just me....). And it's a rebuke to at least one sports commentator I read who said John Amaechi's revelation was 'no big deal' -- and an example of why he waited until he retired to be open about his personal life. Actually, I'm more surprised at the people expressing surprise over his comment -- but then we are in an age when people are supposed to 'come correct' when in front of the cameras.

And at least Hardaway wasn't threatening Amaechi's life, as apparently some have done via e-mail.

I'm sure at some point we'll hear that Tim has gone into 'gay-hab' like "Grey's Anatomy" star Isiah Washington. But to me, it would be better and possibly more helpful for him (and all of us) if some of the former teammates of the man who said, "I wouldn't want him on my team...if he was on my team, I would, you know, really distance myself from him because, uh, I don't think that's right. And you know I don't think he should be in the locker room while we're in the locker room," would quietly come to him and say, "Hey, brothaman...guess what?"

My Dinner with....

One of my favorite movies is My Dinner with Andre, Louis Malle's intellectual talkfest with Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory, discussing life, art, and fauns (among other things) over a meal in an elegant New York City restaurant, while being served by a waiter who looks like he's seen and heard it all. I first saw the movie in college, and it had a powerful effect on me and my friends because many of the insights and comments made in the film were things we had also talked about and 'discovered' for ourselves (What can I say? I fell among Jungians in school....), and it helped to make my friends and I feel a little less strange in the wilds of Virginia. I've seen the movie many times since, and even have an underlined/highlighed copy of the screenplay on my shelves at home.

Last night, I was part of another, different discussion over dinner. I've been a long-time participant in the SHARE (Study to Help the AIDS Research Effort) project, a program that follows a group of men (HIV +, HIV- and those who have seroconverted) over time, keeping track of behaviors and physical and emotional changes. It is a reseach study, so some of the contributions SHARE has made may not be considered too glamorous to non-scientists, but much of the information garnered from us has lead to changes in treatment guidelines, and we also have an impact on various past and ongoing clinical trials.

Yesterday, a small group of study participants gathered for a focus group session, to talk about risk, sexual behavior, intimacy, "The Down Low," and a host of other issues. It was a thrilling and fascinating conversation -- as well as being an extremely rare event: eight black men sitting in a room talking openly and honestly about their lives, and what goes on in our community. (The Study decided, in order to avoid cultural or language misunderstandings, it would be best for the focus groups to be same-race). Most of us were middle aged (I believe the youngest man in the room was in his late 20s, the oldest in his 50's), and ranged across class, economic status, skin-color and hair (from dreads to bald/receeding) lines, as well as all those other 'markers' as well ('butch/straight-acting' and 'queens'; 'tops', 'bottoms', 'versatile/switch', extroverted and shy, silly and serious, etc). One black male faciliator did his best to guide and keep track of our wide ranging conversations, and two female doctors (one black, one Indian) observed and asked a few questions as well, and also provided medical facts when needed to keep us from passing on any false information.

None of us knew each other very well, if we had met at all, and no names were used until the end of the discussion to aid in the open flow of information. By the end of two hours, however, I think we all felt that we knew each other fairly well -- and we all hated for the eveing to be over, wishing the conversation could have gone on longer.

Men seldom talk about themselves and their lives with each other (or anyone) without a lot of posturing and member-measuring involved. Black men in particular seem to almost never share their feelings with each other. Gay/bi/MSM guys almost never get to meet in a place that does not have some 'I'm here to pick someone up' component to it. And few if any of us are willing to open up without alcohol being somewhere nearby to help 'loosen the tongue.' So this was an unusal night, and amazing and moving opportunity for us to eat, relax, talk, and be honest with ourselves and each other.

It's odd how you can miss something you've never had before. As I mentioned many of us would have loved to keep going, or to have a chance to come back and talk some more next week about other issues. The late and much lamented (by me, at least) Louie's Bookstore Cafe tried something like this once -- signing a random group of people up to get together to discuss a particular topic, with limited success. And the Washington Post did the same with a group of gay men for their Being A Black Man series. I'd love to see someone try something similar in communities around the country, bringing men together just to talk and share parts of their lives, focusing on different topics. I think there's an ache inside us as men, as African Americans, as LGBT people -- as humans -- and a lonliness that longs to reach out and have a warm, valuable, intimate, sharing experience with others; to listen to and to be listened to by someone else. To realize both your uniqueness and also how similar you and your experiences are with those of other men. It was a great evening last night, and I'd love to do it again sometime with another group of people. Maybe even at my place one day, over dinner.

