LITTLE PLANET POETRY GUIDE
So I’ve just got back to the UK after five weeks in the US. Here’s a brief rundown on the shows I did on this tour, with contact info for future reference. I toured through California, hopped across Arizona to Oklahoma and then down to Texas. Thanks to everyone who helped make the whole thing work. I really did enjoy myself.

The first gig on the tour was a double feature with Whitman McGowan in San Luis Obispo, California. Whitman is a wonderful, warm, funny, intelligent poet and human being and we got on like old friends from the start. It is no wonder that he has such a partner as Margery Snyder. They drove me down the California coast through Big Sur on the day of the show and then on to LA the following day. I can assure you, there is no better way to start such a journey than with Whitman and Margery.

• San Luis Obispo
  Kevin Patrick Sullivan
  Linnaea’s Café
  Kevin Sullivan also fits the good guy framework. He has been running his reading for 17 years in the same venue. It has a really relaxed atmosphere, rather like a Barnes and Noble, but with better coffee. The audience was attentive and included a good selection of local poets. Kevin is a great host, offering a guaranteed payment for the featured poets.
  
  
• Santa Ana
  Jaimes Palacio
  Grand Central Café
  Nice cafe, good food, small audience but with some lively regulars. There’s a lot of heckling, mostly very positive and light-hearted and generally prompted by Jaimes. He hosts well and has a good rapport with his audience. This could be a little daunting for virgin poets or spectators but it kept the energy level high and I had a lot of fun riding the wave. Look out for RAC (stands for “Crack-House Whore”) -- she’s a great poet, a vicious heckler and looks likely to be around for some time.
  
  
• San Diego
  Lizzie Wann
  Claire de Lune
  Wonderful venue: soft chairs, big crowd, very good open mic with some touches of brilliance. Really friendly and beautiful people -- I was amazed at the general level of beauty in the people of San Diego. This is one of the top three California shows. Although I know that much of the work on this show was put in by Cheryl Latif before she left the area, there is no doubt that it is now in safe hands. Lizzie Wann books and Shannon hosted on the night I was there (co-host Mark was pretty ill with flu or something). I like Shannon’s style; she maintains a calm control over both poets and audience. Good point here: when she introduces a poet, she lets the next poet on the list know that they are about to be called. It gives them time to prepare and helps keep the audience expectant. I felt a lot of respect here between the poets; there were no prima donnas.
  
  
• Orange
  Steve Ramirez
  The Ugly Mug
  Local reading, comfortable café, armchairs and a small friendly porch for smoking. I recognised some of SoCal’s Slam gurus in the audience, which is a good sign for the reading and the scene in general, as there is cross-event support which you don’t always find. I felt like I was at home. Steve Ramirez hosted. I was lucky enough to see Steve perform at a number of events during the tour. He’s a fabulous poet and great representative for the poetry scene.
  
  
• Long Beach
  MsT Musze
  Uncle Al’s Seafood Restaurant
  Uncle Al’s is a seafood café and take away. It is perhaps not the best place for a reading. The phone rings, people come and go and food is ordered and served between the poets and the audience. I arrived to a woman banging out protest songs on a guitar followed up by a man singing karaoke along to a CD he had brought. Very surreal. The evening was definitely worth the time, though -- MsTMusze is an absolute star (warm and bright) and I got to meet up with Larry Jaffe, who also featured, which was something I thought I might miss on this year's US excursion.
  
  
• San Francisco
  Jennifer Joseph
  The Paradise Lounge
  Paradise is a bit of a black spot for me. Last year I missed featuring in front of a full crowd because one of the local poets had died and the evening I arrived had been turned into a memorial reading. This year I booked in, unknowingly, on Oscar night and all of San Francisco seemed to be at home in front of the TV. Horehound Stillpoint convinced me to write more sex poems by filling his complete set with some great ones of his own. I have since then written only my second ever sex poem and I think it’s a corker. Quite an experience meeting Bambi Lake (she read from her book) and we passed some reminiscences, mostly about how she’d slept with JJ Burnel (The Stranglers), met Warhol, etc., etc. “Some people drop names,” she said, “but I can back it up.” Next year Paradise, third time lucky.
  
