Aralee Strange
Book Release Celebration
The Road Itself
November 27
7 p.m.
The Woodward Theatre
1404 Main Street
(Across from MOTR)
with readings of Strange’s poems by
Pauletta Hansel, Matt Hart, Jim Palmarini, Stacy Sims, Mark Flanigan, Steven Paul Lansky,
Ali Edwards, Richard Hague, Michael Henson, Heidi Joffe, John Ray, and Michael Burnham.
and special musical guests, Ruby Vileos
ARALEE STRANGE a poet and playwright, was born on December 5, 1943, in Macon, Georgia, from where at a young age she moved to Birmingham, Alabama. After living and working in Atlanta, Georgia, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and New York City, New York, Aralee then settled for more than twenty years in Cincinnati, Ohio. In March 2007, she moved to Athens, Georgia, and lived there until her passing on June 15, 2013.
While widely published in literary journals during her lifetime, The Road Itself marks the first overview of Strange’s poetic works. It is a tour de force that moves from the urban blight of 1980’s Cincinnati Main Street to the pastoral solitude of Adams County, OH to the Southern charms of Athens, GA while remaining forever rooted in the heart of America, exploring in equal measure the implied complexity of its inherent beauty and tragic flaws. Her unmistakable, even voice simultaneously pitched between Old Testament scripture and The Street, these tough, restless poems aspire to and attain a clarity of language and personal spirituality. Word of Mouth Cincinnati, a literary event consisting of both an Open Mic and a Feature Performance, continues its fifth season, as usual on the last Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at MOTR, but the November 2018 edition will be held at a special venue: The Woodward Theater. |
Her Rage
If anybody can save this world she’s a woman and is she pissed pre-fabricated domesticated deformed and suppressed underdressed depressed obsessed with herself seduced made ashamed and treacherous made less. She will raise her voice in hallelujiah! she will raise her eyes and equal to she will raise her fists if she needs to she will know how. And she will ask: How if we waste the children who will lead us shall we endure? Why must they atone for the sins of the fathers who sacrifice to their false gods all life for the sake of pride and poor judgement for who owns what who own nothing who know nothing who would have us murder and destroy them and how many of us to save face to prove whose god is great who owns the night whose mighty fist is biggest? And she will say: Let my will be done for a change my ways my means my benevolence my praise my rage my rage. |