Black Gay History Month for the NBA

Too much has been happening here in the past month for me to do much blogging, but I did want to sneak in a brief post to say....




Bravo! for former Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz center John Amaechi, the first pro basketball player to 'come out' as a gay man. It is also something of an event since he is half Nigerian, and that country recently considered passing a set of truly draconian laws against homosexuality (and their Anglican Bishop, Peter Akinola, is one of the driving forces behind the growing schism in the church over ordination of openly gay priests and other 'modern' changes)

Perhaps more importantly, bravo to him for being a model fomer sportsman, with impressive philanthropic credentials in England, founding the ABC Foundation to increase young people's participation in sports, and for building the Amaechi Basketball Centre in Manchester. He's someone putting himself, and his time and money where his heart lies.

I've also been impressed in the main by many of the reactions to his revelation by current players and coaches. My own personal favorite is this one, from Toronto Raptors coach Sam Mitchell. He also makes a comment about 'tolerance' that I find particularly apt for February, and all the other months of the year:

Mitchell was asked whether he believes tolerance increases with age.

"It shouldn't be about tolerance, it should be about respect, treating people as human beings," said Mitchell. "I don't like the word tolerance. Are you supposed to tolerate me because I'm black, or are people supposed to treat me with respect because I'm a human being?"

Exactly!

Voices Rising

It's difficult to express how humbled and honored I feel to be part of this new anthology. The work of New York's Other Countries writers laid the foundation for so much of what has happened in our literary community for the past 20 years. Their previous anthologies remain touchstones for me, and examples of the range and quality of the work of black gay writers. Being part of their new collection, 'rubbing pages' with the fantastic fellow contributors....it's a dream come true.

From the Redbone Press website:

Voices Rising: Celebrating 20 Years of Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Writing marks the twentieth anniversary of Other Countries—a small organization endeavoring to create a powerful, far-reaching, deliberate legacy of black queer expression. Voices Rising gathers more than sixty writers whose work forms an important bridge among members of black LGBT communities, charting two decades of evolution, accomplishment and struggle. The poems, short stories, essays, interviews and dramatic excerpts gathered here exemplify the personal, political and cultural complexities of identity, desire, family and community. In these pages established authors appear alongside emerging talents and heretofore unknown artists to compelling, historic effect. No other anthology so effectively represents the depth, breadth and brilliance of the current generation of black lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender writers.

For those in the New York area this weekend, the men of Other Countries have organizes a book launch for this Saturday, January 20, 2007, at South Oxford Space (138 S. Oxford Street) Ft. Greene, Brooklyn (Call 917-364-1491 for more info). Staceyann Chin, Alexis DeVeaux, editor G. Winston James, Bil Wright (one of the best readers you're ever likely to hear).....and that's just the appetizer. You know you should be there!

'007 News, Good and Bad

Positive spin:
Quranic Brothers: Keith Ellison and Thomas Jefferson


House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., left, administers the House oath to Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., during a re-enactment swearing-in ceremony, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2007. Ellison's wife Kim holds Thomas Jefferson's Quran which was provided by the Library of Congress. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)


Not to be left out, Maryland will welcome it's own Muslim Representative to the State House soon, Greenbelt software engineer Saqib Ali

By the way, apparently while nobody noticed, two Buddhists were elected to the US House as well, Reps. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Hank Johnson of (D-GA). Wonder if they were sworn in while holding copies of the Four Noble Truths?

No wonder (so-called) "Christians" are nervous -- the infamous "THEY/THEM" are obviously 'taking over!'

And while we're talking Islam, here's a holiday/New Year's message from Black Gay Muslim leader Imam Daayiee Abdullah: 'Perhaps if the leaders of the religious right had the true Christmas spirit in their hearts, they would avoid insulting friends and fellow citizens with their insistence on public dogmatism, and spread some peace on earth and good will to all people')












And now the Bad News:

George W sings, "Wait a minute Mr Postman" in yet another not-even-close-to-legal "Signing Statement"

How many more rights can this administration take away, deliberately mis-reading or ignoring the law, before it's stopped? This one seems particularly egregous to me, and brings us one more step closer to a day when the Government can invade our privacy with impunity. "Illegal immigrants" don't have the right to privacy via the US Mails? The FBI and others can read the letters of "possible terrorists?" Add this to the ongoing warrentless wiretapping controversy, and the end of habeas corpus the pattern of disregard for privacy on display by Bush and his minions would be obvious to a deaf mute. But where's the outrage? Why is no one in the streets? Perhaps they're on the phone to the new Congress, and maybe Nancy P can make stopping this part of the 100 Hours.


