MUSELETTER #10
12/18/99
Hello everyone,
This week Museletter correspondent Bob Redmond returns after a couple of personal-life detours to report on the WTO protests & other outpourings of free speech & poetry in Seattle & the Pacific Northwest -- welcome home, Bob!
Margy Snyder & Bob Holman
Your About.com Poetry Guides
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Russian Literature - Avant Garde
Here's a collection of links for exploring the work of Jurgis Baltrusaitis, Alexander Blok, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Konstantin Vaginov & other Russian futurists & avant garde poets of the early 20th century, brought to you by About.com's Russian Culture Guide, Linda DeLaine.
SEATTLE/PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Spoken Word at WTO:
“This is what democracy looks like!”
FYI: When cops are wearing gas masks, you can't really hear a damn thing they say. Like: “We're going to start gassing you now.” Or: “Gimme that free speech flyer, this is a no protest zone.” But who knows, maybe they were reciting Baraka, or Shel Silverstein. It didn't matter. They gassed or pepper-sprayed everyone, including my pal George Hickey, press badges and all, who got a wonderful photo of a cop bearing down on him behind a stream of protester repellent. Others dragged the blinded George to safety where they cleaned his eyes with saline.
That's one story of hundreds, of which the spoken word was paramount, since people were saying “No WTO!”, “This is what democracy looks like!” and other poems like that. Reminds me of Muhammad Ali's poem “Me: We!” shortest poem ever recited at an honorary degree ceremony at Harvard. Now Ali, USA Today's Athlete of the Century. Poet.
Poets preparing for WTO madness with preview readings; simulcasts over pirate radio; spontaneous speechifying at rallies through a traffic cone or paper cup; graffiti; thousands having taped their mouths shut speaking volumes; and the guy passing out copies of the First Amendment in the 50-block “no protest zone,” getting them confiscated and chased away by baton-wielding robo-cops: all intensified the backdrop of this city, the region, the millennial momentum we're feeling. And all spoken words have been infected with this delicious urgency and meaning: they matter.
Northwest Net-Check
First let's do a Net-check, since a number of things have floated wayward there. Also, by the bye, the Web was the organizing tool de rigeur of protesters for the past six months. The authorities, I believe, were in denial about the power of this communication technology to link people around the world and get 50,000 of them to downtown Sea-town.
So we begin by visiting three Northwesterly online journals:
First, Pif, published by Richard Luck, has just put out its 31st edition. The experience of 31 issues shows, and Pif has all the trappings of a print mag, but online of course, and capitalizes on that by including a Quicktime movie. Easy to navigate, good quality by mostly new voices. Downside is the lack of links, except for an innovative and helpful “Writers Classified.” They also pay! (a little) for contributed work.
Heads up: December 31st is Pif's deadline for their Annual Fiction and Poetry Contest. They're also collecting submissions for the upcoming theme issues (Hypertext, Home, Epiphany, Sex). “In particular, we're looking for pieces that utilize the electronic side of the magazine. We want more hypertexts, more animated cover art, and more commentary that use hyperlinks, audio, and video.”
Another good mag, also from the Pac NW, is Trend from Carnation, Washington. (Yes, that's where they milk the cows.) Trend analyzes international trends in art, culture, and society. Highly engaging content includes a “Y2K -- What Me Worry?” feature that will frighten you, plus artwork by Jennifer Henbest de Calvillo, an American artist residing in Zimbabwe; sculpture by Northwest artist Suz Gentiluomo; paintings by California artist Diego Rios; mixed media by Cologne artist Claudia von der Heydt; digital art by Brent Brumfield. Great photography of Italian hipsters by Charles loVerne, and last and not least, poetry by Hiram Larew, David Thornburgh (Seattle), and Tiana Gregg. Commentary by “Jeff the Baptist” and prose by Seattle-ite George R. Wolfe, whose play was just “staged” in NY -- the four actors and actresses suspended from wires! I can't recall the name but if you hear about it go see it! Reviews here raved.
Third NW online mag to which I was introduced is Greenwords, new and not nearly as developed as the other two, but whose focus is certainly compelling. Says editor Dave Mayfield, “This site is devoted to connecting literature and science. Too often scientists are pictured as unfeeling, boring, lab rats with no sense of creativity. Well, here is your chance to break the mold and show that science has more to offer than archaic equations.” Greenwords is seeking submissions and comments.
Bonus site: If you haven't checked out MP3Lit, do it.
Northwest Bookfest
In mid-November, some 200 authors and tens of thousands of visitors inhabited the Convention Center (same place two weeks later would be filled with unhappy WTO delegates) to talk and sell literature. Some poetry notables were Dana Gioia (“Can Poetry Matter?”), Susan Kinsolving (Dailies & Rushes), Judith Roche (Bumbershoot diva and dynamite poet), Colleen McElroy (another pride of the Northwest), David Lee (working man's stylist), and National Slam champ Roger Bonair-Agard. Some other fascinating panelists and readers were: Nelson George (hip hop america), Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney), Sen. John McCain, Simon Ortiz, Jerry Stahl (Permanent Midnight), and Michael Chiarello, who told fabulous stories of his native Sicily and the bread he learned to bake there (he now owns Tra Vigne, a restaurant in the Napa Valley).
Bookfest is a five-year-old non-profit sponsored by the Seattle Times. Although its proceeds go towards literacy projects ($160,000 since its inception) there has been an ongoing debate in the publishing and literary community about whether or not there is access to small publishers, whether or not the “non-profit” presentation has been co-opted by the Times, and about the mega-corporations' effect on literature and community events.
