Poet Laureate of the United States, Rubinstein Library, November, 2016

How about that!  The U. S. Poet Laureate is Hispanic.  Juan Felipe Herrera was part of the Chicano literary movement in the 1970's.

His most powerful words last night were:  "We can end the violence with poetry," and he describes himself as a "hands-on poet."

The son of migrant workers, Herrera was a contemporary of Allen Ginsberg and eventually got his MFA from the University of Iowa at the age of 40.  He was a professor at UC Riverside which now has supplied him with a room where he can pursue his love of words, art, and music.

He appeared at Rubenstein Library last night to a "full house."  On the walls above were past presidents and illuminati of Duke, including Julian Able.  The only thing that detracted from Herrera's appearance was the rambling, hard-to-understand intro by a Duke professor.

He included the phrase "waking up is the thing...."  Loved that!  He advises embellishing one's words with kindness and stated:  "You have a beautiful voice and you can use it to express yourself in any way you want."  I FELT those words.

His poems take me back to the tales of Tlingits and customs of the Northwest Indians.  He spoke of looking at a hawk eye to eye and "there was infinity looking right at me."

He read his poem "The Ant" which I liked a lot.

He read about Chad, how 2 thousand fled, 2 million dead.

He read a poem about Mohammad Ali...there was audience participation.  Brilliant!

He spoke of "storm writing" -- writing in the heat of passion and fire.  Describes himself as a "hands-on poet."

He wrote a children's book:  "Jack Rabbit's Green Onions and Witches' Stew"

Herrera's voice is a poem itself.  He is part artist, part Groucho Marx.

I spoke with him afterward about Caesar Chavez -- he never got a chance to meet Chavez because  was always chatting with admirers.

Herrera got a standing ovation.  His poetry is full of life and humor and audience participation.

Poet Laureate of the United States, Rubinstein Library, November, 2016

How about that!  The U. S. Poet Laureate is Hispanic.  Juan Felipe Herrera was part of the Chicano literary movement in the 1970's.

His most powerful words last night were:  "We can end the violence with poetry," and he describes himself as a "hands-on poet."

The son of migrant workers, Herrera was a contemporary of Allen Ginsberg and eventually got his MFA from the University of Iowa at the age of 40.  He was a professor at UC Riverside which now has supplied him with a room where he can pursue his love of words, art, and music.

He appeared at Rubenstein Library last night to a "full house."  On the walls above were past presidents and illuminati of Duke, including Julian Able.  The only thing that detracted from Herrera's appearance was the rambling, hard-to-understand intro by a Duke professor.

He included the phrase "waking up is the thing...."  Loved that!  He advises embellishing one's words with kindness and stated:  "You have a beautiful voice and you can use it to express yourself in any way you want."  I FELT those words.

His poems take me back to the tales of Tlingits and customs of the Northwest Indians.  He spoke of looking at a hawk eye to eye and "there was infinity looking right at me."

He read his poem "The Ant" which I liked a lot.

He read about Chad, how 2 thousand fled, 2 million dead.

He read a poem about Mahammid Ali...there was audience participation.  Brilliant!

He spoke of "storm writing" -- writing in the heat of passion and fire.  Describes himself as a "hands-on poet."

He wrote a children's book:  "Jack Rabbit's Green Onions and Witches' Stew"

Herrera's voice is a poem itself.  He is part artist, part Groucho Marx.

I spoke with him afterward about Caesar Chavez -- he never got a chance to eat because he was always chatting with admirers.

Herrera got a standing ovation.  His poetry is full of life and humor and audience participation.

On Meeting John Hope Franklin

       In 2001, I had the rare honor of meeting John Hope Franklin.  I was on a week long fellowship at the Library of Congress to study the digital collections there.

       The conference was made up of 50 teachers and school librarians who had been awarded the American Memory Fellowship.  One morning before our seminar, I heard some teachers in the back of the hall excitedly discussing John Hope Franklin .  Had they met him?