And in ongoing negative news:
Baltimore's first murder victim of the year was 17 year old Leon Nelson. How many more young Black men (and women) are we going to lose to violence? Again, where's the outrage?

A Chicago House Party Shooting at the 'hood's "Gay House"

I have a Chi-town contact with a little 'inside info' about this (which I suspect some will use to discredit the victims). I may be able to discuss as more becomes public about this. For now, I'll say once again I'm dissapointed by the lack of outrage or action (so far) from many black and white and black gay 'activists' over this.




Let us all try to make 2007 the year when our communities recognize that all our lives are important and worth saving.

Man & Woman of the Year

Man of the Year, 2006: Keith Ellison (D, MN)

Not only because he was part of the Democratic broom which swept the Republicans from the leadership of both houses of Congress this fall. Not only because I enjoy the (in some quarters) incongruous image of an African American Catholic-turned-Muslim representing the Great White North of Minnesota. But because, after being attacked by the ignorance of CNN's Glenn Beck ("And I have to tell you, I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, 'Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.'" 14 November 2006), and having to defend himself against the racist, anti-immigrant rantings of both congressman Virgil Goode (R, VA) ("The Muslim Representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters of that district and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran"), radio show host Dennis Prager ("He should not be allowed to do so -- not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization." 28 November 2006), and countless other Right-Wing-nuts, for wanting to hold a Koran during his congressional swearing-in ceremony, Ellison has responded with calm, equanimity, and class (On Goode for example, he's said, "I don't know the fellow and I'd rather just say he has a lot to learn about Islam."

To my mind, he's a great example for us all (particularly those of us who would be wanting to kick some so-called Christian butt right about now for making such comments -- guess now you know why I never went into politics!). I also think, sadly, this is only the beginning of such crazyness surrounding Mr Ellison. I wish him well.

"Many people see their religion as an identity thing, much in the same way Crips or Bloods might say, 'I'm this, this is the set I'm rolling with,' " Ellison said, referring to the infamous street gangs. "They've never actually tried to explore how religion should connect us, they're into how religion divides us. ... They haven't really explored ... how my faith connects me to you."

Woman of the Year, 2007: Nancy Pelosi (D, CA)

First Female Speaker of the House. Daughter of one mayor of Baltimore (Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr.) and sister of another (Thomas D'Alesandro, III). Right wing target (and take note of how many unflattering photos will be shown of her in 2007: they always play then 'she looks bad' card against women). Next year, politics in Washington will be All About Nancy: What will Nancy do? What won't she do? And how many investigations will she launch against the Bush Administration? Stay tuned....



Man for All Seasons: The Godfather of Soul



Thanks for the Funk. Thanks for "Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud" (I Am. We Are) Thanks for Getting Up on the Good Foot, and the dancing. Thanks for being you.

Maceo! Maceo!!

Ninguno aquí llora por el General

If there is such a thing as divine retribution, then tonight, General Augusto Pinochet is at the beginning of an eternal sentence of roasting on a spit in Hell.

Planner of the coup d'état that brought him to power on September 11, 1973. The cost of his term as El Supremo de Chile? 3,000 dead. 30,000 tortured. Domestic and international spying and persecution of dissenters through Operation Condor. The car bomb murder of ambassador Orlando Letelier in Washington DC in 1976. All with the support of the United States government, including the late Nobel Prize winning economist Milton Friedman ("Miracle of Chile" indeed!) and the late UN Ambassador Jeane "Right wing dictators are better than Left wing dictators" Kirkpatrick. Dispite beging the target of hundreds of prosecutions on corruption and human rights violation charges, The Generalissimo mananged to escape any form of prosecution.

If you wonder why some in South America distrust the United States, you need look no further than to our relationship with the reign of General Pinochet in Chile.

