Archive for Lucinda

5 Poems-Columbia Journal

Many thanks to Columbia Journal for publishing five of my poems, If Unencumbered (The Story Of A Life That Did Not Happen), Self-Destruction:, Sepia Legacy, What Can’t Be Buried, and You Are Who I’ll Become.

5 Poems Graphic-Columbia Journal

Great Article About The Gaithersburg Teen Writing Club

Great thanks to The (Gaithersburg) Town Courier for this great article about the Gaithersburg Teen Writing Club. I think the quotes from two of our writers says it all,

Gabby Howenstein said the group met her goals “to expand my horizons in my writing, get good feedback, and hopefully make a few new friends.” In addition, she “had the opportunity to hear and read the wonderful writing of some of our other members.”

Yamini Manikoth heard about the club from Gabby, and “thought it would be interesting to see what it was like. And I think it’s one of my favorite things now, because so many people come in and talk about things of mutual interest. … So as someone who enjoys writing, hearing feedback from other people who think the same as you is one of the best feelings in the world.

Town Courier Teen Writing Article

Teen Poetry Workshop At The Writer’s Center–Signup Info

I am very excited to be offering a workshop for teen poets at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, MD this fall.

Here is the info about the workshop:

Days: 4 Saturdays
Time: 2:00 PM-4:00 PM
Dates: 10/10–11/7
Location: Bethesda
Level: Beginner/Intermediate

Young authors (ages 12-16) will learn to use workshopping techniques to fine tune, revise, edit, and present poetry. Participants will have a chance to share their work, respond to writing prompts, get feedback, and learn about publishing options. In the last session we will hold a poetry reading to share work with family and friends. Please bring a laptop, tablet, or paper notebook. If you are already writing poetry, please bring something you’ve written to the first session. No meeting October 31.

You can sign up for the workshop here.

New Poem–Kaddish Season

I’m very pleased to have my poem, “Kaddish Season” in the Summer, 2015 edition of Poetica Magazine.

Poetica Summer 2015 Cover

Articulation of a Dreamtime

Many thanks to Nortina Simmons for publishing my poem, Articulation of a Dreamtime in Sediments Literary Arts Journal’s Newbies issue. You can read the poem here, page 38 (although of course I encourage you to read all the other fine work in this issue as well!).

National Poetry Month Goodness

In honor of National Poetry Month, River Poets Journal has posted a group of pocket poems and I am honored to have my poem 5:04 Ante Mediem included in this lovely collection.

I am also grateful to Katie Woodzick for recording my poem, Unicorn,
and to Kristin LaTour for reading my poem, The Lilies Were In Bloom, which received an Honorable Mention in Waterline Writers’ Artists as Visionaries Climate Change: Solutions contest, at the opening of the Climate Crisis art show at Water Street Studios in Batavia, IL.

Finally, the teen writing club that I facilitate at the Gaithersburg, MD library, celebrated National Poetry Month by putting up a wall of poetry at the library.  These young writers are so impressive and I am grateful to the library for letting us use a wall to display their wonderful work, including a collaborative poem that we wrote during our last workshop session.

Poetry Wall

The Lilies (and I) Are Honored

Lotus Reflection in Water 5 Copyright

Lotus Reflection At Inspiration Lake. Lucinda Marshall, ©2013

I am pleased and humbled that my poem, The Lilies Were In Bloom received an Honorable Mention in Waterline Writers’ Artists as Visionaries Climate Change:  Solutions contest.

Many thanks to Waterline and to Kristin LaTour for choosing my poem!  The picture is of a lotus flower at Inspiration Lake in Gaithersburg, MD, part of the field of flowers that inspired the poem.

Kristin LaTour has selected Donna Pucciani as winner, and Tricia Marcella Cimera, Jim Lewis, Lucinda Marshall and Barbara Ungar as honorable mention poets to kick off a series of climate-related readings, gallery shows, featured speakers, workshops and other opportunities this spring at Water Street Studios. The poets will have their first opportunity to read, joining a full lineup of selected writers (TBA) and Open Mic participants at Waterline Writers on Sunday March 15th at 7 PM. Luis Mejico will also perform an interdisciplinary piece based on the poems. Luis and the winning poets will share their work again on Friday March 20th at the gallery opening of the Climate Crisis art show. Both events: Water Street Studios, 160 S. Water Street, Batavia IL.

