National Poetry Month: The Prison Poet

Robert Counts wears many hats: he is a poet, a chef, an ex-convict.  His passion for poetry developed during his 27-year prison sentence - he read everything he could get his hands on, from the works of Malcolm X to the poetry of Robert Frost.  In time, he started writing poetry of his own.

Rejection

by Robert Counts

I am the stone that the builders must reject
yet I house not anger nor regret
toward anyone lacking imagination,
I was born to move mountains,
to command the breath of worldwinds and hurricanes
to never look back nor down, except in introspection,
to make certain that only splendor surrounds me
and yet when I see pebbles floating on the scum of time,
I am forced to reflect, how can it be
that I am the stone that the builders must reject,
yet I stand tall without such defects,
for perhaps one day, the builders will need just such a structure
to measure up to...

Now, with his 27 year sentence behind him, Robert has earned himself certification as a Culinarian and works as a chef.  But he hasn't abandoned his writing - a book of his poetry titled First Light and Other Poems will hit the shelves this Fall.

To learn more about Mr. Counts, check out this feature article by Doris Friedensohn from the Huffington Post: link

Technology Tuesday: Finding Medical Information Online

Finding Medical information online can be tricky.  You want reliable, trustworthy information - but often enough, the more trustworthy websites like WebMD can get too technical and hard to understand.

We've gathered a group of health-related websites you can rely on, without having to worry about knowing all the scientific lingo.  The next time you're worried about that scratchy throat, or want to learn more about a loved one's condition, these sites are a great starting point for looking up medical information.

The Mayo Clinic
Website: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health-information/
What's it like?:  Recognized by Consumer Reports for excellence, the Mayo Clinic website is easy to navigate and links to information on diseases and conditions, symptoms, drugs and procedures.  This page was designed with the public in mind and is easy to browse and read through.

Medify
Website: https://www.medify.com/
What's it like?: Medify breaks down different medical conditions into easy-to-navigate pages, linking to the most recent research in treatments.  You can narrow down search results by picking articles that relate specifically to your age group, gender and interest.

MedlinePlus
Website: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/
What's it like?:  Developed by the National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus is a great starting point for research.  When you search for conditions, medical terms or treatments, MedlinePlus pulls results from trustworthy sites across the web.  For general information, this is a great place to start.


Where do you turn for medical information on the web?  Share with us in the comments section!

National Poetry Month: Finding Poetry in Nature

Today's Poetry Month feature comes from our very own SCTC faculty, Celeste Matthews!  Alongside her work as veterinarian and teacher in Southern Crescent's Biology department, Dr. Matthews is also an accomplished singer/songwriter.  In the song featured here, Dr. Matthews reflects on some of the threats facing earth's biodiversity.

National Poetry Month: The Poetry of Limbaugh and Gaga

No matter your opinion of Mitt Romney, the first word you think of when you hear his name is probably not "poet."  That is, unless you're Kathryn or Ross Petras.  In their recent article in The Huffington Post, Kathryn and Ross skim through the words of some of today's most prominent public figures, looking for snatches of poetry.  The results are weird, hilarious, horrifying and fascinating.  But mostly hilarious.

Still not convinced?  Maybe the poetry of Lady Gaga will change your mind:

So Many Different Ways to Think About Colors

by Lady Gaga

If I decide to make a red coat in the show, it's not just red. I think:

Is it communist red?

Is it cherry cordial?

Is it ruby red?

Or is it apple red?

Or the big balloon red?

I mean there's so many @&#*ing different kinds of red!

Check out the article here!  (*Warning for strong language)

National Poetry Month has arrived!

Now that we've had a chance to recover from Kodak's false promise of instant live kittens on April Fool's Day, it's time to kick off National Poetry Month!

On the Griffin Campus, celebrate poetry with the library's I Am Poetry project at 3.00 p.m. on Thursday, April 5.  Come and listen to live readings of original poetry by Southern Crescent students!

On the Flint River Campus, stop by the library to check out the Poetry Wall, or submit some poetry of your own!

To cap it all off, we'll be posting poetry on the blog throughout the month.  We're kicking things off with former Poet Laureate Billy Collin's thoughts on reading and teaching poetry.

Introduction to Poetry
by Billy Collins

I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.

Counting Down to the Hunger Games

Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket

The wait is almost over!  It's March 22nd, and The Hunger Games will finally hit theaters at 12.00 tonight.  But what will you do to while away those long hours between now and midnight?

Here at Southern Crescent, your staff of Hunger Games-fanatic librarians have come up with a list of fantastic websites - fan-created and official - to distract you from the long wait and get you amped up for midnight!


Capitol Couture (link)
Your official source for Capitol fashion, news and exclusive interviews!  This official tumblr for the Hunger Games movies features profiles of such Capitol noteworthies as Seneca Crane, President Snow and District 12 stylist Cinna, as well as fashion advice from the always polished Effie Trinket.

The Hunger Games Soundtrack on Rdio (link)
Listen to the full Hunger Games soundtrack streaming by creating a free account on Rdio.  No matter your music tastes - whether you like blues, folk, hip hop or indie rock - you'll find something to like here.  The soundtrack features artists like Arcade Fire, Kid Cudi, Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift.

The Hunger Games Trilogy Fansite (link)
This fan-created website has fantastic links to actor interviews, sneak previews and behind-the-scenes gossip for the movie.  Also includes links to fan-created videos and tributes.

Rotten Tomatoes (link)
How's the movie look so far, according to critics?  Rotten Tomatoes can fill all your movie review needs by bringing together user-generated as well as professional write-ups.  As of this writing, the Hunger Games are certified fresh, with 90% positive reviews.

Review in Tweets: The Hunger Games (link)
This intrepid teacher promised his class he'd read all of The Hunger Games in one sitting - and tweet his reactions as he went.  The results are sarcastic, insightful and hilarious.


What are your Hunger Games plans?  Let us know in the comments!

Technology Tuesday: StoryCorps

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tinfoilraccoon/4854143197/ 

Everyone's story is worth telling.


This is the idea behind StoryCorps, an online audio and video collection of more than 40,000 life stories.  All this nonprofit asks of its storytellers is to find a recorder and an interviewer - anyone who wants to sit down with them for five minutes and help to spin their story.

The results are fascinatingly diverse. From the customer who interviews the war vet who gives free haircuts in the VA Hospital parking lot, to a mother interviewing her cancer-stricken son, these interviews give voice to the American experience.  And most of all, they show the power of lending a willing ear.

Want to learn more?

• Watch StoryCorps animated shorts here
• Listen to quick audio clips of interviews here
• Follow the NPR StoryCorps podcasts here

Want to record your own story?

• Follow the instructions on the StoryCorps website here
• Download free audio recording software here