April: Poetry Month

Poetry: The clarity of word and phrase. The reduction to powerful meaning and story contained in one gesture.

Poetry has affected my writing and my photography always. My first two books for youth were all about contemporary art and poetry.



So it is with pleasure that each year April brings us Poetry Month. As always, I am subscribed to Knopf's terrific "Poem A Day,"

This year, quite a few friends and children's writer colleagues are also doing their own poem-a-day or variation thereof. Cannot wait to be immersed in poetry for a whole month and wake up to these incredible moments! (Thanks to April Halprin Wayland for sending me to Kidlitosphere and her own compilation of this list).

Susan Taylor Brown will post Lessons Learned (Mostly About Me) in a Poem-a-Day at http://susanwrites.livejournal.com

April Halprin Wayland will be writing and posting an original poem a day during April.
http://www.aprilwayland.com/poetry/blog

Liz Garton Scanlon will give us her third year of a Haiku-a-Day every day in April!
http://liz-scanlon.livejournal.com/

Jone MacCulloch will post 30 Days-30 Students: A poem a day from students http://maclibrary.wordpress.com

A Poem A Day: A Personal Journey https://deowriter.wordpress.com/?ref=spelling

Poetry Postcard Project: Have a student written and decorated poem sent to your
home. Email her at macrush53 @yahoo. com.

Gregory K. will present 30 Poets/30 Days -a whole month of never-before-seen poems by a slew of fabulous poets writing for kids. http://gottabook.blogspot.com

Jama Rattigan will present her 2nd Annual Poetry Potluck (original poem and favorite recipe by guest bloggers) at http://jamarattigan.livejournal.com

Irene Latham will host a month-long Poetry Party: poetry quotes, trivia, craft tips, publishing resources & free books! http://irenelatham.blogspot.com

Andromeda Jazmon will be doing her fourth year in a row of haiga (original haiku + my photos) at A Wrung Sponge http://awrungsponge.blogspot.com.

Janelle at Brimful Curiosities will host a National Poetry Month Kids Poetry Challenge challenge in which kids are invited to create pictures for the poems she posts each Friday. For details: http://www.brimfulcuriosities.com/2011/03/kids-poetry-challenge-national-poetry.html

National Poetry Month Poetry Friday schedule:
a.. April 1 http://poemfarm.blogspot.com/
a.. April 8 http://www.madiganreads.com/
a.. April 15 http://randomnoodling.blogspot.com/
a.. April 22 http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/
a.. April 29 http://www.tabathayeatts.blogspot.com/

Chinese New Year: The Year of the Rabbit

Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Xīn Nián Kuài Lè!

Below is my annual greeting with images captured this year, last week in fact, at the Eve and beginning of the Chinese New Year/Spring Festival. This year started on February 3rd and the 15 day celebration ends with the Lantern Festival on February 17th. The year itself will end in January of 2012.

The photographs of this annual greeting are part of my long-term project, FINDING CHINATOWN, a study of Chinatowns in the United States and Canada. The project will have its first solo show this summer at the Craig Krull Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, CA.

Many cities throughout the world will be celebrating the New Year in many ways, from parades, firecrackers, and prayer at the many temples and shrines. Most importantly, the Chinese New Year is a time for families to be together and the migration home represents one of the largest annual migrations in the world.

We are blessed here in Los Angeles to be part of such a multi-cultural community and culture that our Chinese-American neighbors share with us so willinging and graciously.

Here is my greeting.

A Tree Falls In The Canyon

and everyone notices.

Busy Holiday Week

From the swirl of holiday parties to a windy cool day at the beach to visit with Tyrus Wong and family for his monthly kite fly to a day between storms up at the top of Malibu to photograph the 747 Wing House, still in construction. Between holidays is not necessarily that restful but it IS creative!

And best of course is seeing my work and that of many of my fellow photographers on Aline Smithson's excellent LENSCRATCH blog. Her New Years Day curation of favorite photographs from photographers is incredible but do not skip over Aline's New Year's Eve post, a rare post about her own work.

Some pics from all of this posted on this chilly but brilliant New Years Day in Los Angeles.

Tyrus Wong, 26 December 2010 at 100 years+





My favorite image of the year posted on Lenscratch, Wing Abstract from the 747 Wing House Project. More to see on my website and photoshelter archive sites.



And new pics from the 747 Wing House Project, photographed between the rainistorms at the end of 2010. I am in love with these construction phases, contrasting often the many elements of structure with the beautiful environment in which it is situated.

Holiday pics

It is the time of year for holiday greetings and for making a small limited edition gift print. Thought I'd post some of the cards and images here.

Tyrus Wong at 100!

Out yesterday at the Santa Monica Beach to spend time with California - and national - treasure, Tyrus Wong who is celebrating his 100th Birthday as he does best(!): out monthly flying his handmade kites with the large attendance of Kim Wong and many family and friends!

Happy Birthday Tyrus! Here are some pics:











More on Tyrus on my 1 January 2010 post.

Catching Up

Almost six months since the last post. A busy time with much to do including organizing and co-curating an exhibition of photograhers at the request of LACMA's curators: SUMMER MIX, an exhibition of work from the Annenberg Department's Photographic Arts Council.



Then, a composition of my photographs of the 747 Wing House has been on exhibit at the Pasadena Museum of California Art in their Design Biennial, accompanied by the model of the house designed by architect, David Hertz.



A busy Fall, continuing work on the Chinatowns Project in preparation for my show next year at the Craig Krull Gallery, in Santa Monica, CA


And best, out on the Beach this weekend to celebrate with Tyrus Wong, his 100th Birthday! The kites are still gorgeous and Tyrus is going so strong! See next post!