Poetry Daily

Poetry slam featuring Se7en was a hit

2007-02-08T02:35:00.000-08:00

The ground breaking poetry slam was held in the Anne Campbell Little Theater at Hobart Taylor on Thursday. There were five judges and the contestants' scores ranged from one to five. The segment was limited to two and a half minutes and, if longer, the poet would get a penalty of five points. The three poets with the highest score would advance to the next round. The contestants came from all over Texas seeking the grand prize of $200 and a feature at Jazzman's Caf. As the poetry got under way, DJ Titus kept the crowd amped. The host for the evening was Nyne, a Charles Gilpin Player. First to the mic was Queen Sheeba, followed by Elijah King, who had the crowd in agreement about the state of America, and how the United States handled Katrina. Next to the stage was Seth Walker, then Middle Class G, who spoke about a side of drugs in America we never see.

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Nothing funny about being a poet

2007-02-06T02:35:00.000-08:00

Percy Mabandu is a poet, born and bred in Garankuwa, Tshwane, the home of Dashiki (the 60's group that fused poetry with music). He is a fine artist, a trumpeter-in-training and a presenter on Top Stereo, a Tshwane University of Technology campus radio station. The poet spends a lot of his time with artists who now form part of this marginalised sector of the arts. What's poetry to you? Poetry is poetry, period. It is all art. There's good and bad poetry, but there are lines blurring in between every time someone writes a poem. What do you think is missing in local poetry? I have a love/hate relationship with my country of birth. We're a beautiful nation, but there are just not enough trans-generational connections being made. I have been doing a lot of research on protest poetry and there is a lot people can learn from.

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Poems needed from Kilkenny poets

2007-02-02T02:35:00.000-08:00

The seventh issue of the very popular Kilkenny Poetry Broadsheet is imminent and Kilkenny County Council Arts Office is looking for submissions. The aim of the publication is to give local writers a platform for their work. Each poem selected is included in the broadsheet which will be for sale throughout the county. Kevin Higgins has been selected to edit the seventh issue of Kilkenny Poetry Broadsheet. Kevin is a poet based in Galway city. He facilitates poetry workshops at Galway Arts Centre and along with his wife Susan Millar DuMars, they organise the Over The Edge readings in Galway City Library. His first collection of poems, 'The Boy With No Face', was published by Salmon in 2005 and was short-listed for the 2006 Strong Award for Best First Collection by an Irish Poet. His second collection is forthcoming.

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Get to know The Lyric

2007-01-31T02:39:00.000-08:00

Going to the movies is a favorite weekend activity for many teenagers. Some people consider the movies to be the perfect place to meet friends, go on dates or just get away from home. So what could be the downfall to this popular pastime? Paying for the tickets, popcorn, candy and drinks. By the time the movie actually starts, moviegoers' wallets have shrunk immensely. Many teens begin to wonder if it's really worth going to the theater. Luckily, the Lyric Theatre is located in downtown Blacksburg. Some background: The fully-restored 1930s movie house, a nonprofit organization, relies in part on donations from its members and the community. An old-fashioned ticket booth greets moviegoers upon entering the theater. Picking a seat can be fun, considering the fact that the Lyric has balcony seats along with traditional seating.

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Former poet laureate to judge local poetry contest

2007-01-29T02:36:00.000-08:00

When Billy Collins judges the work of local poets in the 2007 Dyer-Ives Poetry Contest next month, he'll be "looking for a voice, a sense of someone talking to me." America's former poet laureate said recently in a telephone interview that he judges perhaps one contest per year, but in a career of teaching and writing that spans more than three decades he has, as he says, "done a lot of poetry picking." He recently edited the anthology "Best American Poetry 2006," selecting 400 poems from thousands of candidates. "My hawk-eye is pretty quick," he said. The klinkers are easy to spot. "You don't have to drink a quart of sour milk to know it's sour." Collins' voice has won him acclaim as perhaps the most appealing -- and bestselling -- American poet since Robert Frost.

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Pugster Name Lyric Custom Letters Laser Italian Charm Bracelet

2007-01-23T03:05:00.000-08:00

This laser-printed charm spells out the name Lyric in fancy cursive lettering. Crafted and authenticated by Pugster Inc. To personalize your own charm please contact us for more details.

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With history as his muse, a poet finds new voices

2007-01-23T02:47:00.000-08:00

It's puzzling to find two guitar-strumming African-American men in cowboy hats and boots on the cover of a book titled "For the Confederate Dead" -- and that's just the effect that author Kevin Young intended. "I wanted to complicate the notion of honoring the soldiers," says Young, who in his title poem explores the legacy of the Confederacy with more sympathy than bitterness or mockery. Complications in history animate the new book of poems by Young, 36, a Belmont resident and author of four previous collections of poetry. In "For the Confederate Dead," published by Knopf, he re-imagines the past through the voices of newly freed slaves after the Civil War, a travelogue by Booker T. Washington, and an homage to 18th-century Boston poet Phillis Wheatley. As a poet retelling history, Young follows in a tradition that dates back to Homer.

