Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

@my brother's poetry reading

Long day at work with a headache to boot! I have a couple of reviews on the works, but unfortunately not for tonight. So, a personal note with a bookish theme.

I'm always mentioning my two older brothers, either in posts or comments, mainly because they have always influenced my reading and, hopefully, I have influenced theirs. We read, read, read. We debate, discuss, agree, disagree, and agree to disagree. It's great fun!

So here is some news. Back in March, my eldest brother Noel was invited to read his poetry at the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center at NYU. The first picture was taken during the reading, and the one with the three of us was taken during the reception that took place afterward-- that's my brother Alex on the right.

Noel's next poetry volume, in Spanish, will release this summer. Although I have never mentioned it here before, we are all very proud of his work -- past and present.






Thursday, November 6, 2014

A Personal Note

Please bare with me, this is a very personal post. Last time I blogged was back on October 2nd and posted some changes. Since then my life has changed. My husband John passed away on October 20th of Pancreatic Cancer, three short weeks after the diagnosis was confirmed. He was my friend, partner, lover, and husband for over 34 years and as you can well imagine this loss has been a tremendous blow.

John was a native Angelino and a proud Chicano, third generation. We met in Los Angeles at a non-profit mental health facility as co-workers where he worked as a therapist, but he was also an experienced community organizer, and later worked as director of a dual diagnosis program for those suffering from mental health issues/substance abuse. I was very young when we met and he was a big bear of a man, hefty and cute with a beautiful full beard, dimples, and laughing green eyes. We fell in love and fit like two peas in a pod -- both of us were progressive, idealistic, politically involved, and just a tad radical in those days. He introduced me to Mexican and Chicano cultures and literature, jazz and the blues. Ten years later I dragged him to New York and New Jersey and introduced him to Caribbean cultures and the East Coast lifestyle. He loved it so much that I swear he became more of a New Yorker than I have ever been. We shared a love for baseball, basketball, science fiction books and movies, anything western (movies, books, programs) and all types of music. He loved that I read like a fiend and fervently encouraged my blogging. I loved his sense of humor and that he was always ready when I needed a good solid argument, debate or conversation.

He was a great dad and the best Papa and 'buddy' ever to his granddaughters. Good times and bad times. Flush times and lean times. All worth it.

Throughout these bad times I have been overwhelmed by kindness from family, friends, and strangers. My family has been my rock. John's co-workers and friends were invaluable with their visits, telephone calls, and kind, loving words of encouragement. I thank them all!

I would particularly like to thank the blogging community, those friends who, whether through personal visits, texts, twitter, emails, or from behind the scenes, provided support to John personally, to me and to my family. I will never forget it.



November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month. Here are a few facts about it:

  • It's the most lethal cancer there is. Overall survival rate is 6%.
  • More than 46,000 Americans will be diagnosed this year. More than 39,000 will die.
  • No early test. Less than 20% of those diagnosed are eligible for surgery.
  • No cure, unless the cancer is surgically removed in its earliest stages.
  • Too little federal funding. Pancreatic cancer research constitutes only 2% of the National Cancer Institute's budget.
You can find out more at curePC.org

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I hope to post a short review from one of my September reads shortly. I did not read any books in October.

Friday, March 15, 2013

For D.

"Ojo" ink on paper ©H. Suarez

Remember your name, the miracle
of laughter. Bring pleasure to the sad gods,
though you leave this world to grieve,
to replace your intricate streams of blood
with methanol and formaldehyde.
          November 8 by Douglas Ray


For D, our beautiful, talented boy.


 Excerpt, November 8 poem taken from He Will Laugh © Douglas Ray