Happy Poetry Month, everyone!

Monday was a big day: Rex Manning Day + Solar Eclipse + Poetry Chat

Here are the poems we read and discussed for our chat on movie poems.

“The James Bond Movie” by May Swenson

“Making Frankenstein” by Wyatt Prunty

“Man in Space” by Billy Collins

“Poem Ending with a Sentence by Heath Ledger” by Frank Bidart

“Dear John Wayne” by Louise Erdrich (Turtle Mountain Chippewa)

I also mentioned the movie Paterson which I haven’t seen but heard good things.

Our next two BACCA chats are:

May 13: Let’s Talk About Poetry Festivals 
FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/725091386471900/

June 10: Let’s Talk About Our Own Poetry
FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/441126405041905

Hang onto the link from this past Monday; we’ll use the same one.

Then we break for the summer, but we may have a pop-up event for Meditate, Move, and Create, so be on the lookout for updates.

You can also catch me at these upcoming events:

Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 7 PM EST

Poetry Prompt Party with the Oceanside Library Poet In Residence

On Zoom: Meeting ID: 857 3138 6697 Passcode: 683626

Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 11-4

Psychic Fair at Islip Arts Council

IAC Gallery, South Shore Mall, Bay Shore, NY

Sunday, April 21, 2024 at 10-noon

Sunday Funday Book Club reading Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen

Hops Scotch Bottle Shop 848 Long Island Ave, Deer Park NY

FREE but you can buy a bev (NA available!)

FB Link:https://www.facebook.com/events/3565736903643097

Sunday, May 5, 2024 at 2-4 PM

Co-featuring for High Mountain Meadow Poetry Reading Series

Wayne Public Library, Wayne, NJ

Open mic follows

https://www.waynepubliclibrary.org

You can always donate to BACCA to support the arts: https://www.babylonarts.org/support-bacca

Or you can become a member: https://www.babylonarts.org/membership

Hope to see you soon, and happy poetry!

Christina

Hey y’all!

Thanks to everyone who came out to chat and sip and snack and fun. We imbibed in Nikki’s bev pairings: Sudden Chill from Return and Monumentum (NA). 

Our next Sunday Funday Book Club meetup is Sunday, April 21 from 10 to noon at Hops Scotch Bottle Shop. We are reading Counterfeit by Kirsten Chen.  FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/3565736903643097 

Wrap-up of our discussion of No One Left To Come Looking For You by Sam Lipsyte:

No one really liked this book but me; however, everyone liked the game. ICYMI: See if you can figure out the real bands from the fake bands. (I may not have been very clear with the instructions, and also we found that some of the fake bands are actually real bands).

Which is a real band name?

Switchfoot or Skewer

Coldplay or Warmplay

E Street Band or The Periods

Ned’s Atomic Dustbin or Laura’s Ex Boyfriend

Throbbing Gristle or Eskimo Joe

Metallica or Smelly Cats

The Remus Lupins or The Muggledressed Wizard

Bonus Game: Can you figure out who wrote each one? (Or at least the last one….)

More games to come every Sunday Funday!

Quotes of the Discussion: “For every Jimmy Urine there’s a Jack Shit” and “Chicago is New York in disguise.”

Reading Recs

A sequel to The Guncle is on the horizon, so if you liked that book, you can read what happens next.

Patrick Stewart’s autobiography on audio because he reads it

The Octopus Museum by Brenda Shaughnessy to gear up for September’s book (warning: this is poetry)

Poetry Month Reading Recs Because We Are Not Choosing To Read A Poetry Collection Because Of What Happened Last Time So You Can Read One On Your Own If You Want

Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith (this was the book club choice)

Manifests by Brendan McEntee 

Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz

Damsel in Dystopia by Sarah Borruto

Soft Science by Franny Choi

Watching Recs

Slaves of New York

Upload (Prime)

That Spotify thing that’s not in English (Netflix)

PBS American Masters about Basquiat

A.I. Tiki Barber on WFAN (YouTube)

On The TikTok

Plankton sings Adele

Dance Monkey

Benson Boon

Here’s the soundtrack you created

Here’s the info about Alex Segura, writer of Secret Identity, visiting Nassau Community College. It’s in person and on the zoom: Wednesday, April 17 from 12:30 -1:45 pm. The event will take place in CCB 252/253 and over Zoom (Meeting ID 974 7280 2427).

Interested in Book of the Month Club? Use Shelby’s link to check it out. [ https://www.mybotm.com/sfyw0xyjswc  ]

Some other events where you can find me as I read from my new book and/or chat books:

Wednesday, April 2, 2024 at 7-9 PM
Open Mic at Katie’s of Smithtown
Free oracle deck readings available

Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 3 PM

Friends of Cedarmere Poetry Reading with Willa Carroll

225 Bryant Ave, Roslyn Harbor, NY

FREE

Sign up in advance to attend or be added to the open mic/wait list: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfsutx7uCAox92KqLdIP4Kn_v3SHE31qLiQxIMq_YlwUlM2ww/viewform 

Sunday, April 7, 2024 at 2 PM

Featuring for Molloy University Poetry Series

Reception Room, Kellenberg Hall, Rockville Centre, NY

FREE

FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/2589092797959560

Monday, April 8, 2024 at 6:30 PM EST
Poetry Chat: Let’s Talk About Movie Poems
Email info@babylonarts.org for the link
FREE
Also, Solar Eclipse day! Also, Rex Manning Day!

