Here in New York City the weather has been bitterly cold over the past few days, and today it was gray and rainy. Has anyone been feeling down in the dumps lately because of weather? Kinda makes you want to sing the blues. And so today's Thoughtful Thursday will feature just that--The Blues. Brought to you by Langston Hughes [...]
However you choose to celebrate Dr. King's birthday this year, be sure to have your celebration include sharing some of his wisdom with your sons and daughters. Here are some of his well known messages and some not so well known, all of which remain so powerful and relevant today. Enjoy! Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. [...]
In today's Thoughtful Thursday we feature two African-American poets who passed away in 2018 but left us with their wonderful words and works. Baltimore native Sam Cornish, born in 1935, was educated at Goddard College and Northwestern University. He is the author of several works of poetry including Dead Beats (2011), An Apron Full of Beans: New and Selected Poems (2008), along [...]
This first Thoughtful Thursday of 2019 features parenting poems by a variety of African-American poets. Parenting is the initial 2019 topic for two reasons: I have spent a deliciously extended time with my grown-up children over this break, so I have been in everyday parenting mode more so than usual; and the year began with GCP planning, so I [...]
It's the last Thoughtful Thursday of 2018! (Never mind that it is making its appearance on Friday; in 2019 we will do better.) Today's Thoughtful Thursday features New Year's poems. We begin with "Song for the New Year" by Eliza Cook, which reminds us to be thankful and hopeful as we move into a new year. Next we have [...]
Merry Christmas! This being the last Thursday before Christmas, this Thoughtful Thursday brings Christmas poetry to get us all into the spirit of the holidays. "Christmas Eve: Nearing Midnight in New York" by Langston Hughes (1902-1967) describes how "the city that never sleeps" settles down to await Christmas morning. Paul Lawrence Dunbar (1872-1906) gives us a beautiful "Christmas Carol". [...]
On Monday and Thursday nights and weekend afternoons during football season, there is always a game on in my house. While I am not a fan, many men in my life (father, husband, sons) have been, and so I appreciate that it is a sport that means a lot to so many. I am delighted to know that there [...]
Winter is on its way, and if you are on the East Coast, baby, it's cold outside! Today's Thoughtful Thursday ushers in December with a group of great winter poems. First up is "Winter Trees", by William Carlos Williams (1883-1963), an ode to the beauty of a winter forest. In "Those Winter Sundays" Robert Hayden (1913-1980) reminds us that [...]
Today's Thoughtful Thursday features the poetry of Martin Espada (b. 1957), an award-winning Latino poet, essayist and author who has written extensively about the pursuit of social justice. Espada was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and is of Puerto Rican descent. His father Frank Espada was a community organizer and civil rights activist who was a strong role [...]
Hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Today's Thoughtful Thursday (yes, it's the Friday edition) celebrates Thanksgiving in all of its family and food-filled glory, with poems from two of our most celebrated African-American poets: Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906) and Langston Hughes (1901-1967). We begin with Hughes' classic "Thanksgiving Time", a wonderfully vivid celebration of the day. We then [...]