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Alan W. Powers
Goodreads Author
Born
in Springfield, MA, The United States
Website
Genre
Influences
Member Since
June 2011
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Alan W. Powers
Avoid writing well. Too much work, and nobody notices.
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Conversations with Birds: The Metaphysics of Bird and Human Communication
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BirdTalk: Conversations With Birds
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published
2002
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4 editions
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Parodies Lost
by
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published
2016
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Candelaio: A New Stage Translation
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published
2014
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The Worlds of Giordano Bruno: The Man Galileo Plagiarized
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published
2011
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Westport Soundings
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published
1994
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2 editions
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Bernard Shaw's only Irish Play
Complete Plays with Prefaces, Vol 2 by George Bernard ShawMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Bernard Shaw, "John Bull’s Other Island"
Like "Pygmalion," much about accent, here an Irish one from a Glaswegian drunk. Rather, "Pygmalion" much like this play, which was a decade earlier. My delight to discover many personal links, like "praaps" for perhaps, and “bigor,” used by my Maine forbears from 18C Nova S Read more of this blog post »
Alan
is currently reading
read in January 1969
Alan said:
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A Marvell is a marvell. I spent several years of my life on this book, and of course his delightful prose satires mostly of clerics, such as his Rehearsal Transpros'd, and I have never regretted a minute of it. The book I wrote on him, This Critical
...more
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Alan’s Recent Updates
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Lily Feinman, Thanks for liking. A deceptively fine poet, Though hard to memorize-- my theory, the best, memorable. Homer, Shakespeare recited from m.
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Mike Wilson, Thanks
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Kirsten, Thanks. Message here rathewr than Linkedin, which I never see.
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BoatsAgainstheCurrent, Thanks. Have you read Hurston?
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Jeffrey, Thanks for liking. As I re-read, it IS pretty good!
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Alan
rated a book it was amazing
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| I read this when it came out, and was startled by its ductile grandeur and directness. I aloudread it to various students, in classes, and in large gatherings, for several years. It is simply the best re-working of the Odyssey since Joyce's Ulysses. ...more | |
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Alan
rated a book it was amazing
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| I cannot be objective: Bishop was a friend since HS, throughout the Vassar College years and beyond, of my mentor and patron Rhoda Sheehan; in fact, Bishop rented Rhoda's "Hurricane House" that floated over Westport Harbor in the '38 hurricane. That' ...more | |
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Alan
rated a book it was amazing
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For a video of two scenes from Bridewell Theatre, London (2014) see Alan W Powers's profile here. In one scene, III.12, the Latin teacher, Manny, refuses to call out "Robber!" because, "Robbery is an assault accompanied by larceny-- from Old French 'r ...more |
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Alan
rated a book it was amazing
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Where I began writing, during a fine undergrad English major. "Days of daisies, swaying lazily,/ Light and easy, breeze-blown days" and "Love-burst firth, froth on the sluicing sea/ Foams on the rolling, beating surf..." The first I submitted to enter ...more |
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“I practice Dying--every night--
But have not learned to, still--
Though Talented--by Mortal bones--
For such a common Skill.”
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But have not learned to, still--
Though Talented--by Mortal bones--
For such a common Skill.”
―
“from "After the Fall"
When Kennedy dropped from the sky
To honor the poet Frost, ...
So MacLeish spoke.."Not
To mention Robert Frost. For Frost,
Of course, is another matter, as he
Always was, spoke to the throng an the one
Hatless in October, but days before
Dallas and November.”
― Westport Soundings
When Kennedy dropped from the sky
To honor the poet Frost, ...
So MacLeish spoke.."Not
To mention Robert Frost. For Frost,
Of course, is another matter, as he
Always was, spoke to the throng an the one
Hatless in October, but days before
Dallas and November.”
― Westport Soundings
Topics Mentioning This Author
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Colosseum. Sfide ...:
SSS12+1: Sfida dello Scaffale Strabordante (© Porphydo): ecco a voi... l'edizione 12+1!!!
