Major Milestones
Key Dates for my Poetry Accomplishments
Followed by a poem entitled "Milestones of Cinema"
Contents of these pages ©2000, by Joel D. Ash
My first Poetic Limerick, "Thoughts Evergreen", was completed July 21, 1996. This very special poem is included in POTPOURRI OF THE MIND on Page 13, and it is also in my online book entitled THE GREEN HEART.
OCTOBER 1996
For the first time I recite a poem at a Dartmouth Class of 1956 Homecoming dinner. "Thoughts Evergreen" is very well received, and I am encouraged to continue my poetry efforts.
JANUARY 1997
First major article in my hometown newspaper, the Weston Forum.
"There once was a man named Ash".
FEBRUARY 1997
One hundred poems completed - - over 650 five line stanzas.
MARCH 1997
Designated as the Poet Laureate of the Dartmouth Class of 1956.
NOVEMBER 1997
My first book is published by Old Pine Books - - "POTPOURRI OF THE MIND - - A Collection of Poems in the Limerick Style".
DECEMBER 1997
Two hundred poems completed - - over 1300 stanzas.
FEBRUARY 1998
The POETIC LIMERICKS website is established.
My first major poetry recitation at the Weston Public Library.
MAY 1998
Amazon.com places "Potpourri of the Mind" in their catalog.
AUGUST 1998
Amazon.com rates my book FIVE STAR.
SEPTEMBER 1998
Barnesandnobel.com places my book in their catalog.
Completion of the longest limerick poem ever written. My poem entitled "Honor Roll" is 104 stanzas in length. If you wish to see it, go to the Honor Roll link.
OCTOBER 1998
A booksigning at the Dartmouth Bookstore is very successful.
NOVEMBER 1998
My poem entitled "Paean to the Millennium" receives an Honorable Mention in the Iliad Press Literary Awards contest for the Fall of 1998. There are thousands of entries so I am very proud of this poem. If you wish to see it, go to the Poems Which Have Been Honored link.
DECEMBER 1998
Poetry reading at the Dartmouth Club of New York's Annual Holiday Party. I am the featured speaker with ten poems recited.
JANUARY 1999
I teach a POETIC LIMERICKS workshop on the internet under the auspices of the World Poetry Academy.
Three hundred poems completed - - almost 2,000 stanzas.
I begin writing a monthly poetry column in the Weston Forum entitled ROYAL RHYMES.
FEBRUARY 1999
I am elected Vice-President of the Fairfield Area Poets, a chapter of the Connecticut Poetry Society.
MARCH 1999
My monthly poetry column starts being published by the Poetic Voice, an online poetry newsletter. The column is entitled POETIC LIMERICKS.
APRIL 1999
I am the featured alumnus in the Spring 1999 issue of The Dartmouth Club of Fairfield County newsletter which includes an announcement that I will read poems at the Annual Dinner in May. The newsletter also contains formal announcement that POTPOURRI OF THE MIND will be used as the Dartmouth Book Award at high schools in Fairfield County, Connecticut - - eleven schools in total.
My poem entitled "Book Burners" receives an Honorable Mention in the Illiad Press Literary Awards contest for the Spring of 1999. This poem is featured on my Home Page.
JUNE 1999
My second hardcover book is published. "A SOJOURN IN LIMERICK - - Poetic Limericks Visited Once Again" is a beautiful companion volume to my first book.
JULY 1999
My poem entitled "Asian Eyes" (from A SOJOURN IN LIMERICK) is made into a pop song. I have a beautiful demo CD and play it often for friends. The poetry version is included in the link on my Home Page entitled WITH A TOUCH OF SEX.
My poem entitled "Cry of the Loon" is selected for presentation at the Fifth Annual Poetry Convention of the FAMOUS POETS SOCIETY. I am informed that I have won a Diamond Homer Trophy and a 1999 Poet of the Year Medallion. If you wish to see this poem, go to the Poems Which Have Been Honored link.
SEPTEMBER 1999
Four hundred poems completed - - almost 2700 stanzas.
