Invite to Submit to Poets for Harris Walz Online Get Together by August 23

The Reading Takes Place Online Sunday, September 1

Poets for Harris Walz are inviting poets inspired by the candidates of Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz to join our online reading event. Poets for Harris Walz takes place on Sunday, Sept. 1, 7-9 pm ET/ 4-6 pm PT/ midnight–2 am in the UK.

Poets for Harris Walz is the brainchild of Bronx friends Dona Elena Hatcher, Tina Jackson, Rhonda Lyles, and Anne Leighton. All four have had a range of relationships from friends that were unkind to others with what’s become known in healing circles as “weird behavior” (mean people). We know there are others that have come out with poetry that can help move us all forward.

Twelve poets will be selected to read their poetry within a seven-minute performance time.  They will be chosen from submissions based on the relevance to our topic by the four curators of this event.   

All submission and contact information listed below:

*Poems should be attached as a word docx and in the body of one email including all contact info. 

*Poems should be single spaced and 12-point font, and titled. 

*Include a one or two sentence bio and recent career highlights.

*Deadline for submission is August 23 midnight ET/9 pm PT/ 5 AM 24 of August UK Time.

Curator Emails for Submissions: Dona Elena Hatcher dramadona1@yahoo.com, Tina Louise Jackson: jacksontina578@gmail.com, Anne Leighton: LeightonMedia@aol.com and Anne@AnneLeighton.com, Rhonda Lyles: lylesrhonda@yahoo.com

Poets own their writing and biographies, and acknowledge we will be posting their performances on YouTube, Facebook, and Linkedin. The video might be shared by others around the world.

If this event goes well, we’ll do more online events.

Dona Elena Hatcher is the owner of Take Flight Talent Workshops. She is the author of the poetry book, “Word Dances Poems on Pointe.” https://store.bookbaby.com/profile/WordDancesPoemsonPointe  Email: dramadona1@yahoo.com.

Tina Jackson  will be releasing her long-awaited poetry book, "Scars From An Addict" soon.  Her most recent book, “Love Don’t Hit” is a novel about a woman who is physically, mentally, and verbally abused by her man.   www.instagram.com/tinajackson7858/  Email: jacksontina578@gmail.com

Anne Leighton’s poetry book “The Leighton Explosion” is published by Soul Asylum Books, Canada.  She’s working on The Anne Leighton Inclusion Interview Show. WorkingGalRockandRoll.blogspot.com.  Email: LeightonMedia@aol.com and Anne@AnneLeighton.com.

Rhonda Lyles is an Author, Entrepreneur, Mother, Grandmother, and Inspirational/Motivational Speaker.  Since publishing her first book, “My Thoughts” in April of 2015, she written 13 more books—most recently  “Loved Despite My Scars.” Email: lylesrhonda@yahoo.com

 

Newsletter 16 The Anne Leighton Inclusion

Poetry newsletter August 2024  

Since my last newsletter in 2022, I’ve journeyed from the depths of sadness for delusional love that never was! This trip help me learn—by observing and categorizing misguided hate—the actions from people that look down on you--from where ever I am, not them. 

As a noun, Hate is a manifestation of people’s actions and thoughts. As a verb, Hate is action.

Another manifestation is our writing.

I’m on a Love Conquers All path to create an infrastructure that includes The Anne Leighton Inclusion Interview Show and time to write.  

The Main hub of my writing work is my poetry website-- workinggalrockandroll.blogspot.com. The latest is a celebration of my Mom’s 100^th birthday which I finished writing for her Feb. 18 birthday, two days later at Art-in-the-Basin. I posted “Happy 100th Birthday, Mom (Dedicated to Halin Pryves Leighton)” on Sunday because of Kamala Harris. (She had some healing energy on this journey, classifying deliberately mean behavior as “weird,” but not in a creative sense manifested by artists. The poem salutes some of my ancestry including roots from India….  The last verse blew my mind--it was about my cats and not having children.

Also here at workinggalrockandroll.blogspot.com is a link to my first interview for the Leighton Inclusion. The third entry is with Tina Jackson, a former neighbor from the Bronx. Over the past ten years we’ve egged each other away from abuse. She released her first novel, "Love Don't Hit," and has been promoting herself in ways I need to learn! Now she’s working on a poetry book.

I’m creating poetry workshops inspired by Emily Dickinson—to understand the difference between kindness and cruelty. Tina will join me in some big workshops, and talk about getting out of abusive situations.