        They had indeed!  In fact, they'd had breakfast with him that morning.  My partner and I (a high school English teacher) were the only two in the group from North Carolina and John Hope Franklin was an esteemed scholar and author.   I knew about him because the school library I managed had thirty copies of his book, From Slavery to Freedom.  I turned to my colleagues and said, "I'm from North Carolina and I'd like to meet him, too!"

        And someone responded, "well, just come to the hotel dining room for breakfast tomorrow morning."  And that's what I did.

        That morning, I approached the dining room of the Capitol Suites Hotel, and saw Mr. Franklin at a large round table, "holding court" to a group of educators.  When I entered, he stood up, gesturing to the empty seat beside him.  I was so honored that this great man had saved a seat for me!

        As we ate together, he told me stories of late wife, their orchid garden, his many travels, and the book he was working on, his autobiography, in the Jefferson Building.  I was spellbound.  But most of all, Mr. Franklin was interested in me, my career, my family.  I can honestly say, he was one of the kindest people I'd ever met.  At one point a friend of his entered the room, whose name I don't recall but I do remember what a classy dresser he was.  He was, or at one time, had been affiliated with the North Carolina Mutual Insurance Company.

         After breakfast, I departed for the Hart Building to deliver some remarks at Senator Edwards' "Tarheel Thursday" meeting, where his listended to concerns of constituents.  As I exited the door of the Madison Building, there was Mr. Franklin on the porch, waiting for his ride to the library.  We warmly greeted each other.  He told me to be sure to stop by, the John Hope Franklin Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies in Durham.  Wow, a personal invitation!   And he asked me to give his regards to Senator Edwards, which I did.  To that, Senator Edwards responded, "he's a great American."

          I met Mr. Franklin on another occasion, at a discussion (with co-author Loren Scheninger) he gave at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh about his new book, In Search of the Promised Land.  He remembered not only me, but the name of the hotel where we had breakfast.  I felt honored to once again be in his presence.  

        I will never forget meeting John Hope Franklin.  When he died in 2009 at the age of 94, I was living and working in Tarboro, NC and was unable to attend his memorial service.  It was held at Duke Chapel on June 11, 2009, a date chosen by Mr. Franklin because it would have marked the 67th wedding anniversary to his wife, Aurelia.  The two hour service, attended by hundreds, was recorded by WRAL.  Former President Bill Clinton closed the service by sharing memories of his friend.

        The honors bestowed on Mr. Frankin compile a long list, among them, a Pulitzer Prize nomination for his book on George Washington Williams, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  However, I can't help but wonder if he considered his biggest honor the building of the John Hope Franklin Institute for Inter-disciplinary Studies at Duke.

        Two years ago, I moved to Durham and paid weekly visits to this place for nearly six months.  The "noon seminars" there attracted a large audience who enjoyed presentations by scholars from Duke and beyond.  One of the most memorable was an appearance by Mr. Franklin's son and daughter-in-law, John Whittington Franklin and Karen Roberts Franklin.  John Whittington Franklin is director of Partnerships and International Programs at the Smithsonian's Museum of African American History and Culture.

         Whenever I visit the John Hope Franklin Center at the corner of Erwin and I'm greeted by this portrait and am always reminded of the time I met him.

    Memorial Service for John Hope   http://www.wral.com/news/video/5332077/

    A Celebration of the Lives of Aurelia and John Hope Franklin      http://www.unctv.org/content/johnhopefranklin

On Meeting John Hope Franklin

       In 2001, I had the rare honor of meeting John Hope Franklin.  I was on a week long fellowship at the Library of Congress to study the digital collections there.

       The conference was made up of 50 teachers and school librarians who had been awarded the American Memory Fellowship.  One morning before our seminar, I heard some teachers in the back of the hall excitedly discussing John Hope Franklin .  Had they met him?

        They had indeed!  In fact, they'd had breakfast with him that morning.  My partner and I (a high school English teacher) were the only two in the group from North Carolina and John Hope Franklin was an esteemed scholar and author.   I knew about him because the school library I managed had thirty copies of his book, From Slavery to Freedom.  I turned to my colleagues and said, "I'm from North Carolina and I'd like to meet him, too!"

