Monday, May 29, 2023

portraits of red and gray: memoir poems by James C. Morehead - Review

I was a teenager in the 80s. I was 14 years old when the 17 year old James embarked on his school trip to the USSR. I can't even imagine traveling to Russia at the height of the Cold War. I remember spending a lot of time in the 80s fearing nuclear war. James' poem, portraits of red and gray, detailing his visit is wonderful. His descriptions of the conditions there are vivid and heartbreaking. I can see why multiple readers of his poems wanted to read this one in its entirety. It is beautiful.

I had to laugh at Four Summers in Florida (82-83-84-85) because he really captured what we GenXers are always saying...

1982

I spent my teenage summers working in Florida, living alone, programming computers. That forty years ago, when parents let their sons fly two thousand miles south, from Toronto to Florida, to live alone, and program computers all summer.

I was fifteen and couldn't drive, so I brought a hand-me-down bike with saddlebags for carrying groceries. That was forty years ago when parents let their sons live alone, without a car, two thousand miles away. At least my parents did, I can't speak for other parents.

...our parents really didn't care what we did back then. I could tell some stories of my own, I kid you not.

This collection is a must-read. I learned so much about a person and a life in these lines, verses, and prose. The final poem, lost (and found) just gets getting older, our forgetfulness, and that slow (but is it slow?) march to the end.

these things we lose track of
a puzzle piece clinging to a sweaty forearm
an unpaid bill the anniversary card bought last week
a ring of keys all tucked away too safely

i worry most of all about the pages
ripped from a daily calendar on my desk
then crumpled and thrown away
one day closer to a final tear

See what I mean? Again, a must-read.

About the book:
Take an unforgettable journey from the Cold War USSR to Savery, Wyoming, from the mountains of Tuscany to the peak of Yosemite’s Half Dome, from the Canadian wilderness to the beaches of Normandy. James Morehead’s (Poet Laureate – Dublin, California) acclaimed collection is built around a series of memoir poems that takes readers into pre-perestroika Soviet Union through the eyes of a teenager, from Moscow to Tbilisi to Leningrad (and many stops in-between). The striking cover, designed by Zoe Norvell, is based on a 1982 lithograph by Igor Prilutsky.

Advance Praise:
“In this second collection of poems, James Morehead’s imagery is vivid, spare and elemental, and it is consistently chosen and arranged to achieve intensely poetic effects. The rhythmic control is impeccable. The centerpiece of this collection, a long series of poems that chronicle a trip through the former Soviet Union, is a fast moving, impressionistic feast of imagery. Sunglasses, denim shirts, vodka debauches, dollars, rubles, steely-eyed Russian authorities ever on the lookout for forbidden deals – all of it is transparent and engaging.” – Carmine Di Biase, Distinguished Professor of English, Emeritus – Jacksonville State University

“In portraits of red and gray by James C. Morehead we travel with him through boyhood and manhood: camping with his dad, working in his high school years far away from home every summer, his time as a teen in Russia traveling during spring break with his school. The vulnerability and humanity expressed in these poems is moving. Morehead writes, ‘…I had to wait / for my tears to dry before dropping in quarters to call home.’” – Angie Trudell Vasquez, Author and Madison, WI, Poet Laureate


About the Poet:
James Morehead is Poet Laureate of Dublin, CA. portraits of red and gray is his second collection, and he hosts the Viewless Wings Poetry Podcast. James’ poem “tethered” was transformed into an award-winning animated short film, “gallery” was set to music for baritone and piano, and his poems have appeared in numerous publications. He is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Find the book:



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Thursday, May 25, 2023

Cat Thursday - More funny cats


Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and often hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Share the link to your post with your comment below.






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Thursday, May 18, 2023

Cat Thursday - I do what I want, I go where I want


Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and often hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Share the link to your post with your comment below.







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Thursday, May 11, 2023

Cat Thursday: Authors and Cats (119) Toni Morrison


Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come acros s, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Share the link to your post with your comment below.

The second Cat Thursday of each month is Authors and Cats Thursday. Each time I will feature an author, pictured with their/a cat(s), or guest posts by cat loving authors who also (sometimes) write about cats.

Toni Morrison at her upstate New York home in 1980 
(photo by Bernard Gotfryd)

Toni Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford) was an American author, editor, and professor who won the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature for being an author "who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality."

Her novels are known for their epic themes, vivid dialogue, and richly detailed African American characters; among the best known are her novels The Bluest Eye , Song of Solomon , and Beloved , which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988. In 2001 she was named one of "The 30 Most Powerful Women in America" by Ladies' Home Journal. (Goodreads)

Morrison passed away on August 5, 2019.


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Monday, May 8, 2023

Bout of Books 37

I have not participated in this readathon in a LONG time. Thought I would give it a shot again. Not making any promises. lol
The Bout of Books readathon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It’s a weeklong readathon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 8th and runs through Sunday, May 14th in YOUR time zone. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are reading sprints, Twitter chats, and exclusive Instagram challenges, but they’re all completely optional. For all Bout of Books 37 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team
I'm currently reading The Witch Elm by Tana French so I will be trying to finish that. I'm also reading The Last Duel by Eric Jager. We are currently reading An Iliad by Alessandro Baricco for my True Book Talk book group so I will also be reading a portion of it. 


Adding the BoB schedule here so I can keep up (I'll try...honestly)...


Daily Reading-in-Place Times

Reading-in-place times, or reading sprints, happen daily on Twitter*. If you don’t have Twitter, make note of these times and report your reading progress on your platform of choice.

All reading-in-place times last 30 minutes.

📚 10 a.m. Eastern | 7 a.m. Pacific
📚 2 p.m. Eastern | 11 a.m. Pacific
📚 6 p.m. Eastern | 3 p.m. Pacific


Instagram Photo a Day

For those of you who use Instagram, don't forget to post your daily Bout of Books photo. Find out more on our Bout of Books Instagram page! For those who like to plan ahead, prompts are posted the Friday before the read-a-thon begins.



Discord Daily Qs

For those of you who use Discord, don't forget to check out the chat forum where daily bookish questions will be posted Tuesday-Sunday for you to answer.



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Thursday, May 4, 2023

Cat Thursday - Are you not entertained?


Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and often hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Share the link to your post with your comment below.










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- See more at: http://www.techtrickhome.com/2013/02/show-comment-box-above-comments-on.html#sthash.TjHz2Px9.dpuf