My interest in poetry was sparked in 12th grade by the Roman poet Catullus (see the Carl Sesar translation), particularly his contemporary conversational tone and his frank, sexual content and also by my Latin teacher's close reading of Virgil. I've written on and off ever since; on and off because for me poetry is the product of idleness--I have to have no other obligations or distractions. After a hiatus during junior and senior years of college I started writing poems again during my first time in graduate school, around the same time that I realized I had made a costly mistake and was studying the wrong field (International Affairs). After immigrating to Israel, marrying my wife Shoshana, returning to the USA, and holding a series of unrewarding jobs, I returned to graduate school in 1990 to study creative writing at CCNY and not only started writing again but getting published in quality periodicals. A few years ago I ran into a classmate from high school who remembered me as a class wit and there's a fair amount of humor in my poems, most of which tend to be narrative & dramatic rather than lyrical.

At CCNY I earned an MA in creative writing and won the Academy of American Poets Prize. I am the author of two poetry collections, "Glued To The Sky" and "JFK: Lines of Fire" (Burlington VT: PulpBits, 2003) , and my poems are anthologized in XY Files: Poems On The Male Experience (Santa Fe: Sherman Asher Publishing, 1997). PulpBits went out of business in 2007; email me for free copies of my ebooks. My translation of Israeli poet Rachel Eshed’s second book Havtachot Ktanot (Little Promises) is published by Mayapple Press. In its Hebrew original, this collection of intense erotic poetry won the 1992 AKUM prize in Israel. Novelist Tsipi Keller says, "It is hard to speak of Rachel Eshed's poetry without mentioning 'fire' : her poems virtually burn on the page, and David Cooper's renditions not only do justice to the original but magnify its richness." My poems and translations have appeared in numerous periodicals. I was a finalist in the 1999 Snake Nation Press book contest, and have been a semi-finalist in several other national contests, including the 2007 Pushcart Prize. My prose has appeared in New York Woman, Poetic Voices, Mind Body and Soul, The Israel Economist, the wire services of the Associated Press, and I cover the NY Jewish Culture beat for Examiner.com. I am seeking a print publisher for my two ebooks of original poems, Jewish-American couples willing to be interviewed and photographed for I Am My Beloved's, a book on Jewish-American marriages that bethr and I are writing, and a publisher to publish that work.

The above notwithstanding, mine is not a literary LJ (see my homepage for the poetry); it's really just for fun and making friends.

I'm married to absract painter Shoshana Cooper, and we share our home with Sasson, a Peterbald cat. My Jewish identity is very strong, and on most Saturday mornings and early afternoons you would probably find Shoshana and me at our local synagogue, Park Slope Jewish Center. For those familiar with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator I am an INFP or maybe an XNFP since the I is not very pronounced. I have non-hyperactive ADD (the quiet version) and am fairly even tempered.

In addition to non-hyperactive ADD I also have allergies, asthma, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and primary lower limb lymphedema. Lymphedema occurs when the lymphatic system is unable to adequately drain lymph fluid from an affected and thus swollen limb. I control my condition by performing a time consuming maintenance regimen which includes keeping to a low fat, very low sodium diet, sleeping in a soft cast with velcro straps that I can tighten to the correct degree of compression, wearing thigh high compression stockings in the daytime, showering in the evening before putting on the cast, performing a form of gentle self- massage to open the lymph vessels, prescribed breathing and floor exercises wearing the cast before going to bed at night, and repeating the exercises in the morning. I usually eat breakfast before exercising--it's well into the morning before I can actually start my day. Performing the evening part of the regimen precludes going out at night and has curtailed our social life somewhat.

Shoshana and I both look forward to the day thirteen years from now when she can retire from her day job, leave its stresses behind, and be a full time artist. I also look forward to the day when medical science finds cures for my various chronic ailments, especially lymphedema.

I try to keep up with my friends' LJs but don't always succeed. Life can get hectic, and I may be away for days at at time. I do try to keep up with the LJs of individual LJ friends, but I visit my communities only occasionally. There is only so much time in the day.

I have other blogs including those on Wordpress, Tumblr and Blogspot and a micro-blog on Twitter, but the content overlaps. You can also find me on Facebook. For professional info see my LinkedIn Profile. You can see my web 2.0 activity on Friendfeed and Virb.

David Cooper's Profile

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Favorite Music: Mostly Jazz. I also enjoy programs such as Soundcheck and New Sounds on WNYC-FM that traverse all genres.

Favorite Movies: Amant, L' (1992) , American Splendor (2003) , Deja Vu (1997) , Deserto rosso, Il (1964), The Door in the Floor (2004), Jules et Jim (1962) , Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World ( 2003), McCabe &; Mrs. Miller (1971) , Memorias del subdesarrollo (1968), Nirgendwo in Afrika (2001) , Pieces of April (2003), The Shipping News (2001), Sof Ha'Olam Smola (2004), A Thousand Clowns (1965), Ultimo tango a Parigi ( 1972), Bye Bye Braverman ( 1968), Arranged (2007), Round Midnight (1986), Let's Get Lost (1988), Bird (1988), Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988), Buena Vista Social Club (1999), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man (2005), 21 Grams (2003 ), Little Children (2006), The Music of Chance (1993 ), Smoke (1995), Zelig ( 1983), Noodle (2007). Also see my IMDB movie favorites.

