The Eschatological Dog

Delightful? A few poems are. Poignant they all remain, & dog me.

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With his one-of-a-kind poetry style, Dean trains his unique eye on the end of the world, or of humankind, death, the destiny of humanity, the Second Coming & Judgment.

Artist: Crisp
Artist: Crisp

There is no escape like reading! What about reading about what one may never escape from? Dean’s words took me into that darkening day. He used the color of meaning to paint the way.

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Yet, I never felt like running from it. I wanted to remain, to hear what the poet, writer, musician had to say about the decay, and mores.

Artist: Richard Manoakeesick
Artist: Richard Manoakeesick
Dean’s words string true, even if they bite you. Might as well face the music he presents, it feels healthy.

 

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Dog is God backwards, but I have a feeling Dean knew this when tempting us with his title.

Artist: Unknown to me at this moment - from Toronto's Queen W. Graffiti Alley
Artist: Unknown to me at this moment – from Toronto’s Queen W. Graffiti Alley

  I’ll be ordering another Dean J. Baker book, in paperback, tomorrow. There are still 2 or 3 I don’t own.

You can read my review of “Silence Louder Than A Train” by clicking on the pic of the cover

Silence front

Dean, what a long revealing journey from “Baker’s Bad Boys” to “The Eschatological Dog”! From dog turd to dog word you have enchanted me.

Dean is a prolific writer, and all of his many books are available on Amazon in EBook and/or Paperback. He even has his own Amazon page.

Dean J. Baker’s Amazon Page

OR

Buy his works on Create Space where you can find my most recent purchase, “In Riparian Fields”

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51ErddOT4xL._UY250_41fK8y6FbRL._UY250_51eWJJqbj2L._UX250_41BMaZY93jL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_A few more books by Dean J. Baker

Visit Dean on his website Dean J. Baker – Poetry, and Prose Poems

Dean has several other interesting Blogs that you will find linked at the bottom of  his site.

Versions Of The Self

Christy Birmingham’s  new book of poems is one of the best you will ever read.

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Through what I see as 8 versions of her self, Christy reveals 8 versions of my self.

Artist: Unknown
Artist: Unknown

Yes, her metaphors are cunning, and her near rhymes, feet & other poetic abilities are alluring,

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  However, it is her ability to stay focused on the self that make these poems very special & simply personally meaningful.

Artist: Tiff Seymour
Artist: Tiff Seymour

Read “Versions Of The Self” & be wiser, as you will discover in Future Selves.

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BTW, the concept of “Versions” itself, is poetry! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

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Pics (not the book cover) taken by Resa – 2014

Don’t miss out on”Versions Of The Self” available in hard copy on Create Space

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OR: in KINDLE from Amazon

Pathways to Illumination

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is available at the Redmund Productions Book Store.

Also, check out  Christy’s blogs Poetic Parfait & When Women Inspire

Silence Louder Than A Train

Dean J. Baker, writer extraordinaire, penned the poetry  Silence Louder Than A Train

Dean’s 20/10 visions break bold, clever, sarcastic, cynical, brutally honest, bare faced, bare-soul, telling off, alone, deeply passionate & extremely vivid visually.

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The poetry left me pensive, painted into a corner, or suddenly wrapped with a loving arm (crying out loud) , or dropped into a comedy (laughing out loud).

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As I read, Dean’s words kept coming at me, relentlessly, with increasing  speed. I couldn’t put the book down; I read poems to anyone who would listen.

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Dean’s style is rebellious. Capitals, punctuation, starts, ends and rhymes are where he wants them to be. His consummate skill works it all beautifully. So just read on without expecting a period at the end

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When I reached the end, I began reading the book from back to front.

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Then I was at the beginning again.

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  I very recently bought my first Dean J. Baker book for Kindle, Poetry & How It Gets That Way. I own 4 more of Dean’s titles, all in paperback.

Silence front

In my humble opinion, Dean J. Baker is a writer most worth reading.

Silence back

Dean is a prolific writer, and all of his many books are available on Amazon in EBook and/or Paperback. He even has his own Amazon page.

Dean J. Baker’s Amazon Page

51ErddOT4xL._UY250_41fK8y6FbRL._UY250_51eWJJqbj2L._UX250_414nURUNVzL._UY250_A few more books by Dean J. Baker

Visit Dean on his website Dean J. Baker – Poetry, and Prose Poems

Dean has several other interesting Blogs that you will find linked at the bottom of  his site.

Pathways to Illumination

Christy Birmingham of Poetic Parfait fame wrote this book of poems.

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Yet, it’s more than a collection of poetry. It is clearly a journey, a journey that begins in pain.

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  As she took me along her travails using metaphor to an exquisite height, I became enlightened. The rhythms of her near and not rhymes rocked me in their arms.

Artist: Mandy van Leeuwen
Artist: Mandy van Leeuwen

Her pondering did not pander. Rather, I looked out upon her reality with a gentle concern .

