This is the thanksgiving season. The folks in Canada celebrated their Thanksgiving on October 14 and the folks in the United States will celebrate their Thanksgiving on November 28. The poets here offer thanks for many things. Baby Elephant Gabrielle Blair Little Elephant, you have come home, Millennia miles survived on bumpy roads, Swaddled in […]

It’s 1964. Imagine a housewife doing the family’s laundry in the basement of a modest house. Just as the washing machine rumbles into action, muffling all other sounds, she thinks she hears the telephone ringing upstairs. Because her sister is expecting a baby at any moment, the woman races to the wall-mounted phone in the

Life is a mystery. And it keeps much silence. Still, we humans attempt to gain some understanding of our lives by not being silent. We use words that sometimes stand in opposition to each other, words like “ordinary” and “extraordinary.” By doing this, we set up categories and put our beliefs into boxes. The problem

Gratitude My mother Rebecca and I made a pact to follow each other’s instructions upon our passing from this world. The conversation took place in Glendale, CA at one of her favorite Mexican restaurants. My brother George and I had taken her out to dine for one of our ritualistic Monday night dinners. She sat

Since the early days of the Tepehua Community Center some 15 years ago (mas o menos), Tepehua has grown to its current status as a thriving organization with the support of religious and civic organizations, private donations and countless hours of volunteer efforts. Another organization that has been there for us throughout the years is

The Michael Hogan Reader arrived in the mail today, and, as I opened the package, I recalled that day a dozen years ago when I received by Mexican courier my copy of Abraham Lincoln and Mexico: The Untold Story by a professor unknown to me at the time but said to be Head of the

Dr. Luis: Ranch Veterinarian “Rather than rush from one patient to another, I prefer to sit with an old friend, while checking their pets,” Dr. Luis Maciel Saldierna quoted a mentor who told him this when he was a new veterinarian. Surely, the volunteers at The Ranch feel like Dr. Luis is an old friend.

Before The News Sorority, Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, Christine Amanpour, a biography by Sheila Weller about women reporters, there was the bold, inquisitive reporter Nelly Bly who reported about politics, economics and injustices of the world, often about women. Born Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman in 1864 in Pennsylvania she was one of 14 children. Her once-wealthy

By Susa Silvermarie Book Review by Mel Golberg The poems in Susa Silvermarie’s new book, Who Will Board The Silver Boat, are divided into five sections, with each developing different themes. The first section, which is also the title of the book, is “Who Will Board the Silver Boat?’ The themes in this section cover

I remember very distinctly when my father bought me my very first LP. (Do you remember those circular black things that served as our medium for listening to music?) I was about eight years old when my father put this black thing on our record player and suddenly an entire orchestra burst forth from the