More will be said later regarding these themes (look for a Pacific Northwest Museletter Special Report), but here we will say that the panelists certainly did not appear inhibited from discussing those issues or levying critiques -- especially at the Young Women's Power Hour and at “Trashy Literature,” curated by yours truly. The audience responded with characteristic politeness, thoughtful pouts, self-indulgent questions, and watch-checking and bag ruffling. In other words, just like most book festivals. According to vendors, sales were “fine.” Everything was very normal, like going to work, or shopping.
At least De Kwok from Milky World tried to do his best to shake things up by giving away free copies of Eye Magazine featuring John Holmes. And Alyssa Burrows crashed the performers' party by seducing world-renowned author Jonathan Raban. Well, at least while they were in line. . . .
Ashbery Rules!
John Ashbery, who has won every poetry award from here to Neptune, was in town in November for a scintillating and rare reading. His best known work is Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror (1975), which won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, and he has a brand new collection called Girls on the Run: A Poem, which I haven't read, but if the reaction of the crowd to Ashbery is any indication, you should go check him out immediately. Apparently some Microsoft millionaire (we have thousands of them out here) liked it so much he donated $500,000 (or was it a mil?) to the University of Washington after the gig. Gee, and the UW Department of English had to be pressured (by UW muckety-mucks) into sponsoring the reading in the first place. Go figure.
Salon Rising
Seattle poet and impresario Cat O'Sullivan cut his hair and headed back to his native Boston last month. Cat had co-founded Salon Productions, one of the numerous poetry start-ups in town, and hosted an open mike for almost five years. He left the organization to the dynamic Gabrielle Bouliane, who has worked with them for two years. Gabrielle sent me a nice summary of all Salon's new ventures, which I lost in the virtual file cabinet from hell (sorry G-lady!), but I can say that Salon's new magazine, Ellipsis, looks great, and that if anyone is in town they should check out the re-vamped 665 reading series (Thursdays) and the Homeland gig on Tuesdays. Details: Salon Productions Web site.
Related note: Shane Luitjens has come back to town (and the country) to do design work and pick up with Salon on the organizing front. Welcome back Shane and good luck Cat! If you're in Boston, look for Cat at a reading or two.
Portland & Vancouver
Gosh, we're almost out of time and I still want to get to the Portland and Vancouver sides. Portland's been awfully quiet, in fact, but you should know that Orlo, the relatively recent umbrella for the Slam there, is hosting a “Wake For The 90's” on Tuesday, December 21 at 7 pm, Berbati's.
So saith the Orlo: “This wake is open to anyone who wants to mark the passing of the 90s. Orlo is asking people to bring photos, writing, articles, slides, mix tapes, any piece of art or memorabilia that marks a significant environmental issue (under 8 oz.) to place in a plexiglass coffin/timecapsule. Rev. Samuel Maan will deliver the main eulogy, and everyone will have a chance to say their last respects, including many prominent local luminaries. The wake will feature a buffet dinner [now you're talking!]; a silent art auction; and a post-wake concert featuring Sweet Juice, Third World County, The Countrypolitans.” Only $5! and info: www.orlo.org.
Also at Berbati's, Wednesday, December 29, Portland's Haiku Slam! 7:30 pm sign up, 8:00 pm show. Info: portlandslam@mailcity.com.
And Vancouver announces a New Venue for Spoken Word: Galleria Ambleside, a bookstore, CD store, and performance space (1545 Marine Drive, tel. 913-3449 in West Vancouver). They are hosting an Open Mike for spoken word artists and musicians every Thursday from 8-10 pm.
Also, from the Edgewise Electrolit Centre comes this news:
“Adeena Karasick wins the Vancouver Videopoem Festival 'People's Choice Award' as part of the First annual Vancouver Videopoem Festival, hosted by oral/improv poet Kedrick James.
“The evening featured a diverse body of work produced by Canadian and international artists as well as an impromptu performance by the polyvocal ensemble, Verbomotorhead.
“The Edgewise Electrolit Centre is pleased to announce Adeena Karasick's Alphabet City as the 'People's Choice Award' winner. Karasick is a poet/cultural theorist, performance artist; and the author of three books of poetry and poetic theory. A second prize (a gift subscription to The Capilano Review) was awarded to Tom Konyves for his three video poems: Sign Language, Percussion and Hopscotch. Konyves began experimenting with video poetry during the early 1970's as a member of The Vehicule Poets, one of the first alternative galleries formed in Canada.
“Our electronic magazine can be viewed and heard at www.edgewisecafe.org. Poets featured with audio include Adeena Karasick, Wayde Compton, Bill Bissett and Sheri-D Wilson.”
Thanks, Edgewise! Also notable in Vancouver was a performance (last week at the Blinding Light) of Miranda July's Big Miss Moviola's Chainletter Tapes. Miranda crosses boundaries between writing, music, and movie making in a way that portends the future of literature (IMHO).
From Olympia, WA, Miranda began the Big Miss Moviola Chainletter Tapes with a plan to spread the good gospel of lady-made movies -- you send her a VHS of your film which she then compiles with other lady-made movies and sends to each moviemaker on the tape, pulling a group of like-minded ladies together and creating a package of great works to share and trade with your friends. With 7 of these compilations now out in the world and circulating, the Blinding Light culled a cross-section of wondrous works from the chainletter tapes. Info: www.blindinglight.com.
