Happy Holidays***Wishing you a Cool Yule!

Happy Holidays, Readers!
As we enter into the holiday season, I wanted to take this opportunity to say thanks for your support and readership. You are appreciated.

Thank you is also in order for those of you who have purchased my books over the last year, either for yourself or for family and friends.

For those of you who have not, it's not too late!
Whether it's my book of powerful poems or my short stories on Viet Nam, there's something for a variety of tastes and literary interests.

These titles are available at AMAZON.COM, or contact me directly through the email provided on this site.

Need a poet or author for your school, church, or holiday event?
Consider booking me for signings, career day visits, and poetry readings throughout the Chicago land area.
It would be my pleasure to come out and connect with you.

 ...Whether you've been "naughty or nice," here's wishing you a wonderful holiday season, blessed with good times and good health!

Warmly,

A.D.  

Thanksgiving Reflections

2014.
It's been a year of trials and triumphs for many of us.
From the Ebola crisis, to upheavals in the White House, to the collective loss of entertainment greats like Joan Rivers and Robin Williams...to the pride generated by the Jackie Robinson baseball team.
We've seen highs and lows. We've witnessed peaks and valleys.

Still, amid all the chaos and the continuous increase in the cost of living, there is much for which we all can be grateful.
Important, enriching things....like food, shelter, family, friendship, health, and more.


With this is mind, I'd like to wish you and yours continued blessings for Thanksgiving,
...and memories as rich as grandma's gravy!


Regards,

A.D.

Happy Halloween! Guest Poet Feature

Halloween Things

By Susan Sundwall

These are the things of Halloween

A ghost, a witch and Frankenstein green

A pumpkin, a bat and a bushy tailed cat

My big brother Tom in his old wizard hat

Knocking on doors all down the street

We fill up our bags with good things to eat

There’s Billy Taylor dressed like a ghost

Without any pillows, he’s fatter than most

We’re lucky we didn’t see Sally Ann Green

They say that she’s really a vampire queen

At last it’s too dark to stay out much later

We drag ourselves home and lay out our treasure

It’s spooky and silly and great gobs of fun

Oh how I hate to see Halloween done

BIO:
Susan Sundwall is an author, blogger and playwright. She has been published in various anthologies, including Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Join Me for an End of Summer Poetry Reading

Summer's seduction will soon be a thing of the past.
With this in mind, I hope you'll join me for some hot poetry and cool conversation at the Beverly Library.

DATE: September 20, 2014
TIME: 2:30-4:30 P.M.
PLACE: BEVERLY LIBRARY on 95th & Damen, Chicago


The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments and open mic!

Don't miss it.

With the start of a new school year just around the corner, I'd like to share a poem I wrote many years ago, that still has relevance now. Please feel free to share your comments, or to connect for information regarding future bookings at your school gathering.

Enjoy!

TEACHERS

They are people

We all know

In a place

We all go.

A place we all should have been

To receive a little knowledge in.

And as a general rule,

It's called

A public school.

Within are found

The gallant beseechers

Our lowly regarded,

Taken for granted

Teachers!

We entrust them with a monumental task,

Sometimes, simply

Too much to ask.

Be a surrogate

Mother,

Father,

Babysitter

Teach our kids how not to be

A quitter.

Along with the English

Math and Psych

Teach them all the things we like.

About love and life--

But no sex, please!

Is that some kind of

Miasmatic disease?

Seldom given the proper respect

We say TEACHERS!---

It's their job...

What the heck!

But with all

The daily aggravation

And stuff

I say

A teacher's pay

Still

Is not enough!

 

 

(c) 1994 A.D. Moore




Image: Freedigitalphotos.net

Books Ink Launches Summer Writing Workshops

"Write Right, Write Now" writing workshops are currently being offered through Books Ink, located at 1835 W. 103rd, Chicago.

These informative sessions are for writers of all levels and genres.
Topics include: legal issues for writers, finding an agent, publishing options, and more.

To register, or to learn more, call 773-330-4115, or Email at Booksink@msn.com.

20 Year Celebration a Big Hit!

The long awaited, highly anticipated gala celebrating Poets United's 20 year anniversary was a huge success.

The 2-day event consisted of an Open Mic segment, selected readings by Baba Griot, a tribute to Maya Angelou by Evelyn Cogdell, and a poetry trivia contest for those in attendance.

There was also an awards ceremony where I received the M.V.P. award for Most Valuable Poet.

On Sunday, the celebration was punctuated with a well-attended back yard barbeque given each year as "Poetry on Da' Patio."

There was a lot of good food, good music, and stimulating conversation to rounds things off.

It was an affair to remember!

Poets United to Advance the Arts Celebrates 20-yr Anniversary!

Join us, as we celebrate two decades of increasing arts awareness and artistic excellence in June.

Whether you pen poetry, love to hear others read theirs, or would simply like to help celebrate and support this milestone achievement, we'd love to have you share our special day!


ABOUT POETS UNITED...

Started in 1994, by Jennifer Brown Banks, Poets United is a community based arts organization devoted to providing a platform for local poets in Illinois, as well as providing outreach services to the literary community at large.

More than a poetry group, this organization of poets serves as arts advocates, workshop presenters, and even career-day professionals at local schools.

They have collectively authored numerous poetry books and anthologies; sharing their works throughout Illinois.