OCTOBER 1999
Several interesting poetry events occur during a trip to Greece, the Greek Isles, and Turkey. On the morning of the day that we are scheduled to visit Epidaurus, I am inspired to write a poem by that name and subsequently read the new poem at the ancient Greek amphitheater. Epidaurus is the best preserved site of this type and it features fabulous acoustics. Several days later, I do a 45 minute poetry presentation on board the cruise ship Clelia II. The 12 poems recited include a number pertaining to Greece and Turkey.
DECEMBER 1999
My POETIC LIMERICKS website is upgraded from http://home.att.net/~joeldash to PoeticLimericks.com
JANUARY 2000
My first on-line book entitled THE GREEN HEART is published on the PoeticLimericks.com website under the Dartmouth Poems link.
I am informed by the President of the National Authors Registry that my poem entitled "Book Burners" has been selected to receive the President's Award for Literary Excellence 2000.
FEBRUARY 2000
I am the featured Poetic Voice Interviewee for the month of February. In addition to responding to 14 interview questions, five of my poems are featured. My monthly column is also carried as well as a Latest News item concerning THE GREEN HEART and the "Book Burners" award.
Sound capability is added to the Poetic Limericks web site. Visitors can now hear me reciting a modified version of my poem entitled "The Time Machine" and a music clip of the pop song created from my poem entitled "Asian Eyes".
MARCH 2000
An online version of my first hardcover book, POTPOURRI OF THE MIND, is published on the Poetic Limericks web site.
APRIL 2000
For the second year running, POTPOURRI OF THE MIND is selected to be the Dartmouth College Book Award for all high schools in Fairfield county, Connecticut.
My third online book, SURROUNDINGS, is published on the Poetic Limericks web site. For the first time, the montages and special photographic images accompanying the poems are created by myself using computer software. All of the poems and images in the book are focused on the beauty of nature and the natural world around us.
JULY 2000
Poetic Limericks at MP3.COM is established and "Asian Eyes" is accepted for play. The "Peace, Freedom, and the American Way of Life" series of 12 Poetic Limericks is recorded in preparation for Spoken Word presentation on MP3.COM.
AUGUST 2000
The "Peace, Freedom, and the American Way of Life" poems are accepted for single play on MP3.COM and a CD goes on sale for $9.99. All of the material on www.MP3.com/PoeticLimericks can be listened to on-line without charge and much of it can be freely downloaded.
OCTOBER 2000
My fourth online book, ASPECTS OF LOVE AND DESIRE, is published on the Poetic Limericks web site. Once again, there are many delightful accompanying images to enhance the impact of the poetry. All of the poems and images are focused on themes of romantic love and sexual desires.
NOVEMBER 2000
My participation in a U.N. Day celebration and the reading of my poem entitled "War Cries" was videotaped on October 22, 2000. This taping, as part of a Poems for a Better World presentation, was aired on Cable Television four times during the month of November.
FEBRUARY 2001
My poem entitled "Love in Winter" is selected for reading at the "Love in Winter" evening of poetry sponsored by the Weston Commission for the Arts - - you can see this poem under the Poems Which Have Been Honored link. I was also asked to read "Precious Things", a poem that you can see at the beginning of my online book entitled SURROUNDINGS.
JUNE 2001
On June 2nd, I read four poems at the Dartmouth Club of Fairfield County Annual Dinner - - "Poops", "Love Midst the Willows", "The Green Pimpernel", and "Wintergreen".
JUNE 2001
On June 12th, I read a program of 14 poems to a group of my classmates at my 45th Dartmouth reunion in Hanover,N.H. - - a mix of Dartmouth and non-Dartmouth poems. On the way home from the reunion, I wrote my 38th poem about some aspect of the college.
AUGUST 2001
During a cruise of the Inland Passage in Alaska onboard the Spirit of Oceanus, I present an hour-long presentation of Poetic Limericks including "Alaska", "Totems", and a number of other poems of particular interest to the people on the ship. After visiting Tracy Arms, I am inspired by this stunningly beautiful place, and write a poem which is read at the Captain's Farewell Party.
SEPTEMBER 2001
On September 16, 2001 I completed my 500th Poetic Limerick. Originally I had something quite different in mind, but current events inspired me to write "A Giant Awakes", the first of five poems dealing with the September 11th terrorist attack.
