You are a magnificent voice. I am a 75 year old woman, a mother and stepmother....As a jununior in college at USC...I walked through Watts in Los Angeles registering voters during Robert Kennedys campaign..my heart was broken when he was assasinated in the next room from our celebrating. You are the first voice that has made me believe…
You are a magnificent voice. I am a 75 year old woman, a mother and stepmother....As a jununior in college at USC...I walked through Watts in Los Angeles registering voters during Robert Kennedys campaign..my heart was broken when he was assasinated in the next room from our celebrating. You are the first voice that has made me believe again.....I have been active; but you are the first voice of hope. Thank you from my heart.
Beautifully said Penelope, I suspect we all feel that way about HCR. It calms me to read and understand what is going on and the implications. I thank her each day for writing this newsletter.
Penelope and Carol, we lived through John, Martin and Bobby (lost a great president, a peaceful voice for change and a hope for another great president). I remember the day of each murder. Difficult time to live through. I, too, am grateful for HCR voice and pray that the nation wakes up and gets angry enough to let our voices be heard instructing the public and promoting civil liberty rights all the way through to the election. (Living in a deeply red state our options are limited! Ugh.)
I'm sharing a poem I wrote several years ago, but revised recently, because as we have found out, War Never Ends. At least so far, but women, especially, working together, are the future to change that fact. In tandem with photographs of women protesting the War in 2004 in an exhibit: A COURAGE OF WORDS You, readers would add your own names to the list, as it, too is endless—Irene Lipshin 2004, 2007, 2021
WE the People stand up for peace.
In the House Jeannette Rankin votes nay
for both World Wars; after 9/11, Barbara Lee
presses the lone red button against retaliation.
We raise our voices—
ballot box, rally, street corner, lunch room,
buttons , bumper stickers. Flags
Martin Luther King, Jr. marches the long road
to the Hill. We march with John Lewis singing
Give Peace a Chance, If I Had a Hammer,
We Shall Overcome.
We Climb the Hill with Amanda Gorman. The list is endless as Poetry Explains makes clear the world
Jimmy Santiago Baca, Langston Hughes, Etheridge Knight, Nikki Giovanni, Gwendolyn Brooks, June Jordan, Audre Lorde, Philip Levine, Amiri Baraka Carolyn Forché, James Baldwin, Yusef Komunyakaa, Rita Dove, Lucille Clifton, shine light on shadows of injustice.
Hi Judith. I’m not sure if you’re commenting to Kathleen or me, Irenie. If about my poem, “Courage of Word” thank you for asking. And of course I’m honored. As long as I know where and who. Happy Mother’s Day. It’s always good to credit written work with authors name, especially if it can be shared.
Pretty sure Judith was responding to your poem, Irenie ... I appreciate your contributions to thIs blog - your recent comment about education and class access left my eyeballs rolling around on the floor - took awhile to find them - I copied and pasted to my notepad (for occasional access and review) ... hope that is ok by you - many thanks!!
There are so often thoughtful and thought-provoking comments here that at times I feel a need to share them, crediting "a commenter" on Letters From An American. So many of you are so skilled at marshaling and expressing your thoughts and sharing your knowledge that I can't help wanting to enable an even wider group to appreciate & learn from them.
Likewise, Judith - I can't even keep up with all the informative links people share (slow reader) not to mention the comments people make ... someone suggested that an archive could be available for future reference - lots of unpublished history is written in these pages!!
Hi Kathleen and Judith, I’m definitely a fan of you both and the amazing writers and thinkers on LFAA. Thank you for your awesome note! I appreciate your reply. Comments are different from poems or essays or art work or photography, etc. If I publish/post a poem by another poet or my own, with name on it, then that is part of the poem. I think it’s awesome that years, centuries later, artists, poets, writers, historians, are named when their work is still shared. And lucky for us there’s so much of historical poetry and writing. Irene Lipshin
Happy Mothers' Day to you, Penelope, to you, dear Heather, to all the beloved women who follow you on LFAA and beyond, and to mothers of all genders who teach us the humanity of motherhood.
May I join this voice to yours in gratitude for the work Professor Richardson does each day to bring light where there is darkness, hope that vanquishes despair.
I’m right with you in searching for the right pizza dough.
I bake on a stone and look for crispy edges with a moist crust.
Curing the dough for 24 hours, lightly coated with olive oil and sealed in an airtight tub, has made more difference than almost any other factor. But I’m not there yet.
A companion seeking the ‘holy grail’ of pizza making. I am fortunate to live near a bread baker who mills organic wheat into flour in the local shop. I use to ancient grains in the mix, 20% of the flour total, to provide for an interesting dough flavor. Rest! I use 2 twenty minute rests between needing sessions! Finally, I let the dough for a thick crust pie rise in the pan for 2 hours before baking. These are changes that I have made during the past year seeking the elusive perfect pizza crust! Thanks for commenting!
You are a magnificent voice. I am a 75 year old woman, a mother and stepmother....As a jununior in college at USC...I walked through Watts in Los Angeles registering voters during Robert Kennedys campaign..my heart was broken when he was assasinated in the next room from our celebrating. You are the first voice that has made me believe again.....I have been active; but you are the first voice of hope. Thank you from my heart.
Beautifully said Penelope, I suspect we all feel that way about HCR. It calms me to read and understand what is going on and the implications. I thank her each day for writing this newsletter.