ABOUT THE EVENT:

WHAT: READINGS, AWARDS CEREMONY, OPEN MIC, LUNCHEON
WHERE: THE BEVERLY LIBRARY--95TH STREET , CHICAGO
WHEN: JUNE 21, 2014 2:30-4:30 p.m.

Free and open to the public.

Don't miss it!

April is National Poetry Month...

For centuries, the works of poets have graced the pages of English literature books, captured our thoughts in the form of greeting card expressions, and have even served as lyrics for popular songs we snap our fingers to.

From Elizabeth Barrett Browning, to Robert Frost, to Maya Angelou, to Common, they have inspired, enlightened and enriched us.

Accordingly, April has been designated by the American Academy of Poets as National Poetry Month.
It's a great time to visit your local library and read some old classics, or explore the writings of modern day poets.

It's even an opportune time for you to try your hand at creating an original piece or two.
It can be fun, as well as cathartic.


And just a friendly reminder here... that my collection of verse, "Street Talk and Moore" is still available for your personal reading enjoyment, or as a gift for a friend, relative, teacher, or loved one at Amazon.com.


Happy National Poetry Month...

In Honor of National Women's History Month

Happy Women's History Month.
Women are among my favorite creative inspirations.
So today I'd like to share a piece penned many years ago, on a fabulous female, still so near and dear to my heart.

I hope you enjoy!

MY BEAUTIFUL BIRTHDAY ROSE

 

In these times of toil and strife,

There's a very special person in my life.

One on whom I can always depend,

To stick by me to the unforeseeable end!

 

When things didn't look so terribly bright

And there was just a glimmer of light,

She was there!

Through the good times and the bad,

Simply said--she's the best friend I ever had!

 

She's prime and pretty--Chantilly lace--

But manages to keep me in my place!

And if things are not in order

As she deems,

Just ask the kids how she screams!

 

Yet, I love her still

And I'm glad for a wife I chose,

Happy Birthday!

My beautiful, dutiful

Birthday Rose!

 

 

(c) 1993 A.D. MOORE

Keep Warm Thoughts During this Frigid Weather...

Old Man Weather seems to have arrived in full force this year.
From frigid temperatures, to record-breaking snow, to high and damaging winds.

As a result, many of us find ourselves seeking the comforts of home and warm, simple, safe pleasures. Why not make the best of it?

It's a perfect time to devote to catching up on your reading or creative writing projects.

With this in mind, I'd like to send a friendly reminder of my latest release: Vignettes of Vietnam.

You'll find interesting reading to pass the time and stories that will stay with you long after you've completed the book!

It's available online at Amazon.com, along with my poetry collection "Street Talk and Moore."

Discover what the buzz is about; order your copies today!

They also make great gifts.


Image: Freedigitalphotos.net

A Valentine's Day Tribute...

In keeping with the theme for this month, I'd like to share a poem on a subject that's near and dear to us all.

Happy Valentine's Day. May it be filled with beautiful memories, however you define it.

LOVE

 

What is love?

Is it the rapture

That elevates the soul

Like the emergence

Of a spring dawn?

 

And fill the heart

With a sensation

Like no other

It has ever know?

 

Can it be the blossoming

Of a summer's rose?

Or the repetitive echos

Of a newborn baby's cry?

 

Perhaps it is the warmth

Of a mother's hand

That wipes away the tears

From an infant's eye

Who is wrought with pain

It can not explain.

 

(C) A.D. Moore

Honoring Martin Luther King's Birthday

YET, I DREAM

 

I dream of kings and queens

Of far away kingdoms,

From days of old,

With corn-rowed tresses

And ebony faces.

 

I dream of my forefathers,

Chained and shackled,

Brought to a distant land,

A home forever,

The motherland to see no more.

 

Bought and sold,

Their labors utilized

In the forging of a new nation

Called America---The Home of the Brave

And the Land of the Free.

 

I dream of Benjamin Banneker,

Crispus Attucks, Nat Turner, Den Mark Vessey,

Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington,

W.E.B. Dubois, Jean Baptiste DuSable,

George Washington Carver, Carter G. Woodson,

Thurgood Marshall, Dr. Martin Luther King...

 

I dream of Harriet Tubman,

Sojourner Truth, Mary McLeod Bethune,

Phillis Wheatly, Madame C.J. Walker,

Ida B. Wells, Mahalia Jackson,

Marian Anderson, Marjorie Stewart Joyner...

And other sisters and brothers

Who lit and carried the torch,

Then left it----That we might see the way.

 

I dream! I dream! I dream!

Yes, Yet I dream!

(C) 1995 A.D. Moore

Image: Freedigitalphotos.net

A New Year of Endless Creative Possibilities!

A happy belated New Year to my fans, friends, and followers!
It's a special time indeed.
A new year serves like a blank canvas. It is ours to create our own vision for the future.
...To learn from mistakes of the past and move forward.

What dreams have you had on "hold status"?

Perhaps it's been to write a book. Or to publish your first article? Or to go back to school to enhance your employment opportunities.

Whatever your goal is, why not make this year the "setting" of your own personal success story?

You're never too old to start anew.

Remember: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step."

Wishing you a year of prosperity, peace, progress, and optimal health!



Image: Stuart Miles