Christmas Poems

Christ's Birthday

Years ago I saw Your smile

In the glowing face of my son 

As he stood in front of the 

Christmas Tree, gazing at 

The ornaments and lights

Glimmering and shining

Like the stars that lit the darkness

That mysterious, majestic night.

Years ago I saw Your gifts

Underneath the Christmas Tree

Wrapped in shiny, colorful paper

We started unwrapping them 

On Your birthday, 

Yet they always reappear

Year after year

Blessing our lives, lasting forever

Like the stars that light the darkness.

Years ago I saw Your Mother

Bent lovingly over You

Her face radiant with Love

Happy for Your birthday gift

To Her and to the world

A child in swaddling clothes

Lighting our dark lives

Saving us from ourselves.

Today I see the Christmas Tree,

The wrapped gifts, the lights on houses

I see the smiles on children

In preparation for Your Birthday

Yet where have You gone to?

Has Santa Claus replaced Your image?

If I search hard enough maybe 

I will find You in the kind acts of people

And in the Christmas songs that depict 

The Silent Night of Your birth, as you sleep

Away in a Manger, while the Angels Sing!

And maybe the Little Drummer Boy will 

Beat life back into my soul

So I can Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly!

 by Patty Apostolides, Dec. 2017

-------------------------

Χριστούγεννα

 

Μέρα γιορτής, μεγάλη της Χριστιανοσύνης

Μέρα χαράς, αγάπης και ειρήνης

Φίλοι κι’εχθροί ανταμώνουνε

Και λεν ν’αγαπηθούνε

Κι’ολου του κόσμου τα παιδιά 

Τρέχουνε να χαρούνε

Αν είναι τούτη τη στιγμή οι άνθρωποι 

Τις αμαρτίες ν’αφήσουν

Κι’ολα τα μίση πούχανε 

Ηθελε να ξεχάσουν

Χριστούγεννα να είχαμε 

Αλήθεια κάθε μέρα

Μα υποκρισία και ψευτιά, 

Πόλεμοι, δυστυχία,

Πείνα, αρρώστιες και πνιγμοί

Δεν έχουν προθεσμία

Η δε χλιδή δε νιάζεται

Η φρίκη δεν ζυγιέται

Μα στον φτωχό τον άνθρωπο

Ενας Χριστός γεννιέται

Τούστειλε σήμερα βροχή 

Για να ξεπλύνει τις πληγές

Τις αμαρτίες όλων 

Και το αστέρι φάνηκε 

Μετά την καταιγίδα

Κι’εφερε το μήνυμα:

ΑΓΑΠΗ ΚΑΙ ΕΛΠΙΔΑ

                  Χριστούγεννα 2016

                  Καλλιόπη Τουφίδη

 

HELLENIC LITERARY FESTIVAL 2017

The Hellenic Writers' Group of Washington D.C. 

in association with 

The Hellenic Society Prometheas

Invite you to the

HELLENIC  LITERARY  FESTIVAL

Saturday, September 23, 2017 

4-9 PM

Greek Orthodox Church of St. George

7701 Bradley Blvd.

Bethesda, MD 20817

  KEYNOTE SPEAKER

John DeDakis

Emmy award-winning journalist at CNN and Author of Bullet in the Chamber

              

                         

PRESENTERS 

Dr. Nicholas Patronas

Dr. Peter Paras

(INTERMISSION/RECEPTION)

Dr. James Maroosis

Demetra Tsavaris-Lecourezos

Patty Apostolides

Presentations will be in English and/or Greek 

Booksignings and a chance to meet the Authors will follow the presentations

OPEN MIC 8PM (bring your poem to read aloud!)

Free Parking Available!

Hellenic Writers' Group 'End of the Season' Meeting July 2

Summer is officially here, and the Hellenic Writers' Group of Washington DC will have their last meeting of the season before adjourning for the summer. We will resume in September, with our literary festival.

Our meeting will take place Sunday, July 2, 2017 from 12pm - 3pm at the Hellenic Center, 6506 Bells Mill Rd., Bethesda, MD 20817

Schedule:

12pm - Poetry Group - will discuss Yiannis Ritsos (PART II) poems. Members will also share their poetry, Greek and English.

