Intro to National Poetry Month

April may be "the cruelest month," but it's also National Poetry Month. We here at BillyBlog have prospered in the month of April the last two years.

In 2007, I posted a "Poetry in Motion" poster for each of April's thirty days. In some cases, more than one per day.

Last year, I posted thirty favorite poems from thirty separate poets to honor the month.

But BillyBlog has been waning in production over the past year, as its spin-off, Tattoosday, has involved more and more of our time and effort. So, a conundrum presented itself. What to do this year? Should we continue the traditional April poetry blitz? Or just focus on poetic tattoos here and there, over on Tattoosday?

The answer came back in January. I would have my cake and eat it too. And so the quest began.

This April, BillyBlog will post thirty poems by thirty different poets. These, however, will be selected by the poets themselves, as work that best represents them.

But it doesn't end there. The poets will earn spots on BillyBlog by virtue of their contribution to Tattoosday.

Yes, each one of the poems posted in April will have been contributed by a tattooed poet. The verse may not be needle-and-ink-related, but the writer initially came to this section of the blogosphere to share their body art on Tattoosday.

I am hoping this double-barreled blog venture will be successful. I had some assistance from Stacey Harwood over at the Best American Poetry blog, who helped sound the clarion call for volunteers. In addition, dozens of other poets referred me to those among them who were inked. Facebook proved to be an excellent networking tool as I reached out to poets across America and invited them to participate. I thank, in advance, everyone who contributed and all those who merely pointed me in the right direction.

Enjoy!

Gratuitous Indoor Soccer Dad Post - February 22, 2009

Shayna moved up a level in indoor soccer this year, so she was one of the younger kids playing against mostly boys, often several years older than her.

I took a lot of video, but missed her one goal of the indoor season.

Here's a clip where she plays particularly well, taking a few shots, and not giving an inch on defense:

A Cone of Light, Bay Ridge-Style

This is a lamp post in Brooklyn, on 86th Street, between Colonial and Narrows:



A closer look indicates that someone with a sense of humor, I'm guessing an NYC Dept. of Transportation employee, had a little fun decorating this light:



Cone you believe someone did that?

What My Brain Has Been Up to

A few items recently read:

Twilight.


Yes, that Twilight. Struck a deal with Jolee. I read Twilight, she reads Harry Potter. I enjoyed most of it, and am continuing with the series.

Why Are You Doing This? By Jason.


It was a quick read that made me want more. I've read him before, check out "Low Moon" serialized in The New York Times Magazine. After finishing this volume, I requested all his other titles through the New York Public Library.

Inked by Carey Hart.


I'll post a review over on Tattoosday soon.

And on the train yesterday, "Brother on Sunday,"


a very good story by A.M. Homes in the March 2, 2009 New Yorker.

"Brother on Sunday".

Cleaning Out My Inbox: Mid-March Edition

Need a diversion? Try this. It's called "Click Bored".

Hmm. I thought I had more in my inbox. BillyBlog fans need not despair. I have been slowly, steadily been working behind the scenes on my annual National Poetry Month post-a-day project.



You'll be sure to see a flurry of activity here in a few weeks. And lots of poetry!

Last week we had a March snowstorm. Here's Shayna, hard at work, in front of our home in Brooklyn:



A day later, the foot of snow was melting like crazy. Here's a shot of the icy steps of the main Manhattan Post Office at 8th Avenue and 33rd Street:


That's all for now!

Happy Birthday, Melanie!