Writing on Stone May 5, 2009: Looking east towards Alexanderplatz and its famous television tower, East Berlin City Center   We are rapidly approaching the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall, the most emblematic event of the collapse of communism in Europe, and of its ensuing collapse in the Soviet Union itself. (more...) by Martin Earl

THIS IS THAT PLAZA May 5, 2009: The exercise in silent poetry rages on. I drove in my truck up to The Hispanic Society on 155 St. on Sunday morning to do a walk through with a few of the future silent performers. I wonder if anyone’s read a great book called The Art of Memory by Frances Fitzgerald. Among other things (I’ve never finished it though I have assigned it to [...] by Eileen Myles

Mother’s Day is on the way May 5, 2009: Mother’s Day is, for mailing purposes, essentially tomorrow. Attempting to be on top of this, I had picked out three perfect cards.  One for my mother, one for my grandmother, and one for my godmother, women who are still alive and well and happily involved in my life. Bless them.  Each would have a suggestion, for instance, as to where I [...] by Camille Dungy

Petra’s Poem, Life Lines, Lyric May 1, 2009: The other day was a beautiful afternoon in Portland, the warmest in six months.  A little kid, about four, was walking a curb tight-rope style in the little park on Fore Street.  “Petra!” called her young mother.  "Be careful!” (more...) by Annie Finch

April 30th – flying to Texas May 1, 2009: There’s so much going on today. Kafka’s America, for instance. Jonathan’s panel at the Pen conference in New York. And something else. So much else. Lately I’ve been bumping up a little against Susan Sontag’s diary. I was wondering how a blog is different from a diary. Susan didn’t get paid to write hers, and she had to die first [...] by Eileen Myles