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BespokeVocals be·spoke /bəˈspōk/ - adj. Made for a particular customer or user. I'm your vocal craftsman.

01/10/2024

Memorial PARTY for Kirk Lawrence-Howard: Saturday November 16, 7pm until ?, at Genesius Theatre in Reading PA - RSVP in comments with names of attendees.

***PLEASE SHARE ON YOUR FEED***

Link for memorial donations to Genesius:

https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/genesiusdifference/1331/donations

This is Jamie, Kirk’s husband. Kirk grew up in the loving and accepting atmosphere of Genesius Theatre. In his words, “When I was 11, in 1974 – a gay, withdrawn, chubby child…my mother, at the suggestion of a friend, dropped me off at Genesius Theatre…In truth, Genesius saved my life, and gave me my life.”

What better place to have a party celebrating Kirk, and what better place to be the recipient of donations in honor of Kirk?

Indeed! Lots of food will be provided. And beverages (adult and otherwise)! There will be performances of trademark Kirk Lawrence songs, accompanied by the inimitable Dan Pardo on piano. In short, it’s going to be a rocking party, exactly what Kirk loved.

Who’d miss that?

I’m making this a post rather than a Facebook event so that it can be shared publicly and widely - so please share on your page. Also please RSVP in the comments with the names of attendees.

Please donate generously to Genesius Theatre (a tax deductible 501c3) in his honor, whether or not you are able to attend. At the link, there is a box to click to target your donation in Kirk’s honor.

https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/genesiusdifference/1331/donations

If you are coming from out of town, the Doubletree in downtown Reading is near the theatre:

https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/rdgdtdt-doubletree-reading/

I hope to see you at Genesius (153 N 10th St, Reading, PA 19601) on Saturday November 16 at 7pm. Let’s send Kirk off with a blast!

14/09/2024

This is Jamie, Kirk’s husband.

When Kirk was in the first hospital, Monte Sinai, he recorded and posted “Sick Room” by Billy Collins. On August 28, having been transferred to the intensive care unit at Hospital Del Rio, he translated that poem into Spanish and read it, with the intention of posting it after doing his usual editing. Three days after recording this, Kirk was intubated and sedated for a second time, and passed away shortly thereafter, from complications of Covid. He passed peacefully and I was with him.

This video is not easy to watch. I am posting it unedited. Kirk, while remaining optimistic, is clearly struggling. However, what shines through is his total commitment to art. Whether he was singing, acting, writing, designing, or reading, the project at hand got the focus it deserved, to the exclusion of all else. This video is the final proof of that commitment.

He lived to create, and created until his mortal body could create no more.

Kirk deeply appreciated the poetry community that inspired him so much. He was proud of being able to contribute to the Ukrainian people through their poets. He was proud to be the voice of Poetry Corner, the Carl Jenks project that he so loved. And he was proud to use his poetry readings to spread the message of peace for the world.

As he encouraged viewers to do at the end of every video, please visit the links below. The original English version is linked there.

8/28/24 🇺🇸 - “Sick Room” by Billy Collins | read and translated into Spanish by Kirk Lawrence-Howard

The tagging of an author/poet/translator does not necessarily imply their participation in this project. It simply means I wish them to know their work is appreciated by myself, and hopefully, you all.
No link is an affiliate link. I just like to promote excellent work.

Billy Collins: https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/poet-laureate/poets-laureate/item/n77006958/billy-collins/

Poem may be read here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?volume=182&issue=3&page=13

BespokeVocals/Kirk Lawrence-Howard: https://bespokevocals.com / https://kirklawrence.com

Carl Jenks’ Poetry Corner: https://carlmjenkspoetrycorner.com

Aid to Ukraine, Gaza, the world: https://www.directrelief.org/

Ukraine Trustchain: https://www.ukrainetrustchain.org/donate

RocMaidan: https://www.rocmaidan.org or follow on IG

Companies that have complied or not w/sanctions: https://tinyurl.com/bdzanw8n

Pen Ukraine to assist Ukraine: https://pen.org.ua/en

Charity Navigator’s rankings of LGBT+ orgs: https://www.charitynavigator.org/search?q=lgbt

National Mental Health Hotline: https://mentalhealthhotline.org

This is Jamie, Kirk’s husband. Kirk passed away this morning at 10:26 EST. I was able to be with him and hold him, and t...
03/09/2024

This is Jamie, Kirk’s husband. Kirk passed away this morning at 10:26 EST.

I was able to be with him and hold him, and talk with him as he made a peaceful passage.

