"Big with Mercy": In praise and loving memory of George Weinberg-Harter

CLICK THIS LINK FOR VIDEO TRIBUTE TO GEORGE WEINBERG-HARTER

Note: This is not a bona fide obituary for my beloved friend, George Weiuberg-Harter. There are some excellent ones. Here are the links for them:

San Diego Union Obit

Welton Jones in San Diego Story

“One of the few who know who I really am has died.”

—What Don Draper, Mad Men, almost said

George Weinberg-Harter

Farewell

Back in 2004, when I decided to answer the Call of Rural Kansas and leave L.A. with all its woes and narcissists behind, my longtime friend in San Diego, George Weinberg-Harter sent me the CD set for the Mahler music based on the poetry of Li Po, which I saw as the equivalent of "Don't let the door bang you on the butt on your way out, Marlan." Included in this was an e-mail with the lyrics to one of the songs, aptly titled:  
THE FAREWELL.

How to Love a Writer

Painting by Setsuko Hayashki

Advice to the Lovelorn

If you value your privacy

 Do not date a writer.

If you have secrets

 Do not date a writer.

If you want to sneak around

 Do not date a writer.

If you want to lie your head off

 Do not date a writer.

If you want to see & not be seen

 Do not date a writer.

If you want calm and peace of mind

 Do not date a writer.

If you do not want to see yourself in Public

 Do not date a writer.

If you want to be cherished beyond all else

 Date a writer.

If you want to find new depths in intimacy

 Date a writer.

If you like the unexpected

 Date a writer.

If you accept your warts and all

 Date a writer.

If you do not care what she does as long as she’s with you

 Date a writer.

Advice to the Lovelorn, Warren, Marlan, November 5, 2016

[For Writers and the People & Animals Who Love Them.]

#poetry #writersinlove

Interview with Rocker Monty Warren [No Depression Journal of Live Roots Rock]

Monty Warren without the Whatevers
Photo by Raymond Goodman

This interview was originally published online in The Journal of Live Roots Rock:
 No Depression:

On Oct. 22, roots rockers Monty Warren & The Friggin' Whatevers (MWFW) came together at Alligator Alley Native Florida Sub Pub & Tap Room in Oakland Park, Fla. to celebrate the launch of MWFW's newest CD, Far Out Close Up, and the birthdays of Monty Warren, Chuck Berry and local musician/bar owner, Kilmo Doome (aka Carl Pacillo).

"This CD was released on Keith Richards' birthday at the end of last year," said Warren. "But that was the official CD Launch Party because we finally found the time to appear on stage."

The Palm Beach Post named Far Out Close Up to its annual Best Music List in 2015.

Book Review: IMPERFECT ECHOES: Writing Truth and Justice with Capital Letters, lie and oppression with Small (Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson)

Title: 
Imperfect Echoes: Writing Truth and Justice with Capital Letters, lie and oppression with Small
Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Paperback: 148 pages
Publisher: HowToDoItFrugally Publishing (August 25, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-1515232490
Genres: Poetry Anthology/Social Justice
Available at: Amazon 

BOOK REVIEW

CAROLYN HOWARD-JOHNSON'S IMPERFECT ECHOES IS JUST PERFECT 

Narcissus knows her reflection

well. She forgets to peer

under burkas, in our jails,

in the beds of the abused,

deeper, deeper into the pond...

                                             —Howard-Johnson, Carolyn. Narcissus Revisited. Imperfect Echoes.

First things first, proceeds from sales of Imperfect Echoes: Writing Truth and Justice with Capital Letters, lie and oppression with Small are donated to the non-profit human rights watchdog, Amnesty International USA.

Reading Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Imperfect Echoes made me want to write poetry. This Los Angeles award-winning poet lays out the landscape of her contemplative thoughts, feelings and reactions with such honesty and deceptive simplicity that they have the effect of offering a peek into her private journals. Yes, it would be wonderful to succinctly express my impressions in a well-crafted poem; however, what puts this poetry on par with leaping tall buildings (and thus out of my novice's reach) is the fact that each poem herein manages the feat of conveying personal and universal relevance at once.

MY MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW: THE FIRST PRACTICAL HANDBOOK FOR CRAZY PEOPLE: Making the Best of Mental Illness

Title: The First Practical Handbook for Crazy People [Making the Best of Mental Illness]
Authors: Shelly Glaser with Sherry Glaser
Genre: Self-Help/Recovery/Mental Illness
Publisher: Mother's Milk Publications
Paperback: Pub. Sept. 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-692-76460-2   (90 pages)
Kindle E-Book: Pub. Aug. 4, 2016
ASIN: B01JTMPELO   (File Size: 308 KB)
Website: http://www.sherryglaser.net
Author Contact: sherryamore67@outlook.com

MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
By Marlan Warren:

The Mother-Daughter Continuum
Continuum: noun (kƒn-tin'yoo- ƒm): A continuous sequence in which adjacent elements are not perceptibly different from each other, although the extremes are quite distinct, e.g., at the fast end of the fast-slow continuum.
--The First Practical Handbook for Crazy People [Making the Best of Mental Illness]

In the self-help tradition of Louise Hay’s New Thought books (“Heal Your Life”), comes The First Practical Handbook for Crazy People [Making the Best of Mental Illness]. It not only features tips from mental patient, Shelly Glaser, but the twist is that this handbook was not only posthumously published, but co-written with her daughter—award-winning performance artist and author, Sherry Glaser—after Shelly died.

My Music Video: Monty Warren & the Friggin Whatevers - "Raise the Bar" ("Far Out Close U...