We like the idea of connecting with people that live love as opposed to those that are mean. Here's a link from a show one of my artists, Val Kinzler created as a series of “We the She” concerts in New York City.

Val had me write a poem, “We The She.” That segment starts about 39 minutes in; the poem tells my story of shaming a friend after an unsuccessful hookup with a rock star I was in love with back then. She gave him hell for not interacting with fans, and back then I told her she shouldn’t have stood up to the guy like that, 'cause I wanted him to like me next time we met if we ever talk…. Like he's gonna actually remember me!

I could’ve lost a friendship with someone that went to bat for me as opposed to someone that didn't like me.  

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NPv0c4GPss&t=2605s

Words are important, and we need to understand them for what they are. There’s so much about “Inclusion” being a negative word lately.  "Inclusion" means "Everyone needs a lift, and someone thinks you're worth it. It's belonging with people that care about you. 

Send the elevator down!

Let me make one thing perfectly clear. AnneLeightonInclusion is who I am. It’s become as much of my brand as my exuberant poetry book, "The Anne Leighton Explosion."

I Need Your Help For My New Poem—in progress.  In fact, let’s call it, “In Progress”!!!!!

I fight City Hall and want to see change. Whether it does or doesn't, I have to be the change I want to see, because that's what I want in the world. That kind of recovery helps me slow down to observe, and recognize “mean” and kindness.  

Just because I’m a writer, that doesn't mean I'm diplomatic. I've been blunt and humorous-in-an-outspoken way to every one of them.   

Give me some advice on diplomacy and I’ll work on it and turn it into a poem. 

One more link: If you have access to Facebook, please listen to my Art-in-the-Basin reading. Most of the poems were written after The Leighton Explosion, so I'm still at it. There's also a reading of the poem about my Mom on her 100th Birthday. 

www.facebook.com/artinthebasin/videos/931976168342958

Thank you for reading and checking out my work. I love encouragement like that. Hoping you have a cool summer! 

 

 

 

Ask Me Anything

Dear Dearest Friend

when it’s too late—

please say something nice about me.

Love trickles down—this I must believe. 

If anyone is to be free 

it’s us loudly shoving that reality,

Let the meek inherit the earth   

put your hurt on the front burner 

for us all to comfort together  

My Beloved Family,

I stand my ground

even when you put me down. 

Emancipation Proclamation!

Do some homework, and learn what that means

Dignity must descend to daughters and sons!

Let the meek inherit the earth   

put your hurt on the front burner 

for us all to comfort together  

My amazing country,

I declare freedom

but sometimes you ask me for too much.

It starts with my neighbor and in my backyard.

I’ve called your offices, sent you emails,

So don’t condemn us citizens for our requests.

Let the meek inherit the earth   

put your hurt on the front burner 

for us all to comfort together  

Brothers and sisters

asking for attention.

Partners on our journeys.

“They’d like to help you if they can find the time

but they’re doting over Facebook and some in-laws that died.”

I’ll only keep you a while. I know if I’m nice, they’ll be nicer. 

hahahahahaha

I don’t know. 

oh,

give it up, nobody cares, 

I can’t solve a problem but I can sing,

and maybe then someone will be listening

Let the meek inherit the earth

put your hurt on the front burner 

for us all to comfort together

-Anne Leighton, 2017

My Friend

"Find me on snopes," posted Baby Dragon.

"I'm not photoshopped by your Facebook friend."

She breathes out smoke, 

and tenderly moves it away from me, waving her thin wings.

She stands up to those monsterly women in the 'hood. 

"They need cigarettes to blow smoke," 

she gloats with a puff and shake of her lean lizard physique,

"Their clothes so tight, their breasts crease into four boobs!'

She flies as wind beneath my wings spiritually

snapping a portrait of me from so high,

"You smile," she delivers in a text,

"You, I respect, forget the rest."

Unfolding

"Is it who folded the universe
that matters
or how I would open it...."

There's a zen when you're in the life of your art that helps you find gigs, and other cool things that sustain your art. It really comes into play when you communicate with folks.

I decided in order to promote THE LEIGHTON EXPLOSION that I'd go on a trip down memory lane, and reconnect with old friends--people who saw me working in radio, on TV, in magazines, with bands, journalists, friends from college and high school.

It's kismet as I'm making these calls, because I'm also hearing from other folks who've been in my thoughts through the years. It's really just part of life to be connected with people from the past, present, and even the future.

