Thought for the Day

I've done my best to immortalize what I failed to keep.

~ Joseph Brodsky

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Quoted from Section XVI of Joseph Brodsky's "Strophes" in A Part of Speech (FSG, 1981), page 141

Joseph Brodsky (1940-1996), Russian-American Poet and Essayist; Winner, Nobel Prize in Literature, 1987

New Artist Watch Feature at Escape Into Life

Patrick Dougher, Tightrope, 2017

Acrylic and Mixed Media on Paper

18" x 24"

© Patrick Dougher

PLEASE DO NOT COPY IMAGE

I am delighted to present in today's Artist Watch column at Escape Into Life the work of self-taught artist Patrick Dougher.

Patrick, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, describes his art as "a genuine expression of all that I am." All that Patrick is encompasses not only art but also music, poetry, and reading. For more than 20 years Patrick has used the arts to "empower and support the socio-emotional growth of at-risk and disenfranchised youth" of New York City. He has been an art therapist, curator, teaching artist, and director of a huge community arts program for which he oversaw the creation of more than 300 public mural projects.

Today's Artist Watch showcases images of eight of Patrick's paintings, his Artist Statement, and brief biographical information, as well as links to Patrick's social media.

Thought for the Day

What we allow the mark of our suffering to become

is in our own hands.

~ bell hooks

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Quoted from bell hooks, All About Love: New Visions (Wm Morrow Paperbacks, 765th Ed., 2018). The quote is the epigraph of Part I. Scar in Lee Herrick's collection Scar and Flower (Word Poetry, 2019).

bell hooks, Writer, Feminist Theorist, Cultural Critic, Artist

bell hooks institute

Thought for the Day

You can live by water and still die of thirst.

~ Lee Herrick

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Quoted from "A Thousand Saxophones," Poem by Lee Herrick in Here: Poems for the Planet (Copper Canyon Press, 2019), Elizabeth J. Coleman, Ed., page 89. The poem is from Herrick's collection Hurricane Blues (Southeast Missouri State University Press, 2006)

Lee Herrick, Fresno Poet Laureate Emeritus; Educator

Thought for the Day

On the last day of the world

I would want to plant a tree.

~ W.S. Merwin

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Quoted as Epigraph of "Living" in Naomi Shihab Nye, The Tiny Journalist: Poems (BOA Editions, 2019), page 113. The epigraph comprises the first two lines of Merwin's poem "Place" in The Rain in the Trees (Knopf, 1988).

Naomi Shihab Nye, Palestinian-American Poet, Essayist, Educator

Thought for the Day

What kind of life are you building,

and by whose power are you building it?

~ Joseph E. Gorra

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Quoted from Joseph E. Gorra, "The Intentionality of Becoming Complete Human Beings", CCCA/Biola University Lent Project, April 13, 2019

Joseph E. Gorra, Founder and Director, Veritas Life Center, Writer and Educator

Veritas Life Center

Thought for the Day

. . . real love. . . changes outcomes

 and creates whole new people. . . .

~ Cynthia Bourgeault

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Quoted from Cynthia Bourgeault, Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation, "Anointing and Anointed" at Center for Action and Contemplation, April 11, 2019

Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bourgeault, Episcopal Priest, Write, Internationally Known Retreat Leader

New Artist Watch Feature at Escape Into Life

Jordan Nassar, The Future With Longing, 2018

Hand-embroidered Cotton on Cotton

22" x 22"

© Jordan Nassar

PLEASE DO NOT COPY IMAGE

This month's Artist Watch at Escape Into Life showcases the exquisite abstract embroidery of textile artist Jordan Nassar.

A Palestinian-American born in New York City, where he currently resides, Jordan uses his meticulous hand-stitching to address such subjects as identity, cultural heritage, symbology, codes and language systems, and superstition and religious beliefs. The geometric patterning he uses and carefully maps out is adapted from Islamic symbols present in Palestinian hand embroidery.

Today's Artist Watch column features six images of Jordan's work, his Artist Statement, and a brief biography, as well as a link to his Instagram page.

Thought for the Day

It is terrible to survive

as consciousness

buried in the dark earth.

~ Louise Gluck

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Quoted from Louise Gluck, "The Wild Iris" in The Wild Iris (The Ecco Press, 1992), page 1

Louise Gluck, Award-Winning American Poet; Former Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress

Louise Gluck Profiles at Academy of American Poets, Poetry Foundation, and Steven Barclay Agency

Thought for the Day

There is no country

left for the weaponless.

~ Carolyne Wright

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Quoted from Carolyne Wright, "Flowers in Winter (XII)"  in This Dream The World: New and Selected Poems (Lost Horse Press, 2017), page 140

Carolyne Wright, American Poet