“Language Of the Birds”
LANGUAGE OF THE BIRDS Brian Goggin with Dorka Keehn 2006-2008(in progress) (A site specific sculptural installation for a new public plaza on the NW corner of Broadway where Grant and Columbus Streets intersect, San Francisco)
“Language of the Birds,” a solar powered zoetropic public art piece, will be be lit at dusk Sunday Nov. 23 in San Francisco near City Lights Bookstore in a choreographed presentation including music by the Extra Action Marching Band and more.
According to the artist’s website
“The language of the birds” was considered a divine language birds used to communicate with the initiated. Here a flock of books takes off from the plaza to fly the urban gullies of the city. The fluttering books have left a gentle imprint of words beneath them. These serendipitously configured bits of local literature reveal the layering of culture, nature and consciousness.
Language of the Birds is a flock of twenty-three sculpted illuminated books, which appear to have just taken flight from the plaza like pigeons scared up by a passer by. Appearing to be in motion, the books have flown open creating various wing positions with the pages and bindings. The entire artwork appears to be in motion with each book holding its position as a bird does in a flock. Read more…
Jason Bentley named new KCRW Music Director
KCRW
After 14 years of holding down the night time slot at KCRW hosting his show Metropolis and 16 years at the station, Jason Bentley will take over from Nic Harcourt who has served the past 10 years as Musical Director for the Santa Monica College public radio station. Read more…
Grateful Palate Warehouse Sale 11/22
A Grateful Palate
Slurp up some specials on wine, bacon, and other culinary delights perfect for holiday gifts and meals at the Grateful Palate Warehouse Sale in Oxnard this Saturday November 22! Read more…
Ojai Poetry Fest Cancelled
Just received the following disappointing news from poet/blogger/friend Robert Peake:
2009 Ojai Poetry Festival CANCELLED
18 November 2008Dear Festival Supporter,
The Ojai Poetry Festival Committee, on advice from the festival founders, has decided to cancel the 2009 festival. Due to a variety of factors, the Committee has decided to conserve its resources this season in hopes of bringing a great lineup of poets and poetry events back to Ojai in 2011.
Our website remains a great resource for information and photos from past events, and news of the future.
Thank you for your understanding, and your continued support.
Sincerely,
Robert Peake, Webmaster
on behalf of The Ojai Poetry Festival Committee
Big Sigh. I was looking forward to being involved with the Festival this year and was set to attend the planning meeting that was scheduled for tomorrow night…
an ee cummings poem for you
from film The Red Balloon
in Just-
spring when the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame balloonman
whistles far and wee
and eddieandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it’s
spring
when the world is puddle-wonderful
the queer
old balloonman whistles
far and wee
and bettyandisbel come dancing
from hop-scotch and jump-rope and
it’s
spring
and
the
goat-footed
balloonMan whistles
far
and
wee
-
e.e. cummings
It’s the birthday of one of the most generous and prolific poet bloggers around– gingaTao Paul’s birthday today! It is spring time in Australia, and there’s going to be a Grateful Palate warehouse sale of Australian wine on Saturday in Camarillo California (post to follow) so there is lots to celebrate no matter where you are with balloons and pan singing us songs of fecundity! So come dancing with us! A-bun-dance be yours in this puddle-wonderful uni-verse!
Go here to see the poem where I found it and with correct formatting.
Go here for more about the film, The Red Balloon.
Grow Food Party Crew Invites YOU
Grow Food Party Crew Garden Parties 11/21-23/08
Hey Beautiful People!
This is an official invitation to join in and create an outrageous party all weekend!
Is it possible to transform a town into an edible oasis in one weekend? Read more…
KCRW’s Top Tune Today: Toe Jam by BPA with David Byrne
KCRW has a cool program called “Today’s Top Tune”–it’s a free download. You can sign up below.
Brighton Port Authority: Toe Jam
Subscribe to this Podcast:
Listen to/Watch entire show: Read more…
Monday Poem: No Santa Ana Birth Day
Ventura Pier: smoky sunset
My October 23 due date passed.
I knew this wasn’t a Libra baby
indecisive uncommitted as air
weighing the benefits of joining us
of making we two a family.
No this Scorpio took advantage of
our tidal wave of passion of love
of happiness of ecstasy of heat:
saying yes you can conquer all with love
saying be careful what you wish for
asking are you ready for this child? me?
