Top Ten on a Tuesday

Haven’t done this in a long time, but I thought this would be a good time to bring it back. Today, I present the return of the Tuesday Top Ten. This week, Jersey’s finest:

1. William Carlos Williams. OK, I know many may have expected Bruce Springsteen to top the list, but the great poet from Rutherford is the man at the top — his great poem “Paterson” helping me to discover my real poetic voice.

2. Bruce Springsteen. No explanation necessary, but for those who need one I offer three: Rock ‘n’ Roll; story-telling and a particular sensibility that has become a part of my own.

3. Allen Ginsberg. Reading “Howl” all those years ago gave me the courage to write poetry.

4. Walt Whitman. The first American bard.

5. The Smithereens. Punk’s volume meets the Beatles’s finesse.

6. Blondie. Debbie Harry maybe associated with New York, but she’s a North Jersey girl.

7. Lauren Hill. Hip-hop soul.

8. The Feelies. Early indie rock gods.

9. Queen Latifah. The first great hip-hop queen.

10. Frank Sinatra. Swinging out of Hoboken into the Vegas night.

Channel Surfing, The South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press

Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet