Mid-Week Libation: There Is No Wealth But Love
Ab Fab's Joanna Lumley, a playlist for May Day & Beltane, Finnish Funnel Cakes, The Free Black Women’s Library & a poem by Sterling A. Brown!
Mid-Week Libation is our weekly curated splash of inspiration and culture!
[Editor’s Note: Happy May Day and Happy Beltane! No audio segment from us this week. Instead, why not have a listen to our May Day/Beltane playlist? Or try out that May Day recipe for Tippaleipä - Finnish Funnel Cakes? Or learn about and consider giving a donation to a beautiful project, The Free Black Women’s Library? Or read an exquisite poem about nature by Sterling A. Brown? Or watch some hilarious clips from the British camp comedy classic, Absolutely Fabulous, in honor of Joanna Lumley’s 78th birthday today? Enjoy!]
R&R’s Playlist for May Day & Beltane!
Recipe of the Week: Tippaleipä - Finnish Funnel Cakes (in honor of May 1st)
Click here for the printable recipe! (via Finding Feasts)
A Beautiful Project: The Free Black Women’s Library
“In the vibrant heart of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, a unique literary haven thrives, known as the Free Black Women’s Library. This remarkable institution, both a social art project and a tribute to Black women and non-binary writers, stands as a testament to the power of literature, community, and inclusivity. With its extensive collection of over five thousand books, a virtual Reading Club, weekly book swaps, and a diverse array of public programs, the Free Black Women’s Library transcends the conventional boundaries of a traditional library, fostering a space that encourages reading, reflection, and engagement.
The Free Black Women’s Library’s Reading Room is more than just a place to read; it’s a literary hub, a social site, a Black Feminist archive, and a community care space all rolled into one. Located at 226 Marcus Garvey Boulevard in Brooklyn, the Reading Room is open to people of all races, ages, and genders. Its inclusive atmosphere creates a welcoming environment for anyone looking to read, write, work, rest, dream, and learn.” [Source]
Poem of the Week: “Return” by Sterling A. Brown (May 1, 1901 – January 13, 1989)
Return
by Sterling A. Brown
I have gone back in boyish wonderment
To things that I had foolishly put by. . . .
Have found an alien and unknown content
In seeing how some bits of cloud-filled sky
Are framed in bracken pools; through chuckling hours
Have watched the antic frogs, or curiously
Have numbered all the unnamed, vagrant flowers,
That fleck the unkempt meadows, lavishly.
Or where a headlong toppling stream has stayed
Its racing, lulled to quiet by the song
Bursting from out the thickleaved oaken shade,
There I have lain while hours sauntered past—
I have found peacefulness somewhere at last,
Have found a quiet needed for so long. Happy 78th Birthday to Joanna Lumley!
Interesting Artists Born Today: May 1st
Visual Artists:
Today is the birthday of Jemima Blackburn, Eleanor Vere Boyle, Jules Breton, Frederick Sandys, Adelsteen Normann, Cecilia Beaux, Adolphe Philippe Millot, Jacqueline Comerre-Paton, Douglas Tilden, Frans Mortelmans, Romaine Brooks, Ralph Stackpole, Charles Green Shaw, Theodore Roszak, Henryk Ross, Dimitri Papadimos, Ansei Uchima, Artur Pastor, Judit Reigl, Harold Cohen, Tang Chang, Phillip King, Takeshi Mizukoshi, Elsa Peretti, Judith Scott, Sally Mann, Phil Foglio and Tim Sale!
Writers, Philosophers & Scholars:
Today is the birthday of Judith Sargent Murray, Mother Jones, Marie Corelli, Mary Rice Phelps, Minna Wettstein-Adelt, Clément Pansaers, Sterling A. Brown, Oliver Hill, Yannis Ritsos, Victor Stafford Reid, Barbara Howes, Joseph Heller, Evelyn Boyd Granville, Terry Southern, Bobbie Ann Mason, Patricia Hill Collins, Werewere Liking and Yasmina Reza!
Musicians & Composers:
Today is the birthday of Ada Brown, Hayes Alvis, Kate Smith, Felipe Padilla de León, Manna Dey, Floyd “Candy” Johnson, Big Maybelle, Cora Mae Bryant, Billy Byers, Little Walter, Titus Turner, Shirley Horn, Lacy Gibson, Judy Collins, Carlos Ward, Rita Coolidge, Tim Hodgkinson, Glen Ballard, Ray Parker Jr., Paul Gardiner, Omar Bashir, Ambrose Akinmusire and Victoria Monét!
Film/TV/Stage:
Today is the birthday of Calamity Jane, Henry Koster, Wendy Toye, Laura Betti, Ethel Ayler, Max Robinson, Joanna Lumley, Catherine Frot, Wes Anderson, Jamie Dornan and Katya Zamolodchikova!
This Week’s Words of Wisdom: Marie Corelli (May 1, 1855 – April 21, 1924)