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Bachchan releases anthology of poems

2007-01-21T02:40:00.000-08:00

MUMBAI: Iconic actor Amitabh Bachchan released a book 'A Poem for CRY', published by Child Rights and You (CRY), the organisation advocating child rights, on Monday. The book, published by CRY, together with Penguin Books India, comprises 86 poems, each the choice of an eminent Indian acting as an emissary for child rights. On the occasion, Bachchan recited a poem written by his father, the late poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan. The same poem has also been contributed by the actor for the book. Commenting on the book, Bachchan said, "Child rights are not just the purview of the development sector. It is a responsibility for each one of us -- no matter who we are or what we do." Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh, present on the occasion, too recited a favourite verse and cricket star Sachin Tendulkar's young daughter Sara, read out a poem called 'Sachin' chosen by her father, and penned by her late grandfather, the poet Ramesh Tendulkar.

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January duo delights at Lyric Opera of Chicago

2007-01-19T02:46:00.000-08:00

Viennese operetta is a delicate form of late 19th century entertainment that takes just the right touches to bring back to life for audiences in the 21st century. All too often these days, an operetta sounds and look as antiquated as something out of great-great-grandmother's spider-infested, moldy attic. It takes a talented conductor who has a bend toward something lighter and more vaudevillian than "Grand Opera" to captivate an opera lover with an operetta. .

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Japan's Royal Family Participate In Poetry Ceremony

2007-01-17T02:49:00.000-08:00

Tokyo, Japan (BANG) - Japan's Royal Family showed off their poetry writing skills at a recent reading ceremony. Princess Kiko and Prince Hisahito reflected on one of their own traditional Japanese poems at the annual imperial verse reading ceremony on Monday. The poetic theme for this year's nationally televised New Year Poetry Reading event - held at the Imperial Palace, in Tokyo - was the moon. Princess Kiko - who gave birth to Japan's first male heir in 40 years, Prince Hisahito, in September - wrote about the nurses and doctors who looked after her son through the night. The birth of Hisahito averted a succession crisis in the country, since traditional law states only men can ascend to the throne. Emperor Akihito chose to reflect on the moon that shines on him as he hurries home from royal duties.

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Poet portraits storm the castle

2007-01-15T02:49:00.000-08:00

WELSH poets will be honoured in a hall of fame in a new portrait exhibition that opens on Thursday. Portraits of 20 poets, including Owen Shears, Meic Stephens, Gwyneth Lewis and Twm Morys, will be displayed in a new exhibition at Bodelwyddan Castle. Artist Lorraine Bewsey spent the past 12 months creating the Poet Portraits exhibition, which will also be released as a book featuring the portraits and poems of each sitter. The exhibition will run from Thursday to March 1. For details of opening times and charges, visit www. bodelwyddan-castle. co.uk or ring 01745 584060. .

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CRY unveils book of poems

2007-01-13T02:38:00.000-08:00

Child Rights and You (CRY), the premier organisation advocating child rights, together with Penguin Books India, has published 'A Poem for CRY,' a book of 86 poems, each the choice of an eminent Indian acting as an emissary for child rights. The book was released by Amitabh Bachchan in Mumbai on Monday. The book has the choices of Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen and India's cricket captain Rahul Dravid, renowned sitarist Pandit Ravi Shankar and IT baron Azim Premji. Also, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, actors Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan, Shabana Azmi and Amitabh Bachchan, political leaders AB Vajpayee and Sonia Gandhi, author Vikram Seth, singer Jagjit Singh, police officer Kiran Bedi and 94 other prominent Indians expressing solidarity with CRY and its goals.

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Lyric review licensee fears for future of pub

2007-01-11T02:39:00.000-08:00

Norwich councillors have apologised to a licensee for citing “inappropriate song lyrics" as a reason for reviewing his pub's licence. The chair of the licensing sub-committee said it was an “ill-advised" move, according to the Romany's licensee Ray Green. He said councillors could not identify the “inappropriate" lyrics. The review followed a resident's complaint about noise from the pub famed for its Beatles and Rolling Stones cover bands. Councillors ruled that amplified music must be “inaudible to the nearest noise-sensitive premises" – the address of the resident whose complaint sparked the review. Green said the ruling means and end to all music at the pub, live and recorded. He fears for his future because 83% of trade is a direct result of the music offer.

