Having spent her youth in Jerusalem and Texas, she experienced cultural differences and weaves the diversity into her writing. She was born in Missouri to a Palestinian father and an American mother of German and Swiss descent. “My primary source of poetry comes from local life and random characters met on the street,” said Nye. Naomi Shihab Nye lightened up the room with her hilarious reading of “The Art of Disappearing,” touching on everyday occurrences that take up valuable time. Her eloquent words and passionate delivery put death and grief in perspective as a dark moment in life before a beautiful passage. Peggy Ann Tartt, a native New Yorker, read “Tuft of Hair” and “The Dying Season,” both evoking intense emotion regarding death and loss. “I think more than ever it’s important to embrace diversity and remember those who came before us.” In her poem “Virgin” she juggles humor, pain and confusion about being perceived as a virgin in an environment where morals were frowned upon. “Hybridization of our culture is a theme of society today,” said Analicia Sotelo, a Mexican-American from Texas. The nationally acclaimed writers all amassed prestigious awards in addition to published books. “Our theme this year is ‘Beyond Water and Walls’ and features three incredible women writers from different ethnic backgrounds.” “Diversity was the intent of this gathering,” said Sean Sexton, Indian River County’s poet laureate and event chair. But bad weather didn’t stop 125 guests from soaking in the powerful words spoken from the stage. The literary event, originally scheduled to be held at the Laura (Riding) Jackson House, was moved to the Vero Beach Woman’s Club due to impending storms on April 15. If you find Front Porch as affecting as I do then this record will instil in you a love that was made to last.Diverse voices bridging different cultures and backgrounds filled the room as poets recited their works during the eighth annual Poetry and Barbeque. Entering this album with only a vague recollection of Joy’s work in The Civil Wars, her latest solo record has been one of the most pleasant surprises of 2019. ‘Canary’ and ‘When Creation Was Young’ have a dark and gritty western vibe, ‘One and Only’ has some beautiful Spanish sunset vibes, and the album as a whole is set to gentle acoustic lines and the soft swell of steel guitars. While the music takes the backseat to allow Joy’s stunning vocals room to shine, most notably on the stripped back ‘Hotel St Cecilia’, there’s still a nice mix of gorgeous arrangements to be found. A notable exception however would be the title track, with brilliant lines like “whatever you’ve done it doesn’t matter, cos darling we’re all a little splintered and battered” making it one of the most moving and memorable hooks I’ve heard all year. All this mainly occurs in the verses, as this record’s one glaring flaw lies in the fact that its choruses are often too simple and repetitive. Tracks like ‘When Does A Heart Move On’, ‘The Trouble With Wanting’ and ‘No Place Like You’ are the kind of break up songs that manage to capture exactly how you feel, and even sometimes tell you exactly what you need to hear. In Joy’s exploration of love and heartbreak, she lends a sympathetic and reassuring voice. We are drawn to sad songs to be understood, even if we can’t articulate what we’re feeling even to ourselves. It doesn’t matter how eloquent you are if you can’t find the right words. Part of that certainly lies in the lyricism. I’m sure I’ve heard albums that do most everything that Front Porch does better on paper, but none of them quite strike a chord with me as much as this. Love works in mysterious ways, it catches you off-guard, and you never know when someone or something will resonate with you in such a way as to light the flames of love from a single ember of affection. The heart wants what it wants, and even if you were given the chance to choose a perfect partner down to every last detail, you’d still end up falling for someone who is far from your ideal match instead.
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