| POETRY CURRENTS | |
MUSIN’ ON A SUMMER MORNING I used to be a totally poetic night person, my muse waking me at odd hours, 3 or 4 am, to jolt some joy or misery from my bones. But lately I been working and that ol’ muse has to shout louder and louder to wake me from occupational slumber. It has never been easy for me to combine the poetry and the paying job -- it’s a problem for every poet I know. After all, our real work is our poetry, but it is difficult to call the daytime stuff a hobby. But is that not what it is?
THERE ARE TWO RAYS IN MY LIFE I remember when I first came to Los Angeles many years ago, living on the “mean streets” of Hollywood in what was one of the oldest hotel apartments, the Garden Court Apartments right smack on Hollywood Boulevard. How poetic of me, you might think, to traipse those streets daily, poke my head into Musso and Frank’s (the oldest restaurant in Hollywood), see their leather lined booths and imagine dining with Chandler. I never got to do that, but wished it many times. I could imagine our dinner conversation, the words we would exchange -- I do have a good imagination.
Fortunately for me, there was and is another Ray in my life, Mr. Bradbury. I had the good fortune not only to meet this Ray and have dinner with him (in the Pacific Dining Car no less, another LA food tradition), but also I had the privilege of producing his debut poetry reading, at which I read with him and two other fine poets at LA’s literary showcase Beyond Baroque. It seems we shared the same publisher, Salmon Publishing in Ireland. Jessie Lendennie, the publisher (Ed. note: and now our Ireland Museletter correspondent), asked if I would put on a benefit reading and introduce Ray’s book, I Live by the Invisible (2002), to Los Angeles.
Now you have to understand that aside from being completely flattered to have been asked to put on the reading, to actually read with my idol was a longstanding dream of mine, since Fahrenheit 451 sparked the epiphany that led me to begin writing.
Beyond Baroque was packed to overflowing, the reading was a great success -- but that is not why I am writing this section of Museletter. It’s not vanity but thanks. One of LA’s riches is Mr. Ray Bradbury and I had cause and ability to honor him then, and want to honor him now. In reality I have become a Los Angeles writer. I have lived here longer than in my New York birthplace. I think of myself as an LA poet, perhaps with a little of that Bronx edge. It is to Ray Bradbury (and to the City of the Angels) that I owe thanks. You see, it is possible to live your dreams in Tinseltown. And I am much blessed to have the friends I have.
LA GOES TO BROADWAY JUST NORTH OF TIJUANA It is this sort of living poetic legacy that I think poetry hosts the world over create in their readings. They carry on a grand tradition giving voice to the poets of Earth. (Gee, I hope that did not sound too corny -- it is still early in the morning here.)
MONDAY NIGHT POETRY AT BORDERS IN ORANGE GOES DARK
As dawn breaks over the capital of the entertainment industry, I sit here willfully pulling together the divergent parts of the Southern California poetry scene. My Museletter musings have led to an entire enterprise at Poetix.net. Little did I know when I started writing for Margy and Bob a few years ago here at About Poetry that those few first paragraphs would turn into an entire monthly magazine of SoCal poetry complete with calendar, venue list, interviews and more. Yes, it lives and breathes, and I have a lot to thank our dear Poetix.net editors for -- including leaving themselves very little time to do anything else
When it comes to writing the two greatest influences on me are two men who would be considered non-poets by most people. I would tend to disagree, as the words that derive from the minds of these men are amongst the most poetic I have ever read. I speak, of course, of Raymond Chandler and Ray Bradbury.
Sometimes people do not realize that in Los Angeles there is a grand literary tradition which is now extending itself east. Our very own Poetri recently won a Tony award for his poetic performance in Def Poetry Jam on Broadway. Much of the very nature of Def Poetry Jam stems from the incredibly successful Da’ Poetry Lounge reading series right here in Hollywood at the Greenway Theater (544 N. Fairfax Avenue, 213.390.7072). Poets Dante, Shihan, Gimel and Poetri have created a reading (did I say “reading”? it is more an experience that you have to taste and savor) that draws hundreds weekly to an SRO performance of the verbal arts. They just celebrated their five-year anniversary and are stronger than ever.
Just south of Los Angeles lies the border town of San Diego. Okay, it’s not really a town but a thriving metropolis with some of the hottest poetry in SoCal. You could read every night down here and never be bored, from your more or less traditional readings in bookstores to the Flying Bridge Restaurant and the ever popular Poetic Brew reading series at Claire de Lune Coffeehouse (2906 University Avenue, North Park, 619.291.7070). Weekly on Tuesday nights at 8 pm (is it not weird how many successful readings are on Tuesday nights?), host Marc Kockinos opens the door to hundreds (really, hundreds!) of San Diego poetry lovers. Marc took over the reins of this popular series after the legendary Cheryl Latif brought it to national attention. When she took over the reading a few years ago it was barely creeping along. After much sweat and angst she nurtured local poets and brought in some touring out of towners, and the poet fans kept coming in for more. Claire de Lune is a very large coffeehouse by anyone’s standards and to look out from the stage into the faces of a couple hundred poetry lovers is an incredible experience. Poetry being the strange political art that it is, it’s a marvel that Cheryl was able to pull this series together and a further marvel that Marc keeps it going. Playing backstage poetry politics, juggling the reading calendar, promoting it week after week... both Cheryl and Marc deserve much kudos. Cheryl is no longer hosting at Claire’s, having moved to the Pacific Northwest a couple of years ago. But Marc continues the legacy.
It was a sad day for intrepid poetry host MC Bruce. He had just been told that Borders Bookstore at the Block in Orange was discontinuing the poetry reading he has produced for four years. The cozy reading held in their café was a special place for Orange County poets that also drew poets from LA. MC’s care for his poets and audience was always evident, as it was for the store in which it was held. He always encouraged his audience to buy books and beverages, etc. It is sad when a reading is shuttered and poetic voices are no longer heard. Unfortunately, it happens all too often to hosts and their readings. Is it not interesting that poetry hosts, who make very little from their endeavors, work so hard, promote their readings to the public and bring in an audience week after week, month after month, but find so little support from their venue owners and managers?
That is it for this month. I hope you, dear readers, got a bit of inside insight on the SoCal po scene… Happy Trails....
