What an interesting and accomplished man…

Shel Silverstein is, without question, one of my greatest influences – while he may not always be tha first to come to mind.  Mr. Silverstein’s words and rhymes are certainly  buried deep within me, held hostage by a childhood that is now locked away for its loss of innocence…

Known mostly for his children’s books, “Where The Sidewalk Ends” and tha immensely popular 1981 bestseller “A Light in The Attic,” Silverstein had defined tha border existing between childhood innocence and adult understanding since “Lafcadio,” in 1963.

Besides his accomplishments as a children’s author, Silverstein wrote song lyrics made popular by Johnny Cash, as well as Dr. Hook and The Medicine Show.  I grew up having my father immitate Cash’s rendition of “A Boy Named Sue.” I knew every word by heart by tha time i was seven or eight years old.  I never knew my grandfather, so i kinda thought it was true.  My father would look at my big brother and I, and say…

“Well, my daddy left home when I was three

and he didn’t leave much for my Ma’ and me…”

He reeled us in every time.  Hook, line, and sinker…

mtp

Crazy night last night bouncing all over Syracuse with my good friend and fellow poet, Seneca Wilson

We hit up some parties, as well as a some business ventures…you know we on that social networking tip, right?? You should be out doin tha same…it really is a small world out there, never know who you might run into when you paint tha town red…

So of course we also stopped into Sophistications to show some love to our boy Free… and from there it was off to tha Vera House‘s “All White” Domestic & Sexual Violence Awareness concert featuring Brownskin. Tha concert was part of their White Ribbon Campaign.

And after all that, it was over to Reddick’s, where we host our Underground Poetry Spot on Thursdays. We’ve got a HUGE show this Thursday, April 15th, featuring Taalam Acey. We still have a few pre-show tickets available for $5, but they’ll be $10 at tha door…contact me at mg@micthapoet.com for pre-show tickets…& listen for our advertisement on Power106.9 on Syracuse’s FM radio…

mtp

Not only is today the fourth day of 2010′s national poetry month, but it is also tha birth date of one of poetry’s living legends… Maya Angelou !!

Visit Dr. Angelou’s website by clicking here

Oh yeah, and it’s Easter, too…so I’ll come back with “a Verse a Day” update after i go get my eat on with tha fam…

see ya soon
mtp

April 2nd is an important day in National Poetry Month as it marks Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday.

For those who aren’t familiar with the name, Hans was a Danish author and poet in the 1800′s known for his children’s stories. His most famous works include: The Steadfast Tin Soldier,The Princess and the Pea, The Little Mermaid, and Thumbelina.

If you are a Google user you’ll notice that the popular search engine has honored Andersen’s birthday with a series of special logos depicting scenes inspired by his story Thumbelina.

Head over to their search page to see the entire set.

One of tha greatest things about immersing oneself in art, is the friendships made along tha journey and tha other artists I find myself interacting and brainstorming with. I have been fortunate to have tha support of so many of my peers; poets, musicians, photographers, and artists of all walks of life.

If you’ve paid any attention to tha poems on this site, you have likely seen a handful of Sandusky Images photographer Jeremiah Howell‘s shots. Jeremiah has been kind enough to allow me to use many of his images to accompany my poetry here on micthapoet.com. My walls at home are adorned with two of his framed images, one of which was a gift, upon his moving from Syracuse to Vermont late last year.

“Over My Shoulder” is tha third book of photography Jeremiah has published, and perhaps his most passionate collection of visionary images yet. In his tertiary installment, the author has included bits of his own poetry to add intrigue to the complexities of city life captured digitally. In many ways, “Over My Shoulder” is a poetic-photographic memoir; a journey, from cover to back-cover, through the many observations of a man and his camera – in a landscape left behind.

Please support Jeremiah by clicking on tha above picture or any of tha links. This will allow you to purchase “Over My Shoulder,” and other titles by Sandusky Images photographer Jeremiah Howell.

…and please continue to support all your local artists…
& a BIG THANX for your continued support here at micthapoet.com