BespokeVocals

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

“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

“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