THE SIGNAL from David Katznelson
"As great scientists have said and as all children know, it is above all by the imagination that we achieve perception, and compassion, and hope."- Ursula K. LeGuin
I spent some time last night looking at the night sky for meteors (I saw 5) and reading some of the poetry of Louise Glück, the most recent literary Nobel Prize winner. Because of my teacher Flossie Lewis in High School, I have been drawn to poetry for years, loving the refocusing the medium offers as it reacts to our world, our realities. Very few poets have won the prestigious award, and I think it is fortuitous that it was given to a poet during a moment when poetry and poetry appreciation is on the upswing.
For me it used to be going to San Francisco’s Specks on a Wednesday night, to witness Jack Hirschman and his friends convene, as the only place where I could find poetry in action. It seems now more than ever young poets are rising: Ariana Reines, Aaron Samuels, Sandra Beasley…so many others…all with fresh perspectives on how we can translate our realities to something greater with inspiration as the motor. Maybe I have just not been paying enough attention, but it just seems that poetry is more in our everyday life now, and it is exciting.
Louise Glück, Whisperer of the Seasons
A great article on Louise.
Statement On The Passing of Spencer Davis by Steve Winwood
When I first heard The Spencer Davis Group—Gimme Some Loving, Keep On Running, Somebody Help Me, Every Little Bit Hurts (!)—I got immediately hooked, playing my cassette until I literally wore it out (the tape snapped). And now Davis is gone. I found Steve Winwood’s moving comments about Davis last night…Davis saw the greatness in a thirteen year old kid (I had forgotten how young Winwood was when he started his amazing career). Winwood’s piece is worth a read.
There is also a comprehensive obituary for Davis here which includes some great stuff to watch and listen to.
BYRNE MEDICINE: Howard Hampton on Spike Lee’s American Utopia
A just crazy story.
“I think here I will leave you. It has come to seem
there is no perfect ending.
Indeed, there are infinite endings.
Or perhaps, once one begins,
there are only endings.”
-Louise Glück