Epic Poetry Reading, The Parliament of Poets: An Epic Poem. Troy Public Library, Sept 23, 2017. 10 minutes.
A lunar tale, a story, a Journey toward healing the planet, drawing from and evoking all of the great spiritual and wisdom traditions and regional civilizations.
If the old exclusivisms evolved into the exclusivism of the Enlightenment, from the moon, together, we can see universality…
Frederick Glaysher reading several brief selections from The Parliament of Poets: An Epic Poem, at Troy Public Library, Troy, Michigan. Sept 23, 2017. 10 minutes. https://youtu.be/XHUyKtj3gJo
Also see the related Questions & Answers, on CLIMATE CHANGE & GLOBAL WARMING, 10 minutes, at https://youtu.be/DXAXn0DL5jY
As a global epic tale, I am speaking to the entire planet, not merely the Western world. While the whole is always more than the sum of its parts, I gratefully acknowledge my indebtedness to such writers and thinkers as the historian Arnold Toynbee, Carl Jung, Huston Smith, Aldous Huxley, Joseph Campbell, and many others of open and universal sensibility. Campbell, especially, wrote on shamanism and myth and their power to heal the tribe through a visionary experience and tale. Campbell also wrote repeatedly about the overview Image of Earthrise, rising above the horizon of the moon, as the great new mythic Image and Symbol for our time.
SYNOPSIS
The Parliament of Poets is set partly on the moon at the Apollo 11 landing site, the Sea of Tranquility, and around the world.
Apollo calls all the poets of the nations, ancient and modern, East and West, to assemble on the Moon to consult on the meaning of modernity. The Parliament of Poets chooses one of its own, the Poet of the Moon, and sends him on a Journey to the seven continents to learn from all of the spiritual and wisdom traditions of humankind. On Earth and on the Moon, the poets teach him a new global, universal vision of life.
One of the major themes is the power of women and the female spirit across cultures.
Frederick Glaysher, Troy Public Library, Sept 23, 2017
Reading from The Parliament of Poets: An Epic Poem. Best Selections 2015 – 2017. 13 minutes.
A shaman-like tale or chant, a story, a Journey toward healing the psyche of the planet, drawing from and evoking all of the great spiritual and wisdom traditions and regional civilizations.
If the old exclusivisms evolved into the exclusivism of the Enlightenment, from the moon, together, we can see universality…
As a global epic tale, I am speaking to the entire planet, not merely the Western world. While the whole is always more than the sum of its parts, I gratefully acknowledge my indebtedness to such writers and thinkers as the historian Arnold Toynbee, Carl Jung, Huston Smith, Aldous Huxley, Joseph Campbell, and many others of open and universal sensibility. Campbell, especially, wrote on shamanism and myth and their power to heal the tribe through a visionary experience and tale. Campbell also wrote repeatedly about the overview Image of Earthrise, rising above the horizon of the moon, as the great new mythic Image and Symbol for our time. I hope that my epic tale might be judged worthy of the best in their thinking and work.
“It’s very contemporary, in some ways, and very much old school… This is really some cool stuff, I have to say, and I’m not just saying that, just to say it. It really is, and when you hear some of his epic poetry and poetry, hopefully you’ll agree and want to grab a copy of The Parliament of Poets. If you’ve done any study of classic epic poetry, this fits the bill. And don’t let that turn you away. It’s really good stuff.” —M. L. Liebler, Department of English, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
SYNOPSIS
The Parliament of Poets is set partly on the moon at the Apollo 11 landing site, the Sea of Tranquility, and around the world.
Apollo calls all the poets of the nations, ancient and modern, East and West, to assemble on the Moon to consult on the meaning of modernity. The Parliament of Poets chooses one of its own, the Poet of the Moon, and sends him on a Journey to the seven continents to learn from all of the spiritual and wisdom traditions of humankind. On Earth and on the Moon, the poets teach him a new global, universal vision of life.
One of the major themes is the power of women and the female spirit across cultures.
The book has twelve chapters, each with three to five cantos, more than forty throughout. To suggest the scope of the book, it is set partly on the moon and in Australia, India, Cambodia, Burma, Tibet, China, Japan, Africa, France, England, Russia, the Middle East, Central and South America.
