Monday, April 7, 2025
Ricky Byrd on the Anne Leighton Inclusion Interview Show
Sunday, March 30, 2025
Newsletter #20 The Anne Leighton Inclusion
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 is also listing his interview at https://soundcloud.com/joe-viglione/anneleightonvideoplayback )
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.
Roger That
(Directive: Affirm!)
Inclusion
I reached out to the wrong person
and had to make a transition
to find humanity
a friend for my poetry
at Poe Cottage
He listened
first to my friend the musician
then to my never ending
idea of connecting
to create a night of poetry
at Poe Cottage
He’s written
stories about our community
and organized its history
including some teaching
manifesting our right to write
at Poe Cottage
He waited
for the people that journeyed
to a wrong location
and directed them here
walking them to Poe Cottage
To write poetry
I’m thankful
He listened and gave me
this new beginning
it’s about education
gracing kindness at Poe Cottage
in our poetry.
-2024
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Joe Viglione on The Anne Leighton Inclusion Interview Show
Saturday, March 22, 2025
We the She
(Etta, so supportive of me)
I dug her from my archives
Etta James grown up and deep
In her music, memories, her voice
the contralto that sang the lead.
And still her career goes on.
And she lifts her sisters
I met Etta on her “Seven Year Itch”
album of songs of her strength
Her story flowed
Chess had too much control
A label with 2 sessions a night
each track recorded alike
Chess fooled her big
Giving her a bill
Not paying her for gigs
saying she needed to do
more
Time to be a woman
Teach them what’s right
Finally she took her
stand
Lawyers helped checkmate
their behinds
“Love women who rock,”
she said “Bonnie Raitt,”
who sang her “At Last”
Our love is here to stay, Etta James.
‘Cause our careers go on
k.d. lang said “Etta knew
and sang songs that gripped
both freedom and its cage.”
It took 20 years
For Etta to take control
One day at a time
Healing her singing so real
Etta James Enterprises
Repeat after me, brothers and sisters
Etta James Enterprises
With help from her lawyers.
The boys helped her along
Keith Richards, Marvin Gaye, more
her career goes on
Functioning, loving sobriety
She saw real colors
like she was 15
again.
Clean and alive on stage Miss Etta
No more
stumbling!
Her music portrays
Her strength, wisdom, age
Not as a super woman
But her own determination
And vulnerability
When she was a child
Etta wanted to join the Police
but instead the Glee club
Then Johnny Otis
invited her one night
to sing for him at the hotel
Shy, she sang in the bathroom,
And he loved her
Bashful, jazzy Etta
“Over the Rainbow”
“How Deep is the Ocean”
15 turning 16—
ponytail, Levis, white shirt
Saddle shoes, tattoos
Red lips, shoplifting
Tom boy. Etta James
-January 2025
Monday, March 10, 2025
April 1: Bronx Historical Society Presents
The Kindness Session, a Poetry Workshop
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.
Monday, March 3, 2025
Doug Odell talks Cobra Kai & Prog Rock on The Anne Leighton inclusion In...
Doug Odell talks Cobra Kai & Prog Rock on The Anne Leighton inclusion Interview Show on YouTube
Premiere is Tuesday, March 4, at 6 PM ET. Doug’s the bassist for Ice Age, who I worked with in the early 2000s. The group is still recording.
Monday, February 17, 2025
John Poveromo on the Anne Leighton Inclusion Interview Show
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
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
Newsletter 19: The Anne Leighton Inclusion
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.
Here’s the
link workinggalrockandroll.blogspot.com/2025/01/acceptance-of-exceptionalism.html
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!
Sunday, January 5, 2025
Acceptance of Exceptionalism
To Lucy the Jazz Cat
My mother she told me
When I was a baby
To just grow and be the song I know
Some people they scold me
They say I’m so crazy
Wearing purple and singing so loud
This garden cans grow me
With doggies and kitties
Animals and vegetables like jazz
Self-belief does keep me
with passions continuing
accepting the weeds like I do me.
-November 4, 2024