        And someone responded, "well, just come to the hotel dining room for breakfast tomorrow morning."  And that's what I did.

        That morning, I approached the dining room of the Capitol Suites Hotel, and saw Mr. Franklin at a large round table, "holding court" to a group of educators.  When I entered, he stood up, gesturing to the empty seat beside him.  I was so honored that this great man had saved a seat for me!

        As we ate together, he told me stories of late wife, their orchid garden, his many travels, and the book he was working on, his autobiography, in the Jefferson Building.  I was spellbound.  But most of all, Mr. Franklin was interested in me, my career, my family.  I can honestly say, he was one of the kindest people I'd ever met.

         After breakfast, I departed for the Hart Building to deliver some remarks at Senator Edwards' "Tarheel Thursday" meeting, where his listended to concerns of constituents.  As I exited the door of the Madison Building, there was Mr. Franklin on the porch, waiting for his ride to the library.  We warmly greeted each other.  He told me to be sure to stop by, the John Hope Franklin Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies in Durham.  Wow, a personal invitation!   And he asked me to give his regards to Senator Edwards, which I did.  To that, Senator Edwards responded, "he's a great American."

          I met Mr. Franklin on another occasion, at a discussion (with co-author Loren Scheninger) he gave at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh about his new book, In Search of the Promised Land.  He remembered not only me, but the name of the hotel where we had breakfast.  I felt honored to once again be in his presence.  

        I will never forget meeting John Hope Franklin.  When he died in 2009 at the age of 94, I was living and working in Tarboro, NC and was unable to attend his memorial service.  It was held at Duke Chapel on June 11, 2009, a date chosen by Mr. Franklin because it would have marked the 67th wedding anniversary to his wife, Aurelia.  The two hour service, attended by hundreds, was recorded by WRAL.  Former President Bill Clinton closed the service by sharing memories of his friend.

        The honors bestowed on Mr. Frankin compile a long list, among them, a Pulitzer Prize nomination for his book on George Washington Williams, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  However, I can't help but wonder if he considered his biggest honor the building of the John Hope Franklin Institute for Inter-disciplinary Studies at Duke.

        Two years ago, I moved to Durham and paid weekly visits to this place for nearly six months.  The "noon seminars" there attracted a large audience who enjoyed presentations by scholars from Duke and beyond.  One of the most memorable was an appearance by Mr. Franklin's son and daughter-in-law, John Whittington Franklin and Karen Roberts Franklin.  John Whittington Franklin is director of Partnerships and International Programs at the Smithsonian's Museum of African American History and Culture.

         Whenever I visit the John Hope Franklin Center at the corner of Erwin and I'm greeted by this portrait and am always reminded of the time I met him.

    Memorial Service for John Hope   http://www.wral.com/news/video/5332077/

    A Celebration of the Lives of Aurelia and John Hope Franklin      http://www.unctv.org/content/johnhopefranklin

On Meeting John Hope Franklin

       In 2001, I had the rare honor of meeting John Hope Franklin.  I was on a week long fellowship at the Library of Congress to study the digital collections there.

       The conference was made up of 50 teachers and school librarians who had been awarded the American Memory Fellowship.  One morning before our seminar, I heard some teachers in the back of the hall excitedly discussing John Hope Franklin .  Had they met him?

        They had indeed!  In fact, they'd had breakfast with him that morning.  My partner and I (a high school English teacher) were the only two in the group from North Carolina and John Hope Franklin was an esteemed scholar and author.   I knew about him because the school library I managed had thirty copies of his book, From Slavery to Freedom.  I turned to my colleagues and said, "I'm from North Carolina and I'd like to meet him, too!"

        And someone responded, "well, just come to the hotel dining room for breakfast tomorrow morning."  And that's what I did.

        That morning, I approached the dining room of the Capitol Suites Hotel, and saw Mr. Franklin at a large round table, "holding court" to a group of educators.  When I entered, he stood up, gesturing to the empty seat beside him.  I was so honored that this great man had saved a seat for me!