  
• Davis
  Michael Holt
  Davis Slam
  Rather like SF on Oscar night, don’t do gigs during spring break in university towns, unless it’s in Davis. Michael Holt is a great guy. He teaches 8th grade and loves it. A small but exciting slam was run with a few regulars and some high school kids. Watching young poets write and perform their poems on the night was a blast. They get extra credit at school for this, which I think is a fabulous idea. The short slam, and Michael’s kindness, allowed me a lot of performance time, which always makes for a worthwhile visit and the after-show hanging out with friends just topped the visit off really nicely.
  
  
• San Jose
  Vadim Litvak
  Silicon Valley Slam
  A big venue with a full audience. San Jose has a fine selection of local poets and there seems to be a lot of that all-important, cross-venue support in the area. Mike McGee hosted (Vadim was present though a touch under the weather) and I’d be prepared to leave him in charge of any of my shows. The whole evening was high energy and well rounded. Along with the slam and a double feature, between Turiya Maylann Autry (Portland Slammaster or is that Mistress?) and myself, there was a brilliant ongoing head to head between two local NoCal poets. Some real work had gone into this with each poet writing clinically accurate but acutely alternative versions of the other's poems. Very clever and intensely funny.
  
  
• Berkeley
  Charles Ellik
  Bezerkeley Slam, The Starry Plough
  Probably the best show in the Bay Area. Charles really knows his stuff. The house band were well rehearsed and came in and out between the poets just perfectly. There was a large audience and a great collection of local slammers. This is a night of class entertainment. As a feature, I felt more a part of something much bigger at the Starry Plough than at most other venues. I am convinced that it is this complete show approach that ensures a committed audience. Poetry doesn’t always sell but there’s so much more going on at the Bezerkeley Slam that you know you’re going to have a good time. You’ll probably be prepared to recommend it to a friend as well.
  
  
• Oakland
  Nisa and Sonia
  Oakland Slam
  Sadly the Oakland Slam has moved recently. I never found out why, but the newest venue is not really conducive to poetry. It’s in a sports bar where background noise is intrusive and even some of the audience started to feel that it was acceptable to talk during other people’s performances. The vibe was right but you’re fighting a losing battle with the venue. The addition of a DJ between the poets worked well, but the rush to get the poets off and the DJ’s on, full-time, made us feel a little unwanted. Star of the night was Ryan Scielli (so many names, so many faces, I hope I’ve got this one close) whom I’d been lucky enough to see perform in Berkeley as well. I believe he came in among the top five in the Nationals last year. His work is passionate, eloquent and breathtakingly performed. I have been inspired.
  
  
• Huntington Beach
  Murray Thomas
  Barnes and Noble
  I love bookstore gigs. They are so relaxing and I get a chance to perform some of my less boisterous pieces. Murray works at the store and has run the reading there for a number of years. He’s obviously built up quite a reputation for the poetry events. All the chairs were taken and then there was the bookstore bonus audience that I love so much -- all the people sitting in the comfy chairs a little way off pretending to read, and the ones who stop close by and try to pretend not to listen. The local poetry ran from touching, through sincere to intense and humorous, good on all quarters and with Georgia Popoff on the bill as well, I think a great time was had by all, especially me.
  
  
• Long Beach
  Victor Infante
  Big Damn Poetry Slam
  Sunday afternoon seems to be a strange time for a poetry slam but The Big Damn Poetry Slam in Long Beach still pulled enough people to make for a fun event. The venue was comfortable and accommodating and the Sunday afternoon time does give it a relaxed flavour. Victor and Leah (I hope I remembered your name this time) are hard workers for the slam cause and part of the SoCal support team. It’s all very well having good poets but without someone to foster and support them into the big leagues, they won’t always get there themselves. The local poets were excellent, but then they’d have to be to keep up with their leaders.
  
  
• Phoenix
  Brandy Lintecum
  The Lucky Dragon Restaurant & Gallery
  The Lucky Dragon is a great supporter of local artists and they fed and watered me very well. Unfortunately I passed through Pente (Phoenix) on a Monday, which is not their regular poetry night. Brandy Lintecum was a very accommodating host and put me on anyway. The press release didn’t pull a large crowd, but it did pull a journo from the Arizona Review, so she still gets full points for promotion. I can only guess that on the regular nights the place really rocks. Chilling out afterwards was fun and I had a thoroughly pleasant evening. I’ll definitely try and make it back next year for the main event.
  