When I posted about this Kickstarter campaign on my Facebook, Cornelius Eady asked me about it. He's always been in my mind as a great poet, understanding his own voice and being respected by both Academia and the Outlaw communities. But more so, he's had a wide musical influence in his work, so it felt so natural when he told me he also works with musicians.

"Let's do a show!" I said, even though I had initially planned to start gigging in the fall. I thought it'd be a big production! (Well, Yes and no... that's gonna be another story or two or three!)

As soon as Cornelius said he wanted to do a show w/ me late March/early April, I e-mailed my musician friend Jim Gibson (who was in Tooth Fairy, a band BBC's late great DJ John Peel loved).

Tonight, as I told another publicist about my campaign, she said to contact a poet she knew, that also had rock & roll roots. And then another friend told me to write to someone who booked poets AND folk singers in his market...

Click This Sentence To See This Essay On My Kickstarter Page:

please spread the word: It's good to talk with your federal representatives

This is your mouth on open--Use it!

I want to start by writing that I think most of my Facebook friends are smarter than many people who work in TV news. I am seeing that many news folks are sensationalizing unfacts or how people react at Town Halls. We need to spend time getting to the source for news stories, the web has a lot of information related to most of the news stories. We can actually go to sites like http://thomas.loc.gov/ to read pending legislation, works that are still in committee, and also get the voting record of the folks in DC. After that, we can contact our legislators (thomas.loc also has leads to each legislator at every State.)

I spoke with aides at Eliot Engel's (my congressman) and Kirsten Gillibrand's (one of my senators) offices. Both stated that the Public Option is still in both bills. The Senator's office stated that a lot of work still needs to be done in creating the first bill for insurance reform, including regulation for the insurance agencies. The companies don't want that regulation because they want to make more money. But aren't you sick of spending money to companies who act entitled to everything, but don't value their customers?

My younger brother is a Republican, who worked in Washington, DC in the '80s. He continues to follow current events. He will publicly state the bad customer service practices of insurance companies, and knows they have to be reigned in and regulated. His wife, who works in hospice, also knows that freedomworks is not doing right by the American people by stating the government is going to help Granny die. There is no Death panel for anybody in any of these bills before Congress.

After you chat with your representatives, have them answer your questions, and give insight to what's in these bills, which are still being worked on. Then I urge you to talk with friends and family in different parts of the country. URGE them to call their federal representatives with questions. Urge your friends to urge your federal representatives include the public options for health care. I'm a New Yorker--we have our health care taken care of through a sliding scale. We can have check ups, and pay what we can afford whenever we have cash on hand. It works, and most New Yorkers are very supportive of this. This health care system is one of the reasons that New York City is an extremely productive community.

But there are folks all over this country who are not lucky enough to have the benefits that New Yorkers have. I want the same compassion for them.

Understand that when people are not flooding their hard-earned money to life Insurance company executives' extravagances, they will have more money to spend. It's also okay for a little bit of "sin" tax on sweets and sodas--we know that's extra.

We also should not construe "socialism" with investing in our needs or helping our neighbor. As I see it, more recent than how our country was founded was the way our country was built. If someone's house burnt down, our great grandparents would have helped them rebuild their house. And what the heck, if you consider paying taxes to help the poor people to be socialism, then get to know a poor person-- be social; you'll want to help them after you get to know them. Believe it or not, some of my best friends and I are financially-challenged. But boy are we smart, resourceful, and we can teach the richest person something about budgeting!

The poor people paid their share of taxes to help America hurt other countries. Let's have them get helped because everyone is productive in this country.

Something I realized is the amount of service that many poor people give to the very well-to-do. From waiters and shop workers who sell cigars to auto mechanics, and contractors, even publicists--people are very much of service to rich people. They are only paid a certain amount of money for their work. Making sure everyone gets health care will allow the rich to continue paying whatever they currently pay, while the people who service them will keep their health, and also keep money flowing. That's capitalism, and actually very close to what Adam Smith had intended.

Please think about what the news is saying, and get some answers from your representatives. And remember, Health Care Reform--part one, Insurance Reform is going to take some time to get into a passable amendment, and then take into effect. A lot of our elected officials have not given up on it. Keep after these folks the same way you would go after a job or something else that would benefit you.

Location for Congress bill: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.R.3200:
(note: that Congress.gov will be undergoing maintenance on Sunday, August 30, and will be back online at 7 PM)