I was in Chile as 1983 turned into 1984, and although Pinochet's power was slipping, those I traveled with and I were still followed and watched "for our own protection" by non-uniformed members of the (secret?) police in Punta Arenas -- and most likely in the General's home town of Valpariso as well, where a young lady talked to me, a stranger from another country, briefly, furtively, about her fears. While a number of people in Chile showed us a heartwarming level of hospitality, it is also the case that, as Raymond Chandler wrote, "the Streets were dark with something more than night."

So no tears here, Jefe, for turning a beautiful country into a center of fear and paranoia. Too bad you didn't spend some time behind bars in this world -- but I'm sure you're getting your just deserts in the next.

"Gathering Ground" in Baltimore

What a joy it was to see so many Cave Canem fellows and poetry fans at the Pratt Library for the 10th Anniversary 'Gathering Ground' reading!










After negotiating the madness of the last ($2 a bag/box) day of our annual book sale, readers and fans gathered in the library's Wheeler Auditorium for the program....




(Carlo Paul with fellow poets in the front row)




...to hear selections from the work of Brandon D Johnson, Carleasa Coates, Carlo Paul, Carolyn Joyner, Derrick Brown and Deidre Gantt (doing the Poetic tag-team thing), Hayes Davis, Jadi Omowale, Kamilah Aisha Moon, Teri Cross, and Venus Thrash.

Special Guest Kyle Dargan invoked our forebearers by reading Etheridge Knight's "Belly Song" before reading a selection from his Cave Canem Prize Winning collection, The Listening.

"Aren't these children wonderful?" the beloved featured reader Lucille Clifton asked, before reading a much-too-short selection of poems, a series transporting the Virgin Mary to the Caribbean, and closing with a special variation on her poem "won't you celebrate with me...", changing the last lines in honor of the occasion


(Miss Clifton with Young Fans)

won't you celebrate with me
what i have shaped into
a kind of life? i had no model.
born in babylon
both nonwhite and woman
what did i see to be except myself?
i made it up
here on this bridge between
starshine and clay,
my one hand holding tight
my other hand; come celebrate
with me that everyday
something has tried to kill US, CAVE CANEM
and has failed.



Readers and audience then gathered for a reception in the Library's Edgar Allen Poe Room



Tony Medina and DivineCipher's Fred Joiner












Carlo Paul and Kamilah Moon













My sister Marva and Brandon Johnson














Carleasa and Lucille


A small group of DC-area poets went to dine and talk (with a fantastic jazz soundrack in the background) at the nearby Milton's Grill

(Fred Joiner, Derrick Brown, Alan King, and Venus Thrash)



A special thanks/shout out to the Pratt staff for the great flyer (see top of post), name tags, poster, and book and window displays promoting the event, and their support during the reading and reception.

Thanks everyone for a great evening of love and verse!

Literary Weekend

December 1st: World AIDS Day


Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.




As usual, it's feast or famine here in B-town. This weekend it's Feast. An ideal itinerary would go something like this:


Friday-Sunday
Pratt Library's Annual booksale. As always, it was a madhouse in here today as folks rushed to get first dibs on the 50c hardcovers and 25c paperbacks we've put out. Little do they know we restock all weekend (and Sunday is $1 a bag/box day)...Come on down!



Saturday
Start the day at Belvedere Square's Daedalus Books & Music for their Holiday Signing and Breakfast with a host of local authors including Gilbert Sandler, Elizabeth Spires, Madison Smartt Bell, Kim Jensen and Lia Purpura and Jonathon Scott Fuqua, 10 am - 12 Noon

Head back to the main library for more books, and check in with the Poetry Discussion Group as they look at the work of the extraordinary Paul Celan (12-2 pm).

If you missed her at Daedalus, you can catch up with Lia Pupura at the Pratt, where she'll be reading/signing copies of "On Looking"

Head around the corner to 317 N Charles and Clayton & Co bookstore for Reb Livingston and a No Tell Motel reading, part of the amazing i.e. reading series (...and I havent' stopped kicking myself for missing the Mei-mei Berssenbrugge & Cole Swenson double bill, or Charles Bernstein last month either!)




