Today, the first verse of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", also known as "America" - written by Samuel Francis Smith in 1831 and used as a de facto American national anthem until the "Star Spangled Banner" was formally adopted in 1931.

My country, 'tis of thee ( Read more... )

I mean, I hope it will be happy.

2016 was a mixed bag. On the one hand, I had a poem in the anthology One Minute Till Bedtime, edited by Kenn Nesbitt, and had a couple of poems published online by Chantarelle's Notebook. On the other, I really didn't sell anything new in 2016 ( Read more... )

Here's an original poem for kids that I wrote to honor the day. (I wrote three or four of them, so I have several years' worth of celebrations to go!)

Raise the Flag and Let it Waveby Kelly Ramsdell Fineman ( Read more... )

I am starting 2015 off with poetry, along with apple pie, meditation, a walk and more. (In case what we do on the first day of the year really is what we'll be doing all year.) As I said yesterday, my guiding word for this year is EXPLORE. Here's a poem I wrote that is pretty much an invitation to do just that. It also happens to be the title poem ( Read more... )

It's beginning to look a lot like latkes . . . at least here at my house. Tonight's mission is to make a batch to freeze so I can reheat them on Saturday. I like them best fresh (who doesn't?), but since I'll be making latkes using something like 10 pounds of potatoes to make batches of latkes. (My sweetheart and I are hosting a Chanukah party this ( Read more... )

. . . and all through the house, well, nothing much was happening, really, since we don't have kids here, what with mine being at college and my sweetheart's being fully grown with families of their own.

But I do have a Halloween-themed poem up over at Kathy Temean's blog, Writing and Illustrating. It's called "Scary Things Come Out at Night", and ( Read more... )

This week was the start of the Jewish High Holidays. Rosh Hashanah began on Wednesday at sundown, and my sweetheart and I were lucky to spend dinner with his maternal cousins in Pennsylvania. Last night was dinner in Ocean, NJ, with his cousins on his father's side. (I adore his relatives.) Yesterday morning and this morning, we attended services ( Read more... )

Just yesterday, I read a charming essay on the importance of giving Valentines to your children. The gist of it was that it sucks to not have a Valentine, so that making sure your child or children get a Valentine from you is a way to make those years when there isn't another Valentine that much better. Plus, it's a lovely tradition. I encourage ( Read more... )

. . . but not necessarily checking it twice. I believe in starting the new year off on the right foot by spending time on the first day doing the things that I want to focus on during the year - the things that are important to me ( Read more... )

Well hey there! Looks like I fell off the internet again, at least for a bit. There are reasons, mostly consisting of Real Life Things, so I figured I'd spend today catching up with you all.

But first! Come to my poetry reading next Monday! Please? I'll be the featured reader at Poetry in the Round at Barnes & Noble in Marlton, NJ next Monday, ( Read more... )