Author Archives: wordcloud9

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About wordcloud9

Nona Blyth Cloud has lived and worked in the Los Angeles area for over 50 years, spending much of that time commuting on the 405 Freeway. After Hollywood failed to appreciate her genius for acting and directing, she began a second career managing non-profits, from which she has retired. Nona has now resumed writing whatever comes into her head, instead of reports and pleas for funding. She lives in a small house overrun by books with her wonderful husband.

Word Cloud: ILLUMINATOR

Posted on March 18, 2016 by wordcloud9

by Nona Blyth Cloud There are writers who can “deliver the goods” but can’t explain how they create them. There are writers who can “talk a good game,” but whose actual work disappoints. But the writers who can do both … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Poetry, South Carolina, Word Cloud | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Word Cloud: EMIGRANT

Posted on March 11, 2016 by wordcloud9

by Nona Blyth Cloud Emigrant – a person who leaves their homeland. Lisel Neumann’s family left Germany in the mid-1930s, moving to Italy, and then France, because her father was a political dissident. By 1939, he had found work in … Continue reading →

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Word Cloud: MIGRANT

Posted on March 4, 2016 by wordcloud9

by Nona Blyth Cloud “Poetry is a call to action and it also is action. Sometimes we say, “This tragedy, it happened far away. I don’t know what to do. I’m concerned but I’m just dangling in space.” A poem can lead … Continue reading →

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Word Cloud: CALL-AND-RESPONSE

Posted on February 26, 2016 by wordcloud9

by Nona Blyth Cloud Call-and-response is one of the most ancient forms of human expression  — in music, it is a phrase played by a musician or a group of musicians which is answered by another musician or group of … Continue reading →

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Word Cloud: BELLTONGUE

Posted on February 19, 2016 by wordcloud9

by Nona Blyth Cloud A human being is made up of all the experiences of a lifetime — sometimes a few carelessly spoken words, long forgotten by the speaker, can change the course of the hearer’s life forever. I do not know if … Continue reading →

Posted in Baha’i, Civil War, Poetry, Racism, United States, Word Cloud | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

U.S. Supreme Court: The Shape of One’s Soul and the Color of One’s Conscience

Posted on February 17, 2016 by wordcloud9

by Nona Blyth Cloud (Column originally published at Morning Open Thread on Daily Kos) Justice Antonin Scalia (front row, second from left) is dead. I assume that the President will do his job and nominate a new Justice. Then the great … Continue reading →

Posted in Abraham Lincoln, American History, Barack Obama, George Washington, Illinois, SCOTUS, Senate | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Word Cloud: RIFT

Posted on February 12, 2016 by wordcloud9

by Nona Blyth Cloud We sometimes forget how closely History is following behind us. Only 50 years ago, it was still illegal for people of different races to marry in 16 U.S. states, mostly in the South. It wasn’t until … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil War, Constitutional Law, Louisiana, Mississippi, Poetry, Racism, Word Cloud | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Word Cloud: RIFT

Word Cloud: KNOWLEDGE

Posted on February 5, 2016 by wordcloud9

by Nona Blyth Cloud Rita Dove, United States Library of Congress Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, served two terms: 1993-94 and 1994-95. She has the distinction of being the first African-American, AND at age 40, the youngest poet to be appointed … Continue reading →

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Redefining “Substance Abuse” for Fertile Women While Lead Poisoning Investigations Continue

Posted on February 3, 2016 by wordcloud9

by Nona Blyth Cloud The Center for Disease Control (CDC) just issued a report that tells all women of child-bearing age they should stop drinking alcohol entirely, even if they have no plans to get pregnant, because they could possibly … Continue reading →

Posted in CDC, Crime, Reproductive Rights, State Courts, United States, Women's Rights | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Word Cloud: AFRICA

Posted on January 29, 2016 by wordcloud9

by NONA BLYTH CLOUD One of the things that shocked me during my long-ago-summer-back-packing-through-Europe was the vast difference in scale between Europe and the United States. Greece, the “Birthplace of Western Civilization,” is about the size of Louisiana. Italy, wellspring … Continue reading →

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