Sly Alley posted a poem that links to America's debt crisis. It made me think of Langston Hughes' poem "Let America Be America Again.". Though written in 1935, the ideas and issues driving it are still present today.


Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed--
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.

(It never was America to me.)

O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There's never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.")

Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?
And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?

I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek--
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.

I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!
Of work the men! Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one's own greed!

I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean--
Hungry yet today despite the dream.
Beaten yet today--O, Pioneers!
I am the man who never got ahead,
The poorest worker bartered through the years.

Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream
In the Old World while still a serf of kings,
Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true,
That even yet its mighty daring sings
In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned
That's made America the land it has become.
O, I'm the man who sailed those early seas
In search of what I meant to be my home--
For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore,
And Poland's plain, and England's grassy lea,
And torn from Black Africa's strand I came
To build a "homeland of the free."

The free?

Who said the free? Not me?
Surely not me? The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we've dreamed
And all the songs we've sung
And all the hopes we've held
And all the flags we've hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay--
Except the dream that's almost dead today.

O, let America be America again--
The land that never has been yet--
And yet must be--the land where every man is free.
The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME--
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.

Sure, call me any ugly name you choose--
The steel of freedom does not stain.
From those who live like leeches on the people's lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!

O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath--
America will be!

Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain--
All, all the stretch of these great green states--
And make America again!

===================================================
This is one of my favorite poems.

So today, I'm queasy and nervous. Why? I have my first formal conference with my dissertation mentor tonight via Skype at 5:00. He lives in Australia. I know the topic I want to write about will have to undergo major revision before the committee accepts it - I mean, what are the chances of them reading my pre-pre-proposal (yes, that's 2 "pre"s) and saying, "McBride, it's brilliant. We don't recommend a single change!!!" Ha, I wish. Still, I really like my idea and have been thinking about it for close to two years. Letting go will be hard.

Plus, this first meeting will establish a certain tone for our future meetings, and I want to get it right. I so enjoyed Dr. Sims' class - he was everything I wanted in a graduate professor. But that means he's challenging.

So, tonight is the first formal step on a journey that's going to take up at least the next 18 months of my life.
I'm excited and apprehensive.

So get it started, I'm going to write a letter to my Dissertation, which I will call Dizzie.

Dear Dizzie:
I have no idea what you will be, other than the most challenging project I've ever undertaken. I could promise to put you first in my life at all times, but I know that's not going to happen. I could promise to be the most painstaking and meticulous researcher a dissertation's ever had, but I know that also will not always be the case. I could pledge to always stay on track, but we both know that's a lie. And I'm certainly not going to always love and obey. Times will come, I know, when I will hate you and refuse to bend to your will.

Instead, I vow to do my best. I vow to write about something that I care about and feel needs sharing and exploring with others. I vow to use my best writing skills in crafting you. I vow not to cheat or take shortcuts. And I swear to finish you. I will not abandon you half formed, like Frankenstein without the juice.

Sincerely,
Kelli

I've been networking about Thea Harrison's novel, Dragon Bound. It's the first in a new series about shape shifters. This is such a great book. It gave me everything I love in fantasy romance: a sexy alpha hero who has to learn to trust. An independent heroine who stands up to the hero, even though he could crush her with one of his claws or incinerator her with a fiery breath when he's shifted into dragon form. A great supporting cast of characters I can't wait to read more about. Scenes that make me cry. Scenes that make me laugh out loud. Scenes that make me....well it IS romance. :-) And just an overall incredible world-building that keeps enough of "real" Earth with extra dashes of fantasy.

I'm going to start blogging again after a 2-year hiatus. To get started, I'm going to post a link to one of my favorite blogs of the past: my confession about my George Michael obsession. Read it and laugh.

Kelli

I don't think I've seen as brilliant an impersonation since the Dana Carvey days.

As Gena's friend, once critique partner, and web mistress, I'm often asked by fans: "What's Gena REALLY like?" I've decided to share with you the truth behind the fantastic author. From her humble, struggling beginnings as a writer to her current superstar status: you'll find intriguing bits from an insider's perspective.

One question I'm more frequently asked is: "Has Gena changed with her celebrity?" I can honestly say that no she hasn't. And to illustrate this, I am sharing this picture I took of Gena in 2000 at a casual meeting in her home. I'd come over early one afternoon to give her back some books she'd loaned me, and this is how she greeted me. As you can see, Gena has not changed much at all. Except that she only puts on the inflatable bra for special occasions.

Jill, are you sure you didn't get the mumps from some of these "friends" you were partying with? I wouldn't put it past Gena to intentionally infect you, so she could take over at AUTHOR TALK. She looks all kittenish and cute, but kittens have claws. :-)

Yesterday, I saw Spamalot at the OKC Civic Center with a group of friends. Today is my birthday, so it was a nice b-day outing. I admit, I was a bit skeptical about how much I was going to like this adaptation of MONTY PYTHON'S THE HOLY GRAIL. I am a devout lover of this film, and many of my friends and I enjoy recreating dialogue from various scenes, but listening to the soundtrack of the stage version, I wasn't impressed overmuch by several songs.

