Friday, April 30, 2010

April 30: Juhan Liiv (1864-1913)

[visual description: portrait of poet Juhan Liiv as a young man, he appears to be fair-haired with light eyes; his expression is serious]

When I was only a little boy
A ringing was ringing in my mind.

And when I grew older
The ringing went louder.

Now I am almost buried in it,
My bosom is ruined under it,

My spirit and life are ringing sounds - Too cramped for them are earthly bounds!

--"Ringing" by Juhan Liiv (1910), as translated here


Estonian poet Juhan Liiv was born in this date in 1864, in the village of Alatskivi. He struggled with mental illness as a young man, and had trouble holding a job. His first story, "The Shadow," was published when he was thirty, and remains a classic of Estonian literature. But by the time it was published, he was staying at a clinic in Tartu, and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. A literary editor found his work and a volume of almost 500 poems by Liiv was published in 1909. Some of this poetry reflects Liiv's feelings of doom and fear, and his experiences as a poor and misunderstood man; other pages contain romantic or patriotic verses that found an appreciative audience.

Liiv died from pneumonia in winter 1913, after being thrown off a train (he didn't have a ticket, and unfortunately he didn't take his coat when he was ejected in a remote area). Today, Liiv is considered one of the finest poets in Estonian literature. His grave in his home village has a handsome marker, and the farm where he was raised is now a museum. Some of his writings have been set to music. Alatskivi also offers an annual Juhan Liiv Prize for Poetry.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Disability Blog Carnival #65 is up NOW!

Go check out Twxee's River of Jordan blog for the latest edition of the Disability Blog Carnival, built around the theme of balance--figurative and literal! And maybe you'll get excited to write up something for the May edition? It'll be hosted by Terri at Barriers, Bridges, and Books, with the theme "Story." She elaborates on that:

Story is the stuff of relationship. Story makes information meaningful and 'random' anecdotes connect.

People with disabilities historically have been removed from society's stories--they lived elsewhere, went to different schools, worked different jobs (or didn't), and to a large degree were left out of the history books...

The story society tells itself about disability--that disability is suffering and tragedy--often upstages the stories that people with disabilities live every day and tell whenever they get the opportunity.

Story introduces, bridges and explains...

If you have a story to tell, or something to say about story submit...

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Yes, it's that time of year again.... BADD 2010!

Blogging Against Disablism Day, May 1st 2010

Click the logo above for more information, then sign up to participate. BADD is now in its fifth year, which you know qualifies as "longstanding" in blog time.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Disability Blog Carnival reminder

Disability Blog Carnival #65 will be hosted at Twxee's blog, River of Jordan, next week. I'm come to know that there haven't been a lot of submissions so far, so please consider sending Twxee some links this weekend, especially for recent posts on the subject of "Balance" (her chosen theme). Or leave links here in the comments area.