barbara crooker: come over to the dark side

April 14, 2011November 3, 2017 ~ jama ~ 2 Comments

#9 in the Poetry Potluck Series, celebrating National Poetry Month 2011.

Poetry lovers, slip on your black satin bibs and saunter right up to the table. For today, black berets only, please.

Goodbye sweetness and light, hello dark and sexy.

When it comes down to it, really down to it, who do you love? Barbara Crooker knows.

Very likely you’ve seen her “Ode to Chocolate” online, or maybe in her newest poetry collection, MORE (C&R Press, 2010). I love this swagger of a poem, the way it tempts and teases, plays to the rebel, takes no prisoners. Not an ounce of milquetoast, no hem or haw. Dark, baby, dark. Deep, decadent, divine.

ODE TO CHOCOLATE
by Barbara Crooker

I hate milk chocolate, don’t want clouds
of cream diluting the dark night sky,
don’t want pralines or raisins, rubble
in this smooth plateau. I like my coffee
black, my beer from Germany, wine
from Burgundy, the darker, the better.
I like my heroes complicated and brooding,
James Dean in oiled leather, leaning
on a motorcycle. You know the color.

Oh, chocolate! From the spice bazaars
of Africa, hulled in mills, beaten,
pressed in bars. The cold slab of a cave’s
interior, when all the stars
have gone to sleep.

Chocolate strolls up to the microphone
and plays jazz at midnight, the low slow
notes of a bass clarinet. Chocolate saunters
down the runway, slouches in quaint
boutiques; its style is je ne sais quoi.
Chocolate stays up late and gambles,
likes roulette. Always bets
on the noir.

Barbara: “Ode to Chocolate” came out of a prompt I was doing with a women’s retreat, one where I’ve led the poetry workshop for oh, 26-27 years now. I was looking for a food prompt, and did a Google search on chocolate + poems, coming up blank. So I decided to write one of my own! The group still fondly remembers me breaking off small bits of a very dark chocolate bar and passing them out, almost like communion. They wrote some really neat poems as well.

I first encountered “Ode to Chocolate” at Diane Lockward’s Blogalicious, when she hosted a Poetry Salon in honor of Barbara’s MORE. Loved it, of course, and thus began my hunger for more Barbara poems.

Shortly after I posted Diane’s “If Only Humpty Dumpty Had Been a Cookie” for Poetry Friday, I received an email from Barbara, who offered to send me a batch of gluten free cookie recipes, several of them containing chocolate. We talked about “Ode to Chocolate,” “Ode to Olive Oil,” and the general deliciousness of food poetry. Yes, here was a woman after my own heart, extolling gravy and writing fondly about her mother’s piecrust. Sweet serendipity; there was more.

We discovered that the same novelist and professor, Asa Baber (who for many years wrote the “Men” column in Playboy magazine), had been pivotal in both our lives as fledging writers. Barbara met Asa at a conference; the advice he so kindly offered set her on the right path. Asa was my first college English professor in Hawai’i, the one who convinced me to pursue creative writing. He was unconventional and disarmingly handsome with a deep, dark tan. My James Dean, a master of je ne sais quoi. Simply no limits to the power of chocolate and poetry, happy connections being the greatest gift of all.

So, back to Barbara’s gluten free recipes. Last week, I made her Chocolate Shortbread, which is so, sooooooo good. The entire house smelled of rich chocolate, butter and vanilla all afternoon. I kind of drifted around from room to room in a deep chocolate reverie, thinking that if food is poetry, this cookie is the perfect love sonnet. As it turns out, the recipe actually represents the special love of a mother for her son:

Barbara: April is National Autism Awareness Month, and the reason I have all these gluten-free recipes is that being gluten (wheat, rye, oats, barley) and casein (milk, dairy products) -free has made a huge difference in our son’s ability to navigate the world. He’s 27 now, still living at home, and I’m still baking for him.

CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD

1/2 cup butter, soft (or 1/4 tub Earth Balance non-dairy “butter”)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
1 cup gluten free flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum

Mix butter, sugar, vanilla; add chocolate. Stir dry ingredients together, add. Press into a small (8-10″) spring form pan. Press fork around edges to make a design; prick holes in top with fork. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes. Cool in pan. Cut into wedges while warm (then cut into smaller pieces, if desired).

Note: Barbara likes Bette Hagman’s Gluten-Free flour mixture.
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Barbara Crooker has written more than 625 poems published in over 1,950 anthologies, books, and magazines such as Yankee, The Christian Science Monitor, Nimrod, Poetry International, and The Beloit Poetry Journal. She’s the recipient of the 2007 Pen and Brush Poetry Prize, the 2006 Ekphrastic Poetry Award from Rosebud, the 2004 WB Yeats Society of New York Award, the 2003 Thomas Merton Poetry of the Sacred Award, and many more. She’s been nominated an amazing 26 times for the Pushcart Prize and also received a 1997 Grammy nomination for her part in the audio version of the popular anthology, Grow Old Along With Me – The Best is Yet to Be (Papier Mache Press).