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Poetry is hard work, and it should be, says professor

2007-01-09T03:03:00.000-08:00

She has a soft voice and a disarming manner, and we begin our conversation by chatting about the upcoming holiday break and plans for family get-togethers. Still, meeting with Helen Vendler is daunting. She is, after all, "Dame Helen," the nation's preeminent poetry critic. The A. Kingsley Porter University Professor of English at Harvard. Author of 19 books. Recipient of 23 honorary degrees, and owner of a string of other equally impressive academic accomplishments listed on her curriculum vitae -- and that's just the "brief" one. Able to leap tall concepts in a single bound and dismiss others, like "accessible" poetry, with one withering raise of an eyebrow. "You don't expect to understand quantum physics or an algebraic equation, or even Beethoven's late quartets, without studying," she says by way of addressing my opening comment about how readers often feel intimidated by poetry.

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Poet held for ‘spreading Aids’

2007-01-07T02:46:00.000-08:00

A Cameroonian poet and journalist exiled in Poland was arrested on Friday and charged with deliberately infecting several women with HIV/Aids, said prosecutors. Simon Mol, 33, is suspected of having infected at least four women who have come forward, and the investigation is continuing, said the Warsaw prosecutor's office. Mol is known in Poland because his poems have been translated into Polish, as well as for his campaigns for human rights and in favour of refugees. His formal name is Simon Moleke Njie. Four women who claim they had sex with Mol and have HIV/Aids recently reported him to the police, who have also questioned the alleged victims" doctors. Mol, who has been a refugee in Poland since 1999, risks up to 10 years in prison, said the prosecutors office.

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Ramayan scholar to write poems on Big B

2007-01-03T02:51:00.000-08:00

New Delhi: Starting from Monday, poet and Ramayan scholar Mustafa Arif has embarked on a unique task of writing a poem a day on Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan this year. "The compilation of 365 poems on Amitabh Bachchan will be published in the form of a book in January, 2008. All earnings from this book will be given towards charity," Arif said. Earlier, Arif had written a poem a day on former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and compiled it in a book called `Dharti Par Hai Atal Mahan'. He has also released another compilation of Hindi poems `Yeh Dil Mange Aur', a collection of poems in the genre of political satire. -- PTI Printer friendly page Send this article to Friends by E-Mail New Delhi News: ePaper | Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements | Advts: Classifieds | Jobs | Obituary | Updates: Breaking News | .

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Lyric Jeans Year End Summary

2006-12-30T02:45:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- December 21, 2006 -- Lyric Jeans, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: LYJN) is pleased to provide its shareholders with a year-end report reviewing the company's progress and advances over the last 10 months. In less than one year Lyric Jeans has accomplished its objectives in developing and launching its premium lifestyle brand Lyric Culture. "I am more enthusiastic about Lyric Culture than any other venture I've ever undertaken in my life," said Hanna Rochelle Schmieder, President of Lyric Jeans, Inc. "In a very short period of time, we've built the foundation for a music and fashion powerhouse that will take the world by storm," she continued. "We have the best music partners in the world and a tremendous team of graphic artists, designers, patternmakers and manufacturers who together under HANNA's direction are breaking ground with truly outside the box thinking in terms of both design and marketing," said Ronny Halperin, CEO of Lyric Jeans.

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Middle East's Misery Poetry

2006-12-26T02:48:00.000-08:00

It is however by delving into the Arab literary wisdom that one stumbles on the prophetic manner in which Arab and Muslim poets and philosophers through history have predicted the present situation with precision. One feels as if time has been frozen. I just let these wise men speak: IRAQ Singing in Baghdad, the satirical Iraqi poet Al Hassan Ibn Han Abu Nawas, 8th C, said: Death is ever near us, never far removed. Everyday brings death's call and the wailing of keening Women... How long will you frolic and jest in delusion When every day death glows to the flint of your life? The Lebanese poet Khalil Hawi (20th C) gives us even grimmer picture: Deepen the hole, gravedigger, Deepen it to a depth with no limits Ranging beyond the orbit of the sun...

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HM Pernal is 'Daaiz Poet Of The Year 2006'

2006-12-17T02:46:00.000-08:00

Kuwait, 15 December 2006: Well-known konkani poet Henry Mendonca (Known as HM) has been selected as the 'Daaiz Poet Of The Year 2006' in the online konkani poetry-writing contest 'Tinteranth Pinturam' conducted by Daaiz.Com. He will receive prize amount of Rs.7500 and a certificate during Daaiz Literary workshop 2007 in India. Reputed poets Mr.Cyril Sequeira (Sijyes Taccode), Mr.Melvyn Rodrigues (Editor of kavitaa.com), Mr.Andrew L Dcunha, Mr.Lloyd Rego (Editor - Mithr Weekly) and Mr.Valley Quadras (Editor - Daaiz.com) were in the panel of judges had a challenge to pick up the best poet among the 155 poems published in the 12 episodes of 'Tinteranth Pinturam'. More than 30 poets from all over the world had participated in this unique contest. Selected poems published on this column will be published in the form of a book 'Tinteranth Pinturaam' which will be published by Ashawadi Prakashan in 2007.

