Friday, December 3, 2010

Waking Up Fragile

Day 298 of the "What are you reading, and why?" project, and today I awoke fragile, but then stumbled upon what people have been or could be reading, and the kind of coincidii that cheer me up.

And make me sad all over again.

At Facebook an old friend from theatre days found me, so now I know Frank has been reading Paul Sills' Story Theatre: Four Shows, and that we both appear on page 206. Oddly, when I went to Amazon to check this out, I actually viewed page 206, and there we were! Frank in a scene from The Golden Key and me in The Robber Bridegroom, part of the same Story Theatre production. The pictures show how stage lighting helps the actor create the setting, and projections throw fragile pictorial shadows on and behind us. Sweet memory.

Now I will have to see if we have a copy of this, secondhand, in Theatre History at Babbitt's.

I was reading some of the online literary journals, including The Furnace Review, and found a wonderful poem by Tara Deal, called "The End of an Editor in a Secondhand Bookshop." I think you can click on it right here, but if not, just click her name to get to the poem. Then click around some more. What a beautiful journal.

And, because I am all about print, here is her website (wait! that's not print!), which shows you three of her books in print. Then, yes, click around some more! (Notice her "free books" offer in exchange for a review!)

And I've just sent Frank a "free book" because he's in it, in the poems "Backstage in the Dark," on page 9, a prose prose about a Shakespeare marathon and in "Backstage" on page 11, putting on makeup. These are in my first chapbook, Selected Roles (Moon Journal Press, 2006), based on those theatre days, with many persona poems in the voices of characters I played.

Ah, December, year's end, looking back, the furnace on...the year and the past in review. No wonder I woke up fragile.

And Rumi is in the Four Shows book! And Rilke, Stories of God. And Dickens, A Christmas Carol!

And Paul Sills is dead. Here is his New York Times obituary. And Ron Santo is dead. Here is his. Rest in peace, boys.

8 comments:

Kathleen said...

Maybe not...on the "free books" deal from Deal! I just had an email returned...but she can advise us, if she stumbles upon this.

Nancy Devine said...

thanks for the link to tara deal's work. i explored a bit and will do more tonight.

Kim said...

Your blog is where I first heard about Ron Santo. I'm so sad. I'm sad he isn't in the hall of fame, I'm sad he didn't see the Cubs win a series. And I'm sad I won't hear his voice and laughter on the radio next season. Just plain sad.

DJ Vorreyer said...

It is the time of year for us to be fragile in the face of another year gone and the losses (large and small) that come with it. But a new year brings back the resolve that may have dwindled...hang in there!

Kathleen said...

Thanks! Don't worry, I will.

Plus all the book lists are beginning...!

Kathleen said...

I meant a "prose poem." I am still amazed that Rilke and Rumi are in this improvisational theatre book. Wowee wow wow wow!

Kathleen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kathleen said...

Plus, today, December 4, is Rilke's birthday!! (I typed it wrong above...number and finger challenged as I am...er, digit challenged!)