"Sunset Marketplace" Renderings Revealed

I love imaginary pictures of future developments. They are so cute and sunny and clean. No one ever litters or stumbles around drunk. Everyone is thin and there is just the "right" amount of diversity. Brownstoner has the renderings here. I had no idea this was in the works, and I am not at all sure what to think about it - yet. Would Banana Republic REALLY move in to 3rd Ave and 31st Street? Will there be Mall Walking Clubs? Does this mean the end of 24 hour Video and Accessories stores? Say it isn't so!

A Poem that Mentions Brooklyn by an Author Previously Unknown to Me

It's fun when your child naps for longer than you expect so there is time to tool around on the electronic highway in search of something new (to you). That's how I came across Tina Chang and "Duality."

I like this poem because the narrator displays such a brashness and vulnerability within the scenes portrayed. The person she wants to be, and is to some, and the person she is are truly separated. We all have a little of that in ourselves, don't we? We imagine ourselves to be much more brave and outspoken and magnificent and romantic (in the true sense of the word) than we turn out to be when confronted with real life situations. Maybe it's just me. The imagined conversations I have pre- and post-event always come across much more eloquent and dauntless than they turn out to be. Anyway, I am glad to have found the poem.

Tina Chang has her own website. Very hip. Here's the link to her brief bio.


from "Duality"

In daylight, I'll tip my sunglasses forward,
buy a cup of tea and think of the good
I've done for the world, how satisfying
it feels to give a man something to contemplate.
The heart is a whittled twig. No, that is not
the right image, so I drop the heart in a pile
of wood and light that massive test on fire.

I walk the streets of Brooklyn looking
at this storefront and that, buy a pair of shoes
I can't afford, pumps from London, pointed
at the tip and heartbreakingly high, hera
my new heels clicking, crushing the legs
of my shadow. The woman who wears
these shoes will be a warrior, will not think
about how wrong she is, how her calculations
look like the face of a clock with hands
ticking with each terrorizing minute.

Sunset Library in the News

Here's some positive news about Sunset Park. It highlights a parent/child reading program at our library branch. Check it out.

Edna St. Vincent Millay - more than that Naughty Flapper

She's probably best known for "First Fig" and "Second Fig." Who can resist delighting in burning a candle at both ends? Or taunting the careful architects of builders on on rock when your castle is much more thrilling - though short-lived? She became much more varied in her subject matter later in life. She wrote about the Sacco-Vanzetti case and later wrote anti-fascist propaganda poetry that is often left out of collections. Here's a fantastic 1992 review/biography from the New York Times by one of SUNY Binghamton's professors, Liz Rosenberg . (Sorry, it's Binghamton University now. Tough to get used to.)

I chose an excerpt from "New England Spring, 1942" in honor of today's weather. It's from her posthumous collection Mine the Harvest. Read the entire poem here.

from "New England Spring, 1942"

But Spring is wise. Pale and with gentle eyes, one day some-
what she advances;
The next, with a flurry of snow into flake-filled skies retreats
before the heat in our eyes, and the thing designed
By the sick and longing mind in its lonely fancies---
The sally which would force her and take her.
And Spring is kind.
Should she come running headlong in a wind-whipped acre
Of daffodil skirts down the mountain into this dark valley we
would go blind.

Power Plant Proposal Info

In case you aren't up on the neighborhood action regarding powering up the City, here's an update courtesy of The Brooklyn Eagle. It deals with an upgrade proposed for the 29th Street Pier Gowanus Generating Plant. According to the article, the plant is owned by the same company that owns the Narrows Generating Plant on 53rd Street and 1st Avenue. Considering the changes proposed, it's a good bet they are also planning upgrades to that plant in the future. The upgrades are described as "greener" clean energy. However, the use of "greener" and not just "green" makes me a little suspicious. If the output is going to increase, so will the side effects - or particle emissions. Yep, we breathe it in! Anyway, just an update in case you hadn't heard about it.

Sad Weekend for Sunset Park

Sunset Park had a rough weekend.

A father and son were struck by an SUV on Friday night while crossing 65th Street. The first article reported that the son was 19, the updated version changed his age to 11. The son was pronounced dead at Lutheran Medical Center. The father is in critical condition. The Daily News has a brief article.

A 19 year old high school student was fatally stabbed very early Sunday morning outside El Caviar Bar at 4210 3rd Avenue. Apparently, he was trying to break up a fight. He also died at Lutheran Medical Center. Again, The Daily News has a brief article.