I certainly agree with you. You have made a huge difference in my 80 yr. Old life. Prof Richardson, you are a breath of fresh air 😍
Penelope, my heart to was broken when Senator Kennedy was assassinated. I wanted him to be our president. We need another Bobby Kennedy today.
Penelope and Carol, we lived through John, Martin and Bobby (lost a great president, a peaceful voice for change and a hope for another great president). I remember the day of each murder. Difficult time to live through. I, too, am grateful for HCR voice and pray that the nation wakes up and gets angry enough to let our voices be heard instructing the public and promoting civil liberty rights all the way through to the election. (Living in a deeply red state our options are limited! Ugh.)
I'm sharing a poem I wrote several years ago, but revised recently, because as we have found out, War Never Ends. At least so far, but women, especially, working together, are the future to change that fact. In tandem with photographs of women protesting the War in 2004 in an exhibit: A COURAGE OF WORDS You, readers would add your own names to the list, as it, too is endless—Irene Lipshin 2004, 2007, 2021
WE the People stand up for peace.
In the House Jeannette Rankin votes nay
for both World Wars; after 9/11, Barbara Lee
presses the lone red button against retaliation.
We raise our voices—
ballot box, rally, street corner, lunch room,
buttons , bumper stickers. Flags
Martin Luther King, Jr. marches the long road
to the Hill. We march with John Lewis singing
Give Peace a Chance, If I Had a Hammer,
We Shall Overcome.
We Climb the Hill with Amanda Gorman. The list is endless as Poetry Explains makes clear the world
Jimmy Santiago Baca, Langston Hughes, Etheridge Knight, Nikki Giovanni, Gwendolyn Brooks, June Jordan, Audre Lorde, Philip Levine, Amiri Baraka Carolyn Forché, James Baldwin, Yusef Komunyakaa, Rita Dove, Lucille Clifton, shine light on shadows of injustice.
Our speeches, signs, letters,
petitions and poems float across
the land on airwaves,
wires and paper,
a courage of words
powerful enough to withstand
fire stone blade bullet time
Poet, Irene Lipshin, 2004, 2007, 2021
'til such a time
. . . i/we who wander
caught within
days passed
face saving
out of phase
must find
some incentive
even sense
to persevere
'til such a time
within closed minds
as tempests die
we lose our lies
and life's unholy whirlwinds
unwind . . . .
https://tahomahome.weebly.com/til-such-a-time.html
Poetry of Peace and Justice is everlasting:
Motto
In the dark times, will there be singing?
Yes, there will be singing.
About the dark times.
-Bertolt Brecht
Love this - too true!!
Brava!
I hope you don't mind that I've copied this & pasted to my FB feed, crediting it to a commenter on LFAA.
Hi Judith. I’m not sure if you’re commenting to Kathleen or me, Irenie. If about my poem, “Courage of Word” thank you for asking. And of course I’m honored. As long as I know where and who. Happy Mother’s Day. It’s always good to credit written work with authors name, especially if it can be shared.
Pretty sure Judith was responding to your poem, Irenie ... I appreciate your contributions to thIs blog - your recent comment about education and class access left my eyeballs rolling around on the floor - took awhile to find them - I copied and pasted to my notepad (for occasional access and review) ... hope that is ok by you - many thanks!!
There are so often thoughtful and thought-provoking comments here that at times I feel a need to share them, crediting "a commenter" on Letters From An American. So many of you are so skilled at marshaling and expressing your thoughts and sharing your knowledge that I can't help wanting to enable an even wider group to appreciate & learn from them.
Likewise, Judith - I can't even keep up with all the informative links people share (slow reader) not to mention the comments people make ... someone suggested that an archive could be available for future reference - lots of unpublished history is written in these pages!!
Hi Kathleen and Judith, I’m definitely a fan of you both and the amazing writers and thinkers on LFAA. Thank you for your awesome note! I appreciate your reply. Comments are different from poems or essays or art work or photography, etc. If I publish/post a poem by another poet or my own, with name on it, then that is part of the poem. I think it’s awesome that years, centuries later, artists, poets, writers, historians, are named when their work is still shared. And lucky for us there’s so much of historical poetry and writing. Irene Lipshin
Onward!
Happy Mothers' Day to you, Penelope, to you, dear Heather, to all the beloved women who follow you on LFAA and beyond, and to mothers of all genders who teach us the humanity of motherhood.
May I join this voice to yours in gratitude for the work Professor Richardson does each day to bring light where there is darkness, hope that vanquishes despair.
Beautifully said!
This succinct comment reminds of the Prayer to St Francis which contains ‘...where there is darkness let there be light....’
Thank you, Louis.
I’m right with you in searching for the right pizza dough.
I bake on a stone and look for crispy edges with a moist crust.
Curing the dough for 24 hours, lightly coated with olive oil and sealed in an airtight tub, has made more difference than almost any other factor. But I’m not there yet.
Buon appetito!
A companion seeking the ‘holy grail’ of pizza making. I am fortunate to live near a bread baker who mills organic wheat into flour in the local shop. I use to ancient grains in the mix, 20% of the flour total, to provide for an interesting dough flavor. Rest! I use 2 twenty minute rests between needing sessions! Finally, I let the dough for a thick crust pie rise in the pan for 2 hours before baking. These are changes that I have made during the past year seeking the elusive perfect pizza crust! Thanks for commenting!
Perfectly said, thank you Penelope and Heather.