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Jimi's Guitar, Dylan's Poems Go on Sale

2006-12-15T02:43:00.000-08:00

Paul McCartney's lyrics. Jimi Hendrix's guitar. Bob Dylan's personal poems and love letters. Memorabilia from some of the most influential musicians of the 20th century went on sale Monday. McCartney's original handwritten working lyrics for the Beatles' 1968 "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" had a presale estimate of $200,000 to $300,000 at Christie's sale of Rock and Pop Memorabilia. McCartney gave the lyrics to his biographer, Barry Miles. The last four lines are omitted and include deletions and changes to the text. A previously unheard and undocumented recording of an interview with John Lennon was expected to sell for $25,000 to $35,000. In the wide-ranging interview, used for a 1974 article in Crawdaddy magazine, Lennon talks about his songwriting process and questions of a possible Beatles reunion.

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BORRELL DELIGHTED BY AMERICA LYRIC COINCIDENCE

2006-12-13T02:50:00.000-08:00

RAZORLIGHT frontman JOHNNY BORRELL was delighted when the lyrics of the band's hit single AMERICA took on a very timely meaning. Razorlight scored their first UK chart number one earlier this year (OCT06), and Borrell admits he was moved when he heard the British public singing his song at a difficult time in American politics. He says, "The week the single came out, the US essentially legalised torture with the detainee bill and there were three in-school shootings. "To have my entire country singing, 'There's trouble in America, there's panic in America', is something that makes me quite proud." 08/12/2006 12:48 .

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The Best Australian Poetry 2006 / The Best Australian Poems

2006-12-09T02:48:00.000-08:00

IT'S often said Australian poetry has fallen on hard times. True, if you think what corporate publishers have stopped doing for poetry; not true once you count the small presses, some of which spawn slim volumes like colonies of eels. Then there are the literary magazines, of which at least a score have good literary values. And the (too few) newspapers that recognise the public's wide, deep need ofpoetry. If you've written a poem, it will find a place even if it's half good, and sometimes if it is not much good at all. In fact, the quality of poetry published across the board is another matter, and this includes those slim volumes. To my mind they measure up in about the same proportion of the poems that come in this newspaper's mailbag: about one in five is worth publishing (space permitting), about one in 20 is really good.

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Kuwait: 'Utraanth Sutraam' - Online Konkani Poetry Contest

2006-12-07T02:51:00.000-08:00

After a very successful column of Tinteraanth Pinturaam (Images through pen) - a unique online poetry contest in konkani, conducted by www.daaiz.com, now heading for its next version of the competition, Utranth Sutram (Formulae through words). The concept of this column is, for each episode, few words will be given as 'Sutram', and poets have to write poetry using these words. The most unique poem will be chosen as the 'Poem of the month' and the poet of this will be given 'Poet of the month' prize carries Rs.500 worth konkani books, a certificate. In Tinteraanth Pinturaam, already 12 poets have been chosen for the prize and one poet will be chosen as 'DAAIZ POET OF THE YEAR 2006' which carries Rs.7500 worth prize and a certificate, which will be presented during the Daaiz Literary Workshop which will be conducted in 2007.

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New book launched: The Stream of Poems

2006-12-03T02:44:00.000-08:00

Women and Children, Social Welfare, Primary and Mass Education Ministry Adviser of the Caretaker government Yasmeen Murshed launched ''The Stream of Poems'' a collection English of poems by Afeed Areifiz at Etcetra Bangladesh, Dhanmondhi outlet on November 25. There are 26 poems on various subjects including nature, unprivileged children and the Second World War. Though it is his first book of poem, he started his journey in literature from his teen age. While speaking as the Chief Guest, Yasmeen Murshed said,'' In future, Afeed will be a great writer in the world literature." Afeed's passion for peace and distressed humanities will satisfy the readers of all aged, she hoped adding as the chairperson of Electra, one of the largest retail store in Bangladesh, always tries to encourage such kind of literary practice, especially the rising stars.

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Romeo and Juliet light up the Lyric

2006-11-27T02:58:00.000-08:00

Charles Gounod's "Romeo et Juliette" may never replace the composer's "Faust" in the affections of most opera-goers, but it continues to hold the boards, deservedly so, despite the generally sorry state of French musical style, even in France. The Gounod work returned to Lyric Opera on Monday night in a handsome production borrowed from the Los Angeles Opera that showcased two major homegrown talents, tenor Matthew Polenzani and soprano Dina Kuznetsova, as the star-crossed lovers. Each is a product of the Lyric's training wing (which recently changed its name to the Ryan Opera Center), and it's wonderful to behold how far each has come artistically. We take them to our hearts immediately because they really look and sound like the desperately-in-love adolescents as originally conceived by Shakespeare.