Thursday, April 18, 2024 from 7-8 PM EST
Poetry Prompt Party with the Oceanside Library Poet In Residence
Listen, write, and share on zoom

Meeting ID: 857 3138 6697
Passcode: 683626

Saturday, April 20, 2024 from 11 AM to 4 PM
Psychic Fair 
IAC Gallery, South Shore Mall, Bay Shore, NY

Our Upcoming Sunday Fundays

April 21: Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen

May 19: Imagining Elsewhere by Sara Hosey 

June 23: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

July 21: The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

August 18: With The Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo <== just added

September 15: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt <== just added

Sure thing, you can share this email and/or the links. Yes, invite whomever you wish to book club. If you have book suggestions, send them my way. Hope to see you at our next book chats. Bring your appetite for snacks, sips, and conversation. 

All good things,

Christina

FB: http://www.facebook.com/christinamrau

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/christinamrau

Twitter X?: http://www.twitter.com/christinamrauChristina M. Rau

https://linktr.ee/christinamrau

Poet in Residence, Oceanside Library 
Poet in Residence, Cedarmere 2022
Walt Whitman Birthplace Poet of the Year 2020

Heya!

Wow, it was good to be back! Thanks to everyone who came out to chat. We very much appreciate Nikki’s bev pairings: Strawberry Shortcake Sour from Great Notion and Liquid Death (NA). 

Our next Sunday Funday Book Club meetup is Sunday, February 18 from 10 to noon at Hops Scotch Bottle Shop. We are reading Think Like A Monk by Jay Shetty. (Our very first book was The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck, and this is a nice balance to that).

FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1114301616601295&nbsp;

Wrap-up of our discussion of Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons:

Not gonna lie–I still can’t wrap my head around spatial organization, but the discussion was fun and intriguing. The artwork is stunning. The story is interesting, whether or not you have a background in Greek mythology. Also, check out the Hawkeye Initiative.

A special thanks to Bob for bringing all the supplemental materials! An episode of the Talking Comics podcast is included in our playlist this month.

Here’s an internet archive of Wonder Woman comics. This is the same website, I think, that had the thing I was talking about with the Olympic swimmer who wanted to see Wonder Woman bowling, but I can’t find the exact link for that: https://archive.org/details/WonderWoman001/page/n4/mode/1up

Quote of the Discussion: “Like, this page–how do you read this???”

Reading Recs
Fourth Wing
The One (because TikTok said so)
Pretty Deadly
Bitch Planet
Promethea by Alan Moore
Percy Jackson

Watching Recs

 Dara Birnbaum’s “Technology/Transformation” https://youtu.be/wJhEgbz9piI?si=lt4auAAnFP2Mpivt

Saltburn (or not)
Prof. Marston and Wonder Woman
Laura Lympus Webtoons

Here’s the soundtrack you created

[ https://open.spotify.com/playlist/68wKV0ZDVzy82710KqwHjt?si=05c796f51609492d&nbsp; ]

Here’s the info about Alex Segura, writer of Secret Identity, visiting Nassau Community College. It’s in person and on the zoom: Wednesday, April 17 from 12:30 -1:45 pm. The event will take place in CCB 252/253 and over Zoom (Meeting ID 974 7280 2427).

Interested in Book of the Month? Use Shelby’s link to check it out. [ https://www.mybotm.com/sfyw0xyjswc&nbsp; ]

Some other events where you can find me as I read from my new book:

Sunday, February 11, 2024 at 2-4 PM
Featuring for JCC Mid-Island Y Poetry Series hosted by Gayl Teller
45 Manetto Hill Rd, Plainview, NY, Open mic follows, $3 donation
FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/286035980558317

Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 7 PM EST
Poetry Chat with the Poet In Residence: Shakespeare and His Contemporaries
On Zoom through the Oceanside Library: Link TBA, FREE
FB Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/3374667666156965

Our Upcoming Meetups

February 18: Think Like A Monk by Jay Shetty

March 24: ** Options below — reply with your choice if you want to weigh in **

April 21: Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen

May 19: Imagining Elsewhere by Sara Hosey 

June 23: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Options for March
No One Left To Come Looking For You by Sam Lipsyte
Literally Show Me A Healthy Person by Darcie Wilder
The Way To Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday (if we want to get literary with a short book)
Jerks by Sara Lippmann
Before The Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson (another kinda literary one)
Apex Hides The Hurt by Colson Whitehead
Queenpin by Megan Abbott

Sure thing, you can share this email and/or the links. Yes, invite whomever you wish to book club. If you have book suggestions, send them my way. Hope to see you at our next book chats. Bring your appetite for snacks, sips, and conversation. 

All good things,
Christina

FB: http://www.facebook.com/christinamrau

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/christinamrau

Twitter X?: http://www.twitter.com/christinamrau

Hi everyone,

Thanks to all who joined in last night to meditate, move, and create. I got to do all the things I love, and hopefully you got something from it, too.

Here are the books I recommended about meditation and yoga. 

Biography of Silence: An Essay on Meditation by Pablo D’ Ors

Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment by Robert Wright

Tea and Cake with Demons: A Buddhist Guide to Feeling Worthy by Adreanna Limbach

The Key Muscles of Hatha Yoga by Ray Long

We will meet again online the second Monday of each month; I know many of you asked for a repeat of the program, so I’ll look into doing it again in the future. As always, if you have poetry chat suggestions, please send them along.

Also, check out some more events, including ones from my book tour! You can find all of BACCA’s endeavors (and ways to donate) here: https://www.babylonarts.org/

All good things,

Christina