REVIEWS
“A remarkable poem by a uniquely inspired poet, taking us out of time into a new and unspoken consciousness…” —Kevin McGrath, South Asian Studies, Harvard University, author on the Mahabharata.
“A great epic poem of startling originality and universal significance, in every way partaking of the nature of world literature.” —Hans Ruprecht, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, author on Goethe, Borges, etc.
“Mr. Glaysher has written an epic poem of major importance… Truly a major accomplishment and contribution to American Letters.” —ML Liebler, Poet, Department of English, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
“Very readable and intriguingly enjoyable. A masterpiece that will stand the test of time.” —Poetry Cornwall, No. 36, England, UK
“Glaysher is really an epic poet and this is an epic poem! Glaysher has written a masterpiece… I strongly recommend his poem.” —The Society of Classical Poets
“And a fine major work it is.” —Arthur McMaster, Department of English, Converse College, Spartanburg, South Carolina, in Poets’ Quarterly
“I’m extremely impressed with the quality and depth of the writing. So well written. It’s almost like a stepping stone into all this world lit that people might otherwise never touch.” —R. J. Fox, Kerrytown BookFest, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“I am in awe of the brilliance of this book! Food for the soul, and answers to humanity’s most pressing problems, right where they belong, in the epic poetry of all the teachers, magicians, prophets, shamans, and poets of all time… Everyone must read this book, especially if you enjoy literature, wisdom, and philosophy.” —Anodea Judith, Novato, California, author of The Global Heart Awakens
“Don’t be intimidated by an epic poem. It’s really coming back to that image of the storyteller sitting around the campfires of the world, dipping into and weaving the story of humanity, in the most beautiful, mellifluous language.” —Miriam Knight, Portland, Oregon, New Consciousness Review radio
A shaman-like tale or chant, a story, a Journey toward healing the psyche of the planet, drawing from and evoking all of the great spiritual and wisdom traditions and regional civilizations.
If the old exclusivisms evolved into the exclusivism of the Enlightenment, from the moon, together, we can see universality…
As a global epic tale, I am speaking to the entire planet, not merely the Western world. While the whole is always more than the sum of its parts, I gratefully acknowledge my indebtedness to such writers and thinkers as the historian Arnold Toynbee, Carl Jung, Huston Smith, Aldous Huxley, Joseph Campbell, and many others of open and universal sensibility. Campbell, especially, wrote on shamanism and myth and their power to heal the tribe through a visionary experience and tale. Campbell also wrote repeatedly about the overview Image of Earthrise, rising above the horizon of the moon, as the great new mythic Image and Symbol for our time. I hope that my epic tale might be judged worthy of the best in their thinking and work.
“It’s very contemporary, in some ways, and very much old school… This is really some cool stuff, I have to say, and I’m not just saying that, just to say it. It really is, and when you hear some of his epic poetry and poetry, hopefully you’ll agree and want to grab a copy of The Parliament of Poets. If you’ve done any study of classic epic poetry, this fits the bill. And don’t let that turn you away. It’s really good stuff.” —Introduced by M. L. Liebler, Poet, Department of English, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
The Parliament of Poets, set partly on the moon at the Apollo 11 landing site, the Sea of Tranquility, and around the world.
Apollo calls all the poets of the nations, ancient and modern, East and West, to assemble on the Moon to consult on the meaning of modernity. The Parliament of Poets chooses one of its own, the Poet of the Moon, and sends him on a Journey to the seven continents to learn from all of the spiritual and wisdom traditions of humankind. On Earth and on the Moon, the poets teach him a new global, universal vision of life.
The book has twelve chapters, each with three to five cantos, more than forty throughout. I’m going to read excerpts from only four cantos tonight. To suggest the scope of the book, it is set partly on the moon and in Australia, India, Cambodia, Burma, Tibet, China, Japan, Africa, France, England, Russia, the Middle East, Central and South America. First, a selection from the very beginning of Book I, chapter one, set on the moon, already at the Apollo 11 landing site, followed by selections from elsewhere in the book.
