Lily S. May–Life with Art
Last week I began rereading Like a Straw Bird It Follows Me, and Other Poems. It's by the Palestinian poet, Ghassan Zaqtan. Straw Bird is translated into English by Palestinian doctor and poet, Fady Joudah. I bought the book in 2013 after attending a reading of the shortlisted poets for the Griffin Poetry Prize in… Continue reading Wood Carving by Ghassan Zaqtan
The great poet, Mahmoud Darwish, was born on March 13 in Palestine. Different sources have dated his birth to both 1941 and '42. He died in August 2008. At any rate, today I am celebrating his birth. His words have added more beauty to my life than I can adequately describe. From the book The Butterfly's… Continue reading March 13: Mahmoud Darwish
I'm reading and rereading the books of two great poets, Mahmoud Darwish and Ghassan Zaqtan. These were translated from Arabic into English by Fady Joudah. I mentioned that his translation of Zaqtan's Like a Straw Bird It Follows Me won him and Zaqtan the Griffin Poetry Prize this year. Reading Straw Bird has led me… Continue reading The Excellent Poetry I’m Reading
I learned late last night who won the Griffin Poetry Prize. The Canadian prize went to David W. McFadden for his book What's the Score? and the international prize went to Ghassan Zaqtan and translator Fady Joudah for Like a Straw Bird It Follows Me, and Other Poems. Congratulations! Again, if you're a poetry lover, go to the Griffen… Continue reading And the Winners Are….
Arts of May 