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poetry for your commute

2006-11-25T02:51:00.000-08:00

For 10 years, Poetry in Transit has been adding a dash of culture to the daily commute. The program tucks 16 poems a year in between ads for gum, soda or running shoes on buses and SkyTrains around the Lower Mainland. The verses, penned by B.C. poets published in Canada, are chosen by a three-person panel. Vancouver poet Sandy Shreve initiated the project in 1995 with TransLink (then known as BC Transit) and the Association of Book Publishers of B.C. It launched the following year with work from poets including W.H. New, Dorothy Livesay and Patrick Lane. "I knew people would love it, and they do," says Shreve. "Poetry should be in public." TransLink donates ad space for the poetry cards, with support from the book publishers' association and the Canada Council for the Arts.

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Poet finally makes Holyrood visit

2006-11-23T02:37:00.000-08:00

Scotland's poet laureate Edwin Morgan has visited the Scottish Parliament two years after he wrote a poem for Holyrood's opening ceremony. The 86-year-old, now suffering from cancer, had been too frail to attend the recital of his poem in 2004. On Tuesday, after seeing his work Open the Doors hanging in the entrance, he gave his approval to the building. He also gave his partial approval to its occupants, saying that MSPs were making progress. "There is a lot of advice from certain quarters and I think they are aware of the fact that a lot of people are very anxious to see this building succeed," he said. "They are not there yet but they are on their way, definitely." He said the building itself was how he hoped it would be. "It manages to escape from being a kind of pompous, grandiose statement, and I like that," he said.

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Poems for Poms – don't be hard on our Ashes bard

2006-11-21T02:40:00.000-08:00

At his home in Derbyshire, David Fine is busy packing before heading out to Sydney tomorrow for the most challenging assignment of his life. In among his floppy hat, sun cream and Barmy Army T-shirts he will doubtless be popping his quill pen, his garret pallor and a bucket-load of angst. Because, over the next couple of months, Fine is to be England's official Ashes poet, charged with writing a poem every day of the forthcoming series. Potentially, that's a full 25 poems. "No, look on the bright side," he says. "We're bound to beat them in 15 days." The idea of an official Ashes poet was actually Fine's own. Laid low by an unexpected attack of arthritis last winter, he spent much of the time listening to radio coverage of England's tour of India. "It suddenly occurred to me," he says.

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Review: 'Fiddler' sparkles with Lyric production

2006-11-19T02:37:00.000-08:00

During the intermission of "Fiddler on the Roof" on Thursday night, a young girl in the row behind me lay curled in her seat, her eyes closed. It was 10 p.m., a late night for her -- and a late night for a lot of those who went to the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts to take in an evening of theater. "Fiddler," the latest production from Lyric Theatre Company, makes for a good night, one that on occasion shines with greatness. But it is a LONG night of theater -- a "Titanic"-length performance that would be best experienced with a mid-day nap so as to rest up. For those who can sit in their seats long enough to partake in the experience, one of Lyric's strongest productions in recent memory is the reward. Warm and rich in presentation, the Joseph Stein and Jerry Bock musical handles issues of poverty and religious strife with grace and, when the moment's right, a wink and chuckle.

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Poetry Review: Merwin shares his elegance again

2006-11-17T02:45:00.000-08:00

The hair's whiter, the frame smaller and the eyesight more blurry than they were eight years ago, but W.S. Merwin and his poetry continue to move his Pittsburgh audience. The poet returned to the International Poetry Forum Wednesday night for a 90-minute reading before a filled Carnegie Library Lecture Hall that gave him a standing round of applause when he finished. His last appearance here was Oct. 1, 1997. At 79, Merwin is an eminence grise of American poetry, one of the "holy men" who advanced the art starting in the 1950s with their combination of intellectualism, love of the classics and the modern sense of using personal experience to shape their work. In a program that reprised much of his '97 reading, Merwin spoke at length about his Pittsburgh roots. His parents met at a Presbyterian church in the city where his father was a minister.

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India bars Tibetan poet from protesting during Chinese president's ...

2006-11-15T02:44:00.000-08:00

DHARMSALA, India (AP) - Tibetan poet-activist Tenzin Tsundue may not be able to fly a "Free Tibet'' banner in India during a visit this month by the president of China, which has occupied Tibet since 1951. Police have asked Tsundue not to leave the Indian town of Dharmsala during Chinese President Hu Jintao's four-day visit beginning Nov. 20. Tibetan Buddhists' spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has a government-in-exile in Dharmsala, where he settled after fleeing Tibet in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule. Tsundue told The Associated Press he will be deported to Tibet if he leaves the town. "The superintendent of police in Dharmsala told me that he has orders directly from the home ministry of the Indian government in New Delhi,'' he said. He also said police in New Delhi and Mumbai have also been keeping a watch on members of the Students for a Free Tibet organization.