Lastly, and hopefully not as seriously, the Gothamist Map has a pedestrian struck at 48th Street and 15th Avenue on Sunday. Granted, it's not technically Sunset Park, but the pedestrian safety thing is close to my heart.

Don't forget, you can still sign the petition for stop sign installation around the actual park in Sunset Park. Here's the link.

Getting some Culture with Adrienne Rich

Her name is pronounced Ahh-Dree-Enn, not Ay-Dree-In. I never knew this until my much-more-knowledgeable husband talked about some of her work one day. I proceeded to tease him about his pronunciation, but then he "schooled me" as to the facts. Now I get to sound all high-brow and in-the-know. I love it.

Rich's life has been a progression of theme and style in relation to her work. Reading various pieces in chronological order provides a time-line of social mores and change. Check out her bio on Poets.org.

"Diving into the Wreck" is probably the poem with which the public is most familiar. It's a staple in undergrad and grad literature classes. However, "At a Bach Concert" is a lovely, deceptively simple poem. When teaching poetry, I try to show my students that form actually helps creativity. It doesn't stifle it. Some of the best poems from my students have come out of iambic pentameter; I believe it's because word choice becomes utterly important. It's a struggle, surely, and they hated the work, but the true literature students were so pleased with the results.

So I chose this excerpt because of it's focus on form. And besides, I like Bach. So there. The link to the poem also has a solid and well-written critical reflection. Check it out.

from "At a Bach Concert"

This antique discipline, tenderly severe,
Renews belief in love yet masters feeling,
Asking of us a grace in what we bear.

Form is the ultimate gift that love can offer -
The vital union of necessity
With all that we desire, all that we suffer.

Marianne Moore loved the Brooklyn Dodgers

And that is how I'm connecting her to Brooklyn. Her bio on Poets.org doesn't mention this long-standing love affair, but it is true. She even threw out the first ball of the season one year. She also wrote a celebratory poem, entitled "Hometown Piece for Messrs. Alston and Reese," for the Dodgers after their 1956 National League Title win. "Poetry" is her most familiar poem, probably because teachers of poetry use it as an introduction to class fairly often. The first line catches student interest because it is the opposite of what they expect. That, of course, gets them to read more than the first and last stanza...some of the time.

To read "Poetry" by Marianne Moore in its entirety, click here. This excerpt is the first stanza and the beginning of the second stanza. I tried to get the spacing correct in my re-typing of it. Of course, I used tab and not a specific number of taps on my space bar, so who knows how accurate it has turned out to be. Enjoy.

from "Poetry"

I, too, dislike it: there are things that are important beyond all
this fiddle.
Reading it, however, with a perfect contempt for it, one
discovers in
it after all, a place for the genuine.
Hands that can grasp, eyes
that can dilate, hair that can rise
if it must, these things are important not because a

high-sounding interpretation can be put upon them but
because they are
useful.

Wild on Whitman

Since I don't intend to only post poetic excerpts from Brooklyn (or Brooklyn connected) poets, I figure I'd better get some Walt Whitman in here before my head flits on to other, less revered authors. Whitman lived in Brooklyn early on, and then he returned in the mid 1800's. As most of you probably know, a line from "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" is used to decorate the fencing at Fulton Ferry Landing. So all those people who get their wedding photos taken there probably have a tiny piece of Whitman in their treasured memories.

There is a pretty decent, albeit condensed, bio of Whitman here. And if you want to read ALL of "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry," you can check it out here.

This excerpt is the seventh section of the poem. It's a haunting section because of the narrator's direct address to the reader. It's almost a ghostly breather from the rest of the poem. Poets.org has a great reading of the poem; it's a lot better than I could render since I just focus on his imagery and diction.

from "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry"

Closer yet I approach you,
What thought you have of me now, I had as much of you --
I laid in my stores in advance,
I consider'd long and seriously of you before you were born.

Who was to know what should come home to me?
Who knows but I am enjoying this?
Who knows, for all the distance, but I am as good as looking
at you now, for all you cannot see me?

