Greg, I’ve been reading you for a very long time and just subscribed. Why? This write up made me cry. Don’t be sad. Crying is good. Hang on: we are doing it.
In the world of "LETTERS" Greg is ..Him...my mother beat me at Scrabble once, with a word I thought she concocted "ONER" nope it's a real word ..look it up..Greg is a Oner☑️💙✍️✒️
"Artistic power endures..." I am grateful to you for pointing this out, Greg, especially after the grim news you have highlighted this past week through Prevail and Brynn Tannehill on Five/8. So, in "retaliation" I've hunkered down and continue my postcard writing, blocking out all else but the belief that the "many will overcome the money." In a nod to the artists you allude to, my postcards are a collection of works by Cheryl Willis Hudson first published in "Brave. Black. First." They will be going to Black women voters in southeastern Virginia, encouraging them to vote in the primary this June. I was blown away when I opened the box to find images that could pass for oil paintings! The women illustrated on the cards comprise the gamut, from the famous to the "never heard of" in history.
As an example...Faith Ringgold, Painter, sculptor, and educator: "My process is designed to give us 'colored folk' and women a taste of the American dream straight up."
I loved this. Shelley is a favorite of mine, as well. Richard Holmes biography of Shelley is one of my more memorable books. Here is something amusing that a Facebook acquaintance of mine shared after the Tucker Carlson news:
I saw this quote this morning from one Allen - just Allen - in a conversation with Steve Martin.
"We've come full circle with AI, Steve. Soon folks will be using it for content, but then going in and adding these things and other grammar or spacing errors to cover their AI tracks. Sloppy is the new alibi."
The real reflection is: can AI write poetry, much less poetry on the level of Shelley? I don't think so right now, and it may be generations before AI can, because the goal is not perfection per se but reflection and thought and emotional projection.
AI doesn't have a heart and without heart, you can't do poetry. Somehow that made me feel better.
Magnificent piece Greg. My apologies for cancelling my paid subscription but we're having to tighten our belts significantly. I will continue to follow you and return when situations improve. Thanks!
Excellent! You continue to bring an appreciation for poetry to me that I've never had before, Greg. And I got a fit of laughter, imagining Elon Musk tweeting:
People talk about that one teacher they had that made a huge difference in their life. In my whole life I’ve never had a truly outstanding teacher, and I have two masters degrees. And because in the 1950s—before Sputnik—most tests were multiple choice, I managed to get ‘A’s in literature without reading anything. Thanks, Greg, for being my cherished Lit teacher!
The largest stone monument on Earth is the Great Pyramid of Khufu. Yet the only likeness* we have of this pharaoh, who lived 4,600 years ago is about 3 inches tall. The irony cannot be mistaken. The great works of art, especially literature and music, will endure as long humankind does, and will eventually surpass the longevity of the Great Pyramid, even if the likenesses of their creators do not. The same cannot be said of the grasping grifting garrulous Grinches of our time, or any time yet to come.
The pen is mightier than the sword ✍🏻
Greg, I’ve been reading you for a very long time and just subscribed. Why? This write up made me cry. Don’t be sad. Crying is good. Hang on: we are doing it.
In the world of "LETTERS" Greg is ..Him...my mother beat me at Scrabble once, with a word I thought she concocted "ONER" nope it's a real word ..look it up..Greg is a Oner☑️💙✍️✒️
Wow, Greg. Truly sublime.
Thank you!
Thank you...just, " Thank you." ;)
"Artistic power endures..." I am grateful to you for pointing this out, Greg, especially after the grim news you have highlighted this past week through Prevail and Brynn Tannehill on Five/8. So, in "retaliation" I've hunkered down and continue my postcard writing, blocking out all else but the belief that the "many will overcome the money." In a nod to the artists you allude to, my postcards are a collection of works by Cheryl Willis Hudson first published in "Brave. Black. First." They will be going to Black women voters in southeastern Virginia, encouraging them to vote in the primary this June. I was blown away when I opened the box to find images that could pass for oil paintings! The women illustrated on the cards comprise the gamut, from the famous to the "never heard of" in history.
https://www.cherylwillishudson.com/about
As an example...Faith Ringgold, Painter, sculptor, and educator: "My process is designed to give us 'colored folk' and women a taste of the American dream straight up."
I loved this. Shelley is a favorite of mine, as well. Richard Holmes biography of Shelley is one of my more memorable books. Here is something amusing that a Facebook acquaintance of mine shared after the Tucker Carlson news:
"My name is Tuckermandias, Host of Hosts;
Look on my smirk, ye Mighty, and despair!"
AI is mightier than the pen.
I saw this quote this morning from one Allen - just Allen - in a conversation with Steve Martin.
"We've come full circle with AI, Steve. Soon folks will be using it for content, but then going in and adding these things and other grammar or spacing errors to cover their AI tracks. Sloppy is the new alibi."
The real reflection is: can AI write poetry, much less poetry on the level of Shelley? I don't think so right now, and it may be generations before AI can, because the goal is not perfection per se but reflection and thought and emotional projection.
AI doesn't have a heart and without heart, you can't do poetry. Somehow that made me feel better.
Magnificent piece Greg. My apologies for cancelling my paid subscription but we're having to tighten our belts significantly. I will continue to follow you and return when situations improve. Thanks!
Excellent! You continue to bring an appreciation for poetry to me that I've never had before, Greg. And I got a fit of laughter, imagining Elon Musk tweeting:
‘My name is Musk, King of Twitter;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!’
Funny because he's Elmo.
Certainly a strong stroker of words in a swimming world.
Claire
People talk about that one teacher they had that made a huge difference in their life. In my whole life I’ve never had a truly outstanding teacher, and I have two masters degrees. And because in the 1950s—before Sputnik—most tests were multiple choice, I managed to get ‘A’s in literature without reading anything. Thanks, Greg, for being my cherished Lit teacher!
The largest stone monument on Earth is the Great Pyramid of Khufu. Yet the only likeness* we have of this pharaoh, who lived 4,600 years ago is about 3 inches tall. The irony cannot be mistaken. The great works of art, especially literature and music, will endure as long humankind does, and will eventually surpass the longevity of the Great Pyramid, even if the likenesses of their creators do not. The same cannot be said of the grasping grifting garrulous Grinches of our time, or any time yet to come.
*https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khufu_Statuette
Swish Swish Bysshe. Another one in the basket. Kindness prevails!
Stroker like in swimming
Breaststroke for example
Shelley, Yeats, TS Elliot...
Writers & poets to learn and live by a life time over, no doubt.