So many people reached out in so many ways to give him strength. I greatly appreciate it and he did too.

However you knew Kirk, please think of him in that way today for a moment. Maybe it was a poem he read. Maybe you worked with him. Maybe you just somehow became connected. Maybe it’s a show he was in, or your favorite show he was in.

For me, he will always be my Hedwig.

“The last time I saw you
We had just split in two
You was looking at me
I was looking at you…”

Godspeed, my beloved husband. We are children of the sun, forever together.

It’s Jamie, Kirk’s husband. He asked me to post on his page to explain the situation. Kirk is in an intensive care room ...
31/08/2024

It’s Jamie, Kirk’s husband. He asked me to post on his page to explain the situation.

Kirk is in an intensive care room at Hospital Del Rio, a private hospital in Cuenca, Ecuador. He is being treated for complications of COVID related pneumonia. He has been receiving expert and loving care from an amazing staff of doctors, nurses, and aides.

Kirk went into this with preexisting lung damage, and now has more from this last bout with COVID. He was intubated and sedated for four days soon after arrival to get control of a very low oxygen level. Today, a week after he was extubated, his oxygen levels dropped sharply. He discussed his options with me and the medical team, and he has been intubated and sedated for a second time.

Kirk has a tough hill to climb, and the next four or so days of intubation are going to be critical. I am keeping the faith that this strong man I have loved with all my heart for twenty-six years will recover well. Whatever your choice: prayers, positive thoughts, light, healing energy, and especially love, please send it his way. And thank you to everyone who has reached out in various ways. I read every message to him before he was sedated, and he asked me to send his love to you all. It meant the world to both of us.

18/08/2024

“Every time Canaletto painted Venice
he painted her from a different angle”
8/17/24 🇺🇸 - “Sick Room” by Billy Collins | read by Kirk Lawrence-Howard

The tagging of an author/poet/translator does not necessarily imply their participation in this project. It simply means I wish them to know their work is appreciated by myself, and hopefully, you all.
No link is an affiliate link. I just like to promote excellent work.

Billy Collins: https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/poet-laureate/poets-laureate/item/n77006958/billy-collins/
Poem may be read here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?volume=182&issue=3&page=13
BespokeVocals/Kirk Lawrence-Howard: https://bespokevocals.com / https://kirklawrence.com

Aid to Ukraine, Gaza, the world: https://www.directrelief.org/
Ukraine Trustchain: https://www.ukrainetrustchain.org/donate
RocMaidan: https://www.rocmaidan.org or follow on IG
Companies that have complied or not w/sanctions: https://tinyurl.com/bdzanw8n
Pen Ukraine to assist Ukraine: https://pen.org.ua/en

Charity Navigator’s rankings of LGBT+ orgs: https://www.charitynavigator.org/search?q=lgbt
National Mental Health Hotline: https://mentalhealthhotline.org

10/08/2024

“Forgive me they were delicious”
8/09/24 🇺🇸 - “This is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams | read by Kirk Lawrence-Howard

The tagging of an author/poet/translator does not necessarily imply their participation in this project. It simply means I wish them to know their work is appreciated by myself, and hopefully, you all.
No link is an affiliate link. I just like to promote excellent work.

William Carlos Williams: https://www.ndbooks.com/author/william-carlos-williams/
Poem may be read here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/56159/this-is-just-to-say
BespokeVocals/Kirk Lawrence-Howard: https://bespokevocals.com / https://kirklawrence.com

Aid to Ukraine, Gaza, the world: https://www.directrelief.org/
Ukraine Trustchain: https://www.ukrainetrustchain.org/donate
RocMaidan: https://www.rocmaidan.org or follow on IG
Companies that have complied or not w/sanctions: https://tinyurl.com/bdzanw8n
Pen Ukraine to assist Ukraine: https://pen.org.ua/en

Charity Navigator’s rankings of LGBT+ orgs: https://www.charitynavigator.org/search?q=lgbt
National Mental Health Hotline: https://mentalhealthhotline.org

09/08/2024

“Forgive me”
8/08/24 🇺🇸 - “This is Just to Say” by Tom Tomorrow | read by Kirk Lawrence-Howard

The tagging of an author/poet/translator does not necessarily imply their participation in this project. It simply means I wish them to know their work is appreciated by myself, and hopefully, you all.
No link is an affiliate link. I just like to promote excellent work.