Flowering Cherry Tree Map at BBG

This is just insanely fun. It's a little embarrassing that I had to go to gothamist.com to find this map, but I'm glad it's on my radar now. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden actually has a map that shows the level of bloom for each of the cherry trees in the Garden. How cool is that? It's called the "CherryWatch Blossom Status Map," and it's updated every couple of days. Another fun section of the website is the month-by-month "What's in Bloom" page. It will be helpful in getting to the BBG while the Bluebell Wood is in bloom. I always seem to miss it. In fact, the last time I saw it in bloom was in the Dave Matthews Band video with Julia Roberts rolling around in the flowers. I'd rather see it in person. Entrance is $8 for Adults (children under 12 are free), and membership is actually a good deal if you plan on going often; it's $40 for an individual. The Garden is Open to the Public and FREE on Tuesdays and on most Saturdays from 10 - 12 AM. Getting there from Sunset is a bit of a tangle, but it's worth it. By subway, take the Manhattan bound R/N/D to Atlantic/Pacific, and get on the New Lots Avenue 3 (or 2). Get off at Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum. There is an entrance right by the Museum. The troublesome part is the transfer; you have to walk across the entire station and up and down and up stairs. There are elevators, however, so it's not impossible with a stroller. By bus, take the B63 to the B71 at Union Street. It stops right on the intersection of Eastern Parkway and Washington. You can either walk to the main entrance on Washington, or go back to the right-hand side of the Museum to enter. Again, it's not complicated, but waiting for the B71 can give anyone a knitted brow.

Langston Hughes is Pretty Darn Excellent

"The Negro Mother" always gets me. Yes, it's true. Teary-eyed and wrinkled chin is my state by the time I hit the middle of the poem. "Mother to Son" has similar sentiments, but it's so overused in English classrooms (mainly because it's easy and clear and full of blaring metaphor) that it has lost its impact for me. Personally, I think it's best used for voice. But I digress.

Hughes' work was prolific. While he wasn't a Brooklyn kind of guy, he claimed Whitman as one of his influences. We'll take it!

So Hughes' "The Negro Mother" it is. Click on the title if you want to read it in its entirety. If you want to know more about this Harlem Renaissance Man, check out the Poets.org page and the Wikipedia page.


from "The Negro Mother"

Now, through my children, I'm reaching the goal.
Now, through my children, young and free,
I realize the blessings denied to me.
I couldn't read then. I couldn't write.
I had nothing, back there in the night.
Sometimes, the valley was filled with tears,
But I kept trudging on through the lonely years.
Sometimes, the road was hot with sun,
But I had to keep on till my work was done:
I had to keep on! No stopping for me--
I was the seed of the coming Free.

Sunset Park Songstress - Shara Worden

The Brooklyn Paper has a profile article about a local talent. She has played with Sufjan Stevens, who has a couple of super-fun albums about Michigan and Illinois. Originally, he said he'd record albums for all 50 states, but it seems his passion has waned. I think he should do an album all about Brooklyn. Shara Worden could help.

Anyway, Shara Worden is a Sunset Park resident, and according to the article, she's playing at Joe's Pub tonight! If you want to go, contact Joe's Pub. It's listed under the Happy Ending Music and Reading series.

Read the entire profile of Shara Worden here.

Brooklyn's Poet Laureate - Ken Siegelman

I'll admit being surprised when I first heard that Brooklyn had its own Poet Laureate. I'll also admit practically complete ignorance of any of Mr. Siegelman's poems. Practically complete because I'd heard a recitation of one or two of his poems at a school program...I think in the early 21st Century. I'm sure he's a man of great talent and integrity; he taught in the NYC Public Schools for over 30 years. Only the best can handle that.

I have chosen an excerpt from his poem "Fading to Zero." It's presented in centered form on the Brooklyn Poetry page, but I'm not at all sure that's how the poet wanted it shown. I'll honor the choice of the webmaster, however. Check out other poems by our Poet Laureate here. "Fading to Zero" also happens to be the title of a documentary about him. You can see a teaser for it here.

from "Fading to Zero"

I’m a hybrid of unresolved bastardy,
Fractioned into superficial evidence
Like a mongrel whose one or two distinctive traits
Tie it to a pedigree lost somewhere
In an elusive past…
All my progeny will forget the flute
Or feathered headdress,
As they become engulfed inside guitars
Strumming an alien legacy.

Kimiko Hahn. A Brooklyn Poet!

Kimiko Hahn's collection The Artist's Daughter is readable, easy to relate to, and punctuated by images that cause slight discomfort.

You can read about Kimiko Hahn in the brief bio here.  