        As we ate together, he told me stories of late wife, their orchid garden, his many travels, and the book he was working on, his autobiography, in the Jefferson Building.  I was spellbound.  But most of all, Mr. Franklin was interested in me, my career, my family.  I can honestly say, he was one of the kindest people I'd ever met.  At one point a friend of his entered the room, whose name I don't recall but I do remember what a classy dresser he was.  He was, or at one time, had been affiliated with the North Carolina Mutual Insurance Company.

         After breakfast, I departed for the Hart Building to deliver some remarks at Senator Edwards' "Tarheel Thursday" meeting, where his listended to concerns of constituents.  As I exited the door of the Madison Building, there was Mr. Franklin on the porch, waiting for his ride to the library.  We warmly greeted each other.  He told me to be sure to stop by, the John Hope Franklin Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies in Durham.  Wow, a personal invitation!   And he asked me to give his regards to Senator Edwards, which I did.  To that, Senator Edwards responded, "he's a great American."

          I met Mr. Franklin on another occasion, at a discussion (with co-author Loren Scheninger) he gave at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh about his new book, In Search of the Promised Land.  He remembered not only me, but the name of the hotel where we had breakfast.  I felt honored to once again be in his presence.  

        I will never forget meeting John Hope Franklin.  When he died in 2009 at the age of 94, I was living and working in Tarboro, NC and was unable to attend his memorial service.  It was held at Duke Chapel on June 11, 2009, a date chosen by Mr. Franklin because it would have marked the 67th wedding anniversary to his wife, Aurelia.  The two hour service, attended by hundreds, was recorded by WRAL.  Former President Bill Clinton closed the service by sharing memories of his friend.

        The honors bestowed on Mr. Frankin compile a long list, among them, a Pulitzer Prize nomination for his book on George Washington Williams, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  However, I can't help but wonder if he considered his biggest honor the building of the John Hope Franklin Institute for Inter-disciplinary Studies at Duke.

        Two years ago, I moved to Durham and paid weekly visits to this place for nearly six months.  The "noon seminars" there attracted a large audience who enjoyed presentations by scholars from Duke and beyond.  One of the most memorable was an appearance by Mr. Franklin's son and daughter-in-law, John Whittington Franklin and Karen Roberts Franklin.  John Whittington Franklin is director of Partnerships and International Programs at the Smithsonian's Museum of African American History and Culture.

         Whenever I visit the John Hope Franklin Center at the corner of Erwin and I'm greeted by this portrait and am always reminded of the time I met him.

    Memorial Service for John Hope   http://www.wral.com/news/video/5332077/

    A Celebration of the Lives of Aurelia and John Hope Franklin      http://www.unctv.org/content/johnhopefranklin

Special Collections, and Archives, Oh My!

     June 12, 2016  

     I recently visited the Sally Bingham Women's Collection at Rubenstein Library. And there I met Laura Micham.  Such hospitality...meeting me at the gate, then explaining the history of the Sally Bingham Collection.  I was so impressed that I decided to donate my great-grandmother's diary to that library instead of UVa.  This way, I can be close to the diary in case I ever need to refer back to it.  Also, the book will be catalogued and preserved, and maybe even promoted (I hope).

     I learned a lot from Laura.  For example, her collection goes back to the 13th century and extends to the present.  It is also international in scope.  I'll be proud to have Emma's book in that collection.

     More about the book.  It's actually more of a memory book.

     Emma Cole Kincannon was married to J. T. Kincannon.  He helped to start the Bristol Female College (in Bristol, Tennessee at the time, I believe.)   I'd always been told that JT founded Virginia Intermont College in Bristol, Virginia.  My brother thought so to.  However, I haven't seen any documentation on that, so I'm not sure if there is any truth to it. I'm planning to contact the Bristol Public Library and the Bristol Historical Society for more information next week.

      From my research, I learned that the books called "Leaves of Affection"  were very popular in the 19th century.  Apparently, if someone was moving, that person's friends wrote poems in the book.  I am not sure if the poems were original, or copied from someone else.  There are no credits on the poems so I'm thinking that at least some of them were original.