But in the context of the actual stage show----WOW!! I laughed my ass off. I had tears in my eyes in places. It recreated most of the best scenes from the movie, and added several new twists and turns that brought surprise and delight.

Here are some of my favorite scenes from the movie that were recreated quite faithfully in the stage musical (I know - but it's hard to pick only a couple of favorite scenes from THE HOLY GRAIL):

African v European Swallows and Migrating Coconuts:


Or the French Taunting and catapulting cow:


Sir Launcelot and Swamp Castle:


Tim the Enchanter, the Killer Rabbit, and the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch:


Brave Sir Robin and his Minstrels:


The Knights Who Say Ni:


Dennis and the anarcho-syndicalist commune/Strange women lying around in ponds


Bring Out Your Dead:


"We're Knights of the Round Table" ("We eat ham and jam and spam a lot"):


And, amazingly enough, the Black Knight:

Okay, this is freakin' hilarious. Anyone who's ever seen a French film, commerical, etc., and who has studied French in school will love it.



The translation, omitting the chorus of Foux Da Fa Fa, is:
"I would like a croissant"
"Pleased to meet you."
"Where is the library"
"Here is my passeport"
"Gerard Depardieu"
"Baguette!"
Hohn-hohn-hohn...
"Let's go to the supermarket! Grapefruit! Pineapple! Orange Juice! Beef! Soup de Jour. Camembert. Jacques Cousteau. Baguette."
But of course.
Hello.
Hello.
Hello.
Hello, mister.
Hello my small foreign currency exchange office.
How are you doing?
I'm doing okay.
How are you doing?
I'm doing okay.
Voilà! A conversation in the park!
Where is the book?
At the library.
And the dance music?
At the dance club.
And the dance club?
It's here, baby!
One, two, one, two, three, four!
Where is the swimming pool?
Pardon me?
Where is the swimming pool?
Uh...
Splish splosh
Uh...
Eh...
I don't understand.
Do you speak the French?
Eh?
Do you speak the French?
Uh ... no.
Hmmmm.

This is my second fav vid from the band (as of yet). It's SOOO funny!

Heather sent me a head shot of herself and this other promo pic from Dracula 2000 (which loved, too, Heather). Looks great!

Here you go Heather! Call me your Photoshop Fairy Grandmother. ;-)

Here's an even better shot - I think it looks quite authentic.

Rinda had this great pic of herself at a recent conference, but she suggested that someone edit out the table of food behind her. So I took it upon myself to add some more "interesting" landscapes behind her. Guess which one is my fav:

Jill Monroe had one of the band's vids on her blog, and I couldn't resist putting another up on mine. These guys are SO funny! This is Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros:

Recently, Gena Showalter, my dear friend and one of my FAVORITE authors, was involved in a serious interpretive dance accident. Though the "choreographer" Jill Monroe (another friend and great author) claims Gena is not seriously injured, I have used spectral analysis of Gena's knees to show just how deep the bruising is.

Amazingly enough, the patterns of her bruises seem to form the faces of Lucien and Maddox, the heroes of her first 2 Lords of the Underworld Novels (BTW, I've read both ARCs, and these are Gena's BEST yet - but wear gloves when you pick them up because these covers are hot enough to singe your fingers!!). Lucien is the Keeper of Death and Maddox is the Keeper of Violence - appropriate considering the trauma my dear friend has obviously gone through. You can see her interpretive dance at Author Talk. Click on the Kresley Cole interrogation...oops...I mean "interview."

If you're wondering about Reyes, Keeper of Pain, all you have to do is look at Gena's derriere to see the damage:

I know - it's painful to look at.
So let's all help heal Gena's poor knees. I think buying copies of her latest releases and upcoming releases will send a wave of healing love. (And perhaps a can of Nair for her behind).

Jill and Gena wrote lists that, frankly, did not include boring things. So I am taking the challenge.

1. I have more than 12 moles on my body, and one is the size of a peanut.

2. I know lots of trivial facts, like people throw rice at weddings because in ancient times rice was a symbol of fertility and prosperity. That's also why rice beds (4 poster beds with rice flowers carved on them) are the traditional honeymoon bed.

3. I enjoy writing essays.

4. I find Farm Hustle exciting.

5. I collect tea cups and saucers.

6. I know all the words to La Bamba.

7. My new Samsung Blackjack II (wine) is called Velvet.

8. I love frogs and collect them (see design of this blog).

9. I enjoy reading old writing composition textbooks from the first half of the 20th century.

10. I have the same shirt in 11 different colors.

Okay! How's THAT for boring!!

Wait, what am I so happy about...God! I'm a walking poster for ennui!!! ;-)

I've been in love with clouds lately. We've had some magnificent skies this season, and I have snapped several pics. Here's one of my favs. This is in Seminole.