Good things about today
1. It's poet X.J. Kennedy's birthday. He wasn't born with the X by the way -- he was born Joseph Kennedy, but he didn't want to be associated with the New England politician, so "Joe" added an X to his first submission to the New Yorker, and when they accepted it for publication, he figured the X had brought him luck, so he kept it. Here's a link to an online version of his poem, Ars poetica. Kennedy is best-known these days for his children's poetry; he's a master of rhyme and meter. By all means, check him out.
2. HBO is presenting Kenneth Brannagh's latest Shakespearian foray, As You Like It, tonight. It got a tepid review* from the New York Times, but I am still very much looking forward to it. It's got Kevin Kline and Alfred Molina in it, for starters, and I find both of them eminently watchable.
3. Today's Writer's Almanac brings a terrific poem about the UPS man called "Why I Have a Crush On You, UPS Man" by Alice N. Persons. It sums up that certain feeling many women I know have about their local man in brown. And hey -- if you don't know about The Writer's Almanac, you'll want to look around while you're there. And maybe sign up for their free daily email -- they send a poem each and every day, with information about other literary stuff (like, say, X.J. Kennedy's birthday, or the Lincoln-Douglas debates).
* May require a free membership with the NY Times to read it (I'm truly unsure.)
2. HBO is presenting Kenneth Brannagh's latest Shakespearian foray, As You Like It, tonight. It got a tepid review* from the New York Times, but I am still very much looking forward to it. It's got Kevin Kline and Alfred Molina in it, for starters, and I find both of them eminently watchable.
3. Today's Writer's Almanac brings a terrific poem about the UPS man called "Why I Have a Crush On You, UPS Man" by Alice N. Persons. It sums up that certain feeling many women I know have about their local man in brown. And hey -- if you don't know about The Writer's Almanac, you'll want to look around while you're there. And maybe sign up for their free daily email -- they send a poem each and every day, with information about other literary stuff (like, say, X.J. Kennedy's birthday, or the Lincoln-Douglas debates).
* May require a free membership with the NY Times to read it (I'm truly unsure.)