Link to Yiannis Ritsos speaking about what it means to be a poet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a86ESNx0PaA

1pm - Critique Group - members who have submitted their works will participate by commenting on each others' works. Other members are encouraged to attend even though they may not have submitted a work.

2pm - Group meeting - Discuss 24 character strengths that could be used in defining a character in one's writing. Discuss upcoming Literary Festival (Sept. 23, 2017 4-8pm at St. George, Bethesda, Md).

Refreshments will be available.

Hellenic Literary Festival Sept. 23, 2017

The Hellenic Literary Festival will take place Saturday, September 23, 2017 at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 7701 Bradley Blvd, from 4-8PM.

Keynote speaker is Emmy award winning CNN journalist, writing coach, and author, John DeDakis (author of THE BULLET IN THE CHAMBER, FAST TRACK, BLUFF, TROUBLED WATER).

The following authors and poets will also speak:

1) Dr. Nicholas Patronas (poet)

2) Dr. Peter Paras (author of THE WAGES OF HATE)

3) Demetra Tsavaris-Lecourezos (children's author, READY, SET, OPA! and YOUNG WORLD TRAVELERS AND THE MAGICAL CRYSTAL GLOBE)

4) Patty Apostolides (author of HELENA'S CHOICE, THE GREEK MAIDEN AND THE ENGLISH LORD, THE LION AND THE NURSE, LIPSI'S DAUGHTER)

5) Dr. James Maroosis,  (author of LIBERAL ARTS OF MANAGEMENT)

plus book signings and refreshments...


ATTENTION:

If you are a publisher or author of Greek books and would like to reserve a table and sell your books at the festival, contact Patty Apostolides, Director, by September 1, 2017. Email: hellenicwritersgroup@gmail.com

If you would like to be a sponsor for the festival or place an ad ($25 per page), contact Patty Apostolides, Director, by September 1, 2017, at: hellenicwritersgroup@gmail.com

Sponsors will receive acknowledgement in the Festival brochure.


VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED FOR THE FESTIVAL - to setup, help with refreshments, etc.

Los Angeles Greek Film Festival June 7-11, 2017

The 11th annual Los Angeles Greek Film Festival is underway!

 Some members of the Hellenic Writers' Group had the privilege to attend this wonderful event, thanks to the invitation by Aris Katopodis, from the LAGFF. It took place at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles, CA. We had a chance to watch up to 50 independent films and meet with Greek film makers, actors, and other attendees of the festival. These independent films ranged from documentaries, to full length features, to short stories.

Here are a few movies that we watched:

DOCUMENTARIES:

"Our Own Maria Callas" - This Maria Callas dramatized documentary is a voyage to the mythical world of Maria Callas, the soprano we all know. Her life was one with the roles she interpreted, Medea, Norma, etc. Drama rules supreme. The glory from her art only gives way to the love for life. Rejection, pain, loneliness follow. Towards the end she returns to Greece. This film required the selfless work of hundreds of volunteers, while it was filmed in Neohorion Oihalias, place of origin of Maria Callas, Meligala, Kalamata, Tripoli, Athens, New York City, Verona, Milano, Paris and the island of Scorpio.

"The Patriarch's Room" - The Patriarch of the Greek Church in Jerusalem is imprisoned in his room for over a decade. Demoted to the rank of a simple monk after being accused of selling church lands to Jewish Settlers; he claims his innocence.

"Frozen Ambrosia" - When people think of Greece, few realize that the country has high mountains and a winter season, with skiing and snowboarding. Determined to change this perception, Greek-American filmmaker Constantine Papanicolaou sets out on an adventure to make a ski film that will show the magic of winter in Greece.

"The Artist Vassals Theocharakis" - The great love affair of well-known businessman, Vassilis Theocharakis, with painting and his devotion to it for over half a century, made him unique, because he succeeded in both realms – business and art.

"Last Song to Xenitia" - 103 year old folk poet Grandmother returns to Greece for her last journey to her homeland with her book of folk songs and a message of hope. Folk-poet Vasiliki left her homeland as a bride during the Great Depression in search of a better life in America. The Greeks call this Xenitia, meaning ‘to live as a stranger in a foreign land”. Nurtured and sustained over the years by an ancient oral tradition, she dictates from memory at the age of a hundred more than 340 songs and poems which are published in a book. At the age of 103 she returns to a Greece in crisis once again. She hopes that these songs can live on to inspire a new generation facing the same question whether to stay in their homeland or depart once more for Xenitia.

