| POETRY CURRENTS | |
BUT ENOUGH ABOUT POETRY, LET'S TALK ABOUT ME
Greetings from the not-as-frigid-as-it’s-supposed to be Northeast! It’s a warm day in early March as I type this from my current digs in North Attleboro, Massachusetts -- kind of near Providence, Rhode Island -- and really, it feels good to be back. I’ve missed doing this.
Long time readers of the About Poetry Museletter may remember that I used to do this correspondent gig for Orange County & Southern California. Well, as expressed by my good friend, LA correspondent Larry Jaffe, financial and family matters have brought me to my wife’s homeland, New England, where I’ve been puttering around writing a bi-weekly newspaper column, hanging out at the Java Hut in Worcester and finishing my screenplay, Nihilist Chic. These things have done okay by me, but now it’s time to get back to doing what I do best -- writing woefully incomplete, usually opinionated and often gossipy overviews of what’s going on in the world of poetry. Only it’s New England poetry now, not Southern California. I can deal with that. (But if anyone’s got a bead on a producer or agent to help me get this screenplay out, drop me a line! You can take the boy out of California, but you can’t take California out of the boy. Email me... We’ll do lunch.)
WHO'S THE FUNNIEST MAN IN NEW ENGLAND POETRY?
If they were to have a “Funniest Man in New England Poetry” contest, it would be a bloodbath. Would you give the honors to the wildly bizarre and frantic ravings of the ever-hysterical Craig Nelson, co-host of the Boston Slam at the Cantab? Or perhaps you’d give the nod to Boston’s legendary master of all things Movie Monster, Ryk MacIntyre, with his nifty Dracula imitation and Godzilla rap? Maybe, just maybe, you’d have to point to the luminance that is the brilliant poet, Jack McCarthy, now based out of New Hampshire?
Whomever you’d pick, it’s damn certain that Joe Fusco, Jr. would have to be on the short list. Fusco, reading to a packed house at Worcester’s Java Hut on Sunday, March 3rd, was an absolute riot, embarrassing his wife and children with tales of their family life, their family vacations, his job at a local supermarket and his daughters’ discussing sex. He also played inflatable guitar, which is something to behold, although even more impressive was his duet with local folk legend, Mark Duffy, in a heartwarming song of love despite a restraining order. This show was the bomb, not least of all because it was reading host Tony Brown’s 42nd birthday! Happy Birthday, Tony!
The Java Hut
1073A Main Street (Webster Square)
Worcester, Massachusetts
508.752.1678
MORE POETS BREEDING
Got a nice email the other day from Boston poet and former Worcester/Providence Slammer Dawn Gabriel, and, as it went out on the Slam Family mailing list, I have no compunction about sharing it here. Writes Gabriel:
“I just want to let everyone know that my son, Henry Scott Donaldson, came into the world on January 20th. He'll be 6 weeks old tomorrow, and he's already grown out of all of his 0-3 month sized clothes… Henry has already been to see his mommy feature (last week at The Daily Grind, which is the only place to be in Bridgewater on a Saturday night), and contributed to that feature with a splotch of spitup that gleamed dully on mama's black shirt as she worked the mic.”Congratulations, Dawn!
MORE MOVES THAN PAULA ABDUL!
This just in from the Spoken Word Poetry Series, in Providence, on what must be their 500th location. Rumor has it though, that this one might be permanent... for a while...
“The Spoken Word Poetry Series, hosted by Paul Coppolelli, has a new home, Rusty's Gallery Cafe on East Avenue in Pawtucket, between the Modern Diner and the East Ave Cafe. Their 'Open Mouth' reading is open to all and is usally followed by a feature. Sign-up for the 'Open Mouth' begins at 7:30 pm. The reading starts somewhere between 7:55 and 8:15; you know how poets are.”I would just like to note once again that I am sorry for bailing on my featured reading at the Spoken Word Series, something I’ve done only twice before in my life (once due to car problems, once because I couldn’t find the venue) -- because my feature was scheduled on September 11th, and like most of the country, I was a basket case. Mea Culpa. You guys are officially now the reading closest to me, as Pawtucket is right across the Attleboro border, so I’ll definitely pop in soon… as soon as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” goes into reruns. What? Xander and Anya are getting married this week? You think I’m missing that? I’m devoted, but a geek’s gotta have his priorities.
WOMEN OF THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES
Just a quick plug for a reading I’m fond of, the Speak Easy at the Moonstruck Café in Charlton, MA. Long time Worcester poet Rebecca Henderson’s running a nice little room there. Small audience, but good vibe. Last week featured the women of The Vagina Monologues -- some of the local poets who recently appeared in the Worcester Po8ry Project’s production of Eve Ensler’s acclaimed play. On hand were Rachelle Frazier, Sou MacMillan, Lea C. Deschenes, Kae Collins and Francine D’Alessandro.
You can read my commentary on The Vagina Monologues for the Worcester InCity Times here: www.poetsasylum.org/vday/victor.html. The good news is the production raised $6,000 for local and national charities, including Abby's House, Daybreak, the Rape Crisis Center and an international organization supporting the women of Afghanistan.
Speak Easy, Saturdays at 7:30 pm
The Moonstruck Cafe
19 Worcester Road
Charlton, MA 01507
SLAM CHAMPS RUNNING AMOK
Before we go, I should take a second to update everyone on the doings of former National Poetry Slam Champs, who seem to be lurking around New England in a big way these days. Canadian poet Shane “the Shane” Koyczan has been around the past few weeks, hitting nearly every venue in the region (in some cases accompanied by his lovely Canadian cohort, Cass King). There are unconfirmed rumors circulating of a visit soon by current slam champ Maya Della Valle.
Reggie Gibson, the man Jimi Hendrix channels through when he wants to speak to the living, has moved to Boston and has started a series at the All Asia Cafe, Mass Ave, Cambridge, just north of MIT on Tuesdays at 8 pm. The evening will begin with a lottery open mike: Names will be dropped in a fishbowl and picked for the reading. Next will come a Mo Better Slam, where Reggie hopes to encourage the audience to be brutally honest with poet-performers. Closing the evening will be a drum circle and musicians' jam. Reggie is calling the series “Rituals Open Art Reading” aka ROAR.
Coincidentally, that’s where I saw four-time champ Patricia Smith rock through a little-promoted show to a small audience, and where she blew the friggin’ roof off! Patricia Smith is the bomb, and I’ll fight anyone who says otherwise.
Why do they all head here? Come to think of it, why the hell am I here? These and other existential questions to be answered in another edition of New England Poetry Currents. Until then, ciao!
