My interview on Cats and Music with Ian Anderson goes live at 8 am ET/1 pm UK/5 am PT on Sunday, August 10. Stories from this interview will be included in a speech I'll deliver this Thanksgiving for an online Cats and Music Symposium presented by Leuphana University of Lüneburg in Germany. The topic focuses on my timeless classic artists--Jethro Tull, Grand Funk Railroad, and Renaissance's Annie Haslam--helping cats. including rescue groups and taking in strays.
I plan to make these interviews a regular thing beyond just my artists, and will do interviews with many more music people that have helped cats and learned from them!
Live on YouTube is my interview with Chicago's Lisa Torem, author of five books on Billy Joel, Suzanne Vega, Tori Amos, including co-writes with Ava Cherry and Jim Peterick. She's also a music journalist, songwriter, public speaker. A big topic in our interview is resilience.
Charu Suri, who is playing Carnegie Hall for the fifth time, is the guest on my Anne Leighton Inclusion Interview Show. We talk about the calming magic of ragas, family, travel, and kindness. Her concert is July 25. Lots of special guests, and she'll be sharing a new album, "Shayan" for our healing. https://youtu.be/3e3fxA_B3-k?si=WGDdvAjZ5N3Bz_ZK
Peppy Castro (Blues Magoos, Balance, Alessi, Hair, Barnaby Bye, and that's just the 1960s through the '80s) and I philosophize about inclusion, competition, Greenwich Village, friendship, entrepreneurialism, and enthusiasm on the Anne Leighton Inclusion Interview Show, now live!
We also worked with Jay and the Americans at the same time!
I'm excited to have my longtime friend Stewart Brodian on the Anne Leighton Inclusion. A "self-made-man," Stewart offers insight on how he's dealt with the health care system, plus created career opportunities and his art--music, books, radio shows, a TV pilot, online shows.... You name it. The man is a creative force with an ear for talent and a nose like Howard Stern's! Well, tune in. You'll find out what that's about!
I enjoyed this interview with Detroit writer/drummer/marketing pro/weightlifter and friend Sonya Mastick. We talked about inclusion, especially for creative artists and ways she learned about herself through some challenging times.
Denise Miller joins me on a special Memorial Day episode of The Anne Leighton Inclusion. She wrote a song "Richard," which says "Thank You" to our veterans. In addition to talking about Denise's work in Mental Health and Music, we talk about why we say "thank you" to the members of our military. The show goes live on YouTube on Tuesday, May 20 at 6 PM ET/ 5 CT / 4 PM MT/ 3 PM PT.
It's a pleasure to have Pidgie Panzarino on the Anne Leighton Inclusion Interview Show, which goes live on Tuesday, May 6, at 6 PM ET/4 PM MT. We'll be talking about disability and Creative Perseverance. https://youtu.be/eEeiAQUQ4ko?si=LYc94T8u7A5aMd31 via @YouTube
A special episode of the Anne Leighton Inclusion Interview Show. In light of what's going on with the U.S.A.'s Health and Human Services controversy on Autism, I decided to go to my friend Heather Sell on her work getting AutisticallyYours.com/join-us off the ground. One note, she'd like to set up a registry for scientific purposes, not eugenics. She's embraced her autism.
Joan Hammel will be on the Anne Leighton Inclusion Interview Show on Tuesday evening at 5 PM CT/6 PM ET. We talk about using her talents to bring life to the world. She's performed for the USO, written for the National Parks Service including collaborating with a member of the Yakima Tribe with Faran Sohappy, which led to a NAMMY Nomination. She earned an Emmy for her music on "It's Fun to Be Fit" for the CBS affiliate—WKRS-Chicago. Her singing is in the Flight 93 Museum, and she was part of a SAG AFTRA team of actors that worked with Blind Students at Chicago's Legendary Steppenwolf Theatre. She has many more contributions to the community. Listen and love. Thanks!
Ricky Byrd on the Anne Leighton Inclusion Interview Show live on Tuesday at 6 PM ET/ 3 PM PT/ 11 PM UK Time. Ricky Byrd, who has a new album "NYC Made" on Wicked Cool Records. We also talk about recovery and connecting with people. https://youtu.be/fr2jcPZsd5c?si=LmlCeoVx1bQ2e2Eu via @YouTube
Good wishes. I’m
getting ready for my second Kindness Session, happening on Tuesday, April 1, 6
pm, at the Poe Cottage. This one found
support in a number of media outlets including my hometown paper, “The Norwood
News,” “Riverdale Press,” “Bronx Tourism” website, and New York City’s “Thought
Gallery,” which lists major talks including events happening at the 92nd
Y.
My poem for this letter is “Roger That” (Directive:
Affirm!), which is dedicated to Roger McCormick who made these events
happen.(He also had me join the poets
at Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday this past January.I told him I’d love to help him find poets
for next year. If you’re in the New York City area on January 19, and have a
favorite Poe poem and want to write something inspired by him to share, send me
a note!
Kindness is important
if you lead community organizations. Leaders have a responsibility for
inclusion, not ignoring or belittling people that want to be involved with creating
events even if they don’t make a difference. I recently started the Anne
Leighton Inclusion Interview Show, and am aiming to create new broadcasts every
two weeks. Recently I had the pleasure to interview Joe Viglione, a musician
that’s creating a documentary about bullying in senior housing. This and other
interviews, including a recent one with New Jersey comedian John Poveromo are
shared alongside some of my poems, including “Roger That,” at workinggalrockandroll.blogspot.com.