Favorite TV Shows: Mostly HBO original series : Six Feet Under, Sopranos , Deadwood, Rome, Tell Me You Love Me, In Treatment, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Keith Olberman & Rachel Maddow; PBS Newshour; arts programming on Ovation; author talks on C-Span.

Favorite Books: Mostly literary fiction ( Stegner's "The Angle of Repose," Mailer's "Harlot's Ghost," Roth's "American Pastoral," Yehoshua's "The Liberated Bride," Niffeneggar's "The Time Traveler's Wife," Martel's "The Life of Pi," Krauss'"The History of Love," Singer's "The Slave ," Gruen's "Water For Elephants," Annie Proulx's "The Shipping News," Banks' "The Darling," and all of Paul Auster's novels) and poetry ( Catullus, Ezra Pound, Paul Goodman, the poets of the New York School, David Shapiro, Bernadette Mayer, Ai, Louise Gluck, Phillip Levine, C.K. Williams, Basil Bunting, Phillip Larkin, Diane DiPrima, Gregory Corso, Robert Creeley, Beth Gylys, Kenneth Rexroth, C.P. Cavafy, Rachel Eshed, Agi Mishol, Yehuda Amichai, and my mentor William Matthews).

Buy my translation of Rachel Eshed's Little Promises.


My publishers:
PulpBits, now defunct, published my original poetry--if you'd like a copy of either of my ebooks just ask; or you can download them here:
Glued To The Sky
JFK: Lines of Fire
Mayapple Press publishes my translation of Israeli poet Rachel Eshed.


My P&W Directory Listing

My wife's homepage:
http://shoshcooper.com

Czech singer/composer Zita Honzlova who has turned a few of my poems into songs.

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You Are a Link Blogger!

Your blog is more about cool links than thougtful posts. Better to be entertaining and breif than longwinded and boring!

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You're incredibly Jewish!


How Jewish are You?
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<td align="center">Love is most important in your life.


A high love concentration indicates that you want love in your life. It is very important to you and something that you strive to attain.


Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com</td>

Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence

You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well. An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly. You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view. A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary. You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator.

You Are 20% Left Brained, 80% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Your Dominant Thinking Style:

Visioning You are very insightful and tend to make decisions based on your insights. You focus on how things should be - even if you haven't worked out the details. An idealist, thinking of the future helps you guide your path. You tend to give others long-term direction and momentum.

Your Secondary Thinking Style:

Modifying Super logical and rational, you consider every fact available to you. You don't make rash decisions and are rarely moved by emotion. You prefer what's known and proven - to the new and untested. You tend to ground those around you and add stability.

You Are a Dreaming Soul

Your vivid emotions and imagination takes you awy from this world So much so that you tend to live in your head most of the time You have great dreams and ambitions that could be the envy of all... But for you, following through with your dreams is a bit difficult You are charming, endearing, and people tend to love you. Forgiving and tolerant, you see the world through rose colored glasses. Underneath it all, you have a ton of passion that you hide from others. Always hopeful, you tend to expect positive outcomes in your life. Souls you are most compatible with: Newborn Soul, Prophet Soul, and Traveler Soul

You Have A Type B+ Personality

B+ You're a pro at going with the flow You love to kick back and take in everything life has to offer A total joy to be around, people crave your stability. While you're totally laid back, you can have bouts of hyperactivity. Get into a project you love, and you won't stop until it's done You're passionate - just selective about your passions

C...Carbon You scored 32 Mass, 34 Electronegativity, 41 Metal, and 0 Radioactivity!

Nobody understands you... no, not even organic chemists. The social individualist. You like your attention... but not TOO MUCH attention. You are able to form incredibly close relationships with many individuals, but you don't really get along with preexisting groups. You value equality in relationships, and don't deal well with overly submissive or demanding people. Well, whatever... thanks for making life possible... oh, and cut the global warming out.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 25% on Mass You scored higher than 75% on Electroneg You scored higher than 1% on Metal You scored higher than 1% on Radioactivity

Link: The Which Chemical Element Am I Test written by effataigus on Ok Cupid

Balanced ***~72%~***

You have good communication skills and are open to other peoples opinions also. You are open to new experiences and friendships. People love you because you make them feel good too, just sharing your company. You find strong friendships in people that are happy, confident, caring and consequently will be there through any tough situations. Don't be afraid to lean on people a little, you wont stress the friendship only strengthen it.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 1% on thoughtpoints

Link: The -what makes you tick Test written by agapi_charm on Ok Cupid

You are Schroeder!


Which Peanuts Character are You?
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Your Linguistic Profile:

45% General American English

40% Yankee

10% Dixie

5% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern

My life is rated NC-17.
What is your life rated?






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