Tom Tomorrow: https://thismodernworld.com/about
Poem may be read in the YouTube comments.
BespokeVocals/Kirk Lawrence-Howard: https://bespokevocals.com / https://kirklawrence.com

Aid to Ukraine, Gaza, the world: https://www.directrelief.org/
Ukraine Trustchain: https://www.ukrainetrustchain.org/donate
RocMaidan: https://www.rocmaidan.org or follow on IG
Companies that have complied or not w/sanctions: https://tinyurl.com/bdzanw8n
Pen Ukraine to assist Ukraine: https://pen.org.ua/en

Charity Navigator’s rankings of LGBT+ orgs: https://www.charitynavigator.org/search?q=lgbt
National Mental Health Hotline: https://mentalhealthhotline.org

06/08/2024

“Starved for the world, I shut my ears from myself”
8/05/24 🇺🇦 - Trio of poems by Mykola Horbal | translated by Myrosia Stefaniuk | read by Kirk Lawrence-Howard

The tagging of an author/poet/translator does not necessarily imply their participation in this project. It simply means I wish them to know their work is appreciated by myself, and hopefully, you all.
No link is an affiliate link. I just like to promote excellent work.

Mykola Horbal: https://pen.org.ua/en/members/gorbal-mykola
Myrosia Stefaniuk: https://www.miwarren.org/straight-from-the-author-07-myrosia-stefaniuk-dibrova-diary/
Poems may be read here: https://wordpeace.co/mykola-horbal/
Details of an Hourglass: Poems from the Gulag (Lost Horse Press): https://losthorsepress.org/catalog/details-of-an-hourglass-poems-from-the-gulag/
BespokeVocals: https://bespokevocals.com

Ukraine Trustchain: https://www.ukrainetrustchain.org/donate
RocMaidan (): https://www.rocmaidan.org
For aid to Ukraine, with a 100% rating from Charity Navigator: https://www.directrelief.org/
Pen Ukraine: https://pen.org.ua/en
Searchable list of companies that have complied or not with sanctions: https://tinyurl.com/bdzanw8n

04/08/2024

“the earth is always shifting, the light is always changing”
8/03/24 🇺🇸 - “For Nothing is Fixed” by James Baldwin | read by Kirk Lawrence-Howard

The tagging of an author/poet/translator does not necessarily imply their participation in this project. It simply means I wish them to know their work is appreciated by myself, and hopefully, you all.
No link is an affiliate link. I just like to promote excellent work.

James Baldwin: https://nmaahc.si.edu/james-baldwin
Poem may be read here: https://alisonmcghee.com/2019/10/19/poem-of-the-week-by-james-baldwin/
BespokeVocals/Kirk Lawrence-Howard: https://bespokevocals.com / https://kirklawrence.com

Aid to Ukraine, Gaza, the world: https://www.directrelief.org/
Ukraine Trustchain: https://www.ukrainetrustchain.org/donate
RocMaidan: https://www.rocmaidan.org or follow on IG
Companies that have complied or not w/sanctions: https://tinyurl.com/bdzanw8n
Pen Ukraine to assist Ukraine: https://pen.org.ua/en

Charity Navigator’s rankings of LGBT+ orgs: https://www.charitynavigator.org/search?q=lgbt
National Mental Health Hotline: https://mentalhealthhotline.org

01/08/2024

“We abandon things, To be borne, to grasp the stars in pure ecstasy.”
7/31/24 🇺🇦 - “Duet” by Bohdan Ihor Antonych | translated by Stephen Komarnyckyj | read by Kirk Lawrence-Howard

The tagging of an author/poet/translator does not necessarily imply their participation in this project. It simply means I wish them to know their work is appreciated by myself, and hopefully, you all.
No link is an affiliate link. I just like to promote excellent work.

Bohdan Ihor Antonych: https://tinyurl.com/4db4jmk8
Stephen Komarnyckyj & Kalyna Language Press: https://twitter.com/KalynaPress
Poem may be read in the YouTube comments.
Night Music may be purchased here (not affiliate): https://www.amazon.com/Night-Music-Bohdan-Antonych/dp/0993197272
BespokeVocals: https://bespokevocals.com

Ukraine Trustchain: https://www.ukrainetrustchain.org/donate
RocMaidan (): https://www.rocmaidan.org
For aid to Ukraine, with a 100% rating from Charity Navigator: https://www.directrelief.org/
Pen Ukraine: https://pen.org.ua/en
Searchable list of companies that have complied or not with sanctions: https://som.yale.edu/story/2022/over-1000-companies-have-curtailed-operations-russia-some-remain

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