OVERVIEW OF MFA FALL SEMESTER EVENTS:

On the Same Page: Craft Discussion
Tuesday September 8
6:30pm
Klapper 710

Fiction Reading: Jocelyn Lieu
Monday September 21
6:30pm
Godwin Ternbach Museum, Klapper 4th Floor

The New Salon in Queens: A Poetry Reading by Yusef Komunyakaa
*Co-sponsored with The Poetry Society of America
Wednesday October 21
6:30pm
Godwin-Ternbach Museum, Klapper 4th Floor

Publishing Discussion: Susan Isaacs
Monday November 23
6:30pm
Klapper 708
*CHECK THIS BLOG FOR CHANGES*

CREATIVE WRITING AT CUNY

For the website devoted to creative writing across the City University of New York system, click on to:
http://web.cuny.edu/academics/academic-programs/programs-of-note/creative-writing-at-CUNY.html

Poetry and Politics--? Naturally!

“Foreign Policy in Focus: a think tank without walls”
http://www.fpif.org/fpifzines/wb/6395
has a piece describing poets’ participation: “The Iranian Struggle Continues.” You can see the poems that were included in the protest itself—one by Roger Sedarat. And as the summer draws to a close, here is a quote to think about:
“Don’t live in the world as if you were renting or here only for the summer, but act as if it were your father’s house…. Believe in seeds, earth, and the sea, but people above all. Love clouds, machines, and books, but people above all.” Nazim Hikmet, 20th Century Turkish poet (thanks to Persis Karim for this sending this).

Hurricanes and Anniversaries

Four years after Hurricane Katrina tore the lid off New Orleans' poverty and inadequate levee system, Federal Aid is finally flowing in. Imagine that. Check out our colleague, teacher, and fellow-writer's personal essay. Nicole Cooley on her home town:
http://penamerica.blogspot.com/

THE REST OF OEDIPUS ...

(after “Oedipus at Colonus” by Sophocles…)
Queens College Dept.
of Drama, Theatre, and Dance
The premiere production
Thursday, Sept. 10 @ 7 pm
Friday, Sept 11 @ 5 pm
QC Campus: LeFrak Concert Hall in the Music Building
free admission
(for info and reservations, call: 718-997-3075)

Poets! (this includes you, Ann!)

Poetry Society of America
Chapbook Contest
Submissions for the 2010 chapbook fellowship will be accepted between Oct. 1 and Dec. 22. See site for guidelines:
http://www.poetrysociety.org/psa-chapbook.php

CORRESPOND WITH FORMER POET LAUREATE…

ROBERT PINSKY on the ‘Fray’
http://www.slate.com/
It’s ‘Classic Poem’ time on SLATE again. Once a month, Robert Pinsky posts a poem with a brief introduction—anyone can read this on the website by clicking ‘Arts’ then proceeding to the poem. If you would like to join the forum, you will need to register which is easy enough: after the poem you will see ‘Join the Fray: Our Reader Discussion Forum.’ If you click on ‘Post a Message,’ you will be led to register with your own name or a pseudonym. Suggestion: once you have registered, have a password, etc. it’s a good idea to check out the ‘Read Messages’ and look over the topics before contributing--this way you can decide whether you wish to add to an already-active topic OR begin a new one.
AND while you're thinking about poetry, click on this: www.favoritepoem.org

ON-THE-SAME-PAGE for all MFA students...

Tuesday, September 8, 6:30 PM in Klapper Hall
7th Floor Faculty Lounge
The ‘On The Same Page’ Reading packet that was emailed to you is meant to give you stuff to think about as well as bond over—because regardless of genre, everyone in our writing community is reading the same essays. Your MFA faculty members have thought and talked about these offerings for several weeks now and wish to stress the importance of *play* in your writing apprenticeship. We strongly believe that writing students need to develop both their critical acumen and their creative impulse. So we would like to offer the reading packet and the MOMA installation ("that explores notions of transience and impermanence") as opportunities for you to mess around in the sandbox. Indeed, critical thinking and creative messing are, to our thinking, inextricably linked, and so we'd like you to approach creativity with a critical eye and criticism with a playful resolve. (Check out the James Ensor paintings--your work might never be the same!)
Session will be faciliated by John Weir.
BTW: Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)
PROJECT 90: SONG DONG exhibit runs until September 7th
@ 11 West 53rd Street
(admission is steep so use your i.d. or go on a Friday evening)

Welcome/Back MFA Students!

Welcome/Back MFA Student *Orientation*
Monday, August 31, 5-7pm
QC, Klapper Hall: fourth floor student art gallery (not the museum)
Come meet and mix with students, faculty, and administrators
over introductions
& refreshments & good cheer & most probably glue-sticks...

Something NOT to Resist: Resistance!

This Saturday!!
July 11, 2009
PAF presents Literatures of Resistance
An Afternoon in Solidarity with the People of Iran
2 - 5 pm / FREE / Bowery Poetry Club

Join us as these and other artists of conscience bear witness, in poetry and music, to the struggle for democracy in Iran. Readings and performances by: Rana Farhan, Eleanor Wilner, Luis Francia, D. Nurske, Said Sayrafiezadeh, The Tehran-Dakar Brothers, Roger Sedarat, Amir Parsa, Dalia Sofer, Niloufar Talebi and more!

This event will be streamed LIVE on Bowery Poetry Club's website!! Spread the word, especially to your families and friends in Iran, so they may share in the experience.

This event is sponsored by the Association of Iranian American Writers, Persian Arts Festival, The Translation Project, ArteEast, Kodoom Events and The Bowery Poetry Club.
For more information, please contact manijeh_nasrabadi@yahoo.com