Bob Holman

From Bob Holman's India Journals: "I pull my camera out and stand next to Ram while he shoots with the pro camera. By gumbo, it is beautifully lit and once Jitendra starts to rock, rolling it out like Ginsberg himself, a satori moment re: the aforementioned Trilochen, which means "Third Eye" in Hindi. Jitendra recites, in Hindi, a Trilochen poem about Ginsberg, footnotes spoken in English. It starts to sink in - is this local poet, one of the hundreds Allen would meet in India, the missing link, marking the beginning of his transformation from taking drugs to following a spiritual path?"

A young man's love poem to poetry. Bob Holman in 1971, at age 21, creates this "Life Poem" and places it for consideration for the "United States Award." He says of it, "So here it is and I'm going to miss it. Hope you have as much fun reading it as I did in the writing partl" Half a century ago, in his twentieth year on this planet, Bob Holman set about to write a spontaneous book directly from his life. The result, a near-200-page poem, Life Poem, does not remind me of any book that I've read. Instead it makes me think of Picasso's painting, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, when the young painter, with an intuitive leap of intellect, painted a face, unrelated to the other Demoiselles, of an African mask upon one of them. So, zut now I think of Holman as a Picasso-type artist. . . . To write a book-length at the age of twenty on no subject except himself has the chutzpah and the energy that we expect from Picasso. And there is always a war beneath the outer surface. In Life Poem, it is Vietnam. Picasso and/or Holman or Holman and/or Picasso, best fits my understanding of this book by the 20-year old poet. It is no ordinary book but a treasure, spontaneous from the heart. Treasure it Holman and the Demoiselles of Avignon. The Demoiselles and Bob Holman. Treasure it --Michael McClureBob Holman reaches into the past to come up with a poem completely current and simultaneously eternal in its political and social implications. The year was 1969, and seemingly, little has changed. We've just gotten older. Despite the dire state of the country/world/universe, something deeper is happening, and ultimately - as Jack Kerouac said Charlie Parker's music said - all is well. --Vincent Katz

This Bob Holman book speaks for itself (or not) Includes new poems, some greatest hits, a gang of "shorties," and full sections of Dance/Performance Poems and Praise Poems for Ntozake Shange, Sun Ra, James Gandolfino, Jessica Hagedorn, Elizabeth Murray, Ed Sanders and many others.

An introduction to an original poetic voice from eastern Ukraine with deep roots in the unique cultural landscape of post-Soviet devastation “This collection of Ukrainian writer Serhiy Zhadan’s poems will likely cement his reputation as the unflinching witness to the turbulent social and political travails of his nation. With an acerbic tone that will seem familiar to admirers of Franz Wright or Charles Bukowski, Zhadan’s no-nonsense verses are sure to strike more than a few nerves.”—World Literature Today “A startling collection of verse.”—Askold Melnyczuk, Times Literary Supplement “Everyone can find something, if they only look carefully,” reads one of the memorable lines from this first collection of poems in English by the world-renowned Ukrainian author Serhiy Zhadan. These robust and accessible narrative poems feature gutsy portraits of life on wartorn and poverty-ravaged streets, where children tally the number of local deaths, where mothers live with low expectations, and where romance lives like a remote memory. In the tradition of Tom Waits, Charles Bukowski, and William S. Burroughs, Zhadan creates a new poetics of loss, a daily crusade of testimonial, a final witness of abandoned lives in a claustrophobic universe where “every year there’s less and less air.” Yet despite the grimness of these portraits, Zhadan’s poems are familiar and enchanting, lit by the magic of everyday detail, leaving readers with a sense of hope, knowing that the will of a people “will never let it be / like it was before.”