Joe was big into grants and fundraising for his work, and
offered some advice in his interview. After this workshop, I’ll be reaching out
to some organizations and sponsors, including a tasty candymaker that doesn’t
use corn syrup, to get behind the Kindness Session. I’m looking for an outlet
that we can include our poems and short writers, as well as “Kindness in the
News Stories” on the website. If you have any suggestions, let me know.
Hoping you’re having a nice spring, and finding ways to lift
up your friends.
Bronx
Historical Society is presenting "The Kindness Session," a poetry
workshop on recognizing the difference between kindness and cruelty to channel
that in our writing on April 1 at 6 PM till approximately 7:45. The Poetry
Workshop takes place at Poe Cottage, 2640 Grand Concourse, in the Bronx.
Subways near the Visitors Center are the 4, B, and D train at the
Kingsbridge stop. Buses to the Center are Bx9, Bx22, Bx28, Bx38, and
BxM4 (Express bus). The Poe Visitors Center is up the Hill from
the Fordham Metro North train stop.
Led by
area poet Anne Leighton, the Kindness Session will include sharing works
from classic and contemporary including Edgar Allen Poe, Naomi Shihab
Nye, Muhammad Ali, as well as selected poems from attendees.
Once the
attendees discuss poems, they’ll be encouraged to think of incidents where they
recognize kindness from life experiences, friends and acquaintances, and
how it affected their lives. From there, writers will be encouraged to create a
first draft of poetry. Writers will read their poems, and be encouraged to
revise a first draft by the first week of May.
Anne
Leighton appears on the Grammy-nominated album, “Healthy Food for Thought:
Good Enough to Eat,” (Audio & Video Labs) reading her poem “Feed Your
Parents Well.” She’s contributed to The Indie Collaborative, The Literary
Parrot, Elephant Journal. Her poetry book “The Leighton Explosion” made
enough of a profit to use her earnings to record an original song, “Got My Eye
on You, Santa,” which found her a publishing deal with Sheer Music South
Africa/Downtown Music, USA. Anne's performed in the Bronx at ART in the Basin,
Johnny Zs, and throughout New York State include NYC's Nuyorican Poets Cafe and
Peter Max's Studio.
John Poveromo is the next guest on the Anne Leighton
Inclusion Interview Show. Which goes live Tuesday evening 6 pm ET/3 pm
PT/midnight (Wed. morning Cape Town time.
I fell in love with the range of musicians, comedians, and
health experts that John has on his podcast, "Dystopia Tonight.” John's a working comedian with a wide range of
talent including cartoon art, writing, filmmaking, organizing, and creating
projects.
We talk about personal experiences with depression, mental
health, and the challenges of navigating the current political and social
climate. The interview also shares our experiences with social media,
creativity, and travel, with a focus on the importance of empathy,
understanding different perspectives, and supporting those who are struggling. He
created an indie movie, "Duppet," a short that visualizes depression.
Two other deep topics were our love for the TV show,
"Supernatural" and John's hair care routine!
Everyone should tune in to John's M.S. Telethon happening
this March 26-27. Type up this link for
the Telethon broadcast page:bit.ly/dystopiaallnight25
Wishing you
a great 2025. I’m looking at my home as the safest place in the world, because
it’s just me and the cats. Even so, I’ve been going out a lot over the winter,
which has been a great way to start my days. I think the cold weather
just wakes me up, especially if I’m wearing the seasonal colors reds and greens
this time of the year.
Years ago, I
wrote articles for a Feng Shui Master. Often, we collaborated on pieces
about renewal in the new year and developing awareness of the world around us
and ourselves. Red stands for heat and fire energy, and green is for the
earth and money.
I’m thankful
for the warmth and earth energy some poets and I will be surrounded with this
Sunday, January 19, from 1 till 5 pm, when a group of us will read at the Poe
Cottage to celebrate Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday. I’ll be sharing “The
Bells” and a new poem I wrote called “Black Cat” about standing up to a monster
who has been exorcised from my neighborhood, and never had a black cat!
On the 25th,
I’m presenting a new poem about Etta James for We the She at Silvana, 300 West
116th Street for a blues night my buddy Val Kinzler is
organizing. When I was given this assignment, it was to write a blues poem
about all the blues women. I said “I’d like to write about Etta, because she
embodied the We the She spirit,” telling me to check out Bonnie Raitt when I
interviewed her back in the 1980s. The idea is how she was lifting other women
up! A few days later, Val sent a note, “Hey, it’s Etta’s birthday January 25!”
This month I
wrote a poem, “Acceptance of Exceptionalism” for one of my friends, Lucy
Kalantari, who is up for her second Grammy award for her music, and she’s also
produced Grammy-winning and nominated albums for other artists.
I wrote the
poem before I met Lucy. One of my clients, songwriter/playwright Eileen
Sherman (who wrote “Kwanzaa’s Pure Light,” a song I’m plugging to schools )
throws luncheons early January at an amazing New York City restaurant. This
year she invited us to Sardi’s, which has been on my bucket list for decades.
As soon as I spoke, Lucy jumped up, “Anne! This is the first time we’re
meeting!” I cheered on her Jazz Cats. In private I told her I wrote a poem for
her! It's about how each generation becomes more self-assured because of our
mothers; my mom taught me to fight City Hall, which is a great thing to write
about, because I think we all have responsibilities to ourselves and future
generations!