In addition, Poetica, Sediments and One Sentence Poems have all recently accepted poems that I’ve written and I’ll be posting links when they are published.

Of Unicorns And Other Fancies

Want to read one of my poems?  Here is your opportunity.  My poem, Unicorn was published in Stepping Stones Magazine this fall.  It begins,

You were the unicorn
in the waves
but I didn’t know that
until just yesterday,

You can read the poem in it’s entirety here.

In other writing news, this fall I organized a one day writing retreat for women writers at the Fox Haven Learning Center in Jefferson, MD.  The leaves were turning and it was a great opportunity for all of us to get away from it all and ignite our writing passions.  You know things have gone well when the primary feedback is when can we come back and can we stay longer!

I was also thrilled to be a featured reader at the Zed’s Cafe (Silver Spring, MD) monthly poetry night in December.  Many thanks to Ginger Ingalls for inviting me to be part of the reading.

Teen Writers Full Page Flyer

 

And starting in January, poet Alison Palmer and I will be co-facilitating a teen writing club at the Gaithersburg, MD library as part of a program run by the Maryland Writers’ Association through the Montgomery County (MD) Public Libraries.

Happy 2015, now back to writing!

 

Self Meditation

The holiday season–that time of year when we get so busy buying, wrapping, cooking and caring that we completely forget to take care of ourselves.  A few years ago, during the height of all that, I reached a breaking moment and locked myself in the bathroom, did a few breathing exercises, said a few Hail Mary’s (considering that I’m of Jewish descent, that tells you volumes).

I didn’t have a smart phone then, but I grabbed a pen out of my purse, and was about to write something down until I realized that I didn’t have any paper and writing on toilet paper with a ball point pen is a thankless endeavor.  So I rolled up the long sleeve top I was wearing and wrote the following on my arm:

Self Meditation

 

Just for this moment

I am not your:

 

Mother

Daughter

Sister

Partner or

Friend

 

Just for this moment,

I am only me.

 

–poem by Lucinda Marshall

 

Feel free to write it on your arm, save it on your phone, recite it to yourself as needed, and give yourself the gift of personal space this holiday season.

Hillary Clinton Serves Us Kissinger Kool-Aid

Sunday morning newspaper, steaming hot coffee, peaceful reverie, lounge chair on my deck, birdsong chorus in the background–bliss until I saw the Outlook section of the Washington Post with two, yes two, life size headshots of Henry Kissinger.

My peaceful easy feeling went full throttle grumpy in a matter of seconds.

Which was quite justified when I  found that this dual image travesty illustrated a review by Hillary Clinton of Kissinger’s new book (no I won’t provide a convenient Amazon link).

As a feminist, I am completely in favor of electing a woman president.  It is long overdue.  But as anyone who has read my work over the years knows, I am no fan of Hillary Clinton.  Yes, she has done some good things, but her world outlook is as dangerous as the male politicians who have preceded her.  Lest you doubt this, read the following few paragraphs from her very long review:

In his new book, “World Order,” Henry Kissinger explains the historic scope of this challenge. His analysis, despite some differences over specific policies, largely fits with the broad strategy behind the Obama administration’s effort over the past six years to build a global architecture of security and cooperation for the 21st century.

During the Cold War, America’s bipartisan commitment to protecting and expanding a community of nations devoted to freedom, market economies and cooperation eventually proved successful for us and the world. Kissinger’s summary of that vision sounds pertinent today: “an inexorably expanding cooperative order of states observing common rules and norms, embracing liberal economic systems, forswearing territorial conquest, respecting national sovereignty, and adopting participatory and democratic systems of governance.”

This system, advanced by U.S. military and diplomatic power and our alliances with like-minded nations, helped us defeat fascism and communism and brought enormous benefits to Americans and billions of others. Nonetheless, many people around the world today — especially millions of young people — don’t know these success stories, so it becomes our responsibility to show as well as tell what American leadership looks like.

Success stories? Through what warped lens is she viewing the world and our country?  Rare is the book review that could be characterized as chilling.  In this case, it is an apt descriptor.

Clinton is correct that many people, especially the young, don’t know these stories. But those of us who do call foul. This review is nothing short of an alarming adulation of Kissinger’s damaging tenure.

That she wrote it really isn’t a surprise, she has always bought into this toxic narrative and it tells us beyond doubt that regardless of the need to finally elect a woman as president in the United States, an Hillary Clinton presidency would be enormously dangerous.