Sunday

I'll be playing host to local poets Brandon D Johnson, Carleasa Coates, Carlo Paul, Carolyn Joyner, Deidre Gantt, Derrick Brown, Hayes Davis, Jadi Omowale, Kamilah Aisha Moon, Kendra Hamilton, Teri Cross, and Venus Thrash, Cave Canem Prize Winner Kyle Dargan, and the luminous Lucille Clifton at (where else?) the Pratt Library, to celebrate Cave Canem's 10th Anniversary and the Gathering Ground anthology (a perfect stocking stuffer if there ever was one -- poetry is the gift that keeps on giving, you know....). 2 pm






Monday
And just when you think it's safe to return to the office, Roger Bonair-Agard brings the tarnish and masquerade tour to town, performing at Slamicide, XandO Charles Village, 8 pm.





Now just watch: Next weekend? No haps....

Blog toward A Poem about Love

Nicole Pekarske reads Intermissa, Venus at Minas


One of the poems I read at Sunday's very wonderful reading at Minas. This will soon appear in the new anthology from New York's Other Countries collective (thanks Glenroy)


Notes Toward A Poem About Love

Remember:
The long trip back from the Carolinas –
how he looked, smooth in silhouette dozing

you drove 80 miles an hour from Durham to DC
through a rain-slicked, receding South
deep in a groove, desperate for return for shared, familiar bed

or earlier the night before the downtown Charlotte club –

How, even dressed in 'b-boy hoodlum mode'
he was glorious, shone a beacon in the smoky dark.
New Man in Town, undressed by the eyes of Sunday regulars

confused by this bastard busting their games
the half-seen other he leaves with;

or later, even: Picture the future, next week, tomorrow–

he strides in from work tired
complaining of new madness
then winks changes for his late-night rituals

On the phone, he laughs at a joke and his gaze turns,
ablaze with anticipated retelling.

Then forget:
Think of Lack             The absence of that Presence.
A world without memory       the otherwise dull moments
      Stop             Think (for once)
           Meditate       Slowly begin to write

At the Podium again

I'm reading this Sunday (November 19th) with Nicole Pekarske at Minas and Peggy's wonderful Minas Gallery in Hampden. Rumor has it, I'm reading "new work," never before heard within the confines of Baltimore City. I hope I'm feeling better and less conjested than I do now otherwise it'll be short ... and none too sweet!
(and thanks in advance, Aaron, for the mention on WYPR's The Signal this Friday)

The Pratt Society Dinner

Sometimes its really quite amazing to work here.


Last week our central hall was transformed into an elegant supper club for the Pratt Society Dinner. This annual function recognizes individuals and organizations who have donated $1000 or more to the Library and its programs. The centerpiece of the evening is the awarding of the Lifetime Literary Achievement Award to a distinguished author. Past awardees have been Alice Walker, John Updike, Joyce Carol Oates, Saul Bellow, Toni Morrison, Tom Wolfe, Norman Mailer and Barbara Kingsolver. This year the award went to one of my favorite authors, E. L. Doctorow.

(Doctorow signing his new collection Creationists)

As manager then supervisor over the work of the Pratt Center for Technology Training, I've attended about half of these events (the Walker, Morrison, Wolfe, Mailer, Kingsolver -- who was, somewhat unexpectedly to me, fantastic -- and now Doctorow evenings), getting a chance to ask Mailer about boxing ('not too interesting' since Ali's retirement), for example, and sheepishly asking La Morrison to sign my arm load of her works ("I'm sorry to impose...." I started to say. "No you're not," she replied, motioning to me to set the books down, "Come on." We then tried to figure out if she knew any of my Other Half's family back in their native Ohio)

And it's always amazing to see this soon-to-be 75 year old building looking like a million bucks.

Pratt Library Director (and former American Library Association President) Dr. Carla Hayden with two members of the Facilites staff (Derek Fauntleroy and Terrence 'The Terrific' Thomas) , under a luminous Toni Morrison.














Melissa Carter and Daryl Jeffries of the Development Office kick up their heels in a post-dinner dance.

Thank You and Good Night

"My formula for success has three elements: the talent you're given, the hard work you do to get better at whatever it is that you do, and a certain amount of luck. And I always found that the harder I worked, the better my luck was, because I was prepared for that. I will not go into a story unprepared. I will do my homework, and that's something I learned at an early age."

We lost one of the most polished and professional men in the world today, Ed Bradley of CBS News. I'm feeling bereft.

