I have nothing to say, and I am saying it. John Cage This is one of many famous aphorisms of John Cage the composer, whom many of you know, I guess. I liked what Ping said in his introduction about listening, a theme that I am deeply involved with personally. My presentation here comes just […]
Gate C 22 by Ellen Bass At gate C 22 in the Portland airport a man in a broad-band leather hat kissed a woman arriving from Orange County. They kissed and kissed and kissed. Long after the other passengers clicked the handles of their carry-ons and wheeled briskly toward short-term parking, the couple stood there, […]
“21st Century Filial Piety” 12.15.2011 We read about how Chinese culture has been steeped in notions of filial piety for thousands of years, but in modern culture, at least, this stream of respect and care seems to flow both ways. After all, as my friend’s 78 year old French parents recently said to me, your […]
Cemetery in Salvage The long hard climb in the rain Almost didn’t seem worth it Till we reached the top, a plot bestowed as a gift, A resting place, for those who could no longer see. Our mood turned sour when we found the frail outhouse, Leaning, lopsided, a strange sentry box indeed, Guarding the […]
Montreal. It was raining that morning when she got up in the dim morning hours, completely alone in the spacious apartment with wooden floors, an apartment that would hug a person in their 20s perfectly; simple fire place, a stove for morning coffee, and creaking windows to light up the dusty corners. Bare foot and […]
Courage, social animals! Make some noise! Taiwan is a Story Island. There’s lots of room up front…so: Escape, artists! Come out of hiding, ……………..Singing Christmas carols from love, actually: …………………..the sweet sound of silver bells by Ruth Giordano
Screams and shouts for the 24th month of Red Room! Red Room!! Happy Birthday: Ayesha (27), Leiven (43), Milton (99) and Red Room (2)!! Red Room!! You never know who you’re going to see here. It’s a wonderful place to overcome your fear, The bench is all yours! Stop to listen to each other. We need […]
Mental Metamorphosis As we sat there together, under the rainbowed sky of Rokkasho, Japan, in the ceramic studio, mixing clay together, a conversation was initiated that would alter my paradigm of life completely. It began as a telling of tales, so to speak… of encounters, loves and circumstances of lives past. It was the sort […]
Mark Caltonhill’s recent poems are all available on his blog: www.aviewfromthehill-taiwan.blogspot.com and earlier than that, are available in his first collection: “Malarkey’s Amusement Park”; NT$220 to Red Roomers) Things Known Before he sits to eat, Jesus knows he will be betrayed. ….Copernicus knows the earth is round, ….Darwin knows there is no God, ….Marx knows […]
For her 5 minutes in the Red Room sun, Angela shared an illustrated discussion of our economic system, and why it’s not really working for us right now. It’s economics explained with apples! If you want to read the whole lecture and see all the pictures, you can go to the RO Studio website. http://rethinkinginenglish.blogspot.com/2011/11/apple-explanation.html […]