Author Archives: JMN

Unknown's avatar

About JMN

I live in Texas and devote much of my time to easel painting on an amateur basis. I stream a lot of music, mostly jazz, throughout the day. I like to read and memorize poetry.

Rudolfo Anaya (1937 — 2020)

Posted on July 6, 2020 by JMN

“Bless Me, Ultima” repeatedly drew the ire of censors, who cited what they viewed as foul language and anti-Catholic messaging… The book was banned in California, Colorado and… New Mexico. In 1981, the school board in Bloomfield, N.M., burned copies … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Translated Poem: ‘In the March’

Posted on July 5, 2020 by JMN

In the MarchRené Char (1907 — 1988)(Translated from the French by JMN) These incessant and phosphorescent streaks of death upon self that we read in the eyes of those who love us, without wanting to conceal them from them. Must … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthology | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

What Does a Poem “Say”?

Posted on July 2, 2020 by JMN

The poem is “A Future History” by Suzi L. Garcia (Poetry, March 2020). It’s a short prose poem. For my own purposes I want to paraphrase it to suggest what I think it’s “about.” I’m not at all sure this … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthology | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Vectors

Posted on June 30, 2020 by JMN

On Sunday, [Texas governor] Abbott said that as many as 5,000 people a day were being diagnosed with the virus… … Vice-president [Pence] also urged Texans to wear masks “wherever it’s indicated”, saying “we know from experience, it will slow … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged | Leave a comment

Texas, Florida, Arizona, England

Posted on June 28, 2020 by JMN

“We’re on a knife edge, it’s very precarious the situation, particularly in England at the moment, and I would anticipate we would see an increase in new cases over the coming weeks.” (Sir Jeremy Farrar of SAGE) The warning comes … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Islamic Influence on Dylan’s Hair

Posted on June 27, 2020 by JMN

Milton Glaser is dead at 91. His life and work are exhilarating. For the Dylan poster, a promotional piece included in the 1967 album “Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits,” he created a simple outline of the singer’s head, based on a … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Manifestoid 2 of 2

Posted on June 26, 2020 by JMN

Black lives matter. I’m a lay reader of Poetry, the magazine founded in 1912 by Harriet Monroe. I’m reading backward through my current 102 issues. “I — the telltale animal — rest my throat / against the snare of you, … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthology, Commentary, Quotations | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Manifestoid 1 of 2

Posted on June 25, 2020 by JMN

A correspondent writes: Watched the lunchtime news, it veers between positivity and warnings that leaves the head spinning and the heart pumping. In that last sentence, should it be ‘leave’ or ‘leaves’. I had ‘leaves’ because it is the veering … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Hello Again to All That

Posted on June 23, 2020 by JMN

… A land whose… mountainous terrain renders it all but impossible to conquer. American soldiers deployed to the country as recently as last night had trouble articulating what their mission there was, short of making it home in one piece. … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Alert the Media

Posted on June 22, 2020 by JMN

A TikTok celebrity hailing from Gen Z complains of being confused with millenials. “Just because you’re so old you can’t remember the difference, doesn’t mean it’s OK to lump us altogether,” she said. (Poppy Noor, “So Gen Z-ers hate millennials … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment