Its a breath of fresh air, beauty, and innovative thinking! This is so well thought out and written. Thank you so much for the recommendation. Harmony is going on all the time; weve just got, Pity and Praise are both Projections (Quote by Jena Schwartz), Gingery Sweet Potato Stew with Kale (Recipe), Blessing of Courage (Poem by Jan Richardson), Lengthening Our Days (New Abstract Conceptualist Painting in Pastel), Hike Photos from Huntington State Park (February 2023), Dont Feel Sorry for Yourself (New Poem by Polly Castor), Jen Evenhus Workshop in Saco, Maine (Photos), Pot-Roasted Celeriac (Celery Root) with Horseradish Sauce (Recipe), Agony (New Good Friday Poem by Polly Castor), Practicing Direction (New Poem by Polly Castor). Im new to your site and I love todays post about being grateful! Thank you for your blog. You are such a gem Polly- it is an incredible blessing to daily read your blog! All Rights Reserved. Very clear. Kurt Vonnegut, who is considered something of a left-wing icon, was in Dresden as a POW during the attack. I made your fabulous Fish Tacos and they were BEYOND delicious!! This blog is so prolific and original, inspiring and joy producing. Research more than one hundred agents who represent poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers, plus details about the kinds of books theyre interested in representing, their clients, and the best way to contact them. $17.95. Yes, lots of good flavor triggers in there. But today you are on top. Kurt Vonnegut's Magpie More on why it's okay to be interested in everything. Polly, I love your poem you were never unwanted. Read select articles from the award-winning magazine and consult the most comprehensive listing of literary grants and awards, deadlines, and prizewinners available in print. This poem is what I needed to further focus on moving out of the fear of COVID., I have tremendous admiration for your strength, your depth, your compassion, your passion and your love. Thank you. There is lots that I relate to in your comments! Putting the art of poetry, photography and painting into your hands is Gods gift to us who get to read it and see it. What an incredible blessing and inspiration you are. like a bird, natural and beautiful, just singing out truth in her special song on a fine winter morning. This poem really hit home. Polly, your reflection of Souls endless creativity is truly wonderful! Thank you for focusing in on and capturing the little things we so often pass by and/or take for granted. It says with abundant clarity what thousands upon thousands of thoughtful men and women think and believe. I have been blessed beyond words by your daily posts. Love the black and white contrasts enhanced by the light. Twitter. THANK you for sharing so abundantly! Thank you for getting it out there. Page Count: 316. Thank you for all your uplifting daily contributions, wherever form they take photos, recipes, artwork, book reviews and smiley faces! And being possessed of less than superlative gifts doesnt mean you shouldnt pursue writing. Now available: The Poets & Writers Guide to Publicity and Promotion, The Poets & Writers Guide to the Book Deal, The Poets & Writers Guide to Literary Agents, The Poets & Writers Guide to MFA Programs, and The Poets & Writers Guide to Writing Contests. You show great courage, humility, and such support for everyone around you. Thank you for this beautiful poem. Your food is presented in such an artistic way that it looks beautiful, wholesome and totally delicious!! And, Offit says, I have to tell you: the gift for narrative, for storytelling, is rarer than the gift for poetic prose or elegant languageit isnt even close. He adds, The students I have had over the years who could write stories were eventually published.. Not necessarily. Well done Polly, I love your book reviews! Real winners do not need validation. The beautiful must wear hideous masks or disfigure themselves, the intelligent must listen to earsplitting noises . Polly always captures the balance between what I can do, and all the miraclesI am given. Your blog has inspired me to get back into painting, cooking, prayer and meditation. Thank you for bringing such beauty into my every day. . His works combine science, black comedy, and satire. And I told him, no I dont play any sports. This speaks to me. I just adore all of your wonderful posts and everything that you share so generously. I always appreciate your reviews. Polly! New York: Delacorte Press. Love your blogs colour and joyfulness and the inspiring leads, Polly. This is relevant and an excellent way for me to look at some situations I have been in recently. He has been a reporter for public radio, a . She lives in New York City and Wellfleet, Massachusetts with her husband, a sculptor, Gary Kuehn. And I sure do thank you for inspiring me to greater efforts along all lines of life! Like this: Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. This has needed to be said for a while! An anthology series focusing on various stories from Kurt Vonnegut's acclaimed collection "Welcome to the Monkey House". Trying to get your work published can feel like wandering in a maze. Your photos have opened my eyes to the beauty surrounding us everywhere. Your site is bolstering my creative thoughts. I have just started this book and am really loving it! I love your blog! Easy to see why you are much loved. The unlikely leap from freelance popular fiction writingthat left . This is a fantastic article Pollyso much in it, I know Ill have to re read it at least twice more! This is such a wonderful venture. