Bøger af Ronald Johnson

"I count Ronald Johnson as one of the defining peers of my own imagined company of poets." --Robert CreeleyRonald Johnson's underground classic of visionary and queer poetics, Valley of the Many-Colored Grasses, has been legendarily hard to find for over 50 years. In this book of poems, Johnson creates a specifically North American vision that references everything from ancient Native American myths to Johnny Appleseed, from Charles Darwin to The Wizard of Oz, microcosmically transforming the vast open expanse of the plains into delicate flower petals. These are poems of observation, transformation and a uniquely subtle sensibility harmonically tuned to the stars. Masterfully crafted examples of poetic music and textures, Johnson weaves text together to show the world from multiple angles of vision--not only his own-- and to explore what others have seen and experienced of the world. One of the most unheralded poets in literature, Ronald Johnson needs to be securely placed in history with the likes of his fellow dreamers: Stan Brakhage, Marguerite Young, Charles Ives, Marsden Hartley and the Transcendentalists.Ronald Johnson (1935-98) was drafted into the US Army in 1954, and attended Columbia University through the G.I. Bill. Romantically involved with the poet and publisher Jonathan Williams throughout the 1960s, the two walked the Appalachian trail and wandered throughout England before Johnson set off alone to find his own version of Oz in San Francisco. There, Johnson managed a famous gay leather bar, wrote a number of cookbooks, and became a founder of the Rainbow Motorcycle Club, a gay social club described by Johnson as a "band of lusty roistering men, often partying till dawn." His other books of poems include A Line of Poetry, A Row of Trees (1964), The Book of the Green Man (1967), Songs of the Earth (1970), Eyes & Objects (1976), Radios (1977), The Shrubberies (2001) and ARK (1996, 2013).

This is the story of Ronald Johnson''s 35-year journey with the Northern Iowa Wind Symphony. It is a story of what they did together in those 35 years, of where they started, where they traveled and, eventually, where they ended. It is a story of what they accomplished together, what they hoped for, what they dreamed, and what they created. There are discussions of repertoire selection and programming, and accounts of the Northern Iowa Wind Symphony''s six concert tours in Hungary and Italy.

The Trees for the ForestUnforgettable. Compelling. First love. Domineering resolution. The comforting forest. A young man's place for solace . . . and answers. Challenging. Coming of age in a world of new beginnings. From the innocence of the Appalachian Mountains to the haunting secrets endured in German forests. Experience unblemished love, foreboding exploration, and the unrelenting hardship of overbearing personalities. How does one overcome the obstacles of youth? Cope with intimidation? Vanquish fear?A symbolic journey described by one who undertook it. Discover the tribulations that refines character and faces uncertainty using defiant confidence to navigate through the dark forest of humanity. Enjoy the humor of family bonding. And the sadness of loss, just to start over. Envision dreams of the future. Root for the underdog. Take a brazen stand against adversity. Initiate a legacy earned by life choices. Heed the advice by those who gave it. The quest begins with one step forward. Will you be able to see the trees for the forest?