Words Without Borders

Check out Words Without Borders, an online magazine featuring prose and poetry from around the world, which is celebrating its tenth year. The site also includes anthologies (such as The Ecco Anthology of International Poetry) and sample pages of graphic novels and nonfiction.

May's magazine is about North Korea. (Here's a link to The Poet Who Asked For Forgiveness from that issue.) April spotlighted Iraq; March was about Spain; February highlighted graphic novels; and in January, they featured Haiti.

Since Words Without Borders has been around for a decade, there's a lot to peruse. For instance, November 2012: Banned Chinese Writers; May 2011: Afghanistan; September 2010: Urdu Fiction from India; and January 2009: Writings by Indonesian Women. Let me know if you find any new favorites!

Musical Clocks

For Music Monday, we've got musical clocks.

This clock in Shibuya, Tokyo might have been taken down since the below video was recorded... I can't find information about the clock's current status.

The Mechanical Galleon
An automated clock in the form of a 'nef', or galleon, made by Hans Schlottheim.
photo by Rob Watling

Miyazaki Copper Clock, NTV Building
photo by Jo Christian Oterhals


Singing Bird Box by Frères Rochat, c 1820

Delacorte Music Clock
photo by Rosa Say
From the official Central Park site: "Near the entrance of the Children's Zoo, the clock was dedicated in 1965 with funding from philanthropist George T. Delacorte. It sits atop a three-tiered tower and features a band of whimsical animals: two bronze monkeys banging hammers against a bell; a penguin on drum; a hippo on violin; a bear and his tambourine; a concertina-playing elephant; a goat with pipes; and a kangaroo on horn. The animals circle the tower to one of 44 tunes that change seasonally."

Music Clocks
photo by Emanuele Nocentelli



For something a little unusual, "clockpunk" music -- "God is a Watch" by The Melting Clock:


More clocks

Sonnets by Michelangelo

This solace to my soul is sweet,
That my black night doth make more clear the sun
Which at your birth was given to wait on you.
~Michelangelo


Philosopher by Michelangelo, c 1495-1500, pen and brown ink
Did you know that Michelangelo wrote sonnets? He wrote hundreds -- about love, art, death, his heroes, his patrons. Here are some examples from the 1904 edition of John Addington Symonds' translations of Michelangelo's sonnets:

The Artist and His Work


Light and Darkness


The Model and the Statue


On Dante Alighieri

Ed at Think Kid Think has the Poetry Friday round-up this week.

Want to be part of the 2013 Summer Poem Swap? Email me or leave a comment with your email address.


San Petronio by Michelangelo, Basilica of Saint Dominic, Italy,
photo by Georges Jansoone

At the Desk

Mad Hatter: “Why is a raven like a writing-desk?”
“No, I give it up,” Alice replied: “What’s the answer?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea,” said the Hatter.
―Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

My idea of a perfect room is a study/library with a rolltop desk and large windows that lead out into a garden. Lots of desks today...is there a desk in any of your perfect rooms?

Interieur mit Dame am Schreibtisch vor geöffnetem Kabinettschrank
by Paul Barthel (1862–1933)

Portrait of writer Vsevolod Mikhailovich Garshin
by Ilya Repin

Alexandre Dumas in his Library, The Three Musketeers

Study at a Reading Desk‎
by Frederic Leighton, 1877

Desk in the library at Zutphen, 1894

Still-Life with Books
by an unknown Dutch Master, c. 1628

Jean Miélot at his desk, 15th century
by an unknown miniaturist

Frau am Schreibtisch
by Lesser Ury (1861–1931)

Plain to See

I believe there's good
In everybody's heart
Keep it safe and sound
~Penny

With most duets, both singers are basically on the same page (e.g. No Air, Baby Come to Me, Ain't No Mountain High Enough), but for this Music Monday, we've got a decidedly different sort of duet: "My Eyes" from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

To bring you up to speed...

Dr. Horrible, a villain wannabe, is in love with kind-hearted Penny. He's been trying to get the nerve to talk to Penny for ages. Just when Dr. Horrible finally makes contact with her, his nemesis -- superhero Captain Hammer -- also winds up being introduced to Penny.

Captain Hammer is actually completely self-centered, but Penny doesn't realize it and thinks he's a good guy. When Penny and Captain Hammer start dating, Dr. Horrible doesn't take it well. Cue "My Eyes":


Can you think of other duets where the singers are feeling so differently? Would love to hear your examples!

2013 Summer Poem Swap

by Elena
Interested in joining a Summer Poem Swap? The idea is that every two weeks beginning June 24 through August 19, you will mail someone a freshly-written poem and you will receive one.

Your assignment, should you decide to accept it, is to write five poems during that time period and share each poem with one person in a tangible format. I will be randomly matching poem swappers up. (You won't be sending all your poems to the same person.)

Everyone finds themselves in difficult situations sometimes. If you find yourself unable to write a poem during a two-week period, you are welcome to send an older poem of yours or to send a poem written by someone else. Also, if you are in a crunch and need help, you can contact me and I will sub for you. This is friendly and fun. No stress!

Interested? Email me! tabatha(at)tabathayeatts(dot)com. The deadline for joining will be June 1st.

***********


Hafiz, aka Hafez
Today's poem:

Dropping Keys
by Hafiz

the small man
builds cages for everyone
he
knows.
While the sage,
who has to duck his head
when the moon is low,
keeps dropping keys all night long
for the
beautiful
rowdy
prisoners.

***********

Booktalking is the Poetry Friday host this week.

Looking Carefully

There is an optical illusion about every person we meet.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fist on Black
by Jason Mrachina

See Your History
by Christiaan Triebert

And now, how we will go down from here? / Y ahora, ¿cómo bajaremos de aquí?
by Santi MB

Grasping the Sunlight
by Rishi Bandopadhay

Fork Illusion
Full profile of a fork? The tines of the fork are actually pointing out towards the viewer.
by Sean Rogers

Escaping Criticism
by Pere Borrell del Caso, 1874

Projection of a Lamp
by Helmuth Kraus M.

Tree in the Middle of the Road
by Merlin

Links:

NIH Kids Illusion Pages
What is an illusion?
Illusions.org
Make Your Own Optical Illusions
Neuroscience for Kids: Vision