Bruce Lee fan club displays memorabilia

Bruce Lee fan club displays memorabilia

HONG KONG — Bruce Lee fans are marking the 35th anniversary of his death with an exhibit featuring movie posters, magazine covers and books about the action star.

Also among the 800 items on display are letters written by Lee that detail his life in the U.S., where he attended college and taught kung fu before returning to Hong Kong.

Danny Chan, who plays Lee in an upcoming Chinese TV series, attended the opening ceremony of the exhibit Friday, organized by the Hong Kong-based Bruce Lee Club.

Chan said he hopes the exhibit will improve public understanding of Lee. “A lot of people like Bruce Lee but know very little about him,” he said.

Lee died July 20, 1973, at 32 from swelling of the brain. He was known for movies in which he portrayed characters who defended the Chinese and the working class from oppressors.

Poet laureate in demand

NEW YORK — Kay Ryan is no longer an unknown poet. Demand for her work jumped sharply upon the Library of Congress’ announcement recently that she had been named the new U.S. poet laureate, a one-year term beginning in the fall. Her collections “The Niagara River,” “Say Uncle” and “Elephant Rocks” hold the top three spaces on Amazon.com’s list of best-selling poetry books, and are out of stock. Despite winning several awards, the 62-year-old Ryan was virtually unheard of before her appointment as laureate. A resident of Fairfax, Calif., she described herself in a recent interview with The Associated Press as a “modern hermit.”

Today’s birthdays

Country singer T.G. Sheppard is 64. Singer Kim Carnes is 63. Guitarist Carlos Santana is 61. Singer Chris Cornell (of Audioslave and of Soundgarden) is 44. Guitarist Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam is 42. Actor Josh Holloway (“Lost”) is 39. Singer Elliott Yamin (“American Idol”) is 30.