This is a book of encounters. Part memoir, part essay, and partly a guide to maximizing your capacity for fulfillment and expression, The Poetry of Everyday Life taps into the artistic side of what we often take for granted: the stories we tell, the people we love, the metaphors used by scientists, even our sex lives. A folklorist, writer, and cultural activist, Steve Zeitlin explores how poems serve us in daily life and how they are used in times of personal and national crisis. In the first book to bring together the perspectives of folklore and creative writing, Zeitlin explores meaning and experience, covering topics ranging from poetry in the life cycle to the contemporary uses of ancient myths. "This convergence of poetry and folklore," he suggests, "gives birth to something new: a new way of seeing ourselves, and a new way of being in the world." Written with humor and insight, the book introduces readers to the many eccentric and visionary characters Zeitlin has met in his career as a folklorist. Covering topics from Ping-Pong to cave paintings, from family poetry nights to delectable dishes at his favorite ethnic restaurants, The Poetry of Everyday Life will inspire readers to expand their consciousness of the beauty that resides in everyday things and to use creative expression to engage and animate that beauty toward living a more fulfilling awakened life, full of laughter. To live a creative life is the best way to engage with the beauty of the everyday.

The 12th edition of Sensitive Skin, an anthology of art and literature, celebrates Poetry Month, with the work of 30 poets and 30 artists, one for each day in April. Includes poems by John S. Hall, Bonny Finberg, JD King, Emily XYZ, Marc Olmsted, Jack Micheline, Jose Padua, Michael Randall, Ron Kolm, Pete Simonelli, Bob Holman, Hal Sirowitz, Sparrow, steve dalachinsky, Wanda Phipps, Eddie Woods, Max Blagg, Larissa Shmailo, Rob Hardin, Rebecca Weiner Tompkins, Ron Richardson, Carl Watson, John Farris, David Rattray, Norman Douglas, Sharon Mesmer, Taylor Mead, Michael Carter Vladimir Mayakovsky and Sean Flaherty, with photographs by Charles Gatewood, Kym Ghee, Daniel Kolm, Jean-Christian Bourcart, Chris Bava, Evelyn Bencicova, Ted Barron, Dennis Gordon, Hal Hirshorn, Ruby Ray, Justin Clifford Rhody and Jeff Spirer, paintings, drawings and illustrations by Rick Prol, JD King, Henner Schr der, Jonathan Cowan, John Lurie, Liz Kresch, David de Biasio, Clinton King, Samoa Moriki, Tom McGlynn, Peter Shear, David West, Leslie Hardie, Joseph O'Neal, Charles Schick, Marina Loeb, Stephen Lack and Justine Frischmann. Front cover painting by Julie Torres. Back cover graphic design by Winston Smith.

Starting with Bob Holman's transcription of the griot poems sung to him by West African legend Papa Susso, Holman builds on that oral tradition to share his own intimate history. Spoken word performer, activist, and Bowery Poetry Club impresario Bob Holman is the former readings curator at the St. Mark's Poetry Project and the original Slammaster of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. He co-founded the Endangered Language Alliance and served as the host of the PBS series The United States of Poetry and On the Road with Bob Holman on LinkTV. Sing This One Back to Me is his seventh collection.

Woodbine Willie was the affectionate nickname of the Reverend Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, an Anglican priest who volunteered as a chaplain on the Western Front during the First World War. Renowned for offering both spiritual support and cigarettes to injured and dying soldiers, he won the Military Cross for his reckless courage, running into No Man's Land to help the wounded in the middle of an attack. After the war, Kennedy was involved in the Industrial Christian Fellowship, and he wrote widely. This superb biography is based on original interviews with those who knew and loved him. A deep and real concern for his fellow men drove him relentlessly, and this book shows how vital was the role he played, on the battlefields of the trenches and then the slums. Bob Holman, described by the Daily Telegraph as 'the good man of Glasgow', has made a mission of living alongside the disadvantaged of British society. An accomplished writer, who contributes regularly to the Guardian, he is the author of several books, including Keir Hardie.

Numerous books have been written about Victorian child care pioneers, but few biographical studies have been published about more recent child care and welfare giants. In the revised edition of this classic book, Bob Holman, a champion for children in his own right, looks at the lives of six inspirational individuals who have made significant contributions to the well-being of disadvantaged children. Each of the six discussed - Eleanor Rathbone, Lady Marjory Allen, Clare Winnicott, John Stroud, Barbara Kahan and Peter Townsend - has been important in establishing present systems of child care and welfare, and in stimulating debate around issues which remain high on policy and practitioner agendas. Champions for children is essential reading for childhood and youth studies, sociology of the family, social work, social welfare, academics and students with an interest in child care and welfare issues.