I chose a piece of a poem called "In Childhood" from 
The Artist's Daughter.  It makes allusions to several fairy tales,
which is one of my favorite tactics. I also like this excerpt because
it reminds me of another poem about childhood,
"His Speed and Strength" by fellow Brooklynite, Alicia Ostriker. 

from "In Childhood"  

Where do the gone things go 
when the child is old enough 
to walk herself to school, 
her playmates already
pumping so high the swing hiccups?    

The Artist's Daughter is published by W.W. Norton, and is available
on Amazon, but visiting your library or local bookstore is so much nicer.

I Love April; it's National Poetry Month

I'm on leave from work now, but at school we'd always do "Poem in Your Pocket Day" to celebrate April's status as National Poetry Month. Most of the students ended up shuffling through the motions to get the class credit, but some really presented their favorite poems. Sometimes the poetry would be famous (Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise" showed up at least twice in any class), other times obscure, and occasionally it would be the student's own poetry.

I usually tried to choose something on the lighter side. Something that would demonstrate how to read a poem for an audience. Marge Piercy usually worked well. Shakespeare's sonnets, especially some of the more naughty bits, were popular. Langston Hughes reads consistently well. And anything satirical (seen as "in your face") was especially fun for the kids who got it.

Since I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to re-print poems in their entirety, I'm going to attempt to present a poem a day - just a stanza - and provide the link to the rest of the poem. That way, those who wish to read more can do so at a leisurely pace.

If anyone out there wants her/his poetry to be the choice of the day, just email it to me (Spell-check it and line it up, please. I'll print it as I got it.)

So, Happy National Poetry Month!

Here's my first offering. I can print the whole darn thing because I wrote it. Granted, I wrote it in the 5th grade. Then I won a poetry contest with it in the 7th grade. By the way, the prize I chose was Rick Springfield's LP Working Class Dog. Yeah! It was wicked good. The LP, I mean. The poem is pretty ridiculous. Here's my 5th grade poem:

Shadows dark and lonely
Drifting through the night
Quietly, quickly they move
Never a sound they make
In their moonlit passages.

copyright kdw, 1979

One More Reason to Buy Organic and Locally Grown

Did anyone else read the OP-ED about pesticides and songbirds in The Times yesterday? It talks about levels of pesticides used in Latin America and the deadly effect on North American songbirds. It also points out, briefly, that the areas in which the fruit and vegetables are grown are highly contaminated. Obviously, that can't be good for the people in the area. That's sort of an invisible aspect to the piece, however.

There are certain items I always try to buy organic. Being on leave from the Coop has made it difficult, if not impossible, to find organic grapes, for example. Since my baby loves blueberries, I cough up the $3.99 for a teeny-tiny clamshell of organic blueberries. We make those things last! We buy organic milk and organic yogurt to avoid fun additives like hormones and such. However, things that have peels are exceptions. Mangoes, lemons, oranges, bananas, avocados...I usually just get the everyday bargain available.

This OP-ED piece made me reconsider what I should be spending money on. The mangoes from Peru are my current guilty object. Not organic, they were probably grown with loads of pesticides. According to the author of this OP-ED, "Since the 1980s, pesticide use has increased fivefold in Latin America as countries have expanded their production of nontraditional crops to fuel the demand for fresh produce during winter in North America and Europe." Guilt! Our un-natural demand for things that have no business being eaten during Winter is causing extreme pesticide use in Latin American countries. It affects the residents, and it affects the animals that fly (and traipse) over the growing areas.

The types of pesticides and amounts used in these countries are illegal in the USA. However, we're still supporting their use through consumerism. As if the ugly turn in attitudes in the Democratic race isn't depressing enough. Now it's fruit and veggies! Oh, and coffee. Oh my. In case you don't get around to reading the article, here's the run-down of the top items to try to buy organic or US grown:

Organic Coffee is a biggie. Small coffee growers use the natural methods of shade and compost (leaf litter) to sustain their crops.

Organic bananas. Bananas are so bad for the soil as it is. According to the OP-ED, they are one of the crops that use the highest levels of pesticides. When I was in Costa Rica, my naturalist guide railed against banana crops in general due to their disproportionate use of the land's nutrients.

Only buy the following non-traditional Latin American crops if they are NOT grown in Latin America: strawberries, bell peppers, green beans, melons, tomatoes.

I suppose trying to buy food stuffs from local farms is the best idea. And local organic items are even better. It's expensive, but everything is getting more expensive. Also, I know that I could buy one less bag of chips to make up for the difference in price for mangoes or avocados. It's better for me anyway, right?

Here's the link to NYS Buy Fresh Buy Local.