She’s authored ten chapbooks (two won national competitions), and published three full-length poetry collections: Radiance (2005 Word Press First Book Prize, 2006 Paterson Poetry Prize finalist), Line Dance (2009 Paterson Award for Literary Excellence), and More (2010). Her work has been read on the BBC, the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company), and by Garrison Keillor on The Writer’s Almanac over a dozen times. You can find many of Barbara’s poems online, referenced at her official website.

♥ I love this:

What more can a person
hope for, in this world of a thousand sorrows,
than a life that was made for song, than a body
sometimes able to take wing?

~from “My Life as a Song Sparrow,” included in MORE, one of two prizes offered in my Poetry Book Giveaway.

♥ To listen to Barbara read “Ode to Chocolate,” click here.

diane mayr, the cat’s meow

April 10, 2011November 13, 2017 ~ jama ~ 1 Comment

#6 in the Poetry Potluck Series, celebrating National Poetry Month 2011.

Meow, meow, purrrrrrrrrrrr . . .

The one and only Diane Mayr, Kurious Kitty herself, has just padded into the kitchen! Lithe and sleek in her silken coat, this fastidious feline, who loves a good haiga as much as prime albacore tuna, is treating us to a mini feast — a little sweet, a little piquant.

Her poem was written during the football season in the fall of 2009. You know how sometimes you’re suddenly reminded of something from the past you thought (or wished) you’d long forgotten? Yeah, that. There all along, whether you like it or not, popping up when you least expect it.

Diane’s high school yearbook photo — what a beauty!

POEM
by Diane Mayr

I know I wrote a poem about that
thing that happened back when I
was in high school, you know —
“that thing.” I’m sure it happened
to you, too, some comparable
humiliation, violation, embarrassment,
which has stuck with you for more
decades than you’d care to admit.

I’ll find that poem and share
it with you if you’ll share your
poem with me. What, you don’t
have a poem? Oh, I bet it’s there.
Just like a girl in a birthday cake
who waits for the right moment
to jump out and yell “Surprise!”
Think of yourself as the cake.

© 2009 Diane Mayr. All rights reserved.

Diane: High school was a long time ago, and yet, I can still feel that hand, from under the bleachers, that grabbed a part of my anatomy. ‘Nuf’ said.

Oh, the joys of high school! Personally, I would not like to repeat it, but embedded memories (especially unpleasant or painful ones), trigger poems or stories that prove especially cathartic for the writer and quite often, reassuring for the reader.

Now that she’s closed her yearbook, Diane is happy to share the recipe for those yummy cookies pictured in the haiga. They’re her favorite!

Diane: The recipe originally came from a local cookbook. I changed it from cake-like to chewy, so I guess it’s been mine for the past 20 years. Sometimes I use brown sugar for half the sugar, vanilla extract instead of almond extract, and chopped pecans instead of almonds for more of a butterscotch bar. Other times I mix in mini chips and some coconut. It’s so very versatile, super simple, yet good!

ALMOND BARS

2-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp. almond extract
1 cup almonds (slivered, chopped, or sliced), divided
sugar

Mix together the first 6 ingredients (batter will be very thick). Mix in half the almonds. Spread evenly in a 9 x 13 inch, lightly greased pan. Press remaining almonds into the top. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.
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And just because she’s a totally kool kitty, Diane made another haiga:

Well, I can’t very well let that go without serving up these. Don’t you just love the word, “snickerdoodle”?

Pinch My Salt/flickr

Kool Kat tidbits: Diane’s parents owned an ice cream store, so she scooped a lot of ice cream and made a lot of shakes growing up. Yum! And, how much do I love that her favorite childhood book is
Eloise in Paris? Très bien! Diane and her cats, Smudge and Skippy, also like Millions of Cats. Purrfect!

Thanks, Diane. It was fun having a random noodler snickerdoodling with us today!

counting chips with miss rumphius, tricia stohr-hunt

April 29, 2010November 16, 2017 ~ jama ~ 1 Comment

#22 in the Poetry Potluck Series, celebrating National Poetry Month 2010.

photo by Cake Doctor.

Today we are counting our lucky stars because the one and only Miss Rumphius, Tricia Stohr-Hunt, is here! Quick, everybody sit up straight and pay attention (I hope you did your homework last night).

Have you been following her fabulous Poetry Maker Series this month? Wow — is all I can say! What an impressive collection of poet interviews, beautifully presented with sample poems and lots of handy links for further exploration. I’m convinced there must be at least two of her, to be able to keep up every day while maintaining her busy teaching schedule.

photo by SLICE OF LIME.

Some of you may know that Tricia is quite the gourmet chef. During the Christmas holidays, she supposedly bakes dozens and dozens of cookies, something ridiculous like 20+ different varieties or something. I guess there must be two of her in the kitchen, too.

photo by Pillsbury.com.