Keir Hardie was a founder and the first parliamentary leader of the Labour Party. At the turn of the 19th century he was Labour's most famous face. But despite being voted Labour's 'Greatest Hero' at the 2008 Party Conference, in recent years his extraordinary story seems all but forgotten. Born illegitimate just outside Glasgow in 1856, his life didn't start gently. Before the age of 10, he was the sole wage earner in his working class, atheist family. He never went to school but was self-taught, avidly reading books lent him by a kind young clergyman. This led to two major conversions in his life: first to Christianity, and then to socialism. While earlier biographies have neglected the former, pointing out his experience of hardship as the source of his passion for social justice, the role of Christianity in Hardie's life was profound. It shaped his involvement in many of the greatest social changes of the time.

On a daily basis police save lives, take lives, and risk their own lives. This is the first collection that allows us to see this: police officers not just as brutalisers or heroes but as complicated human beings in a position that is sometimes terrifying, sometimes rewarding and often questionable. It is this exploration of the dynamic point of understanding that makes Off The Cuffs unique. Existing books on police and policing give us a single point-of-view, a black and white story that portrays cops as either saints or villains. Divided into four sections - "Eyewitnesses," "Insiders," "Victims & Perpetrators," and "Dreamers" - Off The Cuffs gives us a diversity of voices, telling stories of fear, apprehension, love, brutality, death, sorrow, joy, hope and resolve. Out of this multiplicity of voices: convicts, police, bike messengers and established poets such as Charles Simic, Martin Espada, Kevin Young and Colette Inez - emerges a dialogue showing us the infinite shades of blue that surround the profession and the profession's relationship to the society they are sworn to protect. Off The Cuffs adds an important and unheard piece to this body of work: the usually disparate voices of cops, prisoners and everyone in between engaging with one another within the pages of one book.

Numerous books have been written about Victorian child care pioneers, but few biographical studies have been published about more recent child care and welfare giants. In this book, Bob Holman, a champion for children in his own right, looks at the lives of six inspirational individuals who have made significant contributions to the well-being of disadvantaged children over the course of the 20th century. Each of the six discussed - Eleanor Rathbone, Lady Marjory Allen, Clare Winnicott, John Stroud, Barbara Kahan and Peter Townsend - has been important in establishing present systems of child care and welfare, and in stimulating debate around issues which remain high on policy and practitioner agendas today. Based on documentary research and extensive interviews, "Champions for children" relates personal histories to wider policy and practice developments. It makes important connections between poverty, inequality and child care policy - links that are often overlooked. The author also gives an engaging account of his own life, which has been dedicated to improving the lives of children through research, education and direct work with children. In the final chapter, he makes recommendations for the future development of services for children and families and policy recommendations for tackling poverty. "Champions for children" is aimed at social workers, policy makers, academics and students with an interest in child care and welfare issues.

Numerous books have been written about Victorian child care pioneers, but few biographical studies have been published about more recent child care and welfare giants. In this book, Bob Holman, a champion for children in his own right, looks at the lives of six inspirational individuals who have made significant contributions to the well-being of disadvantaged children over the course of the 20th century. Each of the six discussed - Eleanor Rathbone, Lady Marjory Allen, Clare Winnicott, John Stroud, Barbara Kahan and Peter Townsend - has been important in establishing present systems of child care and welfare, and in stimulating debate around issues which remain high on policy and practitioner agendas today. Based on documentary research and extensive interviews, "Champions for children" relates personal histories to wider policy and practice developments. It makes important connections between poverty, inequality and child care policy - links that are often overlooked. The author also gives an engaging account of his own life, which has been dedicated to improving the lives of children through research, education and direct work with children. In the final chapter, he makes recommendations for the future development of services for children and families and policy recommendations for tackling poverty. "Champions for children" is aimed at social workers, policy makers, academics and students with an interest in child care and welfare issues.