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Pumpkins, Poems for Peachland Kids

2006-11-09T19:05:00.000-08:00

Students at Peachland Elementary School started their daylong Halloween celebration Tuesday by participating in the school's fourth annual Pumpkins and Poems contest. Divided by grade level, with a first- and second-place prize awarded for both the pumpkin and poem portions of the contest, students were free to write about anything Halloween or fall related, and had free reign to use any form of pumpkin decoration, other than a lit candle. As event coordinators arrived to set up for the event just before 7:30 a.m., anxious participants had already arrived with their jack-o'-lanterns and Halloween poems ready to be displayed. "I was here at 7:25 (a.m.), and there were already some here," said Jackie Nix, PTA chair for the contest. "The kids were definitely excited." In all, students combined to submit close to 80 decorated pumpkins - of all shapes, sizes and colors - some complete with hair, hats and props, flashing eyes and other less-than-traditional decorations - and more than 50 poems on subjects ranging from skeletons, killer pumpkins, witches, mummies and Frankenstein.

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Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet Mark Strand Reads at Sarah Lawrence ...

2006-11-05T02:35:00.000-08:00

Former United States Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mark Strand will read selections from his work on November 15th at Sarah Lawrence College. The reading will take place in the Performing Arts Centers Reisinger Concert Hall at 6:30. For more information, please call 914-395-2412.Man and Camel, published in September 2006 by Alfred A. Knopf., is Mark Strands newest collection of poems. He is, said Vijay Seshadri, a member of the writing faculty, one of the dominant literary figures of his era. His presence represents the commitment of the Sarah Lawrences graduate writing programs reading series to bringing writers to the college who are both renowned figures and unfailingly interesting in their response to reality.Mark Strand, former United States Poet Laureate was born on Canadas Prince Edward Island in 1954 and was raised and educated in the United Sates and South America.

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Pianist Sa Chen sees poetry in `rising star' status

2006-10-30T02:56:00.000-08:00

Chinese pianist Sa Chen's star is rising in the classical music world, and she's constantly challenging herself to rise higher. Chen earned the Crystal Award -- third place -- at the 2005 International Van Cliburn Piano Competition, widely considered to be one of the most prestigious and difficult in the world, after winning a number of competitions in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including the China International Piano Competition. Even when she wins, however, she isn't satisfied. ``There are always a few or even one little place I thought could be done even better,'' she said in an e-mail interview. ``So that's why I keep playing, because I am looking forward to the coming ones.'' Next Sunday the 27-year-old musician will perform in Kalamazoo in the Gilmore Rising Stars Recital Series.

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Now dub poet Ras is a big hit in Malaysia

2006-10-28T06:25:00.000-07:00

FIERY dub poet Ras Mykkal has achieved another first in his career as an entertainer with his albums becoming a collector's item in Sabah, Malaysia. Photographer Susanna Manak had started collecting local music three years ago when she received an album from her long-time boyfriend. "Reggae music is usually expensive here and when my boyfriend first came to Sabah he had given me some local music to listen to. I especially like Ras' music and it is a collector's item since I am the only one in Sabah who has all three of his albums and I have been collecting music from Bermuda ever since," she said. "Sabahans are fun-loving, somewhat laid-back folk who are conservative," said Ms Manak, adding that she had never heard of cub poetry until she started listening to Mykkal's work.

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Selected Poems

2006-10-26T03:36:00.000-07:00

A noticeable aspect of reading James Fenton's new "Selected Poems" is what it does not contain -- and a question one would like to ask him about that absence. Fenton, a former war correspondent in Southeast Asia, is one of the few poets around who has proved to have the nerve and the ability to ride the elusive edge in poetry between personal emotions and a public consciousness about war and its consequences. The British poet wrote so intently about death and dislocation in foreign conflict -- the U.S. withdrawal from Saigon, the civil wars in Cambodia -- that three excellent poems from that period found their way into Carolyn Forche's widely read anthology, "Against Forgetting: Twentieth-Century Poetry of Witness," which had as its motto a poem called "Motto" by Bertolt Brecht: "In the dark times, will there also be singing?/ Yes, there will be singing./ About the dark times." The Fenton displayed here either isn't singing about these dark times or has chosen not to publish such songs in this, the first book of his poems to appear here since this country and his joined hands for a leap into a violent quagmire in Iraq.