Today, Tricia has brought two kinds of cookies — chocolate chip (her poem) and raspberry crescents (her favorite recipe). Her poem says some interesting things about her grandmother and will definitely make you crave a warm cookie. Can you smell a batch baking right this second? Don’t you love biting into a buttery cookie with lots of melty chocolate chips? Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

A Generous Baker

I am a generous baker
My grandmother’s polar opposite
Once while reminiscing about her
Chocolate chip cookies with my great uncle
I called her a “stingy” baker
He called her frugal
I suppose anyone who raised a family
During the Depression would act so
But years later when there was money
Would it have hurt to splurge?

I can still see her in the kitchen
The strings of her yellow flowered apron
Wrapped twice around her tiny waist
And tied in the front
Slowly folding in the contents
Stirring the dough into beautiful smoothness
Oh how I wanted a taste!
Just one finger lick
But no taste testing was allowed

The magic ingredient–chocolate chips–
Sat in a small bowl off to the side
Almost an afterthought
Small dollops of dough were
Dropped on the cookie sheet
And three chips, no more, no less
Were placed in each cookie

Whether driven by frugality or stinginess
They were a bittersweet childhood treat
We learned to eat carefully around the edges
And saved the sweetest bites for last

I am a generous baker
Pouring the entire bag of chips
Into the dough
Ensuring every bite is filled
With chocolaty goodness
And not a hint of disappointment
I look heavenward each time I make them
And whisper apologies
To my grandmother

© 2010 Tricia Stohr-Hunt. All rights reserved.

photo by Stef Noble.

I love reading about this bit of family history. The “stinginess” Tricia speaks of characterizes many who experienced the Great Depression and widens the scope of her poem. I’m guessing many of you have similar stories. Len’s mom was very frugal, as was my aunt. If we happened to visit when she was baking, we weren’t allowed to taste any of the cookies on the cooling rack. Seems every one of them already had a designated eater.

Of all the cookies Tricia bakes, apparently Raspberry Crescents are her favorite. I just happen to LOVE raspberries, and can’t wait to bite into one of these divine, melt-in-your-mouth morsels.

Raspberry Crescents

Ingredients

1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg yolk
½ cup sour cream
½ cup raspberry preserves
½ cup flaked coconut
¼ cup finely chopped pecans
Sugar

Directions

In a large bowl, cut butter into flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Beat egg yolk and sour cream and add to crumb mixture. Mix well.
Chill several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine preserves, coconut and pecans. Mix well and set aside.
Divide dough into fourths.
On a SUGARED surface (not floured), roll dough into a large circle (10-12 inches).
Turn dough over so sugar side is on top.
Spread preserve mixture over dough.
Cut dough into 12ths. Roll each triangle into a crescent shape, starting at the wide end.
Place points down about 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Sprinkle tops with sugar.
Bake for 15-17 minutes or until set and lightly browned.
Remove immediately to cool.
Makes about 4 dozen.

♥ Thanks so much, Tricia!

photo by nagehan2002.

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Tricia Stohr-Hunt is a Professor of Education at the University of Richmond. In her official capacity as Department Chair, she’s known as Dr. Stohr, but to the Kidlit Blogging World, she’s known as Miss Rumphius, in reference to the main character in Barbara Cooney’s picture book, who aspires to make the world a more beautiful, albeit better, place. Tricia certainly achieves this on a daily basis with her highly regarded, authoritative blog, The Miss Rumphius Effect, which is a treasure trove of resources for teachers, students, librarians, or anyone who loves poetry and children’s literature in general.

Besides cooking, Tricia loves travel, science, math, Karmann Ghias, mah-jong, puzzles, and NPR. And the woman can sing! No shortage of talent or new adventures for this multi-tasking efficiency expert. Every week, Tricia hosts a “Poetry Stretch,” and yes, she’s also a Poetry Princess extraordinaire. It was fun meeting her at KidLitCon last year; I was happy to discover that in addition to being all-around brilliant, she’s really quite endearing. ☺ Poetry Makers is here; cool interview at 7-Imp here.

jeannine atkins and her friends, laura and rose

April 21, 2010November 1, 2017 ~ jama ~ 1 Comment

#15 in the Poetry Potluck Series, celebrating National Poetry Month 2010.

Why, yes. That would be Jeannine Atkins up there waving to us from atop that airplane. Of all our Potluck guests, Jeannine knows best how to make a dramatic entrance. And she’s not fashionably late or anything, which is quite surprising considering she had to travel back in time to bring us the two amazing women who appear in her poem: Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder Lane.

Today, Jeannine is sharing an excerpt from her recently released verse biography, Borrowed Names. You may remember my singing its praises on its official pub day. Since then, it has earned yet another *starred review*, this time from Horn Book! We’re absolutely thrilled for this author/poet/professor who dares to defy publishing odds against poetry and historical fiction. Just as Rose Wilder Lane once flew over San Francisco Bay strapped to the wing of an airplane, these days Jeannine Atkins is flying high on well-deserved praise.

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