  
• Oklahoma City
  Spontaneous Bob
  Galileo's
  Sometimes you just don’t realise how lucky you are with venues. Galileo's is wonderful: covered back yard, bar, café, front patio, restaurant, the works. Local poets were good to brilliant and the audience one of the best I’ve seen. They roared loudly and bought books. Definitely one for next year's diary. Spontaneous Bob now has a night job, so hosting has been passed to Tapestry. He ran a tight show and I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t see him placing at the US Nationals some time soon. If you’re touring out there, add Oklahoma City to the list -- you won’t be disappointed.
  
  
• Dallas
  Clebo Rainey
  Dallas Slam, Club Clearview
  This was my 3rd visit to the regular weekly Slam in Dallas. The Red Room can be difficult at times, as people pass through it to other areas of Club Clearview. The band next door can also get a little loud. Having said this, I arrived during the Deep Ellum Arts Festival and the house was full with some fine regular slammers. Clebo calls the judges’ scores from the floor, rather than returning to the stage after each poet. You can add them up yourself if you like but the poet's final score is not announced until the end of the slam. This keeps the energy high and the pace rapid. Fav poet of the night? Got to be GNO with his “Driving whilst Black” poem. I’d heard it before, but it gets me every time. Also a young poet, whose name I forget now but as she's only 17, I’m sure I’ll be hearing a lot more from her in the future.
  
  
• Houston
  Lisa Grable
  Houston International Poetry Festival, HIP2001
  With enthusiasm from Thom the World Poet and some brain-stretching work from Tina Cardona, Lisa Grable and Caroline Ross, the HIP2000 festival came together for one night in April last year. The event took place simultaneously in five venues followed by an all night reading. It was a huge undertaking successfully planned and executed by a small but dedicated core group. I was there. We all had a great time. The 2nd Annual Houston International Poetry Festival, HIP2001 took place over a whole day (and all night reading) at The Mausoleum. The single venue approach made sense and The Mausoleum was one of the best venues from last year. There was a great lineup of poets both local and international and some great food available for a small donation. The whole event was well organised and carefully coordinated. This is already a pretty big acorn; I can’t wait to see the tree grow so I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes open for any future HIP events.
  
  
• San Antonio
  Rod Stryker
  Sun Poets Society
  This was another good Barnes and Noble reading with a very good friend of mine. Rod Stryker has been running the Sun Poets for at least the four years I’ve known him and his belief in poetry is part of what keeps the audience coming back. The reading is well organised, well advertised and has some real credibility and history. This makes for a really nice audience to work for. I met a number of people who had been invited along for the first time by friends. They had that “Wow is this poetry” look on their faces. I think you should take photographs of these people to the management and ask them for some kind of sponsorship deal.
  
  
• San Antonio
  Puro ¡SLAM! Sam’s Burger Joint
  The Puro ¡Slam! is less than two years old and has helped raise an enthusiastic performance spirit in San Antonio. Sam’s is a big-rock room with a wide stage, good sound, a fine selection of beers, great burgers and fries. It makes for a perfect slam venue (not unlike the sadly missed Electric Lounge in Austin) and I caught some really first class slam performances. It was good to see Phil West hosting and with Shaggy at the door and a whole bunch of last year's Nationals finalists in the back row, who knows what might happen next year?
  
  
• Temple
  Morrie Greene
  Zoe’s Coffee Shop
  Temple holds an international poetry event at Zoe’s Coffee Shop every year in April. Poetry anchorwoman Morrie Greene is now working in Austin and unfortunately this year we passed in the night, but there was still a good turnout at Zoe’s for the show. It was like going back to visit old friends and I’d recommend Zoe’s for any touring poet. Many of the Temple poets performed at AIPF the following weekend and they’ve got their fair share of storming writers and performers.
  
  
• Austin
  Midge Kocen
  Austin International Poetry Festival
  Probably the most intense four days of poetry outside of the US National Slam. Now in its 9th year, it is well organised, well run, with varying venues & poetic styles across the board, from academia to attitude and everybody welcome. There are themed readings, some big performance shows, a national/international slam and a couple of all-nighters for the die-hards. It impossible to make it to all the events but this only helps to make it feel like a festival and you can hop from reading to reading all day and catch parts of a lot of shows. It’s worth attending to see some of the best poets in the world or just to be part of the general buzz of poetic excitement, network and fill up on gas.

