Prose
Writing, for me, is not only an artistic pursuit but also a constant process of dialoguing with others and with myself. A lot of my thought unfolds through journaling, essays, manifestos, and reviews. Prose forms help me define and celebrate my diverse creative, political, and spiritual communities. A smattering of my personal contributions to these impersonal conversations can be found below.
On Denise Levertov
Denise Levertov is one of those rare poets I can call a “prophet” without a trace of irony. She is a figure difficult to place in a contemporary lineage, a woman who often seems to live outside of everyday time.
On Patricia Goedicke
I will forever remember how fate guided a burst of Patricia Goedicke’s last words into my body. I had just hitch-hiked to the Bay Area from Missoula (where, I found out later, Goedicke taught for over 20 years).
Harmolodics, Zen, and Poesis: my triangular philosophy of improvisation.
Traditional European music has a hierarchy of harmony, melody, and rhythm, in that order. Traditional African music runs in the opposite order: rhythm supercedes melody, with harmony as a distant third concern.
Memorial Day
Today the vast social mechanism of a government holiday springs into motion, with its brief moment of reverence for U.S. military veterans who are generally ignored.
Anais Maviel With Miya Masaoka And Al Margolis At Y Not Jazz Room
This post originally appeared in all about jazz Anais Maviel with Miya Masaoka and Al Margolis Y Not Jazz Room Solo, Duet, and Trio Performances New York, NY August 9th, 2015 It is no hyperbole to call the French-Haitian singer Anais Maviel a force of nature. She...
Word for Word Poetry, July 29, 2014, Featuring the poets of Sibling Rivalry Press
This post originally appeared on the Bryant Park Blog. On Tuesday, July 29th, 2014, the Bryant Park Reading Room welcomed a whopping seven poets in an extended showcase for Sibling Rivalry Press. Wendy Chin-Tanner, Saeed Jones, Rickey Laurentiis, Valerie Wetlaufer,...
Word for Word Poetry: A Tribute to Paul Romero (Week of June 23rd)
On June 24, 2014, the Bryant Park Reading Room hosted a truly unique performance: a tribute to its own Paul Romero. One of his many duties as Director of Tourism & Visitor Services is to serve as the organizer of the Word for Word series.
Word for Word Poetry Editions with the Poets of Letras Latinas
This post originally appeared in Bryant Park Blog On Tuesday, June 10th, the Byrant Park Reading Room welcomed four poets representing Letras Latinas, a Latino-American writers' organization at The University of Notre Dame. Francisco Aragon of Letras Latinas and...
Word for Word Winter Poetry with Kundiman
This post originally appeared in Bryant Park Blog On Tuesday, February 18th, three poets representing the Kundiman literary foundation appeared to read at Kinokuniya bookstore across from Bryant Park. April Naoko Heck, Purvi Shah, and Ocean Vuong shared a wealth of...