Artist: Mandy Leuwellen
Artist: Mandy van Leeuwen

In the end, I was rewarded with the sense of being freely born, and although not into a perfect ending, into a sense of dignity, positive energy and wisdom.

Artist: Tiffany
Artist: Tiffany Seymour

The final poem in Christy’s book is titled “What If”. Therefore, I ask, “what if you read it?” Well, if you do, you will be inspired, too!

Artist(s): unknown (Twelve Tribes Apprenticeship Program)
Artist(s): unknown (Twelve Tribes Apprenticeship Program)

Pics taken by Resa – 2014

PIRPCover

Pathways to Illumination is available at the Redmund Productions Book Store.

Also, don’t miss out on Christy’s other most important blog When Women Inspire

I ♥ Banksy – because of “My Month With Banksy: October 2013 In NYC” by Jacqueline Hadel – Plato

What is that?

It’s “MY MONTH WITH BANKSY: OCTOBER 2013 IN NYC” by: Jacqueline Hadel. If you’re a fan or lover, it’s a must buy  Here On Amazon

Artist: Banksy (unofficial)
Artist: Banksy

After reading Jacqueline’s book, I did some research. Banksy had been (unofficially)  in Toronto in 2010. Sadly only 1 of 7 pieces remains, and it’s in this gated private parking.

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As I peered through the chain link, I saw the Banksy had been covered in plexiglass, and bordered with steel and rivets.

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Also noticeable was that someone had attempted to pry the metal border away. (lower right)

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The plastic has been tagged, cleaned, tagged with scratchiti , and then more paint. Nonetheless, it survives!

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The other 6 Banksy’s were tagged to death, torn down, painted over…one (on the back of a sign) just disappeared.

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Aww, the gate was unlocked, so I just went in for a few shots of the Banksy w/ Jacqueline’s book.

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The book is like a diary, going day by day through her month with Banksy.

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Thanks, Jacqueline, it’s a very fabulous book!

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Pics taken by Resa, on May 4, 2014

Toronto, Canada

L.A. Street Art – by Jacqueline Hadel

To see street art through Jacqueline Hadel’s eyes is to fall in love.

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Before I get going here, I encourage everyone to buy Jacqueline’s second book  L.A. Street Art on Amazon.

Like all collections on Jacqueline’s blog TOKIDOKI, the L.A. Street Art section includes all street art, without prejudice.

As I perused Jacqueline’s vast and fabulous  L.A. Street Art archives on TOKIDOKI, I wondered how she made her selections for the book. So I asked her how she decided what pieces to print.

Her answer (via Twitter) was  “I just have a sense of what I want to put out there.”

photo © Jacqueline Hadel
photo © Jacqueline Hadel

I was always overwhelmed  by the beauty of murals.  Then one day I fell in love with  rich, colorful and bold Graf Writing. Then came alternative art, cartoons and lots of faces, which are my favs. L.A. Street Art has delighted me with it’s many fantastic faces.

photo: © Jacqueline Hadel
photo: © Jacqueline Hadel
Artist: Monopoly - photo © Jacqueline Hadel
Artist: Monopoly – photo © Jacqueline Hadel

One day I see Stickers on TOKIDOKI.

Jacqueline informs me that she loves “Sticker Art”

Suddenly one lonely sticker catches my eye as much as arrangements of stickers, which take on a unified look, becoming a piece unto itself.

Layers of tags and colors and stickers become like oil paintings where the artists have plied the oils so thick there is a third dimension to the work.

photo: © Jacqueline Hadel
photo: © Jacqueline Hadel

Telephone poles and dumpsters are now canvases speaking to anyone who will listen. Jacqueline has not forsaken this art form in her book.

photo © Jacqueline Hadel
photo © Jacqueline Hadel

Artists she covers in LA Street Art include Alec Monopoly, MDMN, Lister, Dog Byte, Felix and more.

Having the utmost respect for the artists, Jacqueline has made every best effort to credit works and even contact the Artists for permission to be included in her book.

To me, there is as much social comment in Street Art  as there is artistry and talent.  In these regards, L.A. Street Art delivers, big time.

photo @ Resa McConaghy
photo @ Resa McConaghy
photo; © Resa McConaghy
photo; © Resa McConaghy

I was thrilled to receive my copy of L.A. Street Art. Following the tradition I began after receiving Jacqueline’s first book, Bogota Street Art, I took the book for a walk & photo shoot.

The book wanted to get a shot with the bit of  Mayor Ford Sticker Graf I had found, so we took off to that alley.

We had a fab time, and I took many shots of L.A. Street Art with Toronto Street Art. I have enough pics to do an Adventures in Graf/w My L.A. Street Art Book, & I will.

pic © Resa McConaghy
pic © Resa McConaghy

You can get your own wonderful copy of L.A. Street art HERE

If you missed out, you can still get a copy of Bogota Street Art HERE  OR the EBook version HERE

Well done, Jacqueline!

Thank you & Cheers!