Thank you Mr Bradley for the years of reports and interviews -- and for showing us how to age with grace, beauty, and style. Just about every Black man I know wanted to be (or at least look like) Ed Bradley when we grew up (and we're still working on it!)

LA Times Obit

NBC's Ron Allen on Why Bradley Mattered

The Best of Bradley from CBS.com


Watch more video on the CBS News website, and see how what television journalism is supposed to be.

Mid-term Correction

So...it turns out the Democrats were right to start measuring the Congress for new drapes last week! What a Tuesday...Democrats take back both Houses in Washington, and you can hear the breaks starting to be pressed on the Bush Administration's fast track to disaster both hear and abroad. I could not be more pleased.

African American Governor in Massachusetts.

African American Muslim congressman elected -- to represent Minnesota?!?

Arizona rejects a ban on Gay Marriage...but is sadly alone in that move.

Pennsylvania sends the evil Rick Santorum home -- where ever that is.

Rhode Island restores voting rights to those convicted of a felony

South Dakota says no to a total ban on abortion, while Missouri says yes to stem cell research.

(...also does Florida have a Gay Governor? Don't ask, don't tell....)

And Dubya finally 'gets it' and shows Donald Rumsfeld the door. Of course, he admits that the decision was made toward the end of last week, and he saying Rummy was going to be at the Pentagon for as long as he was in the White House was perhaps a little white lie...

Since our first female Speaker of the House has a Baltimore connection -- does this mean the old pols will be gathering at Sabatino's again, just like in the good old days?

Here in Maryland, I and a number of others I've talked to were pleasantly surprised by the victory of both Martin O'Malley (shown here with new Lt Governor Anthony Brown) and Ben Cardin in their races for Governor and Senator respectively. Many of us suspected that perhaps Bob Erlich would be returned to Annapolis, but he too got caught up in the Blue Tide flooding the country last night.
(Interesting note here in Maryland: So long as your numbers are good in the more conservative counties to the East and West, if you win the I-95 corridor from Baltimore County to the Washington bedroom communities, you win the state)

We also heaved a major sigh of relief over the loss of Michael Steele. Trying to position himself as an "Independent", and urging African Americans to vote for him just because he is Black, most didn't fall for it. Bravo us.

I noted with interest last night how some (white) commentators were attempting to access the meaning of the losses by black Republicans Steele, Lynn Swann in Pennsylvania, and Ken Blackwell in Ohio. Some were patting the GOP on the back for putting up African American candidates ("You found one! Good for you...."). To me their loss, and Patrick's victory in Massachusetts, shows a greater maturity on the part of the electorate when it comes to those running for office. Black and other voters pulled the leaver (or pressed the touch screen) for those who best represented their interests, not (just) because they looked like them. Or not.

Unless you happen to live in Tennessee. We all say we hate those attack ads on our TV sets, but the "Call me, Harold" ad seemed to have worked to remind viewers that yes, Mr Ford really WAS black, and they needed to lock up their blondes. Fortunately after his poised and classy concession speech, I'm pretty sure we've not seen the last of him. Although he's a bit too Conservative for my Socialist tastes, he should take a page from the re-elected (thanks to his shift to the left) Gubernator of California and say "I'll be back"

All Saints Day

"Merece lo que sue~nas"/"Deserve your dream"

As John reminds us, it is All Saints/All Souls/Dia de los Muertos. And although he's not 'tagged' me, I'll counter his Octavio Paz poem with a Paz selection of my own, from one of my favorite books of all time, the prose poem masterpiece, "?Aguila o Sol?" "Eagle or Sun?"

from "The Poet's Work"

VIII
Escribo sobre la mesa crepuscular, apoyando fuerte la plima sobre su pecho casi vivo, que gime y recuerda al bosque natal. La tinta negra abre sus grandes alas. La lampara estalla y cubre mis palabras una capa de cristales rotos. Un fragmento afilado de luz me corta la mano derecha. Continuo escribiendo con ese mu~non que mana su jeta de piedra, grandes tempanos de aire se interponen entre la pluma y el papel. Ah, un simple monosilabo bastaria para hacer saltar al mundo. Pero esta noche no hay sitio para una sola palabra mas.

