McWalker Yarns Hosted a Poetry Reading in Millvale

Thursday evening in Millvale, Amy McCall, owner of McWalker Yarns hosted poets Sheryl St. Germain and her former MFA student at Chatham U, Michael Bennett.

The yarn store was a wonderful backdrop for Sheryl St. Germain’s reading. Surrounded by skeins and skeins of colorful yarn, Sheryl read her powerful essay (from Stitching Resistance:  Women, Creativity and Fiber Arts  edited by Marjorie Agosin). She told of the role crochet has played in her life since childhood, but focusing on how crocheting with yarn helped her cope while parenting a son who was in trouble with alcohol, drugs and the law. She also read poems about her son’s dying of a heroin overdose from her book The Small Door of Your Death.  Her words touched the audience as she described the helplessness and grief, her numbness, as she centered herself every evening after a long day- crocheting an afghan for her son.  The repetition of hook into yarn loops as a meditation, an ease from depression and the stress of hopelessness. A healing.

 

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Pittsburgh native Michael Bennett read his poetry first and opened for Ms. St. Germain.  Michael  has worked for three years with Words Without Walls program, teaching incarcerated Juvenile offenders, teenagers being tried as adults.


Cellist David Bennett and McWalker Yarns supporter introduces the poet and provided delicious desserts  by Millvale Baker Jean-Marc Chatelier


New Orleans native Sheryl St. Germain has published six poetry books, two collections of essays, and co-edited two anthologies. The Small Door of Your Death, a collection of poems about the death of her son from a heroin overdose, appeared in 2018 with Autumn House Press. A forthcoming book, Fifty Miles, is a collection of essays about healing that include a couple of essays about working with yarn. Sheryl directs the MFA program in Creative Writing at Chatham University where she also teaches poetry and creative nonfiction, and is co-founder of the Words Without Walls Program . She was named Louisiana Writer of the year in 2018. Sheryl is an avid and accomplished crocheter, and a much less accomplished knitter. See: www.sheryl-stgermain.com/ for more information.

 

Desserts  created  by  Jean-Marc Chatellier French Bakery

Pittsburgh Light Up Night 2007

I was looking for a Throwback Thursday photo and found this black and white shot of the city at night. Light Up Night is in November, the Friday before Thanksgiving and you can see the effort to light up the city with every available watt. I’m pretty sure I could take a better image now so will try to retake this coming November 2019.

Shot from the Duquesne Incline Platform

Opposites Light and Heavy


Opposites

light and heavy. Two red balls in Ohio.

The snow has melted now and I’m back in the Burgh but thought these two pics illustrated light and heavy.

A Bunch of Bananas Along the Road

Yes, an unexpected bunch of bananas. We were driving down to the swim meet to watch Jack and Maura and my grandson Michael spotted a bunch of bananas in the grass. I said “quick, take a picture of them” and he did.

So Michael is the guest blogger today with the bunch of bananas he spotted and captured with the phone.

The Towers at Ohio State University

The towers.  Abraham Lincoln Tower and Justin S. Morrill Tower, Completed in 1967

When we were driving past the Ohio State U  dorms this morning, on way to the swim meet, Jack asked which one did Steve live in when he was a student? We’re talking decades ago. They are still standing.   I had to ask Steve later.   The answer was freshman year he lived in Morrill Tower.  Now ask me which tower is which. I tried to figure out with the help of a campus map online. But I got pretty turned around. They look identical to me.  Here we are driving by (I was the passenger) after the swim meet. Still undergraduate housing from what I can find online  Steve lived there in the late seventies. A color photo that looks black and white.

 

 

 

Purdue University Choir Sang National Anthem

My six word Saturday. Purdue University Choir Sang National Anthem

My grandson Michael and his teammates got the opportunity to play on the professional basketball court on Friday afternoon. We took a bus from Columbus Ohio to Indianapolis Indiana and the Indiana Pacers and Bankers Life Fieldhouse staff were most welcoming.  Since I don’t have permission to post the Middle and High Schoolers photos online, I am showing the Purdue University Choir singing of the National Anthem before tip-off of the Pro game we watched Friday evening. The Pacers played the Pelicans. (click the bold for game recap)  Marquette grad Wesley Matthews scored 15 of his 24 points in the third quarter.  Very exciting to watch him tie it up and then go ahead after the Pacers lagged behind for the entire first half of the game. Pacers won 126-111.

We got back to Michael’s school about 12:50 AM and it’s almost 2 AM now so I will sign off.

Cousins at COSI Columbus

“Internationally renowned architect Arata Isozaki designed the 320,000 square foot building …. ” from COSI website

Jack Maura and Charlie had fun Thursday afternoon at

COSI Columbus Center of Science and Industry

Ordering Milkshakes at the Diner

Jack surveys the Juke Box selections

 

Learning about sound Singing Fingers App  Specifically- Pitch and Volume

Almost Twelve Years Ago

Thanks for all the comments.  I appreciate your responses. It seems an issue I have trouble fixing.  Now the WordPress Bloggers have to sign in?  Oh my.  It should not be a pain to leave a thought or good word.

Throwback Thursday. One of my favorite family photographs.  Mark reading while  Erika’s holding baby Jack and Anna and Michael. Before Maura was born.  We were on a road trip in May 2007, staying at our friend Joanne’s home in Omaha, Nebraska. 782 miles from Columbus to Omaha in the minivan, that’s one way.  I sat in the back with the kids and was the Granny Nanny while Mark (and sometimes Erika) attended meetings at a convention. The word of the week this would illustrate might be Exhaustion.  Oh, that’s right, they don’t have the word of the week anymore. 🙁

 

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

A test request:  Can you leave a word or two in the comment section today so I can see how EASY- Difficult or IMPOSSIBLE it is to leave a comment if you are not a WordPress Blogger.  I have heard from at least two regular commenters that it is not easy to do so.

Nobody has time to experience a hassle. 

The WordPress Elves may have “improved” something in the comment section of the blog. Thank you.