Space Silo

Blast off. Appalachian Trail, Pawling, New York, April 2008.

Snappy the Miracle Dog

Yes, he's mine. A bit ill-tempered, a bit freckled with rust, a bit asymmetrical, but he's a genuine Miracle Dog. Snappy is an antique tin lithographed toy made by Louis Marx & Co. Apparently there used to be a mechanism that would propel him at astonishing speed from the depths of his doghouse. Alas, it's missing.

By the way, I selected "April and Silence" by Tomas Transtromer (translated by Robert Bly) as my poem for Poem in Your Pocket Day yesterday. I couldn't resist the vivid simile in the third stanza: "I am carried inside / my own shadow like a violin / in its black case."

Pod People and Poets House

All this week Poets House is holding its annual showcase of new poetry books in the Willa Cather Room of the Jefferson Market Library on Sixth Avenue at W. 10th Street, NYC. The organization's goal is to showcase every book of verse published in the U.S. in the past year. There are more than two thousand titles available for viewing through April 19th. My publisher, Bitter Oleander Press, has sent along A Cage of Transparent Words by Alberto Blanco, Gold Carp Jack Fruit Mirrors by George Kalamaras, and Stirring the Mirror, my new collection of prose poetry and flash fiction.

See the previous post for information about tomorrow's reading at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, NY.

The pod people pictured above are made from -- you guessed it -- pods, a strange pine cone, and vintage prints sealed with acrylic varnish.

Mount Saint Mary College Reading, 4/17/08

I'll be reading at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, NY this Thursday, April 17, 2008 at 4:00 PM. Join me in the Curtin Memorial Library in Aquinas Hall. It will be open to the public and free of charge. Refreshments will be served. For directions, click on MSMC.

This coincides with the Academy of American Poets' first national Poem In Your Pocket Day. Here's their idea: "Select a poem then carry it with you (poem in your pocket) and unfold it with family, friends, and coworkers throughout the day." I'm not sure yet which poem I'll carry with me, but I'm thinking of something by Tomas Transtromer, Elizabeth Bishop, or Theodore Roethke. Or Emily Dickinson, or Charles Wright...

Happy Poetry Month!

The photograph was taken at the orchid show at the New York Botanical Garden.

Sunset, Dumpster

Sometimes, when you pull over the car to take a picture of an irresistible sunset, your eyes get tugged to the side by an unexpected gleaming place, by an object that calls out with its own spectacular colors and life. Just like poetry. What you set out to capture, to put down in ink, was really just leading you somewhere else.

Photo taken 4/12/08 off Route 22, Brewster, NY.

West Side YMCA Reading -- Pedestal Magazine

It was an honor to be part of the first Writer's Voice poetry event held in the new Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at the West Side YMCA. And an honor to read with the featured reader, Edward Hirsch, and John Amen and George Wallace. Our four very different types of poetry and presentation, along with John's music, made for an intriguing synergy. At least it felt that way to me. The audience seemed attentive and enthusiastic. Thank you. I had great time. Leaving the Y with family and friends, walking west, the crescent moon was perfectly framed by the Empire Hotel (with its red neon sign) and a neighboring building. Did anyone else notice that? It was so unseasonably warm that we sat outside at Fiorello's for a celebratory bite to eat.

Poets in photo, left to right: Edward Hirsch, George Wallace, John Amen, CBK.

The Pedestal Magazine Poetry Reading Thursday Night, 4/10/08

You are invited to
The Writer's Voice Visiting Author Series
Pedestal Magazine Event
featuring Edward Hirsch,
George Wallace, John Amen and Christine Boyka Kluge

Thursday, April 10, 2008
at 8:00 PM
at the West Side YMCA
Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater
5 West 63rd Street
(between Central Park West and Broadway)
New York City

Wines from 67 Wine, books from Mobile Libris

The photograph was taken at the Orchid Show at The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY, 4/4/08. Click on the photo to get the full splash of color. Love this camera!