     The most charming page in the book features a poem on the forget me not, alongside the actual flower, attached to a little ribbon.  I was so amazed that the book held together so well through the years, about 150, apparently.

   Laura Micham and I noted the elegant handwriting in the book.  It was tiny and very ornate.  This was because paper was in short supply (and perhaps expensive).

    "That's iron gall ink," Laura told me.  This kind of ink was used from the 5th century until well into the 20th century.  It was made from a mixture of iron salts and tannic acid.  Its appearance is purplish/brown and I find it quite lovely.

Here is link from Wikipedia about iron gall ink:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_gall_ink

   

Special Collections, and Archives, Oh My!

     June 12, 2016  

     I recently visited the Sally Bingham Women's Collection at Rubenstein Library. And there I met Laura Micham.  Such hospitality...meeting me at the gate, then explaining the history of the Sally Bingham Collection.  I was so impressed that I decided to donate my great-grandmother's diary to that library instead of UVa.  This way, I can be close to the diary in case I ever need to refer back to it.  Also, the book will be catalogued and preserved, and maybe even promoted (I hope).

     I learned a lot from Laura.  For example, her collection goes back to the 13th century and extends to the present.  It is also international in scope.  I'll be proud to have Emma's book in that collection.

     More about the book.  It's actually more of a memory book.

     Emma Cole Kincannon was married to J. T. Kincannon.  He helped to start the Bristol Female College (in Bristol, Tennessee at the time, I believe.)   I'd always been told that JT founded Virginia Intermont College in Bristol, Virginia.  My brother thought so to.  However, I haven't seen any documentation on that, so I'm not sure if there is any truth to it. I'm planning to contact the Bristol Public Library and the Bristol Historical Society for more information next week.

      From my research, I learned that the books called "Leaves of Affection"  were very popular in the 19th century.  Apparently, if someone was moving, that person's friends wrote poems in the book.  I am not sure if the poems were original, or copied from someone else.  There are no credits on the poems so I'm thinking that at least some of them were original.

     The most charming page in the book features a poem on the forget me not, alongside the actual flower, attached to a little ribbon.  I was so amazed that the book held together so well through the years, about 150, apparently.

   Laura Micham and I noted the elegant handwriting in the book.  It was tiny and very ornate.  This was because paper was in short supply (and perhaps expensive).

    "That's iron gall ink," Laura told me.  This kind of ink was used from the 5th century until well into the 20th century.  It was made from a mixture of iron salts and tannic acid.  Its appearance is purplish/brown and I find it quite lovely.

Here is link from Wikipedia about iron gall ink:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_gall_ink

   

Special Collections, and Archives, Oh My!

     June 12, 2016  

     I recently visited the Sally Bingham Women's Collection at Rubenstein Library. And there I met Laura Micham.  Such hospitality...meeting me at the gate, then explaining the history of the Sally Bingham Collection.  I was so impressed that I decided to donate my great-grandmother's diary to that library instead of UVa.  This way, I can be close to the diary in case I ever need to refer back to it.  Also, the book will be catalogued and preserved, and maybe even promoted (I hope).

     I learned a lot from Laura.  For example, her collection goes back to the 13th century and extends to the present.  It is also international in scope.  I'll be proud to have Emma's book in that collection.

     More about the book.  It's actually more of a memory book.

     Emma Cole Kincannon was married to J. T. Kincannon.  He helped to start the Bristol Female College (in Bristol, Tennessee at the time, I believe.)   I'd always been told that JT founded Virginia Intermont College in Bristol, Virginia.  My brother thought so to.  However, I haven't seen any documentation on that, so I'm not sure if there is any truth to it. I'm planning to contact the Bristol Public Library and the Bristol Historical Society for more information next week.

      From my research, I learned that the books called "Leaves of Affection"  were very popular in the 19th century.  Apparently, if someone was moving, that person's friends wrote poems in the book.  I am not sure if the poems were original, or copied from someone else.  There are no credits on the poems so I'm thinking that at least some of them were original.