Mission Accomplished: Earth Hour and a Half 2008

I have to admit, a bit sheepishly, I really enjoyed shutting off our lights, computer, television, radio, and even our phone for Earth Hour 2008. Granted, we left the humidifier in the baby's room on, and we didn't unplug the digital clocks. Yet we started just before eight o'clock, and we finally gave in to the pull of technology at about half past nine.

What did we do? Nothing too stunning. We lit a few candles. We chatted about our child, the week, apartment possibilities, how lucky we feel to be where we are (both literally and figuratively). We also shared a bowl of ice cream (Mmmmm. Breyer's Vanilla Fudge Twirl.) by candlelight. Not quite the romantic dinner I had created in fantasy, but it was darn good.

I suggested that we do a version of Earth Hour every week; my husband seemed less than thrilled, but he'll come around. I actually felt more relaxed and peaceful than I have in a long time. It was great!

Always the contrarian, hubby pointed out that we were probably the only ones within several blocks who were doing this. The lights from the park did penetrate our blinds with ferocity. Always the contrarian's answerer, I said it didn't matter. Did he have a problem with just hanging out with his loving wife and some candles? And wasn't it nice that we could snuggle and talk on the couch without the drone of electronic entertainment in the background?

We'll see if it becomes a weekly occasion. I hope so, but then I also thought I'd change more of my habits after seeing An Inconvenient Truth.

Planning for 60 minutes in the Dark

Earth Hour is basically a movement about turning off electrical equipment for 60 minutes.  It's not really that complicated, but it can take some planning.  I mean, what does one do on a Saturday night without the TV, computer, lava lamp, or blender?  

My romantic self is picturing a candlelit dinner of mushroom risotto, red wine, a mesclun salad, and lots of hand-holding and eye-gazing.  However, the fact is, we will have eaten before that, and my hands are unmanicured and dry from Winter.  

The Earthhour.org website has some ideas for darkness activities.  One is "Clean Up Your Neighborhood!"  They suggest taking a flashlight and roaming the neighborhood picking up trash.  While my street could definitely use that, I wouldn't want to go alone, and I can't imaging hiring a sitter to wait for us in the dark while we are out cleaning up.  Next.  If we had older kids, their suggestion of "Do a Recyclables Scavenger Hunt" would be kind of fun.  Traipse through your apartment (or home, if you are so lucky) looking for and/or identifying opportunities to recycle.  I'm sure we have some lingering in the cupboard.  However, our off-spring will be sleeping.  Or he had better be sleeping.  And I don't think I can get my husband to go along with that without a child involved.    

I like the "Unplug and Chill Out" suggestion.  Interpret it any way you like.   Either that or having a few friends over for wine and cheese by candlelight.  I suppose that can be chilling out as well.  Either way, the lights and TV and Desktop will be off for at least an hour.  Who knows, maybe I'll even get a full night's sleep out of the deal.   

The concrete results are up for debate, but the most important impact, I think, is awareness of how much unnecessary electricity we use.  Are lights left on in empty rooms?  Do we lean into the Fridge pondering our next snack?  Is the computer left to its own devices while we go out and perform tasks and errands all day?  Ah well, I hope NYC joins in.  At least this one little household in Sunset Park will be tuning out for 60 or so minutes.  

IKEA Appears on the Horizon

About two weeks ago, the IKEA store put up its trademark yellow lettering. Even though the store won't open until early Summer (maybe sooner?), we now have the pleasure of anticipating its future place on the double-decker tours of Brooklyn from the green grass of Sunset Park. In fact, now the IKEA store is the most immediately recognizable point on the horizon. You can kind of see the blue strip lighting up Red Hook. If you click on the photo, you'll be rewarded with a glimpse of the yellow IKEA lettering. Otherwise, unfortunately for my photo, my camera is weak in the far-off detail department, so you'll need to check it out in person.

Signs of Spring in Sunset Park

Over the last few weeks, there has been a steady increase in playground attendance in Sunset Park. More parents and care-givers are coming with their munchkins in tow, and they are staying for longer periods of time. That's a definite sign of Spring's arrival. It is caused (I think) more by intense cases of cabin fever than pleasant weather. Still, it's nice to see more life in the park.

Another sign of upcoming Springtime glory is the appearance of tiny flowers in various nooks of the park. They've shown up kind of randomly so far. The photo shows a set of crocuses that I haven't seen in the park before. It'll probably be all over the place next week.