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Thank you for sharing its beauty. Charles J. Shields is the author of And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut: A Life, Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee, the highly acclaimed, bestselling biography of Harper Lee, and I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers). Kurt Vonnegut Junior was born in Indianapolis into a prosperous German-American family whose fortunes plummeted while he was young. This suspicion is left over from a legend, Vonnegut says in the finished article. Add to library. Thank you for using this platform to share these references for listening & learning. I loved this book, Polly. Kurt didnt really believe you could teach a person how to write if the ability wasnt there to begin with.. Thank you for this. Let the world know about your work by posting your events on our literary events calendar, apply to be included in our directory of writers, and more. To see what your friends thought of this quote, please sign . "No damn cat, and no damn cradle." (Vonnegut 66). Im fascinated by all you do! so inundated with the myth of Talent, that I thought it was . Kurt Vonnegut, pictured in 1981, was a prisoner of war in Germany during World War II and survived the bombing of Dresden. Thank you for being a motivator. You inspired me to do the same thing. I for one want to thank you so much for writing this blog. Every day I look for the interesting ideas you amplify and the lovely arts you share with us. So beautiful, Polly. That definitely sounds like a book Id like to read! I have so enjoyed your recent posts about your garden, your reflections about parenting, your vibrant artwork so many wonderful expressions of Spirit. He wrote a (highly fictionalized) account of the events in his most well-known book Slaughterhouse Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death [note 9] and goes as far as quoting David Irving - On the number of victims that . Once again, you have come through for us with such clear and coherent thinking and put into words the feelings in our hearts. Thank you for letting the divine shine through you so brightly! Gorgeous new work. I feel like an armchair adventurer. He had an extra gear, language-wise, Vonneguts son Mark says of his father. The outstanding photos and the amazing narratives made me feel I was on vacation for a few minutes each day. Thanks Polly! Im a fan! Graciously and lovingly spoken, like a true friend to all. Copyright Poets & Writers 2023. I love these particular colors together and the different styles and techniques really give it a lot of depth and texture. Your zest for the good things in life makes me feel happy too! I shared it with my mom, an artist, and she is impressed with your art. Im sharing your joy in our Source. 02-04-2004Identifier http://hdl.handle.net/2186/ksl:casetv-6225Known as one of America's literary giants, Kurt Vonnegut visited the campus in 2004 to meet wi. In Pity the Reader: On Writing With Style, Suzanne McConnell collects the teachings of her former professor, Kurt Vonnegut, in a single volume. Thank you for this compelling essay. Kurt Vonnegut. Your art, your poetry, your philosophy, your religion, your book reviews, your photography, your husband! I had been raised in such an achievement-oriented environment, so inundated with the myth of Talent, that I thought it was only worth doing things if you could "Win" at them.". Wow, super powerful and definitely what I needed to hear today. What a delight to experience the beauty of nature you shared of your slice of the world through these beautiful photos. I keep coming back to look at the paintings again. Outstanding, superb and beyond all imagination. Thank you! Required fields are marked *. Ive just finished this book and I loved it! report a missed issue; contact us. To celebrate the centennial of his birth, here are a few of our favorite . Just a wonderland of possibilities and ideas and the materials to explore and discover. Thank you!! Again and again, these questions arise. Brilliant!!!! Outstanding message! Hi Polly, loved this poem. Absolutely stunning, Polly. You are so incredibly sweet, gracious, kind, thoughtful, creative, generous, joyful, witty, courageous, tender, persistent, compassionate, brilliant, articulate, ad infinitum! Polly this is absolutely exquisite and so inspiring. It's not always easy and there are so many people already doing it. Thank you for this exercise in balance, Polly. This morning I went from fasting to feasting . Yes!! A wonderful poem Polly! Perspective is everything and choosing a liberating one blesses everyone, as you point out! Drawn to Jewish humor as a panacea, only two years after he attempted suicide in 1984, Vonnegut appeared in a comedy film, " Back to School ," starring Jacob Cohen, who performed under the . You have a great eye for beauty Polly. Excellent post, dear Polly! I had been raised in such an achievement-oriented environment, so inundated with the myth of Talent, that I thought it was only worth doing things if you could "Win" at them. Thank you for Saying So Well What Needs To Be SAID! A wonderful poem Polly! Your reading challenge has inspired me and given me permission to read again, as previously I had just fitted reading round everything else. I had been raised in such an achievement-oriented environment, so inundated with the myth of Talent, that I thought it was only worth doing things if you could "Win" at them.". document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Absolutely beautiful!!! And I told him, no I dont play any sports. Other flowers are lovely too, but hydrangeas are SPECIAL. Love all you do and express. Interviewer: Do you really think creative writing can be taught? ) -But if it sets your soul on fire, just . I love it! Helen Frankenthalers works were interesting, but I like your abstracts better. Player Piano (1952) Buy on Amazon. Thank you for passing along such wise words. At eighty-plus he was still doing the New York Times crossword puzzles quickly As soon as I told him the verb came last, he could translate my Latin homework at sight, without having ever taken Latin., Further in the Paris Review interview, Vonnegut calls writing a trade.. Find details about every creative writing competitionincluding poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, grants for translators, and morethat weve published in the Grants & Awards section of Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. Because I went from a failure, someone who hadn't been talented enough at anything to excel, to someone who did things because I enjoyed them. Well Done! Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1979. Kurt Vonnegut . Please click below to make a donation via PayPal. Kurt Vonnegut, whose dark, satirical vision in works including "Slaughterhouse-Five" and "Cat's Cradle" was shaped by the horrors he witnessed during World War II, has died at age 84. I appreciate the joy, inspiration, and great information you provide us in your blogs. But man, I wanted to ask him why he was up there, being paid by our tuitions and wasting his own time teaching us if it were so pointless, rather than skulking around the mean streets of Chicago, where he presumably had picked up the knack. 1922, Indianapolis; d. last night [Apr. Your posts are treasure troves of your beautiful and giving heart. Thanks, Polly, for listening so carefully and sharing so selflessly.