     The most charming page in the book features a poem on the forget me not, alongside the actual flower, attached to a little ribbon.  I was so amazed that the book held together so well through the years, about 150, apparently.

   Laura Micham and I noted the elegant handwriting in the book.  It was tiny and very ornate.  This was because paper was in short supply (and perhaps expensive).

    "That's iron gall ink," Laura told me.  This kind of ink was used from the 5th century until well into the 20th century.  It was made from a mixture of iron salts and tannic acid.  Its appearance is purplish/brown and I find it quite lovely.

Here is link from Wikipedia about iron gall ink:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_gall_ink

   

Salute to the Duke

     Last night, I attended the second annual Sounds of Justice and Inclusion Concert at Duke, commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr.  This was a concert of historic proportions that included a tribute to Duke Ellington. Maestro William Curry gave an eloquent presentation to the audience about the making of the song, "Three Black Kings."  He also told of meeting King while a student at Oberlin.
     That sparked my own memory of meeting Duke Ellington in 1970 At Disneyland.  It was their 25th anniversary and I was there around midnight.  We heard music coming from a small pavilion and noticed people dancing.  Walking closer, we could see Duke Ellington was directing.  I shook his hand.  I remember him being very tall and distinguished looking.  What a night!  Meeting Duke Ellington!
     At last night's concert, Ellington's "Three Black Kings" was performed as the last song.  William Curry introduced the piece, mentioning that this was Ellington's last piece and he wrote it in the hospital.  The Durham Symphony played with John Brown and his "Little Big Band."

DUKE IN CHINA

   Today, there was a panel discussion from at the John Hope Franklin Center.  Duke Students in China presented about their Chinese language immersion program in Beijing.  The experience culminated in a talent show.  The Duke students were a diverse group, representing China, Korea, and Nigeria.

     Interesting to note that the students studied Mandarin Chinese and invested thousands of hours in learning the language.

Yoga in the Moon Glow

Yoga in the Moon Glow

Vinyasa flow

under a full moon

with 100 souls

honoring Mother Earth.

Sweetness and sweat

combine

intertwine

as we find our potential

in soft summer breeze

barefoot in the courtyard

amongst magnolia trees

Why I Love the Nasher

      

     At the beginning of the year, I joined the Nasher Museum of Duke University.  I've been going to their film series this summer, and the last film is one of my favorites, "Man on Wire."

     Showing on August 22, the film got a round of applause from the audience!  It won best documentary at the Durham Full Frame Film Festival and was awarded an Oscar for best doc in 2009.

     Every year, the Nasher has a book discussion of the "Freshman Read" at Duke.  For the Class of 2017, that book is Let the Great World Spin by the brilliant writer, Colum McCann.  The book is a fictional account the event portrayed in "Man on Wire:"  Philippe Petite's historic walk between the Twin Towers in 1974.  Never have I experienced a more enlightened discussion of a book!  Kudos to the Nasher for reaching out to the community in this way.  I'm proud to be a member of the Nasher. 


    http://nasher.duke.edu/event/let-the-great-world-spin-2/.

"The Genius of Dogs"

     Two researchers at Duke have just published a book showing that dogs are "much smarter than we think."

     The book can be ordered online from Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=the%20genius%20of%20dogs&index=blended&link_code=qs&sourceid=Mozilla-search&tag=mozilla-20

     You can find out more about the book by visiting www.dognition.com/book.

Attending Church at Duke Chapel

     I had long wanted to attend church at the Duke Chapel and finally, several weeks ago, I seized the opportunity.  Upon entering the church, I was treated to music by the Charlotte Youth Choir, whose voices majestically filled the chapel.  So inspiring.  The Chapel invites different choirs to sing during the summer months.

     Here is a shot of the exterior of the Chapel.

Julian Abele

     Not many people know that Duke Chapel was designed by a black man, Julian Abele.

Here is a link to an article that appeared in 2005 in the Smithsonian.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/shadow.html

The article is titled "Out of the Shadows" and shows how Abele is finally getting recognition.

Unfortunately, due to the Jim Crow South, he was never able to see his finished work, completed in the 1930's.