Yes, we discovered we wanted you child,
child who hovers in my belly you
Scorpio baby making us wait. We
have no name yet for you, know little of
you. We call you Sam–your dad’s infant name.
He and I born in California heat–
he in October, me in January–
we wait in the midst of November
warmth, walk balmy evenings to the beach
feel for contractions, watch for dolphins–Oh!
There they are! Look! Feel! Touch! The air burns
San Diego, Simi, Piru, and more
hillsides scorch as Santa Ana winds fly
flames. The day’s haze not normal coastal fog
shielding the sun but ash. We close windows,
blinds, keep out the heat, smoke. Our home cave-like
dark, cool, primeval, hints of burning
chaparral, lemon trees, lumber, timber.
I don’t want to take deep breaths of labor
my throat, my lungs filing with smoke, ash
passing to you as we work together
to meet. I don’t want you welcomed here this
way Earth’s breath searing your new fresh lungs.
Orange red sun moves slowly south west drops
too early in the day, sign of fall and
winter comes. Day closes, cool. Ocean
dampens earth’s oven breath. We will go to
the sea, bring you, water baby, home.
c. Gwendolyn Alley
published ArtLife Limited Editions February 2004
revised November 17, 2008
We celebrated the boy’s 5th birthday yesterday; fortunately the smoke from this year’s fires didn’t dampen the fun around here. Photos and recipes for pirate cake will follow soon!
I found the image above here.
Here’s another poem inspired about other fall fires, as well as a copy of Joan Didion’s essay “The Santa Ana” from her essay collection, Slouching Toward Bethlehem.
There’s more poetry links over there under “book”–you might check out hello, gingaTao! or readwritepoem or the poetry train revisted to name a few…
CA names Carol Muske-Dukes new State Poet Laureate
Gov. Schwarzenegger selected USC Prof Carol Muske-Dukes the new State Poet Laureate, taking over the position from Al Young of Berkeley. She will receive a stipend of $10,000 over two years.
During his tenure as State Poet Laureate, Al Young (who was my thesis advisor at UC Santa Cruz), created an extensive website of poetry links, read all over the state and back, including Ventura College by my invitation. Al did one heckuva job promoting poetry and deserves our gratitude and congratulations.
Al’s will be a tough act to follow, for sure, but I’ve met Carol Muske-Dukes, and found her to be a warm and encouraging person. I am sure she will do a wonderful job as poet laureate and visit us here in Ventura too!
The video above features Carol Muske-Dukes with John Lithgow at a reading April 2008 at USC. Fast forward through the long intro of John Lithgow to about 2 minutes to hear about Carol M-D, then another minute or so to hear about her husband the actor David Dukes who died a few years ago, and to 4 minutes to get to the poetry. If you go to Carol M-D’s channel, you’ll find video of the whole evening.
Here’s a video from that night which features Carol M-D reading poems from her new book, Sparrow:
Text of a poem published on Slate.com
When He Fell
Posted Tuesday, April 23, 2002, at 5:20 PM ET
Hear Carol Muske-Dukes reading this poem here.
When he fell, strangers ran to him.
Strangers called for help, lifted
his body and carried it. Then strangers
cut him, emptied him. Their ideas
of death determined when I would
touch him again. Their ideas of death
closed door after door between us,
altered his face, altered his presence—
violated the contract, the marriage,
took away even his wounded heart.
When he was at last delivered to me,
I was no longer myself—just as he
was no longer within identity. They
had taken everything from us. Authority—
everywhere I turned. Just as he and I
once thought we were authorities over
our own lives, our work, our sense of
mortality, imagination—oh, and that
“sense of loss” that predicated everything—
you know, what we called our personal lives.
Workshop to Grow Green Communities 11/15
Workshop: Learn How to be an Advocate for Green, Sustainable, Communities
VCCool co-sponsors an all day CEQA workshop to put citizens at the planning table
Saturday, November 15
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Bell Arts Factory
432 N. Ventura Avenue, Ventura
Register Today! Go to www.vccool.org
Would you like to see more gardens, smart growth, and real change in how we build? Do you want walk, bike, and bus – friendly communities? Don’t waste time on wishful thinking! Learn the how, who, when, and what of citizen advocacy Read more…
art predator 