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(Leon Hales) voice in writing is the voice of the man himself. Colloquial, wise, caring, closely observant and most often at his own expense wrily and powerfully humorous. And instead of fading with the years, these qualities have been intensified and refined.

John Graves, author of Goodbye to a River

WINEDALE While it definitely was a longshot for this correspondent to seek out Houston Chronicle columnist Leon Hale as the subject for my 519th People Profile a record-breaking one in that it surpasses the number of Profiles written by the late Margie Kovar during her decade-plus with The Banner Press it was a pleasant surprise when this still-going-strong 90-year-old writer of nearly 10,000 personal essay columns said: OK.

Even better was Leons invitation to join him on his Washington County country places front porch made rather famous since he and his partner (wife Gabrielle Fraser Babette Hale) discovered this secluded 10-acre getaway in a quiet corner of our county some 25 years ago at the urging of the late Charlie Dillingham.

By way of an introduction to Leons front porch, hopefully its okay to steal the opening paragraphs from a memorable Hale column titled Country Style Rapture. (This story is on page 17 of Leons last Chronicle column collection Old Friends, published 2004 by Winedale Press; and found my copy at Barnes & Noble, College Station):

For me, Christmas is already here. Im on the front porch of the old country house in Washington County. The weather is sunshiny perfect, and theres no place Id rather be.

I dont need anything beyond what I can reach from this old rocking chair Im in. Dont want a present. Dont need any turkey or pumpkin pie or parties with eggnog. Just let me sit here and bake in the warm sunshine.

Ive got my bum leg propped up on a cardboard box and my britches pulled up so the sun can heat the rheumatism in my sore knee and I can feel the healing going on in that creaky joint.

Give me enough time here on the front porch and I may yet be able to dance on New Years Eve.

*****

Excerpt from:
People Profile—-Leon Hale: ‘Ten million word’ master of his trade

Tuesday, 27 March, 2012 Written by Karl Allan Barlaan

Online encyclopedia Wikipedia and its local version Wikifilipino attribute the first documented use of neologism noynoying to the Manila Standard Today. Having since been used by left-leaning organizations as protest gimmick, picked up by the foreign press, and eliciting varied commentaries from diverse sectors including the Palace, the word has acquired a life of its own.

Arguably and at this point, it matters little who coined the term or which media outfit first took notice, only that it thrives, thus begging the question, Why?

According to linguistics professor David Maurer, there are two kinds of new words: neologisms and neosemanticisms (New words: Where do they come from and where do they go, 1980).

Neosemanticisms are words or groups of words already in the language that acquire fresh meanings by use in new situations.

Linguistic Society of the Philippines member Arbaya Haron-Boquia cites one example: salvage as a filipinism or the distinctly-Filipino use of a foreign word. Salvage in English means rescue or save something from complete destruction or loss. As filipinism, it translates to summary execution.

Neologisms are entirely new words. (They) are rare, though in the twentieth century their coinage has increased perceptibly mainly because of developments in science and technology.

Recently, the Oxford English dictionary immortalized such words as: gaydar or a homosexual persons ability to identify another person as homosexual by interpreting subtle signals conveyed by their appearance, interests, etc. and cyberslacking as spending ones employers Internet and email facilities for personal activities during working hours.

Both have been popularized through mass mediatraditional and digital and used extensively by the populace. Both, like noynoying, piggybacked on the dynamism of language, its tendency to evolve alongside social, technological, and political changes.

The theory is that words cannot just be created, destroyed, or re-defined at will. They have to be relevant, shared both through experience and by utterance or frequent usage, and reflective of reality, its perception, or at the very least a portion of itwords have to be competitive.

Read more here:
Language beyond propaganda

April is National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate this beautifulliterary art form, when language is expressed in its aesthetic and evocative form in addition to, or in lieu of, its commonplace semantic. April showers bring May flowers is a poem we use to teach children the virtue of patience, reminding us that even the most unpleasant of things, like the dreary rains of April, can bring about spectacular beauty a myriad of flowers in May. Poetry helps us learn new concepts, cope with unbearable grief, remember epic dates and complex data, and indoctrinate us to our culture. Poets gather to share the beauty of the spoken word regularly in the Detroit area; you, too can experience the joy.

Book & Poem Lake St. Clair Metropark 31300 Metropolitan Parkway Harrison Twp, MI 48045 (248) 667-8254 BookPoem.com Hours: EmailMembership@BookPoem.com for membership information

(credit: bookandpoem.com)

Book & Poem is to the spoken word as Renoir and Monet are to paintings. William Wordsworths poem Daffodilsis recited beside the lake, beneath the trees near a field of golden daffodils.Ode to Autumn by John Keatsis recited at a cottage nestled among blazing red maples. Book & Poem emphasizes a sense of place when celebrating poetry, holding high teas and mint julep socials in Victorian mansions, manicured parks and butterfly gardens. Some recitals are held on chartered yachts. A wine toast tops off every function, and is paired to the poetic theme Jane Seymour Wines pair with Somewhere in Time themed poetry. The groups goal for 2012 is to bring one of the worlds most famous living poets,Margaret Atwood, to Detroit for a candlelight supper.

