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.

Lazy day for a change

It's been a lazy day — I took a vacation day to hang with the dogs and relax before heading to Glenside, Pa., to see Lucinda Williams.

The dogs spent most of the day sprawled on the carpeting. Annie's not feeling great, so she slept and I played with the lap top before finishing the weekly podcast (which should have been available yesterday).

All told, a lazy Friday in March.

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Email me at grassroots at comcast dot net.

The great poets read

The Poetry Foundation offers a number of intersting podcasts, including two that I’ve become great fans of:

Essential American Poets offers a selection of poets — chosen by then-U.S. Poet Laureate Donald Hall — of some of the best poets working in the medium in recent years. Poets like C.K. Williams, Galway Kinnell, Ted Kooser and Theodore Roethke have been featured. It runs every two weeks. You can listen on the foundation’s site or subscribe via iTunes.

Poetry Off the Shelf is another important offering, which provides readings, interviews and criticism on a weekly basis. There have been discussions of Elizabeth Alexander and the inaugural poem, Langston Hughes, erotic poetry, Louis Zukofsky, economic poetry and other topics. You can listen on the foundation’s site or subscribe via iTunes.

Email me at grassroots at comcast dot net.

Unemployment: A public-private partnership

I know that, for many, it’s difficult to work up any real sympathy for state workers given their benefits, but the news that the governor is putting mass layoffs on the table is not good for anyone.

Consider that his announcement comes on the same day that job-loss figures for the state were released showing more than 85,000 jobs lost in 2008. Adding 7,000 to that figure can only make things worse.

Email me at grassroots at comcast dot net.

Bad news but no surprised

This Wall Street Journal story is pretty scary. The gist is that one in five Americans owes more in principal on their mortgage than their house is worth. One in five?!? And that number is likely to grow.

You know, the lefty economist Dean Baker, of the Center for Economic Policy and Research, predicted this mess six or so years ago but no one was listening.

Email me at grassroots at comcast dot net.