MARCH 2002
As previously noted, my first book, Potpourri of the Mind, was used as the Dartmouth Book Award for the years 1999 and 2000. Last year, a book by another Dartmouth author was used, but this year, my second book, A Sojourn in Limerick, was selected. Sojourn contains a chapter entitled "A Visit to the Green" with seven Dartmouth poems.
APRIL 2002
Winner of the Fairfield Area Poet's Annual Poetry Slam contest with a reading of my poem entitled "A Shakespearean Whodunit". If you wish to see this poem, you may do so under the "Poetic Limericks with a Touch of Humor" link - - it is the third poem shown.
NOVEMBER 2002
My poem "Soul Mates" which was written for presentation at my son Deron's wedding in October 2002 is selected for inclusion in a group of 65 poems published on a 3 CD set entitled "THE SOUND OF POETRY".
JULY 2003
I am featured speaker at the July meeting of the Country Squires, a men's organization which meets in Sunapee, New Hampshire. With over 100 members in attendance, the program of a dozen Poetic Limericks includes a poem entitled "Eulogy in Granite" honoring the demise of The Old Man of the Mountain.
DECEMBER 2004
Five hundred and sixty poems completed - - I am now writing fewer poems but concentrate on creating Poetic Limericks that have multiple internal rhymes in addition to the normal aabba limerick rhyme scheme.
FEBRUARY 2005
I present a 40 minute program of 14 poems onboard the Norwegian Crown on a South America crusie from Santiago, Chile around Cape Horn to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Included is a poem written during the voyage entitled "End of the World". Back in the time of Megellan, that part of the world was truly "Fin Del Mundo" - - the end of the world.
MORE TO COME
And now my poem entitled:
MILESTONES OF CINEMA
The first story is brought to the screen,
Piano is played with each scene;
Made in nineteen-o-three,
"Nickel"-odeon fee,
"The Great Train Robbery" meant to be seen.
Advance now to nineteen-fifteen,
We skip many films in between;
"The Birth of a Nation",
With much innovation,
Now fade-outs and close-ups routine.
Twenty-seven the next great milestone,
"The Jazz Singer" with Vitaphone;
Al Jolsen is heard,
Feature-length, spoken word,
Mammy sung in a style all his own.
"Wings" wins the first Oscar with flight,
The same for "It Happened One Night";
"Captain Blood", very good,
Many loved "Robin Hood",
And "Gone With the Wind" quite a sight.
"The Wizard of Oz" done with skill,
In "Bambi", dear mother they kill;
Enjoy "Citizen Kane",
And "Fantasia" again,
"Casablanca" with Sam playing still.
You'll love "The Best Years of Our Lives",
"King Solomon's Mines" gets high fives;
"Shane" and "African Queen",
"The Caine Mutiny" seen,
"Ten Commandments" with Moses arrives.
"The Bridge on the River Kwai" wins,
"Ben Hur" with grand chariot spins,
"Psycho" shower alone,
"The Guns of Navarone",
"Cleopatra" plus "Mary Poppins".
"Sound of Music", top picture award,
"The Graduate" can't be ignored;
"A Space Odyssey",
"Patton" great generally,
And "The Godfather" often encored.
"The Exorcist" year has "The Sting",
"Young Frankenstein" doing his thing;
"Rocky" and "Jaws",
Are surpassed by "Star Wars",
Then "Star Trek" begins a five string.
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" so exciting,
"E.T.", a film extra delighting,
See "On Golden Pond",
Of "Love Story" I'm fond,
Then "Platoon", about fighting, so biting.
A "Fatal Attraction" crowd wowed,
"The Rain Man" sky high in a cloud;
"Pretty Woman" and "Ghost",
"Dances with Wolves" foremost,
"Silence of the Lambs" clapping is loud.
"Schindler's List", tale of times very grim,
"Jurassic" success synonym;
"Lion King" a big hit,
"Forrest Gump" is no twit,
And "Titanic" debuts, sink or swim.
Copyright 1999 by Joel D. Ash
All Rights Reserved
HOME
Tour of Poetic Limericks
BACK --- NEXT