THE TIM & TAALAM SHOW AT WATERLOO ICE HOUSE
Austin International Poetry Festival, Austin, Texas: The Tim & Taalam Show (Cutting Edge Performance), Waterloo Ice House, April 20th 2001, 10 pm - 12:30 am.

The Cutting Edge Performance Night is one of the highlights of the Austin International Poetry Festival. I have been lucky enough to host it for the last three years with the great Larry Jaffe from LA. Unfortunately this year Larry couldn’t make it, so the mighty Taalam Acey from New Jersey stepped into the spotlight and the show took off for the 4th year in front of a packed house, only 30 minutes behind schedule. (We just couldn’t work out the sound desk.)

I’d slammed against Taalam at AIPF 2000 and later that year at the Paddington International Arts Festival in London. I hosted a show for him in Bristol just before I left the UK for this year's tour and he stayed with me for a couple of days. Safe to say it was cool to co-host with someone whose work I admire greatly and whom I’ve gotten to know quite well over the last 12 months.

Brandon Backhaus
The crowd was restless by the time we got under way and I knew we’d need something strong to open the show, so I explained the situation to Brandon Backhaus and asked him if he’d be prepared to break the ice. I’d seen him perform once before at Poetic License in LA which he co-hosts with Larry Jaffe. In fact he’d picked me up from the airport on the morning of my Poetic License show. When I asked him, Brandon simply looked at the audience (as I'd hoped he would) and said “I’ll rock the place” -- and he certainly did. Brandon is a strong poet, with good words, great delivery and a powerful presence. He rocked the place all right and the show was off to a flying start. Any show, any time, anywhere, Brandon’s your man.

Barbara Bullard
Next up was Barbara Bullard from La Verne, California. She performed at the Waterloo show in 2000 and it was good to have her back. Her poetry is personal but far-reaching, with some great twists of humour. Her final piece about wanting to “See Yellow just one more time” while her guide dog lay quietly under the table beside her spoke volumes beyond her own sight problem. Her favourite quote: “I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then.” I hope to hear a lot more from her next year.

Richard Heley
Richard Heley from London also played AIPF last year. He has a very unique style of erratic storytelling that sometimes leaves him at a loss for his own words, which is usually hilarious, but the performance never falters. He can be beautifully poetic and intensely funny. On this night he was both to a tee. He left out half a poem (he told me later) and no one noticed as he rolled straight into another. His reputation as the best grass-smoking, welfare-scrounging poet in the world remains intact.

Rod C. Styker
Pillar of the San Antonio scene, Rod Stryker toured in the UK last year for the first time. He regularly hosts for AIPF and can always be counted on to pull out all the stops for a good night. His cockroach poem is a classic and “Mexican Odyssey” (I think this title comes close) is both funny and frightening at the same time: “Where are you coming from? Where are you going? Is this your car?” Rod filled a tight slot poetically to the hilt and, courteous as ever, left thanking the audience for their indulgence.

Lizzie Wann
Lizzie Wann books the features for Poetic Brew in San Diego. I’d been looking forward to meeting her for some months, but I had no idea what her poetry was like. She was the first poet I didn’t know on the bill. It’s hard sometimes being a host because you don’t always get to listen to the poets as closely as you’d like to. What I do remember about Lizzie is that she had beautiful hair and a rich soft voice. Her slot seemed to be over far too soon as she left the audience demanding more and me with a freshly warm licked feeling.

Almost half way through the show and we were still running right on the edge of our 30-minute time buffer...

Mark Maslow
Local host and the most good-hearted poet I know, Mark Maslow stepped up to the mic next. Mark has, by the time you read this, started on a lightning stop tour of Europe. He will be appearing in Bristol between the 9th and 13th of May. He seemed to feel very at home at Waterloo and produced some great work, with at least one old favourite (“Booty Call”). The audience loved him and I can’t wait to get him in front of my own home crowd.

