Libby Stott's Blog

Hi there.

I recently launched a website at www.lit-by-lib.com.

There I talk about lit and life, and I hope to hear back from you.

I do hope that you will check it out.

Take care,
Libby

"A Book of Verses underneath the Bough,
A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread--and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness--
Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow!"

from "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam"


The above quatrain, or "rubaiyat," is Edward FitzGerald's paraphrase of a stanza by Omar Khayyam, a fine Persian poet and scientist.

March 31st is FitzGerald's birthday.

"The Rubaiyat" is both philosophical and erotic, and "Dancing with a Baptist" refers to it many times, with the poet and her muse as variations of Omar and Saki.

For some allusions, see "First Lunch," "A Few Things," "Invitation," "Hell and Farewell" (empty cup), "Down by the Sandy Garden," "Offstage," and "Oklahoma."

For use of wine, tea, and picnics, see e.g. "Felix Culpa," "Brigid Urges," "Cupbearers," "The Poet."

The 31st is also the birthday of the 17th-century poet (and politician!) Andrew Marvell (also alluded to in "Dancing").

Rather than tweeting photos of his lady, Marvell wrote a marvelous poem to her ("To His Coy Mistress").

Too bad he's not running this year!

Celebrate these poets--Omar, FitzGerald, and Marvell--as we head into National Poetry Month, which begins April 1st.

And if weather permits, enjoy a picnic or two. : )

Purim begins on the evening of the 23rd. It is a Jewish festival involving Esther as the hero of her people. It's a time for fun, partying, and masking, but it is also a time for prayers of thanks for survival.

(Though Purim is not specifically mentioned in "Dancing," the book does employ the theme of masking, both explicitly and in the many manifestations involved. See especially the following: "Our Mardi Gras Lunch," "Mardi Gras," "The Silence," "Carne Vale," "Venus Takes Charge," "Epiphany," "Cupbearers," and "Dancing with a Baptist.")

This March 23rd is also the Wednesday before Easter, sometimes known as "Spy Wednesday." According to tradition, this is when Judas made arrangements to betray Christ, after Judas had seen the woman pour perfume on Christ's feet.

(For a reference to these figures in "Dancing," see "Scent of a Woman.")

Tomorrow, March 20th, is a momentous day for many reasons (and "Dancing" celebrates some of these).

Roman gods, the Christian god, and the life force itself--via spring--are all evoked on this day. No wonder that a person "lightly turns to thoughts of love," a la Tennyson, during this season.

The 20th is the birthday of the poet Ovid, a Roman poet who got in hot water for his racy poetry and who was exiled to what is now Romania. He is known for his "Art of Love" and his "Metamorphoses," among other works.

(For allusions to Ovid in "Dancing," see the poems "Metamorphoses" and "Conversing," and of course the many transformations and gods depicted in the work.)

This year, the 20th is Palm Sunday, when Jesus was welcomed by the people as he rode a donkey into Jerusalem, a week before his resurrection on Easter morning.

(See "Epiphany," "Lent.")

The 20th is also the first full day of spring and thus evocative of rebirth, new life, and romance across cultures in the northern hemisphere.

(See "In the Bright Wood," "Winter Maying," "No More Young Foolishness," "Heralds," "Weeding," "Brighid Urges," "Elegy and Alleluia," "Felix culpa," "Easter Vigil," "Oklahoma Real," and "Offstage.")

May your spring be filled with love and wonder!

Tomorrow, Mar. 17, is St. Patrick's Day--so get out the green!

My siblings and I used to wear green pajamas to bed on the 16th so we'd be "covered" as soon as the clock struck midnight.

(Though I'm only 12% Irish, as a poet, I exaggerate my claim!)

For me, Mar. 17th is a time for remembering not only St. Patrick, but also another patron saint of Ireland, St. Brigid, who was also a patron of poets and scholars.

It is a time also to remember Ireland's great cultural heritage: its music; and its authors, such as James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, Seamus Heaney, and many others.

And it is a time to remember Ireland's struggle not only to preserve that culture, but to escape genocide.

Here's to the resilience and the beauty of the Irish people! And to peace and harmony for all!

And get out those green pjs!

For poems in "Dancing" alluding to St. Patrick, Brigid, or Ireland in general, see the following: "I Meet Him," "After a Grad Students' Meeting," "Primavera," "Brighid Urges the Poet," "Epiphany," "Cupbearers," and "Oklahoma Real."

For poems alluding to Yeats, see "No More Young Foolishness" and "Down by the Sandy Garden."

For poems alluding to Oscar Wilde, see "The Silence" and "Cupbearers."

Soon the Ides of March--the 15th--will be here. Originally linked to a Roman fertility festival, its associations with the death of Julius Caesar now predominate, something famously depicted by Shakespeare in his play on that man.

It's also the birthday both of trumpeter Harry James and of evangelist--and musician!--Jimmy Swaggart.

A range of moods and personalities there, and something with political tones.

This year, the Ides is also the date of some important primaries in the U.S.

Here's voting for eventual political harmony and progress in our country!

For "Dancing" poems set on March 15, see "Weeding" and "Coming to Praise."

Thanks so much to all who registered for the "Dancing" giveaway--I very much appreciate the interest and support!

This Thurs. or before, I will mail out copies to the winners; let me know if you haven't received your copy by the end of next week.

To all out there, take care, keep safe, and happy reading!


Best,
Libby

Happy Leap Day!

I should celebrate by doing something I would rather not do more often than once every 4 years--clean the kitchen until it's spotless. Nah--maybe in the next millennial year.

Tomorrow is big for a lot of reasons, political and poetic. I'm about to decide we should make all the candidates get on stage and see who can do the best "Curly Shuffle." It wouldn't decide who's best to run the country, but it would be fun to watch.

It is also March Kalends (1st), sacred to the poet Horace, and the birthday of the poet Martial, known especially for epigrams.

Enjoy these special days!

St. Brigid's Day has just passed, with its connotations of a coming spring, and Candlemas is ending, with its association of light of various kinds. These holidays are roughly in between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox, and they look hopefully toward spring.

Chinese New Year happens soon, as does Mardi Gras.

May you enjoy these holidays and their ceremonies of hope and joy.

"Dancing with a Baptist" refers to several of the above holidays as it depicts a young woman's own rebirth.

A Giveaway of the print version of "Dancing" will begin Feb. 7 on Goodreads; the ebook is available at any time through amazon.com and other booksellers.

Apr. 1, 2015

Today is Holy Wednesday (the Wednesday before the Christian Easter) and April Fool’s Day. This combination brings to mind Erasmus’ "In Praise of Folly," a notable Christian work.

Holy Wednesday is associated with the woman who anointed Christ with a precious oil--and with Judas, who arranged to betray his master for money.

Whatever one’s religious beliefs, there are some amazing pieces of art that depict one of these scenes.

Holy Wednesday is a day therefore that combines both love and betrayal, though in the Christian scheme of things the coming Easter affirms an ultimate victory.

(In Dancing with a Baptist, see “Scent of a Woman” and “Oklahoma Real” for poems set on Holy Wednesday in different years.)


And on this April Fool’s Day, may all your pranks be gentle ones. : )