Don Yorty

On Sketches by Matisse

When I was eighteen, I saw a film of Matisse sketching his grandson. He did sketch after sketch, each time simpler. The portrait never became abstract, it simply became a face with fewer and fewer lines needed to give … Continue reading →

Alicia Ostriker reads “All That Year”

24 Feb ’23

… When Alicia Ostriker sent me a poem called “All That Year,” I asked if I could record her reading it, and she said, “Yes.” After we’d finished, I noticed that one line had changed. In the fifth line of … Continue reading →

Five Sonnets in the Dark and in the Light

19 Feb ’23

The poet and professor, Jamey Jones, asked me last summer if I would submit some poetry for publication in the magazine, Hurricane Review. It is always a task to decide on something, but finally I did, and Jamey kindly … Continue reading →

Arup Datta, Some Drawings from August 2022 – February 2023

18 Feb ’23

… The year 2022 contained a lot of strife, illness and death, not only in the world around, but in my own life as well. One of the good constant things that I came to rely on were the drawings … Continue reading →

Every Morning I Feed My Cat

3 Feb ’23

What follows is a lesson plan introducing High Beginner ESL students to the Present Tense, the simple present and the present progressive. The activities are for both group and individual work. And the answers are given for the exercises. There … Continue reading →

William Considine reads from Continent of Fire

30 Jan ’23

When I began to read William Considine’s new book, Continent of Fire, I was immediately drawn to a poem early on called “Library and Book Sale.” It made me want to read more. It is about falling in love with … Continue reading →

The irrepressible Kristine Byrne

16 Jan ’23

I met Kristine Byrne years ago on Facebook. When she was in New York, she visited Akram and me in our apartment, and we had a good time talking and eating some Mexican takeout. She lives in Ireland, has a … Continue reading →

Amy Barone reads from Defying Extinction

14 Jan ’23

Travel, a trip somewhere new, or a return to a land you love, always restores body and soul. Poetry, like travel, can do that too. In fact, I was recently inspired reading Defying Extinction, a new book of poems by … Continue reading →

Milkweed Sonnets

4 Jan ’23

Among my sonnets are eight that are about milkweed; I include them below for you to read whenever you have the time. Hope you enjoy. 86 As I put my nose in milkweed blossoms their resemblance to lilacs remindingme … Continue reading →

Alicia Ostriker reads from The Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog

21 Dec ’22

Alicia Ostriker’s The Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog begins with a quote by Gertrude Stein: A very important thing is not to make up your mind that you are any one thing. The Old Woman, the Tulip, and … Continue reading →

Jerome Sala reads from How Much?

19 Dec ’22

The first poem in How Much? questions the value of poetry. Why does that Urinal signed by Marcel Duchamp continue to go up in price while the poems of Frank O’Hara do not? while the other arts add valueto … Continue reading →

Pathetic Literature at Karma Books, a reading with Eileen Myles, 11/30/22

1 Dec ’22

I attended the reading for the anthology, Pathetic Literature, that had been organized by its editor, Eileen Myles at Karma Books on East Third Street near Avenue A. The place was packed. Besides Eileen, Jerome Sala, Sparrow, and Morgan Bassichis … Continue reading →