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National Poetry Month Winners . . .

It’s time to announce the winners of the National Poetry Month giveaways.

First up is the winner of L.A. and the Dog Years / I Can Be One split-EP by Luke Rathborne.  My husband selected a random winner, #4 Brittany Gale.  Congrats!

The second giveaway was for one book of poetry that I reviewed over the course of April and entrants had a choice of five books:

1. The Poets Laureate Anthology edited by Elizabeth Hun Schmidt
2. City of Regret by Andrew Kozma
3. Bone Key Elegies by Danielle Sellers

4. City of a Hundred Fires by Richard Blanco
5. White Egrets by Derek Walcott

My husband again selected a random winner, #3 avalonne83, who selected City of a Hundred Fires by Richard Blanco

 

Big Thank You . . .

I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who participated and commented during National Poetry Month. The blog tour was not as well organized this year given I’ve had a few life changes in recent months, but overall, everyone who participated did a great job and made me smile with each comment and contribution.

As a thank you, I’ve extended two poetry-related giveaways until mid-May. One is US/Canada only, the other is international.

Please feel free to check out the giveaways and spread the word:

******L.A. and Dog Years and I Can Be the One EP by Luke Rathborne; Deadline May 14 (US/Canada)

******Choose 1 of 5 poetry books to win; Deadline May 14 (Global)

You must enter through the links provided, NOT on this post.

94th Virtual Poetry Circle

Welcome to the 94th Virtual Poetry Circle!

Remember, this is just for fun and is not meant to be stressful.

Keep in mind what Molly Peacock’s books suggested. Look at a line, a stanza, sentences, and images; describe what you like or don’t like; and offer an opinion. If you missed my review of her book, check it out here.

Also, sign up for the 2011 Fearless Poetry Reading Challenge because its simple; you only need to read 1 book of poetry.  Please contribute to the 2011 Indie Lit Award Poetry Suggestions and check out the National Poetry Month Blog Tour.

For today’s poem, we’re going to look at Luke Rathborne’s “Calypso”:

CALYPSO

I am slipping
who is slipping
blue rips in the sky
I am sleeping through
an unbelievable dream
where a man rips through
my throat
I re-imagine you in my
faintest dream
you are never disappointed
I see California clearly
like Colorado sees mountains
I cherish silence more than music
Calypso, Mediterranean,
I write you thousands of end-
less letters about the fur-
thering from love
I read the same lines over
and over, completely entranced
You cannot see me, because
I disappear the parts while
you are looking
I am overly looking rea-
ching into you
but I have never gone deep
enough
to puncture in
do not remind me of myself

Let me know your thoughts, ideas, feelings, impressions. Let’s have a great discussion…pick a line, pick an image, pick a sentence.

I’ve you missed the other Virtual Poetry Circles. It’s never too late to join the discussion.

**Check out the giveaway for Luke Rathborne’s poetry and music as part of National Poetry Month.

National Poetry Month Giveaway: L.A. by Luke Rathborne

Luke Rathborne is a musician and poet reminiscent of another poet/musician I know.  First I’d like you to check out this video of his single “Dog Years,” as performed at Three Clubs, Hollywood, California:

I hope you enjoyed the music because I’ve got an approved MP3 download of “You Let Me In” for you. All you have to do is use the following password once you get to the site: letmeinLR

And you know that as a poet, I can’t just post about Luke’s songs or videos, especially when its National Poetry Month. I’ve got an excerpt of one of his poems, “The Cowboy Song,” but please check out a full poem, “Calypso,” from Luke on Saturday during the Virtual Poetry Circle.

From The Cowboy Song by Luke Rathborne

Cut me free,
Cut me free of the sun,
Sand, dirt
tail-whip
feel the wind
have a dream of that far off place
out on the lake,
don’t need to tell you where . . .

Now that you’ve been properly introduced, don’t you think Luke’s poetry and music is something you should have? Well, you are in luck because in honor of National Poetry Month, he’s offering my US/Canada readers a chance to win 1 signed copy of L.A. (his poetry) and a limited vinyl press of his music.

To Enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post about who you think Luke Rathborne sounds most like when he sings or what you think of his poetry.

2. Blog, Tweet, Facebook, etc. the giveaway, leave a link, and receive a second entry.

Deadline April 30, 2011 May 14, 2011, at 11:59PM EST.

About Luke Rathborne (from Paul Gargano):

Luke Rathborne writes songs about life, and life is rarely simple, neat and easy.

On his Dog Years / I Can Be One split-EP, the singer-songwriter defies today’s cookie cutter flavors, preferring to hold true to his artistic vision – a vision that embraces the zen of Leonard Cohen and the weathered tone of Bob Dylan, basking both in a heady aura of dialed-down pop exuberance.

“Hopefully, people will see the difference in the music here,” says the 23 year-old troubadour of his ambitious release. “They are two groups of songs that belong with each other, but not necessarily together. As an artist, you really have to think about the way you’re putting a record together, and it’s got to be done in a way that interests people – if you think, in your gut, that you’re just going to smash songs together and call them a record . . . that’s just material, that’s not a record.”

Dog Years embraces Rathborne’s more pop aesthetic – not shiny, happy pop, but effervescent, melancholic pop. The title track offers a cynical poke to not letting the ‘dog years’ pass you by, and If you hear a bit of Dylan in the New Yorker’s tone, you aren’t mistaken. He also cites a lot of ‘60s and ‘70s music like the Kinks and the Beatles as impacting those early tracks, written as a teenager in Maine.

The material from the second set was penned following Rathborne’s move to New York City after high school. . . . “The second EP is more of a reaction to living in New York, and it’s a lot more personal and minimal,” he says. “It’s like battery acid – people are really freaked and don’t know what to do with it.”

You can connect with Luke Rathborne on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, and you can check out his music on iTunes and on his Website.

***Please also stop by the next National Poetry Month Blog Tour stop at Diary of an Eccentric and Read Handed.