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!