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358 | 217 | Apr 23, 2024 02:33AM |
“I practice Dying--every night--
But have not learned to, still--
Though Talented--by Mortal bones--
For such a common Skill.”
―
But have not learned to, still--
Though Talented--by Mortal bones--
For such a common Skill.”
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“Trovo la televisione molto educativa. Ogni volta che qualcuno la accende, vado in biblioteca e leggo un buon libro.”
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“Give me a kiss, and to that kiss a score; then to that twenty, add a hundred more; a thousand to that hundred: so kiss on, to make that thousand up a million. treble that million, and when that is done, let's kiss afresh, as when we first begun!”
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“The ear is the only true writer and the only true reader. I know people who read without hearing the sentence sounds and they were the fastest readers. Eye readers we call them. They get the meaning by glances. But they are bad readers because they miss the best part of what a good writer puts into his work.”
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Freedom and Liberty
— 66 members
— last activity Jun 15, 2020 05:05AM
Welcome one, welcome all. I hereby invite you to Freedom and Liberty a group that remains free and lets true patriots (to their nation) join with mora ...more
¡ POETRY !
— 22583 members
— last activity Dec 24, 2025 01:37PM
No pretensions: just poetry. Stop by, recommend books, offer up poems (excerpted), tempt us, taunt us, tell us what to read and where to go (to read ...more
The Astronomy Lovers
— 15 members
— last activity Jan 11, 2020 05:31PM
A club for anyone who loves astonomy, or just outer space in general.
Musicians And Music Lovers
— 1322 members
— last activity Dec 31, 2025 01:14AM
This is where we will post our videos, and our songs.
The Underrated Authors Project 2013
— 141 members
— last activity May 04, 2020 09:50PM
Now, I am not sure if this has been done before, so I apologise if this already exists (I'd be surprised if it hasn't). I wanted to make a group dedic ...more
Wilderness Reading Group
— 24 members
— last activity May 09, 2016 08:07AM
We read books related to wildlands or wildlife, all genres, and meet every other month in Bozeman, MT. Our next book is Peter Mattheissen's book on cr ...more
Ask Stef Smulders
— 17 members
— last activity May 06, 2020 09:28AM
...August 20, 2017 to September 19, 2017... I am a Dutch expat living in Italy since 2008 operating a bed and breakfast. I write about our experiences ...more
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Rakhi wrote: "Thanks for the friend invite,Alan! I am honored to be friends with you. As I have been following your updates for some time now, I may also add that going through your reviews and updates has alway..."My pleasure. I still have insights, and notes from real insights when teaching, BUT: I'm in my dotage now, rather like both our presidential candidates. I've had maybe 4,500 students at community colleges, and I'd say I learned from at least half of them--not all, simply because not enough time to. I believe most learned more from me than the reverse--why else was I paid? But it was/is surely a two-way street. I look forward to seeing some of your reviews. My computer has bugs, but seems to be functioning okay tonight...
reply | edit | delete | flag *
Thanks for the friend invite,Alan! I am honored to be friends with you. As I have been following your updates for some time now, I may also add that going through your reviews and updates has always been enlightening for me :)
Stephen wrote: "An honor Alan to accept your Friendship Request. I'm a bit overwhelmed by your background and command but this just means there will be more for me to learn Hopefully, I can return some of the same."Thanks, Stephen, but I'm in my dotage now, rather like our presidential candidates? I've had maybe 4,500 students at community colleges, and I'd say I learned from at least half of them--not all, simply because not enough time to. I believe most learned more from me than the reverse--why else was I paid? But it was/is surely a two-way street. I look forward to seeing some of your reviews. My computer has bugs, but seems to be functioning okay tonight...
An honor Alan to accept your Friendship Request. I'm a bit overwhelmed by your background and command but this just means there will be more for me to learn Hopefully, I can return some of the same.
Alan wrote: "Maurizio (matemati) wrote: "Ciao Alan!I'm interested in your book 'Birdtalk': how can I get it?"
