MUSELETTER #17
2/4/2000
Hello everybody,
Please help us welcome two new Museletter correspondents to our team this week: Jennifer Joseph, publisher of Manic D Press & host of the long-running Poetry Above Paradise series, will be reporting on the many poetry scenes in the San Francisco Bay area; while Leonardo Della Rocca of the Hannah Kahn Poetry Foundation in Miami will bring us the news from Florida. If you know something you think we should know about, send your announcements, greetings & gossip to the correspondent closest to you by clicking on the names on our Poetry Currents news update page.
In this issue, we have a special late-breaking bulletin on X-Games Poetry from our New York correspondent, Cristin Aptowicz, and a comprehensive view of poetry doings in Virginia and DC from Shann Palmer. Enjoy!
Bob Holman & Margy Snyder
Your About.com Poetry Guides
POETRY IS EVERYWHERE AT ABOUT.COM
Do you want to go back to the very beginning of English poetry? Between the two of them, Medieval/Renaissance History Guide Melissa Snell & former English Lit Guide Leigh Ann Jones provide a veritable encyclopedia on the oldest surviving English poem, Beowulf:
- Facts about Beowulf (with recommended reading)
- “Why Bother With Beowulf?”
- Links to bibliographies, online editions & other Beowulf resources
- Links to Old English Literature resources, including a section on Beowulf
SPECIAL WEEKEND BULLETIN FROM NEW YORK
Poetry Gets Extreme!
Keep your eyes peeled when you are watching Extreme Games coverage this weekend (February 4-6) on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, because you might see a little bit of muse sliding down the slopes along with the snowboarders. ESPN recently filmed 5 young poets in the snowy mountains of Vermont for broadcasting during the Extreme Games. The five poets, Beau Sia, Amanda Nazario, Sage Francis, Patrick Anderson and Laurel Barclay, were scouted out at the Lower East Side's Urbana Reading Series and asked write poems that dealt with what it means to be young and extreme in the new millennium. Filming of the poets took place the following week, and the black-and-white segments should be appearing sporadically throughout the X-Games coverage, so keep watching! And if you like what you heard, you are in luck! Two of the five poets have albums: Beau Sia's Attack! Attack! Go! can be bought at Borders.com and Sage Francis's band the Non-Prophets' album can be bought at undergroundhiphop.com. Keep reading and keep writing!
VIRGINIA/DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
The Coast Hasn't Been Clear!!
The East coast was slammed, not by poetry but by a major snow followed by ice and the attendant hassles. Many events were cancelled, postponed, and otherwise handled in some manner. I'm having spoken word withdrawal myself. Spent a lot of time listening to whatever I could lay my hands on: Ferlinghetti, Burroughs, Ginsberg and a few locals: The Jazz Poets Society, Beat Mafia, and Villanelle, my jazz poetry combo.
Poetry in Richmond
Segue, Villanelle will be featured Friday, February 11 from 7:30 to 9:30 at Borders Books and Music on Broad Street here in Richmond. We figure we'll get the Valentine cheapskate, I mean literature lovers crowd. Regular monthly open-mike will be Tuesday, February 29th at 8 pm; sign up ahead of time for the best spots. That's Borders, 9750 W. Broad, Richmond; call 804-965-0733 for complete info.
Barnes & Noble is preparing to move this month to a bigger, better venue with lots of room for poetry and such. As soon as they relocate, I'll post a calendar of upcoming events. A big “Thank You” to Nancy Whitmore for her enthusiastic support of poetry events in a store that has little performance space. She's moving to another store--she will be missed!
At the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Yusef Komunyakaa will be reading February 10th at 6 pm. There is a small charge, under five dollars--differs if you are a student or member. There is a great link to more on the poet at The Cortland Review: they have five selections from Komunyakaa's NYC reading and a subsequent interview with David Lehman in RealAudio as the current feature.
Also in Richmond, the regular weekly Muse will resume. They came to the slam last month and did really well. Info is available from lerkem@erols.com or by calling Margaret at 904-354-8298.
A Celebration of Richmond Poets
Richmond has become a center for new as well as established poets, and this series presents some of the city's finest talent. Free; open to the public.
NJERI JACKSON, Thursday, February 3, Auditorium, 7 pm
Director of the African-American Studies Program at the Virginia Commonwealth University, Dr. Jackson is also an accomplished jazz poet. Considered by many to be one of the most significant poets of the revolutionary 1960s, Dr. Jackson will be joined by jazz pianist Russell Wilson for an evening of unforgettable rhythms and visions.
