We readily see that the grammatical sensitivities of the Gilded Age dowager or pedant were aesthetic preferences, of the kind almost always doomed to dissolve with the passage of time. It can be harder to see that the same judgment applies to our own sense of what proper English is. Today, we have our own fads. We’re more likely to hear about using nouns as verbs – structure a lesson, impact a discussion – or making new verbs from nouns, such as liaise. Yet the verbs copy, view, worship and silence were born from nouns to no complaint. The fashion simply hadn’t yet arisen to condemn them. Or, for that matter, no fuss was made at the time when William Shakespeare and William Makepeace Thackeray, both celebrated as masters of the tongue, used they in the singular form. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/09/a-matter-of-fashion/

for Pennsyvania poets: The Keystone Chapbook Prize

The Keystone Chapbook Prize

The Keystone Chapbook Prize is awarded annually to poets with ties to Pennsylvania. The submission period is currently open until August 31 (slightly extended this year due to problems earlier this summer).

This series began in 2007 with Harry Humes' chapbook Underground Singing; the most recent titles, selected last year by Sascha Feinstein, are slated for release in September and October: Dave Bonta's Breakdown: Banjo Poems and William Woolfitt's The Salvager's Arts.

This year's judge is Brent Goodman, author of The Brother Swimming Beneath Me and Not at All Sudden.
 
Complete details and guidelines about the Keystone Chapbook Series, and all titles, can be found at the Seven Kitchens Press site: http://sevenkitchenspress.com/series-guidelines/guidelines-the-keystone-chapbook-prize/

And, why not take a moment to share this opportunity with others.

hiatus 2012

July, August, September-- Summer Hiatus

Okay.

Sorry, but, here’s the deal– the Almost Uptown Poetry Cartel and Poetry Thursdays has has decided to take a vacation.

A real summer vacation. For the first time in 14 years we’re going to sit down, relax, read, breathe deeply, and sip margaritas in the park. Or somesuch.

You’ll probably still find us out supporting those awesome flamenco players on Thursday nights at HMAC, and we’ll be visiting our friends at numerous versification venues around the area, but we’re putting our weekly event on siesta until September.

Hope to see you then.