Michael Patrick MacDonald – Blog

http://www.boston.com/ae/books/gallery/onebookonecity?pg=12

http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2010/06/29/city_youth_gain_400_jobs_for_summer/

http://tinyurl.com/yj42ros

Join us at Connolly’s on 45th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues (Times Sq) Manhattan
on February 24th from 7pm – 11pm.
Bands, Readings, Craic go leor!

In 2007, during the months before Nick Flynn’s daughter’s birth, his growing outrage and obsession with torture, exacerbated by the Abu Ghraib photographs, led him to Istanbul to meet some of the Iraqi men depicted in those photos. Haunted by a history of addiction, a relationship with his unsteady father, and a longing to connect with his mother who committed suicide, Flynn artfully interweaves in The Ticking is the Bomb passages from his childhood, his relationships with women, and his growing obsession—a questioning of terror, torture, and the political crimes we can neither see nor understand in post-9/11 American life. The time bomb of the title becomes an unlikely metaphor and vehicle for exploring the fears and joys of becoming a father. Here is a memoir of profound self-discovery—of being lost and found, of painful family memories and losses, of the need to run from love, and of the ability to embrace it again.

Nick Flynn grew up on in Scituate and attended New York University. He spent six years working at Pine Street Inn. He has published two books of poetry, Some Ether, Blind Huber, a how-to-teach poetry book, A Note Slipped Under the Door (with Shirley Phillips) a memoir, Another Bullshit Night In Suck City. His work has appeared in the New Yorker, The Nation, The Paris Review, NPR’s This American Life and The New York Time Book Review. He has also received a number of prestigious fellowships. He was a member of the Columbia University Writing Project, which trained teachers and taught writing to young people. He currently teaches one semester a year at University of Houston, and lives in upstate New York.

http://codmanacademy.org/main/index.php

Just got back from a weekend of talks in Chicago, along with the McCourt Brothers, Malachy and Alphie…
Spent today, All Souls Day, visiting students at four Boston Public Schools which use All Souls (and uaually Easter Rising) in the classroom (Codman Academy in Dorchester, Boston Arts Academy, Fenway High School, and Boston Day and Evening Academy in Roxbury). I launched the entire Boston Public School marathon last week with an appearance at assembly for 150 Charlestown High School students who’d all been assigned All Souls. At Codman Academy today, students read passages of All Souls to me and talked about their personal connections to each passage, e.g. one young woman related to my outrage at the injustices in my brother Steven’s case, telling me — and the assembly of students and faculty — that she experienced similar rage at her sisters imprisonment on murder charges. I was so moved by the experience at Codman Academy that I announced that this would become an annual institution, making pro bono appearances in the Boston Public Schools every year on All Souls Day (and the following days), thus bringing the intentions of the All Souls Day vigils we once held in South Boston, into the schools (where they are as relevant as ever).

Tomorrow (Tuesday) on to East Boston High School to talk to 200 students who have been assigned All Souls.

Thanks to Joyce Linehan of Ashmont Media for volunteering as heroic driver, getting me to all appointments on time!

Just kicked off commemoration of 10 year Anniversary talks in Boston Public Schools, beginning w Charlestown High today… a school that lost a couple of its kids to violence in past year. Kids gave me an incredible reception this morning … packed the auditorium. Now gearing up for marathon of appearances at 5 Boston schools on Monday All Souls Day 2009 to commemorate 10 years of All Souls in the schools.

I’ll be appearing at the Boston Book Festival on Saturday October 24th, 3PM, in the Abbey Room of the Boston Public Library, where I spent so many days hooking school as a kid, staying out of the cold, and reading books.

Come by and say hello.

And on Friday Oct 23rd (today!) listen in to Radio Boston on NPR affiliate WBUR 90.9 in Boston for an hour show re Literary Boston. I’ll be on.

On the First Year anniversary of the passing of our dear Spencer Gates, I pulled together a Spencer-ish playlist from around the time I answered phones for the Mystery Girls (American Music ONLY) Radio Show on WMBR in Boston (in 1981 when I was 15). Americana at its BEST.

I Feel Good by James Brown
Watch video.

Cherry Bomb by Runaways
Watch video.

Trash by NY Dolls
Watch video.

Peking Spring by Mission of Burma
Watch video.

Better Off Dead by LaPeste
Watch video.

I Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love by The Emotions
Watch video.

Pull Up to My Bumper by Grace Jones
Watch video.

Black Flag, Depression
Watch video.

Moody by ESG
Watch video.

Misfits, Hybrid Moments
Watch video.

X
Watch video.

Sinatra, Fly Me to the Moon
Watch video.

Same All Over by Stranglehold
Watch video.

SSD, Get It Away
Watch video.

Jackson 5, Blame it on the Boogie
Watch video.

Dead Boys, All This and More
Watch video.

Unnatural Axe, medley of clips and songs from their DVD “You’ll Pay for This”
Watch video.

Michael Jackson — and the J5 — is probably the broadest (cultural) common denominator for a good many of the people currently on earth. Sadness and reflection are everywhere this weekend, as it should be. Michael is a huge part of who we are. Period. RIP.

Blame it on the Boogie

So lucky to have grown up in this era.

Papa Was a Rolling Stone