FICTION SHORT FILMS

"4.1 Miles" - A coast guard captain on a small Greek island is suddenly charged with saving thousands of refugees from drowning at sea.

"Nipenthes" - A commune of elderly people deals with the death of one of its members. Through the walls of an abandoned commune, a thread runs knitting the moments of the silent individuals accompanying the deceased while his death suit is prepared.

"Memories of a Doll" - In the midst of the Greek Genocide in Asia Minor in the early 1920s, a young girl sacrifices her childhood in order to protect her younger siblings.

Full Length Features:

"America Square" - Amerika Square is a Square in Athens. It’s the Casablanca of our times. A triptych revealing the opposing forces of today’s humanitarian challenges. Two friends, Billy, a tattoo artist and Nakos, a “banal” Greek racist, come head to head in Amerika Square in Athens because of the survival journey of Tarek, a Syrian refugee.

"Roza of Smyrna: - Izmir 1922: Young Roza is preparing to get married. Athens today: The passion of a young collector leads him to the coast of Asia Minor. An old photo and a wedding dress is enough to unfold an old and a new love story. The smell of the antique shops, the charm of the trips, the challenge of the mystery create the atmosphere to discover.

"Swing Away" - Following a suspension, professional golfer Zoe travels to her grandparents’ village in Greece to escape harsh publicity. She meets and mentors a 10 year-old girl. Rediscovering her Greek heritage and her love of the game, she inspires the town in an epic showdown against a greedy American developer.


We also had a chance to meet with the film maker, Mr. Tsokas (Maria Callas) and directors and actors of the films, during a Saturday brunch at the Consulate's home, which made it even more poignant.

Members of the Hellenic Writers' Group: Anthony Apostolides II, Patty Apostolides, and Calliope Toufidou, on the red carpet, at the LAGFF.

For more information about the films, click link to the LA Greek Film Festival:

http://lagff.org

Hellenic Writers Group at St. George Festival - Photos - May 2017

The Hellenic Writers' Group of Washington DC attended the St. George Greek Orthodox Church Festival on May 5-7, 2017. Members that sold their books there were: Dr. Peter Paras, Calliopi Toufidou, Maria Antokas, Patty Apostolides, and Dr. Aphrodite Matsakis. Members that came to support our efforts were: Steven Galanis, Dr. Polyvia Parara, Dr. Nicholas Patronas, Lefteris Karmiris, and Dr. E. Stassinopoulos. We met many people, and rekindled old friendships, and overall, everyone had a wonderful experience! OPA!!

Next to our booth was the Grand Hall. Below, you can see how packed it was during the Greek Dancing. The buffet line was to the right and the pastries and coffee were in the back. The Greek band was playing on the left. So everything was concentrated in one place, but the enthusiasm and joy was evident.

Participating in St. George Festival in Bethesda May 5-7, 2017

The Hellenic Writers' group will have a booth at the St. George festival this year, like we did last year. 

The festival will take place May 5-7, 2017. It's a free event and a great opportunity for our authors to showcase and sell their books! 

Please stop by and say hello to us this weekend and support our efforts!

https://stgeorge.org

PS Books make great presents for Mother's Day, too!

Hellenic Writers' Group of Washington DC Meeting Feb. 26 2017

This is just a reminder that we will be having our monthly meeting on Sunday, 

Feb. 26 from 1-4PM at the Hellenic Center, 6505 Bells Mill Rd., Bethesda, MD.

Schedule:

1PM - Poetry Group meets - bring your poems to read out loud. Will discuss Greek poet Nikos Kavvadias and his poetry. Greek and English.

2PM - I will continue the course "How to publish your work on Amazon.com - Part II" - In this session, we will focus on preparing your manuscript for online submission. Formatting, editing, and much more will be discussed. Bring your laptops and questions.

3PM - Writing workshop - Critique members will comment on works (up to 20 pp) submitted by other members. 

Refreshments will be provided.

If you know of anyone who would be interested in our group, invite them to attend our meetings or have them contact me.

See you on Sunday!

Patty Apostolides, MFA