Nikki Miller
Next up (good name for a poetry show): Nicki Miller. She hails from Maryland and coached the DC team to the 2000 Nationals. She’s a regular at AIPF and I was really pleased to get her on the bill. Her poems sometimes make me feel fragile and a little sad, but then they make me feel clean afterwards, like I’ve had a long shower. Her piece about Catholic confession (after 27 years) is hilarious, with just enough sharp edges to make you feel sorry for laughing. She makes a big impression for a girl of her size (“Old 97’s”). I loved her, as did everyone else.

And now for my new partner in crime,
Taalam Acey
Taalam introduced Ron Horne (San Antonio) to the audience for a short song before slipping in two of his own pieces and bringing his whole set in within 9 minutes. This was gracious, generous, beautiful and professional and that has nothing to do with the quality of his words. He speaks with conviction and a passion that would carry his message even if it didn’t make so much social sense. “Pyromaniacs have been sending letter bombs to Sexaholics.” I won’t bore you with the rest of his repertoire. (I’ve been fortunate to see him perform on a few occasions now.) I’ll just say that if you weren’t there, don’t miss the chance to see him next time. You’ll probably see me in the audience somewhere.

Katie O’Loughlin
Who next? you may ask. Well, none other than the wonderful and talented Katie O’Loughlin from Venice Beach. This was Katie’s first visit to AIPF but she proved her worth in the UK last October and I knew the crowd would love her. True to form she tickled everyone’s poetic senses. “Skinny Be Damned,” “Falling From Grace,” “I know a Man with Soft, Soft Skin” -- all perfectly performed and worth seeing again and again. Katie is a touch Little Red Riding Hood and quite a slap of Red Sonia. She leads you in with a sweet smile and schoolgirl braids and then slaps you with some real tough poetry. Careful boys and girls, she might just take you home.

Aaron Sanders
Aaron Sanders helps run the Eastside Slam in Austin and I’ve heard him do some great stuff over the last few years. This night was also his Stag Night and, as there was some home crowd in to support, he was in a personal zone. The audience breathed some pretty deep sighs as he let the pressure out of a highly pumped room. His closing poem, written for his brother who was at the show and due to be his best man, was a heartfelt piece about forgiveness and the future. Everyone in the room felt touched and I could have happily left him talking.

Lucy English
Coming towards the end with a personal favourite of mine, Lucy English. Lucy comes from my home scene in Bristol and we have toured the UK and Europe together. I’ve wanted to get her in front of a US audience since I first came over five years ago. She speaks with a beautiful English accent (her surname is real) and uses many classically English images, but the clarity of her thoughts still seems to cross the cultural boundaries. She is also funny and not averse to being a little rude. I heard a whole bunch of people quoting her poetry over the weekend of the festival. “I hate sex, it’s messy and sticky.” “I'm the Queen's twin sister, surgically altered and hidden away for years, with a peasant family, in a bungalow in Woking and I have now come to claim my title and start a war.” Her return to Austin will be eagerly awaited.

Tim Gibbard
I cleaned up the tail end with three pieces. An old piece, “Dorothy,” which had been very well received on the tour; a new piece, “Snail Shell Galaxies,” about the impending extinction of the human race; and “Girlfriend,” which I had only finished that week. It’s my first real sex poem, inspired by my experiences on the tour, during which time I heard loads of good sex poems but actually didn’t have any sex. Enough of that -- the show came to a climactic conclusion, only 5 minutes past our 12:30 am deadline, with all poets accounted for and a pretty full audience still roaring in their seats.

This was probably one of the best shows I’ve ever done at AIPF, though it was sadly missing Larry Jaffe, who called from LA during the second half and everyone shouted “Hi Larry” down the phone (Stazja said we made him cry), but happily having Taalam in the mix. I really enjoyed working with him and all the other poets on the bill. It’s always a pleasure to host such an event. Let’s hope we get a chance to do it all again next year. AIPF 2002, here we come!

MUCH RESPECT TO JEROME DAVIS
...for his poetry at the Austin International Poetry Festival this year. Jerome hails from Colarado Springs, sounds like Gil Scott-Heron and his show-stopping “If He came back today” poem just about slayed me every time I heard it.

I’m not writing. And you’re not reading. You’re looking into the psychological and spiritual labyrinth that is the tangible evidence of one person’s existence.

Tim Gibbard