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Blues #3 [by Cleis Abeni]
Ever heard the stereotype that blacks in the United States talk too loudly at movie theaters? Needless to say, blacks aren’t the only folks to shout out phrases at the cinema like, “Don’t go…
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Blues #2 [by Cleis Abeni]
Today, I share key overarching ideological truths about the blues. To begin, let me journey back to a time many years ago when I taught jazz dance and music (as well as writing) for…
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“Uniformity” Wins the Day: David Lehman Picks the First Line of the “Next Line, Please” Contest.
Last week, after a summer hiatus, David Lehman returned to run the American Scholar's "Next Line Please" contest. He kicked off the fall season with an invitation to submit the first line for a…
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Happy Colonial Conquest Day! [ by Charles Coe ]
Yeah, yeah…I know. European colonialism resulted in the exploitation of virtually every indigenous population on the planet. Rape, pillage, appropriation of resources, elimination of local culture, customs and religions…yadda yadda yadda. And saying Christopher…
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Blues #1 [by Cleis Abeni]
Like most poets, I understand the world in forms. In this multipart essay, I hone in on the form that most typifies my understanding of the world. That form is the blues. A brilliant,…
