February's Literary Birthdays

Langston Hughes
1902-1967

Who would have guessed February could be so rich with notable birthdays of literary giants, scientists, politicians, musicians and sport stars.  The month begins with a bang celebrating the birth date of Langston Hughes, poet, author, social activist, columnist and playwright February 1.  

Hughes published his first poem, "The Negro Speaks of River" in 1921. He was proud of his African American heritage and that voice is present in all his works. Many of his writing pieces deal with blues, race and segregation. Hughes became a major voice calling for equal treatment of African  Americans in the armed forces entering World War II.  His poetry earned him the title of America'a Black Poet Laureate. In 2002 on the 100th celebration of his birth date, the United States issued a commemorative postage stamp in his honor.  

This poem is one of his most famous

My People

The night is beautiful 

So the faces of my people.

The stars are beautiful,

So the eyes of my people.

beautiful, also, is the sun.

Beautiful, also, are the souls of my people. 

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Good news to share..Two articles I wrote were recently published:) 
In the Minnesota Writer's Alliance February newsletter there was a feature story on the challenges facing cookbook writers. My blog was included in the story. The second piece of good news was an article I submitted on How To Maximize Your Writer's Notebook to the Lake Region Writers. To read it go to  http://www.lakeregionwriters.net/.  The article is located directly below Ruth Solie's blog.
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Pasta San Antonio

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1-LB. dried pasta-corkscrew or fuselli
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• ½ cup red onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 red bell pepper
• ½ cup black olives
• 1 cup corn
• 1 cup black beans drained
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes-halved

Directions:

• Cook pasta till al dente, drain and rinse and cool
• Toss with olive oil to prevent sticking, add onions, celery, pepper, cherry tomatoes, black beans, corn and olives

Combine the following

• 1 cup chunky salsa
• 3 TB.olive oil
• 2-3 TB. lime juice
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped fine
• ½ tsp. oregano
• 2 garlic cloves minced or pressed
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Pour dressing over pasta mixture and chill several hours

Serve on mixed greens

Cook’s note: recipe from The San Antonio Tex-Mex Cookbook by Elizabeth Blakeley