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Voigt fits easily into Lyric's stellar 'Salome'

2006-10-24T03:27:00.000-07:00

A spoiled, adolescent daughter who can't tell the difference between lust and blood lust, a depraved letch of a stepfather, a jealous harridan of a mother: Surely this dysfunctional family is something out of the tabloids and talk shows, not an opera. But an opera "Salome" is; Richard Strauss' incandescent music makes it so. And a glorious new production is what Lyric Opera has given this sordid little shocker. Its stellar linchpin is, of course, Deborah Voigt, the compelling American dramatic soprano whose widely publicized weight loss in recent years made her a prime candidate physically to take on this daunting role, given that she already had the vocal chops for the part of the amoral princess. It is around Voigt's slenderized form that Lyric has built Francesca Zambello's visually striking and dramatically rich staging.

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Lyric's Davis to leave job in Pittsburgh

2006-10-23T03:55:00.000-07:00

Andrew Davis, music director of Lyric Opera of Chicago, will step down as artistic adviser with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra when his three-year contract expires at the end of the 2007-08 season, according to an orchestra spokesman. Larry Tamburri, the orchestra's president, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the decision was Davis' own and is partly due to his increased responsibilities in Chicago. .

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Quick spins: Three lyric-driven CDs by people with Louisiana ties

2006-10-23T03:53:00.000-07:00

Gaucho Gil, "The Ballad of Gaucho Gil" (Sputnik Records) Louisiana native/former Texas denizen Jerry Giddens is in California working to become a doctor of philosophy and English literature. He hasn't turned his academic back on rocking folk music. With a cadre of like-minded collaborators, including Michael Packard, Luis Ruiz, Dale Daniels and steel guitar ace Chris Lawrence, Giddens unleashes 10 literate, rollicking, thought-provoking country/folk rockers such as "Twenty Dollar Ticket," "Valdez" and "Wrapped in the Rain (Magazine Street)," plus an excellent cover of David Rodriguez's "Santa Cruz." Grayson Capps, "Wail & Ride" (Hyena Records) The Alabama native spent two decades living, working, writing and singing in New Orleans. Post-Hurricane Katrina, Capps and his family call Tennessee home.

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Lyric Interlude - Alexander McQueen

2006-10-23T03:50:00.000-07:00

Alexander McQueen: Perfection. And not because Alexander McQueen blasted forth a stunning new fashion proclamation. Rather, this was the designer in full couturier mode, offering mesmerizing renditions of his favorite themes in a manner that, though still theatrical, was by his standards sedate. In fact, while once he would have worked the motifs fiercely, here he did so with poetic cadence. The more I mature, the less confrontational I become, he said before the show. Ive softened a bit in my old age. (Hes 37.) .

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Deal could return Lyric Opera to radio

2006-10-23T03:49:00.000-07:00

CHICAGO - Live radio broadcasts of performances from Lyric Opera of Chicago could resume as early as November under the terms of Lyric's new contract with the Chicago Federation of Musicians, opera and union officials announced late Wednesday. Such broadcasts ceased at the conclusion of Lyric's 2001-2002 season because of insufficient funding to meet musicians' salary demands. Lyric general manager Bill Mason said the new contract includes media provisions that pave the way for the company to return to the Chicago-based WFMT Radio Network for local and national broadcasts. If two other unions - the American Guild Musical Artists and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees - approve similar packages, Mason said live broadcasts of opening nights could begin as early as November, with the entire eight-opera season to be rebroadcast in the spring of 2007.

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Lyric Opera ups the quality meter with lavish 'Merry Widow'

2006-10-23T03:48:00.000-07:00

To do a proper production of Franz Lehar's operetta "The Merry Widow," a theater company needs large, lush sets, gorgeous costumes and, most important, amazing singers. Luckily, Lyric Opera San Diego has all these elements in place, and the result is just as magical as Lehar intended.All these elements are required because the story is so slight that all these essentials are what give the operetta its depth and vibrancy. Set at the turn of the 20th century and sung in English, "The Merry Widow" begins with a lavish ball at the Marsovian Embassy in Paris just as the Marsovian government is teetering on the edge of financial ruin. So the Marsovian Ambassador is secretly planning to entice a wealthy widow (Hanna) to marry one of his fellow countrymen so that her considerable assets can stay in the Marsovian bank.

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Council accepts proposal from task force for Lyric Theatre

2006-10-23T03:47:00.000-07:00

It will cost about $5.8 million to renovate the Lyric Theatre and construct a 9,000-square-foot addition, the Lyric Theatre Task Force announced yesterday. The task force yesterday also recommended that the Lyric be restored to its original use as a theater. An addition should also be constructed to provide multi-purpose space for meetings and workshops, gallery space, museum space and performance space such as green rooms, dressing rooms and rehearsal areas, the task force said. The Urban County Council yesterday unanimously accepted the 16-member task force's recommendation. "I am thrilled that they approved it with no caveats," said Juanita Betz Peterson, chairwoman of the task force. "We promised an exciting redevelopment plan and we brought forth one," Peterson said.

