Casey Francis

Dispatches is one of favorite lit website features. The Common describes Dispatches as “short evocations of particular places.” So stop on over and read some. I particuarly have enjoyed Roxane Gay’s Dispatch on Metropolis, Illinois.

I love me some Janelle Monáe.

Yay! My essay “The Poets Tangled in My Sheets” has been accepted by Go Read Your Lunch, which is published by Alternating Current Arts Co-Op. Check out their website here: alternatingcurrentarts.blogspot.com.

I love poetry. I love Nebraska. And, so, it’s not so surprising that I love Ted Kooser too.

This linked story from NPR got me excited. Minnesota-born composer Maria Schneider and singer Dawn Upshaw teamed up to set some of Kooser’s poems from Winter Morning Walks to music. The results are wonderful.

Click here to read the story and hear some of the resulting collaboration.

Pattern in the morning.

Check out this free  download of Alabama Shakes - Always Alright on Official.fm!

It serves food and ice cream my favorite way: nostalgic. (at Fountain on Locust)

I love snow days: beers and books.

The beautiful pattern of the everyday mundane as seen at the Hy-Vee in Quincy, Illinois, on Harrison Street. 

A picture from Courtesy Diner following Mardi Gras festivities in Saint Louis this past weekend.

Gotye won Record of the Year in a pure moment of awesome at the 2013 Grammy Awards for “Somebody That I Used to Know” featuring Kimbra. Some huge names and hits were up for the award—Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” fun.’s “We Are Young,” Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” The Black Keys’ “Lonely Boy” and Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin’ Bout You.” But this wasn’t the awesome part, and neither was the fact that Prince gave out the award (though that too was awesome).

The real awesome part was Gotye’s acceptance speech. Humble and gracious, Gotye demonstrated the best way to win an award. He looked at his golden gramophone then said, “I’m a little bit lost for words. To receive an award from the man standing behind us [Prince] here with the cane, I spent many years listening to this man’s music growing up and a big reason I was inspired to make music, thank you.” Most of the time I would think quit kissing ass but he seemed genuine. His last few words expressed a heartfelt sentiment about his love for his craft. Gotye finished up his speech with this:

“I just want to say thanks for everybody who puts great energy into the world making music. I feel unworthy to be up here receiving this, but thank you all musicians and people who listen to music. Cheers.”

Isn’t that awesome? Yeah, it is. And, oh, did I mention he won two other Grammy Awards too?

Coffee required kind of morning

I’ve never been too keen on coffee or morning meditation, but the one constant of my morning routine is Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac. Each morning my computer downloads the podcast and the first five minutes of my day is spent with Garrison first giving a brief literary factoid or informing me that it’s a certain author’s birthday and then he reads a poem. It’s a lovely way to begin the day.

Yesterday’s poem on the Writer’s Almanac was awesome. It made me miss living out west and reminded me of the handful of road trips I’ve made across the Great Plains region. The poem was “Great Plains” by Bruce Willard. It begins: “I could drive for days without fear / of outrunning these patchwork clouds, / bridge lines of cumulus / this way or that towards the horizon.” Read the poem in its entirety here.

I love snow.

Have you seen “Beasts of the Southern Wild”? You should.

I just finished watching “Beasts of the Southern Wild” and loved the movie. It’s a dramatic film with elements of fantasy. The movie is the story of five-year old Hushpuppy and her unhealthy, hot-tempered father, Wink, who live in the Louisiana bayou community of Bathtub. The town is cutoff from the outside world by a levee and a storm approaches.

I can see why it was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress (Quvenzhané Wallis), Best Director (Benh Zeitlin), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Zeitlin and Lucy Alibar).

My good friend, Alyse, will be shaving her head in an effort to raise money for St. Baldricks, an organization aimed to help research childhood cancers. Please consider showing her and all the children your support by a donation and considering joining us for the event!!

If you’re so inclined, check out my Contributor Spotlight on the Midwestern Gothic website! My work can be found in issues 2, 4, and 7.

bikemiery:

old 50

mentalalchemy:

OH OK SIMPLE ENOUGH LOL