2012 was a good, busy year. I added more to this site. We got the Poetic Express section caught up. Images were added to the Index Card Art and Black and White Drawings Collections. I did concerts with Spaceband and the Fireflies. These included shows at the Steak Hut, the DLECTRICITY festival and at the Music Hall Café. I kept up my writing, drawing and painting.
I created 200 original drawings which I donated to the MOCAD. This was for a special project connected with the theme of Afro-futurism. They ended up being placed in boxes along with other great stuff. There was one of my drawings in each box.
I got to New York City in August. Among the art exhibits I saw were collections of work by Yayoi Kusama and the Brothers Quay. I got to sit in with Bill Carney's Jug Addicts again. The show was on an old steamboat.
Also that month, a niece was married and my parents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. I did puppet shows at such venues as the Trumbullplex and the Detroit Institute of Arts.
There were some notable and sad passings. These included my Uncle Ralph. I wrote a poem in his memory Sweet Mystery in Number 6. Also, my Aunt Rose died. I wrote a poem for her In the Clouds in Number 7. They were both wonderful. I have many good memories of them.
Faruq Z. Bey was a unique and well-respected Detroit musician. At a book release event, I was on the same bill with him. Thus I got to see one of his last performances. I wrote Hidden Sounds for him in Number 11. I'll also miss my neighbor Jim Spencer and Detroit artist Robin Sommers.
I also did my work here at the library at the University of Detroit Mercy. This included a project with the Varsity News, our student newspaper. I helped to prepare the issues to be digitized.
In Number 4 I wrote Party in the Park for my Aunt Pat. Number 10 took on the darkened streets of Detroit. Number 15 included two drawings that I'd done on my trip to New York.
In Numbers 21 and 22 I wrote poems for Louis Armstrong and Woody Guthrie.
Then the last two issues comprised the 26th annual Dedications Issues. I wrote poems for Yves Tanguy, Greta Garbo, Thelonious Monk, Herbie Nichols, Bessie Smith and Vincent Van Gogh. All eight poems used the person's name as the title of the poem.
Personal Favorites: Vacant House in Number 2, Goon Day in Number 7, Transactions in Number 17, Broken Kitchen in Number 18 and Herbie Nichols in Number 24.
SURREAL THEATRE dealt with food, searching for spare parts, the quarter moon, slang, sleep, color, being out of place and more. Favorites include the comic strips in Numbers 10, 14, 18 and 22.