A birthday tribute

Ode to Michael Blake

By Charles Redner

Here’s to the Age of Retirement
and all that jive,
sixty plus cinco
on twenty-ten, July five.
Give a cheer ‘cause Michael’s
made it to here.
Ya’ll know the drill—
a toast—lift up a frosty,
cold mug of beer.

His classic Dances taken on a life of its own,
then Twelve raced off to heaven, but is hardly alone.

Hundreds now follow their undaunted King
a galloping Pegasus over endless valleys upon angel wings.

The Holy Road’s waiting
for Hollywood to call,
where that darn Kevin guy
is too busy hitting a ball.
Indian Yell tells the stories
white-folks shudder to recall
but needs retelling, so never again
at a Wounded Knee they fall.
___________________________
You may bury my body in Sussex grass,
You may bury my tongue at Champmedy.
I shall not be there, I shall rise and pass.
Bury my heart at Wounded Knee.

Stephen Vincent Benet
“American Names,” 1931

Nine minutes of fame!

On the set of “Write-On” with host, Judy Saxon. Could Oprah’s sofa be far off?

"Ready for my closeup...

"Ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille." Cable TV interview tomorrow.

WELCOME TO THE LAGUNA WOODS BOOK FESTIVAL "Mind Bloggeling Internet" Presentation

Laguna Woods Book Festival May 8, 2010

Come to my class at the Laguna Woods Book Festival, May 8th. "Mind-Bloggeling" Internet.

California Quake

Each March, Professor Dean Nelson of Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, California holds a weeklong celebration called Writer’s Symposium by the Sea. I highly recommend attending if at all possible. My friend, Luis Urrea (author of Into the Beautiful North) presented at last year’s event. This year I heard Garrison Keillor and Professor Michael Eric Dyson of Georgetown. Dyson is a wild man. He was there to speak about his Martin Luther King, Jr. book, April 4, 1968 and hip hop culture. I couldn’t resist, had to write this ditty after the dynamic presentation.

Crill Auditorium Epicenter
of Point Loma Quake

By Charles Redner

Yo, Professor Dyson
Jive’n like Ali
but bite’n like Mike Tyson.

Had a message, delivered it strong—
there are words that just don’t belong.
For a Black man began with “N”
The other invective, come again,
for a woman “H” it ends.
While spoken festive style
no joking in the aisles.
Those two words will delete
this audience never to repeat.

Yo, Professor Dyson
you shook the foundation
of our “I have a dream” education.

Made us think of race
as a on-going case,
not just historical footnotes
of nineteen-sixty’s quotes.
A work in progress
amid giant strides
providing we all don’t backslide.

Yo, Professor Dyson
you set the stage on fire
then received a standing O.

Oh, so deservedly so!

March 25, 2010

Down But Never Out & HBR

Had a very successful launch of Down But Never Out and The Hummingbird Review at the SOCAL Writers’ Conference in San Diego on Feb 14th. I am not going on a schedule tour just yet. I am holding off the publisher’s publicist for now. I am learning about the wholesale and distribution channels for both books as most independent publishers do not provide the sale forces at the wholesale level. Much paperwork, B&N requires their own forms and procedures, the B&N college book stores require different forms as do the other chains and independent stores. For March and April I had planned to stay local in southern California. In late May or early June the Philly Boxers Association plans to unveil the Giardello statue in south Philly, planning a tour of greater Philly area at that time including readings and signings with Down syndrome organizations and other community groups.