VIII
I write on the glimmering table, my pen resting heavily on its chest that is almost living, that moans and remembers the forest of its birth. Great wings of black ink open. The lamp explodes and a cape of broken glass covers my words. A sharp sliver of light cuts off my right hand. I keep writing with this stump that sprouts shadows. Night enters the room, the opposite wall puckers its big stone lips, great blocks of air come between my pen and the paper. A simple monosyllable would be enough to make the world burst. But tonight there is no room for a single word more.

(translation by Eliot Weinberger)

Quote: Bill T Jones

The great dancer's April 28, 2006 keynote address on Culture and the role of the Artist in Society to the Tides Foundation (full text available on "Bill's Blog")


I desire to be no slave to fear, to be clear in thought and action, to be compassionate and, yes, to be safe, loving and loved. I want to hold up my end of the
social contract - to be an effective citizen. And you?

Boo!

A very interesting All Hallows Eve here in B-town. A group of African American politicians from the DC suburbs have thrown their support to Republican candidate Michael Steele (mainly it seems because he's black and his Democratic opponent is white -- certainly can't be because of what Steele stands for, since it seems he doesn't stand for anything beyond the Bush party line). Trick or Treat?

Yesterday a friend sent a photo of a white couple on their way to a party: the guy was in blackface, wearing a dreadlocked wig, beliving himself the image of the perfect 'Rasta'.

To be fair, I did see a young white kid today wearing dreads also -- but he also had a fake sword and was dressed a la Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Carribbean. He was sitting not far from a young black kid in black face -- which matched the rest of his all black "Ninja" outfit.

Older kids, however, seem to be auditioning for episodes of everyone's favorite reality show "Whites Behaving Badly"

Johns Hopkins University and Hospital are my neighbors on two fronts. My neighborhood is within walking distance of the University campus, and part of their Kennedy Krieger Institute is directly down the street from us. At work, one of our locations is almost literally surrounded by the growing Hospital complex, and will be moving in 2007 to make way for another Hopkins building.

It is something of an open secret, particularly when it comes to the Hospital, that they are not 'good neighbors.' Both are extremely insular organizations, and their relationship to the surrounding neighborhoods is weak at best, and filled with condesention at worse.

So the following news item doesn't surprise me in the least:

"Johns Hopkins University suspended a fraternity Monday afternoon following a racially themed Halloween party Saturday night at an off-campus house.

The uproar began shortly after the “Halloween in the ’Hood” party was advertised on the Web site Facebook.com. The invitation encouraged racial-stereotyping costumes, included references to the late attorney Johnnie Cochran and O.J. Simpson, and prefaced descriptions of Baltimore as “a ghetto,” “the hood” and “the HIV pit” with a four-letter epithet"

From The Baltimore Sun:

"A picture of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accompanied the posted invitation, BSU members said.

"ps we STILL don' discriminate against hoodrats, skig skags, or scallywhops," it read.

Rob Turning, the university's coordinator of Greek Life, told the chapter president, Richard Boyer, that the advertisement was "racist and offensive" and asked him to withdraw it, according to a statement from Johns Hopkins officials.

The ad later reappeared in an "altered but still offensive form" without the coordinator's knowledge, said the statement.

The BSU students, who met Saturday night, agreed to send a contingent to the party, said Christina Chapman, 20, a senior and BSU president.

Ten students went to the party, at the fraternity's house at 235 E. 33rd St. Ashlea Bean was one. Bean said she expected to be upset but when she and the others saw the skeleton-cum-pirate dangling from the roof of the fraternity's house in a rope noose and heard fake gunshots, she was outraged.

In a statement, President William R. Brody said he was "personally offended" and called the incident "deeply disturbing."

"The invitation to this party represented a serious and unacceptable misjudgment on the part of the fraternity chapter that organized it," said Brody. "We will move quickly to address that appropriately with the chapter."

More than 100 students attended a lengthy campus forum last night before a panel of the university's top administrators.

A wide range of topics surfaced during the meeting - which at times became heated - ranging from discrimination against gay and lesbian students to the scarcity of tenured minority professors."

There was one JHU frat that seemed to have a rolling party, with brothers and others beginning to gather on Friday afternoon, leading to the main blow out bash on Saturday night, and a little 'hair of the dog' follow up Sunday afternoon (once the unconscious had awakened). I also once had the odd experience of having a Middle Eastern cab driver pick black male me up rather than a group of white JHU students. He expressed to me ("his brother") his dislike of the students, how those he had carried in the past had acted, treating him as if he were stupid, 'probably a terrorist', and something less than human.

