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My poetry was translated into Chinese for a third time by the Poetry Hall quarterly bilingual journal.

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Wonderful news!  Poetry Hall translated selections of my work into Chinese for a third time.  The quarterly bilingual journal printed my poems “Feast,” “Bumblebee,” and “she” in Issue 27, which you can order right here at Amazon.  The publication has a truly interesting format in that it features poems in both languages, side by side.

Poetry Hall is a not-for-profit journal that is published by the Chinese Poetry Association.  Its mission is to “introduce well-written Chinese and English poetry to the world in both its original language and translation forms. ”  It showcases work from contributors worldwide, and also has a global readership.

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Don’t forget your “Closing Arguments!” (Tomorrow at 7:30 PM at 302 Campbell Avenue.)

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You can buy your tickets right here.

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Throwback Thursday: “Top Gun” (1986)

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“Top Gun” (1986) was the second movie I ever saw with Val Kilmer.  (I’ve written here before about how much I loved 1985’s “Real Genius.”)  Kilmer made a great story antagonist, and the difference between his role here and the preceding year’s affable prodigy really showed his versatility as an actor.

What a flick “Top Gun” was, too.  Sure, it’s easy to make fun of after 40 years.  But it still made an indelible mark on the culture.

I’ve heard that Kilmer even has a role in 2022’s sequel.  I haven’t seen it yet; I might have to rectify that soon.

[I am linking below to Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers on Youtube.]

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Cover to “Batman” #203, Neal Adams, 1968

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DC Comics.

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Rest easy, Val Kilmer.

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News broke this morning that the actor passed away at age 65.

Photo credit: Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0&gt;, via Wikimedia Commons

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No, there was no escaped tiger running around Cave Spring yesterday.

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That was an April Fool’s joke.

I’ve gotta hand it to you people — you’re sharp.  There were verrrry few people who fell for my ruse this year.  (You distinguished believers know who you are.)

Maybe I went too far in naming the fictional “Jowicker” zoological agency.  Or maybe my citing of witness “April Flanagan” was a little too on the nose.

Oh, well.  I can still reminisce with pride about last year’s gem of a hoax.  That one actually worked a little too well — I spent days afterward clarifying for people that I had not joined a traveling dance company for middle-aged performers.

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Congratulations to Eamon O’Leary and to Hikari!

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I hope you will join me in congratulating Eamon O’Leary for being named Spillwords Press Author of the Month for March 2025.  Mr. O’Leary’s wonderful essay, Chance a Change, appeared on March 4th.  (And I do thank those of you who voted for me, by the way.)

Let’s also congratulate Hikari for being awarded for Post of the Month.  Her poem “Prayer to the Sea” was published on March 15th.

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Variant Cover to “Ragman” #1, Guillem March, 2017

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Cover A.  DC Comics.

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Escaped tiger in southern Roanoke.

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People, 2025 could not get any weirder than this.  There is now an escaped tiger in the vicinity of Cave Spring/southern Roanoke.  Check the local news.  The radio station is doing better than TV in keeping up with the story, I think, even if there isn’t much detail yet.

Supposedly the animal escaped from its temporary enclosure on Mill Mountain — it was being transported by Jowicker Large Game Farm between Knoxville, TN and the Smithsonian National Zoological Park.  It apparently a “juvenile,” which means it isn’t full-sized, but the news is saying it could easily kill a person.  So don’t mess with it.

There is a Cave Spring resident, April Flanagan, who told the radio that she spotted the animal walking north alongside North Jefferson Street.

I will keep you posted when I learn more.  Please be safe.

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“The Fire of Rome,” Hubert Robert, 1785

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Oil on canvas.

Nurse Your Favorite Heresies in Whispers