Wednesday
May 26, 1999
Idyll
Poem: "Idyll," by Theodore Roethke, from The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke (Anchor Books, Doubleday).
It's the birthday of poet MICHAEL BENEDIKT, born in New York City, 1935, author of The Body, and Sky collections of surrealist poems that came out in the 1960s.
Bram Stoker's novel DRACULA went on sale this day in London, 1897. Vampires had been around in literature for centuries, but Stoker's Dracula was unique in that he cast no reflection in a mirror, didn't care much for garlic, and could only be killed with a stake through the heart.
It's the birthday of singer MAMIE SMITH, born in Cincinnati, 1883. She was 37 years old when she became the first black singer to record a solo blues record, "Crazy Blues," which within six months sold a million copies.
The 17th-century British poet and essayist, LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU was born on this day in 1689, London.
Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.®