The school has a long standing problem in both recruiting and maintaining black instructors. I know from an African friend who was in one of their Language programs, that the head of that department was quite hostile toward him as he was working toward his PhD, and has continually refused to hire minority instructors. A few years ago Hopkins hired a brilliant young black (gay) professor -- then let him go and committed 'sin of omission' by not informing him of the fact that funding for his position was available and he COULD have stayed on if he wanted to. In talking to a number of black staffers and others on campus, many consider the atmosphere there toxic. However, because of their small numbers, and the fact that they need their jobs, they are loathe to say or do anything to jeopardize their positions.

Of course the somewhat ironic thing about JHU is that there's been an increasing number of South Asian and Indian students attending the school in recent years. With their dark skin color, some of them would be as unwelcom in some neighbhorhoods here as I would be. But then, I suppose, one of the functions of Black People in America seems to be to act as the floor upon which everyone else stands (or walks all over).

So this Halloween Party doesn't surprise me in the least. IMHO it's just an example of how well many of the students at JHU are being educated.

One part of this incident, however, that also disturbs me is this: If we as Black people have problems with these objectifications of our community by others, how much responsibility do we also have for the negative images of Black people some African Americans traffic in as well? If we have negative attitudes toward ourselves, expect the worse of our brothers and sisters, pour big bucks into the pockets of minstrels and fools, how can we expect those outside our community to behave any differently toward us?

All Saints Day UPDATE: The story continues as the Hopkins Black Student Union uses the incident to discuss broader issues on campus (some of which I've mentioned above). Also be sure to check out the growing 'Comment on this article' section: some people 'get it' others think this is an example of the Political Correctness Police at work...

Steve Reich, "Classical" Father of Sampling?

I am a major fan of the form of 'classical' music known as Minimalism. As with the visual artists we now know as "The Impressionists" that term, Minimalist, has as often been avoided by the composers creating these works as it has been embraced. In any case, the repetitions, the stasis and slow evolution of changes, even the occasional way in which the music might be seen as 'boring' more often as not engages and transports me. My CD collection is heavy with the work of John Adams, Michael Nyman, Philip Glass -- and Birthday boy Steve Reich.

Reich, along with LaMonte Young, Terry Reily, Glass, and Pauline Oliveros, is one of the founding figures of the music. Holding to his convictions the creater of a once reviled music is now the subject of a major retrospective at that temple of the musical establishment, Carnegie Hall. Ah, to be back in New York again!

One of the things that has consistently fascinated me about Reich's music is his use of 'sampling' (while most Hip Hop artists were dreaming of big wheels for Christmas) and its relationship to African and African-American music and speech. In 1970 he studied drumming at the Institute for African Studies at the University of Ghana in Accra (before heading on to study Balinese gamelan music and the singing of Jewish cantors). But even before that, in early Process Music pieces like It’s Gonna Rain (made up of recordings of a sermon about the end of the world given by a Pentecostal minister, 1965) and Come Out (a line of testimony given by an injured survivor of a race riot, 1966), he sampled African-American voices to create music. 1972's Clapping Music always struck me as a 'highbrow' version of the kind of rhythmic clapping I grew up watching the girls in my neighborhood doing (Think Miss Mary Mack goes to Juliard) There have been any number of Reich's pieces I've found myself bopping my head to.


I've also been to a party where the art school student DJ showed up with his masterwork Music for 18 Musicians in the milk crate along with his other records. DJ's Coldcut, Mantronik, Spooky (That Subliminal Kid) and others have returned returned the favor on Reich Remixed.

Personally, I was somewhat disapointed by the Remix CD, and continue to like my Reich 'straight'. Here's a VERY short list of some favorites for the uninitiated:


African Rhythms A mix of works by Reich, the late great György Ligeti, and the singing of the Aka Pygmies. A haunting and glorious recording.

Drumming

Music for 18 Musicians

Different Trains A True Masterpiece of 20th Century music.

City Life

Triple Quartet

Happy Listening! And get ready for next year's celebration of the 70th Birthday of Reich's friend and former roomate, Baltimore's Own Philip Glass!