Related:Poetry for Summer Vacation

(credit: Thinkstock)

Spirit Spit(Live Acts & Open Mic) Spirit of Hope Church 1519 Martin Luther King Blvd. Detroit, MI 48208 (248) 837-9592 http://www.facebook.com

Hours: See Facebook page for upcoming event information

Spirit Spit is dedicated to the soul of poetry, and is located in Detroit at Spirit of Hope Church. Visitors may walk in during the performance to seek safe haven. Spirit Spit is an all-inclusive, welcoming community that encourages artists, musicians and most importantly, poets from all over the community to share their poetry with others.The atmosphere of Spirit Spit is enchanting the churchs Gothic architecture adds to the spiritual experience. Writer L. Bush is both producer and emcee of Spirit Spit. Bush is a gifted poet, whose prose captivates the audience.

(credit: lidogallery.com)

Read more from the original source:
Best Venues For Spoken Word And Poetry Readings In Detroit

CLEVELAND, March 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- "The newly enhanced version 2 of Brain Swaggle, the quick thinking word game that requires strategy and offers 12 levels of play has just been released," said Gary Downing, founder of the game and company of the same name. This new version is literally explosive from the first page and will challenge people of all ages and skill levels. Plus, we guarantee that the more difficult levels will take even the most adept wordsmiths to task, Downing continues.

"Preventing mental decline is important to us all," Downing says. "Every day there is more and more research validating the importance of staying mentally active. When it's all said and done, achieving and maintaining a healthy brain improves your over-all quality of life enabling you to:

"Imagine adding an additional 2, 3 or 4 years of healthy living to your life."

Neurosurgeon Dr. David Rickson says, "Brain Swaggle uses broad areas of the brain. Just spelling itself uses four areas of the brain, and you combine that with strategy and planning." He continues, "Anyone who plays the game will see their cognition improve in ways they didn't realize they needed."

To play Brain Swaggle, each player takes a turn choosing a letter and every new letter chosen must continue to build a valid word when added to all previously given letters. The goal is to be the first player to end the word on one of their subsequent turns. However, each turn can change your word, causing you to adjust and rethink a new strategy. Every turn is timed anywhere from 60 seconds down to 15 seconds, and the word length varies as well. Game pieces move in accordance with how many letters the word has.

"Each level gradually gets more challenging," Downing continues. "This affords people of all ages and stages in their individual level of learning to have fun and benefit. The option to advance to the next level is available when a player chooses to; otherwise, they may stay at their current level until they feel comfortable to move on."

To learn more about Brain Swaggle and their guarantee, register and play for free "right now" at http://www.brainswaggle.com/game to see what everybody is talking about!

Contact: Gary Downing gary@brainswaggle.com 330-240-9023

This press release was issued through eReleases(R). For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

Excerpt from:
The Top 10 Reasons to Stimulate Brain Function and Have Fun Doing It!

JACQUELINE MALEY

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THE LAST TABOO: Should women reclaim the C-word?

Inga Muscio would like to live in a world where the words, "Wow, that is so c...y!" constitute a genuine and heartfelt expression of approval.

She is waiting for the day when the sentence "You are such a c..." is one anyone would be overjoyed to hear, a day when the most offensive word in the English language, the most abused of words, the word largely censored out of television and print and shunned by polite society, has been rehabilitated and embraced.

But Muscio, a 45-year-old feminist and author from Seattle (who, admittedly, has a vested interest, having authored a book called C...: A Declaration of Independence) allows that day probably isn't coming any time soon.

Muscio believes the word, a mere four letters but so powerful (as she says, "There is something about it ... it's just so base; it's like, it means business, you know?") is a metaphor for the status of women. While they are oppressed, the word will be oppressed, too.

But as much as Muscio wants to reclaim, reshape and empower women to use "c...", much in the way the gay community has adopted "queer" and African-Americans have taken back "nigger", even she says that she sometimes uses the word for ill.

"Once in a while, when someone makes me really, really angry, I will call them that," she admits. "I am not immune. It feels good sometimes."

It is as though the word - coyly known as the C-word, the C-bomb, the Anglo-Saxon swear word, tnuc or C U Next Tuesday - has a life of its own. Unlike other words in our lexicon, which we marshal and deploy to suit us, ''c...'' seems to exist outside and beyond us, with a mysterious and plosive power belonging only to it.

The rest is here:
The incredible explosive word