REVIEWS
“A remarkable poem by a uniquely inspired poet, taking us out of time into a new and unspoken consciousness…” —Kevin McGrath, Lowell House, South Asian Studies, Harvard University
“A great epic poem of startling originality and universal significance, in every way partaking of the nature of world literature.” —Hans-George Ruprecht, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
“Mr. Glaysher has written an epic poem of major importance… Truly a major accomplishment and contribution to American Letters.” —ML Liebler, Department of English, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
“Glaysher is really an epic poet and this is an epic poem! Glaysher has written a masterpiece… I strongly recommend Frederick Glaysher’s poem.” —James Sale (UK), The Society of Classical Poets
“And a fine major work it is.” —Arthur McMaster, Department of English, Converse College, Spartanburg, South Carolina
“I’m extremely impressed with the quality and depth of the writing. So well written. It’s almost like a stepping stone into all this world lit that people might otherwise never touch.” —R. J. Fox, Kerrytown BookFest, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
YouTube Playlist – Epic Poetry Readings and Workshop. Copyright (c) 2012-2017 Frederick Glaysher.
Poetry Month, Robert Hayden, Space Traveler, & Epic Poetry Reading 2017
Saturday, April 22, 2017. 1:00 – 2:30 PM.
Detroit Public Library, Main Branch. 5201 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48202. Fine Arts Reading Room, 3rd Floor.
In addition to speaking on Hayden and reading from some of his poems dealing with themes about outer space, Glaysher reads two excerpts from his epic poem The Parliament of Poets, in one of which Hayden is a character, the other set in a village in East Congo, where rape has been used as a weapon of war, with Sogolon, a character from the Mali epic Sundiata.
“We are one in our struggles toward perfection. And I hope that we shall always be.” —Robert Hayden, Letter to Frederick Glaysher, November 14, 1979
“Like a story around a campfire.” —From the Audience
“A great epic poem of startling originality and universal significance, in every way partaking of the nature of world literature.” —Dr. Hans-George Ruprecht, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
“A remarkable poem by a uniquely inspired poet, taking us out of time into a new and unspoken consciousness…” —Kevin McGrath, Lowell House, South Asian Studies, Harvard University
“Mr. Glaysher has written an epic poem of major importance… Truly a major accomplishment and contribution to American Letters.” —ML Liebler, Department of English, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
“Glaysher is really an epic poet and this is an epic poem! To put this in context, in my view the last complete and true epic poem in the English Language was Paradise Lost written by John Milton in the 17th century… One can hardly congratulate him enough, then, on this achievement, since it has been so long awaited… One fabulous quality of this poem is its clarity and luminous quality. I love the fact that despite the wide ranging topographical and lexical references this poem is easy to understand and follow: it is a poet writing for people, not one trying to be clever, and not one concealing their lack of poetry in obfuscation. Glaysher has written a masterpiece… I strongly recommend Frederick Glaysher’s poem.” —James Sale (UK), The Society of Classical Poets
“And a fine major work it is.” —Arthur McMaster, Department of English, Converse College, Spartanburg, South Carolina
“Very intrigued by his background. I’m extremely impressed with the quality and depth of the writing. So well written. It’s almost like a stepping stone into all this world lit that people might otherwise never touch.” —R. J. Fox, Kerrytown BookFest, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Sept. 11, 2016. https://Youtu.be/YDaPs1dGS4c
“Bravo to the Poet for this toilsome but brilliant endeavour.” —Umme Salma, Transnational Literature, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
A stain-glass window in the Detroit Public Library, with Apollo above Erato.
Frederick Glaysher. Reading for Poetry Month, April 22, 2017
Frederick Glaysher. Fine Arts Reading Room
YouTube Playlist – Epic Poetry Readings and Workshop. Copyright (c) 2012-2017 Frederick Glaysher.
As a universal interfaith story, The Parliament of Poets tells the tale of a journey toward cosmos, Christian and spiritual unity, “Spiritual, Not Religious.” Continue reading →
As a universal interfaith story, The Parliament of Poets tells the tale of a journey toward cosmos, Christian and spiritual unity. “Spiritual, Not Religious.” Continue reading →
Apollo calls all the poets of the nations, ancient and modern, East and West, to assemble on the moon to consult on the meaning of modern life. The Parliament of Poets sends the main character, the Poet of the Moon, on a Journey to the seven continents to learn from all of the spiritual and […]
A series of two different performances and six lectures, reviving the storytelling role of the ancient Greek rhapsode, and evoking a new global, universal vision of life. Continue reading →