Maurizio (matemati) wrote: "Ciao Alan!
I'm interested in your book 'Birdtalk': how can I get it?"
..."
Maurizio,
If you haven't found my Birdtalk at a good price, I can send one of the few I have here--though they charge lots for mail as I recall. I just sent my Bruno book to Italy, $15 US--nearly half the value of the book itslef. AP
Maurizio (matemati) wrote: "Ciao Alan!I'm interested in your book 'Birdtalk': how can I get it?"
Maurizio (matemati) wrote: "Ciao Alan!
I'm interested in your book 'Birdtalk': how can I get it?"
Maurizio--Grazie tanto. Thanks for your interest. It's on amazon.co.uk. amazon.fr, amazon.de and amazon.com. There
are some great prices, used and I think even new. Sold a few in the UK
a couple weeks ago, I think bec of my email on the Dyfi ospreys, but I don't know. My website has some of my imitations and bird "conversations," including one, the Merlo recorded in Italy, on Radio Uno (2004). There's also a link on my website to the talk I gave in Milan, in Italian. See www.habitableworlds.com
For the birdsound click up top on Birdtalk. For the Italian talk, click under the book cover on the right. Alan
Ciao Alan!I'm interested in your book 'Birdtalk': how can I get it?
Oh, as for Twain--also, as with Dickens, his European travels, I think titled Autobiographies. And Tom Sawyer, which I find a much more interesting critique of America (schools, religion etc) than Huckleberry Finn.
Fede wrote: "I just forgot to tell you another satirical writer I like: bukowsky. But way too dirty for me. There are some episodes I just can't read: too rude and disgusting. Anyway, he's got a unique comic st..."I've read very little Bukowski. Seems very sexist to me, in that San Francisco kind of way. And now, pretty dated?
Fede wrote: "What should i read by mark train? Ps: i believe sooner or later i'll read the tale of Two cities by dickens....it just appeals my . I'm curious about it."
Two Cities may be Dickens' least amusing novel--I like Nicholas Nickelby, but it's really long, of course. And Dickens' Italian account is very good--it must also be in Italian?
I just forgot to tell you another satirical writer I like: bukowsky. But way too dirty for me. There are some episodes I just can't read: too rude and disgusting. Anyway, he's got a unique comic style.
What should i read by mark train? Ps: i believe sooner or later i'll read the tale of Two cities by dickens....it just appeals my . I'm curious about it.
Fede wrote: "Alan wrote: "Fede wrote: "Yes I have to admit "la prosivendola" is an unbelievably funny book,although I don't Esteem pennac so much. The fact that he considers it his best work proves that he is n..."Austen non piace Mark Twain, pero... Ed Italiano no ha parole per
"silly" e "folly." Ma per carattere, insuperabile. E magari per un certo tipo di umorismo.
Alan wrote: "Fede wrote: "Yes I have to admit "la prosivendola" is an unbelievably funny book,although I don't Esteem pennac so much. The fact that he considers it his best work proves that he is not such a gre..."I read austen,but didn't work for me.i'll try and read the other ones you suggested to me. It's 11.30 pm here. Goodnight!
Fede wrote: "Yes I have to admit "la prosivendola" is an unbelievably funny book,although I don't Esteem pennac so much. The fact that he considers it his best work proves that he is not such a great writer. Fo..."Beh, in lingua inglese ci sono molti scrittori che ti fanno ridere e pensare, da Chaucer e Shakespeare attraverso Donne di Andrew Marvell (nella sua prosa), attraverso Austen a Dickinson Twain e al gelo e Yeats a Saul Bellow.
Yes I have to admit "la prosivendola" is an unbelievably funny book,although I don't Esteem pennac so much. The fact that he considers it his best work proves that he is not such a great writer. For me, real talented writers have the duty to make their readers think. Pennac only makes me laugh( not in the sens he's ridiculous,but in a positive way,still.) according to me, the only writer that can make you laugh while thinking and reflecting is the Italian Stefano Benni. The rest are ephemeral reads,although fun ones.
