Mike Henry

Craig Arnold

2009-05-09T03:52:57Z

This is excerpted from the "Find Craig Arnold" Facebook group:

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Our dear friends and family,
Though Craig himself has not been recovered, the amazing expert trackers of 1SRG have been able to make themselves and us certain of what has become of Craig. His trail indicates that after sustaining a leg injury, Craig fell from a very high and very dangerous cliff and there is virtually no possibility that Craig could have survived that fall. Chris will pursue what he can about getting specialists to go down into the place we know Craig is so we can bring him home, but it is very, very dangerous and we are not yet completely certain what that will require. The only relief in this news is that we do know exactly what befell Craig, and we can be fairly certain that it was very quick, and that he did not wait or wonder or suffer.

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And this is the last line in the post from Craig's blog, Volcano Pilgrim, written the day before he went missing:

"Danger has a way of cutting through melancholy, the real fear blinding you to the fear dimly imagined. If you could only always just have escaped death, you would never be sad again."

Rest in peace, my friend.

Craig Arnold is missing in Japan

2009-04-30T04:59:54Z

Time to light another candle, y'all.

Poet and friend Craig Arnold has gone missing in Japan. He's there doing research on volcanos for a book and was last seen three days ago.

Here's a blog with the story:

http://donshare.blogspot.com/2009/04/craig-arnold-needs-your-help-urgent.html

If you want to help, here's the deal. The local authorities are only legally required to search for three days, and that is about to run out. The blog post has info for folks you can call to put pressure on to keep looking for Craig.

Craig is a wonderful guy, a great father, and one hell of a poet. Keep a good thought tonight.

Brenda

2009-02-02T07:44:00Z

The vast majority of you on my Friends list are also connected to enough poetry slam folks to have heard the news by now. Brenda Moossy passed away this weekend after a battle with cancer.

She was one of the dearest souls and finest poets that I was fortunate enough to witness step to a mic.

There's this one night that I'm remembering, and I think will choose to cling to for a good while. It was a Sunday night in Chicago, tail end of a Slammasters' meeting weekend some years back. That being so, those of us that were still in town -- worn to a frazzle from two days of work discussing / arguing about poetry slam -- gathered at the Green Mill.

After the open mic, Marc put together one of his infamous "team slam" shows. There was a home team from Chicago and the Midwest, an NYC team, and a team from "the south" -- as I remember it was Danny Solis, Brenda, Stefan Sencerz (Corpus), Marcell Murphy (Houston), and me.

As those shows always are, it was a blast; hilarious and wild. I vaguely remember playing the part of a goldfish during one of Danny's poems for the "mandatory group piece round."

But the memory I will keep close was Brenda going up and performing her poem, "What I said to the Man Installing the Hot Tub." It was flat out amazing ... gorgeous, authentic. When she told us, in that unforgettable southern drawl, how she told the guy to put the hot tub in the front yard, out in the open, so she could see the stars? I swear to god those stars were in the room with us.

That stage, in that moment -- for me, that's where Brenda will always be, and a part of me will be there too.

Farewell, Brenda. We love you.

mike

PS; Brenda's "hot tub" poem is in "Spoken Word Revolution" (Sourcebooks) and is on the accompanying CD.

shannon

2008-09-15T20:08:52Z

I’ll turn two mirrors to face each other, seek space and a recipe for more time,
cling to this silence like breath, we live here now, know that it was always with us,
the space between your words.

Listen, the wind is a long      low      tone singing

1.    Live fiercely.
2.    Take nothing for granted.
3.    Love each other,

                         Shannon, you gave us flight,

and I will walk this world like you showed me with your life and your rhymes,
now poets, if you feel me let me hear you one time …

My drifting ship,
I still believe in anchors.
My heart,
I still believe in God.

KUT on Shannon

2008-07-02T20:02:44Z

Here is a post on writer / producer Julie Moody's blog:

http://kut.org/news/show/89

This is just one interview - she interviewed Kim Taylor today as well and an expanded version of the story will go up soon.

Shannon's memorial service

2008-07-02T05:17:00Z

Shannon Leigh Memorial Service

Wednesday, July 9^th @ 6pm

St. Michaels’s Episcopal Church

1500 N. Capitol of Texas Highway, Austin, TX 78746

Austin: there will be additional memorial and tribute opportunities forthcoming, and benefit shows are already happening.

Keep tuned to your LJ for details.

Love y'all.

God Bless Shannon Leigh

2008-06-30T19:21:09Z

I've never posted on LJ before, but here goes.

From Ron:

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Shannon Sails on Calm Waters

I just wanted to let you all know that Shannon passed away this morning in her sleep. Arrangements are being made for a memorial service at St. Michael's Episcopal Church. As soon as I know the details I will let you know.

Thank you for all of your heart-felt support, encouragement and prayers. Sheila, as you might imagine, is completely devastated as are her parents who are with her in Florida. She is going to need all of our help, love, hugs, and spirit in the coming days. I'll keep you advised.

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"My drifting ship
I still believe in anchors
my heart
I still believe in God."

-- Shannon Leigh