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USA : Lyric Culture & Sony BMG host AMERICA album release party

2006-10-23T03:46:00.000-07:00

Leading cutting-edge premium clothing company Lyric Culture and Sony BMG hosted a private party for Grammy award winning pop-rock group AMERICA on Monday, October 9th at Memphis Hollywood in honor of the band's new album "Here & Now." The band's hit songs "Sister Golden Hair" and "A Horse with No Name" are part of Lyric's debut collection which includes jeans, denim wear, leather, belts, T-shirts and accessories. After a sneak preview of the collection, Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell gave an acoustic performance of their greatest hits as well as songs from their upcoming album before an eclectic crowd including actor John Stamos, Nick Verreos of Project Runway, Fountains of Wayne band member Brian Young, Christopher Cross, members of the British rock group Kasabian and Open Air Stereo.

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U2 wants fans to hunt the lyric

2006-10-23T03:45:00.001-07:00

Think you know a lot about U2's music? Then you could be on your way to see the band play the final concert on its Vertigo world tour in Hawaii on December 9th with Pearl Jam. On Monday (October 23rd), U2 will kick off an Internet competition dubbed "Hunt The Lyric," where fans will have two weeks to find U2 lyric snippets on various Web sites, based on clues posted on U2.com. Each excerpt will include a highlighted letter, which will then be used to answer a question. Everyone who gets the correct response will be in the running for an all-expenses paid trip to Honolulu. The winner will be announced on November 6th. U2's upcoming collection, U218 Singles, arrives on November 21st and will feature the new track "Window On The Sky," as well as the band's collaboration with Green Day on "The Saints Are Coming." U2 frontman Bono recently helped launch the Red campaign, which is aimed at raising money and awareness to fight AIDS in Africa.

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Lyric's `Iphigenie' a stark, psychological drama

2006-10-23T03:45:00.000-07:00

Gluck's operas live and breathe as long as there are performers who take their music and text seriously. Otherwise, these works can easily become fancy tableaux vivants, exquisite but oh, so boring. Lyric Opera on Friday night introduced Gluck's final masterpiece, "Iphigenie en Tauride," to the local repertory in an absorbing new production by Robert Carsen that dared to treat this 1779 opera as the penetrating psychological drama it is. With the charismatic mezzo Susan Graham letting her hair down in the title role, the Lyric was back on track after faltering a bit with its season-opening revival of Puccini's "Turandot." Gluck's opera recounts the mythic tale of Iphigenie, daughter of the Greek king Agamemnon, who has been forced by her captor, the Scythian king Thoas, to perform human sacrifices as the high priestess of the Diana cult.

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WILLIAMS' 'SPECIAL OLYMPICS' LYRIC UPSETS DISABLED

2006-10-23T03:44:00.002-07:00

Pop star ROBBIE WILLIAMS has been slammed by disabled organisations after a lyric on his new album calls for fans to "dance like you just won the Special Olympics". Williams' latest disc, RUDEBOX, is released this week (begs23OCT06) and the unedited version of the title track has angered many. When released as a single the word "special" was cut from Rudebox to avoid offending listeners - but the uncensored version is on the album. ANNE PRIDMORE, chairwoman of the British Council Of Disabled People, says, "I am a big Robbie Williams fan and I went to see him recently, but I will not be buying this album. "I find the lyric about the Special Olympics highly offensive and it is rank disablism." But Williams' spokeswoman says, "He adores sport of any kind and is full of admiration for disabled athletes." 23/10/2006 07:47 .

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Lyric Profiled in California Apparel News Feature Article

2006-10-23T03:44:00.001-07:00

LOS ANGELES, CA--Oct 19, 2006 -- Lyric Jeans, Inc. (Other OTC:LYJN.PK - News) and its brand Lyric Culture, a cutting-edge premium clothing company, were the focus of a two-page feature article in this week's California Apparel News. The region's premiere publication covering fashion, retailing, manufacturing and textile information affecting the California fashion industry touted Lyric as "one of the more ambitious and original denim launches in some time." The article further explored the inspired concept and marketing strategy behind the brand through an interview with Lyric President Hanna Rochelle Schmieder.Lyric Culture is a music driven premium apparel line involving lyrical content on jeans, denim wear, leather and accessories. Each item in the collection reflects the personality, style and flare of the artist and song through its design.

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Repairs start on lyric theatre

2006-10-23T03:44:00.000-07:00

Work began this week to rebuild the New Lyric Theatre in Bourke Street after Bunbury's May 2005 tornado gutted the theatre's top floor. Bunbury Musical Comedy Group president Peter Proctor said the New Lyric Theatre, named after Bunbury's original Lyric Theatre built in Victoria Street in 1903, took the opportunity to improve the premises. .

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