MICHELE SURAT, Thursday, February 10, Auditorium, 7 pm
Professor of English at The Governor's School and an award-winning author of children's books, Ms. Surat is a poet of great linguistic and emotional power.
DR. JON MICHAEL SPENCER, Thursday, February 17, Reynolds Lecture Hall, 7 pm
Author of Self-Made and Blues-Rich, Dr. Spencer is a dynamic jazz poet, as well as an artist and music scholar at the University of Richmond.
CHERYL PALLANT, Thursday, February 24, Reynolds Lecture Hall, 7 pm
Dance reviewer for Style Magazine and a dancer herself, Ms. Pallant is one of Richmond's most daring and breath-taking experimental poets.
DR. CONSUELO NAVARRO, Thursday, March 2, Reynolds Lecture Hall, 7 pm
In “South America: Legends and Memories, A Night of Story-Telling,” Dr. Navarro weaves a magical blend of poetry, performance, and story-telling as she makes the mysteries and beauties of her native Ecuador come alive for English-speaking audiences.
RICHMOND WOMEN'S POETRY WORKSHOP, Thursday, March 9, Reynolds Lecture Hall, 7 pm
One of Richmond's most dynamic literary groups will present an evening of compelling readings.Check the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Web site for more information on this series.
Washington, D.C. Area Open Poetry Readings
Weekly readings in the DC area are listed here; monthly readings will appear in a later issue of Museletter. With thanks to Dean Blehert's “Words & Pictures” calendar site:
- EVERY MONDAY
Blue Nile, 1300 Block, U Street, NW, Washington DC, 8 pm.
- EVERY TUESDAY
Mango's, free open reading, 8 pm, 2017 14th St. NW. For info, call 202-332-2104.
- EVERY WEDNESDAY
Barnes & Noble (Alexandria), referring to the Potomac Yard Center, 7:30 pm. Verify at 703-299-9124.
Kwasawa Cafe, 2400 Block, 18th Street, NW, Washington DC, 8 pm.
Cup of Dreams, 12 Street, NE, Washington DC, 8 pm.
- EVERY THURSDAY
Open readings at Kaffa House, 1212 U St., NW, Free, 8 pm. For info call 202-462-1212.
- EVERY FRIDAY
Free open reading at Other Words Studio, 433 N. Market St., Frederick, MD. For directions, call Diana Foor, 301-663-5200. Diana runs a storefront Writer's Center in Frederick with all sorts of activities for local writers.
- EVERY SATURDAY
“Cafe DeSoul” at The Strand Cafe on 105 East Lombard St. in the inner harbor near Planet Hollywood, Baltimore, 8 - 10:45 pm. Host: Eric Haines. Phone 410-625-8944.
Saturday Night Poetry Series and Open Readings, Center for Artistic Expression, 7 pm, 5000 Berwyn Road, College Park, MD 20740, cover charge: $5.00. Call 301-513-9422 or 301-881-8012 for info.
- EVERY SUNDAY
CafeMyth.Com, 3241 M St. NW (Georgetown, near Wisconsin Av.), a brand new venue. Sign-ups at 6:30, reading starts around 7 to about 9:30 pm, $5.00 at the door. Good food. This aims to be a “serious” slam -- send teams to the national slams, etc.
Please confirm this one in local papers before you trek out there. The last time we tried to find it, we got lost. At around 8:30 pm in Club Hell, a basement at 2327 18th St. NW, free open reading hosted by Dee Snyder. Very casual format and tends to run well past 10 pm. You could go to Myth.com and still arrive at Club Hell by 9:30 or 10 and probably find the reading in progress. Or on nights when you don't have the $5, you can go to Hell.
Other Notable Events from Cafe Myth
From Toby DeBarr, D.C. Slammaster:
Washington DC's weekly slam, Sunday nights at Cafe Myth, now has its own Web page! Many thanks to Sean Logan and his efforts.
Last Week at Cafe Myth.com. . . . after featuring at Taalam and Faraji's Euphoria venue in Newark, New Jersey, John Powers and Dave Blank drove straight from the venue to my doorstep, arriving at 4:30 am. The guys were totally beat after a 4 hour drive and a long day, so we all hit the hay pretty fast. After just 5 hours of sleep, we were all up and having coffee, watching the snow start first as flurries, then becoming more -- serious. After a late lunch, we were just getting ready to leave in a driving snowstorm for the venue, and my daughter raced out to the car with the phone in her hands: The Myth had decided to close, and so there would be no venue that night. I looked at John, who had only had 5 hours of sleep in more than 36 hours, and felt terrible: he was slated to appear back up in NYC the next night at Guy's venue, 13 Bar Lounge -- pretty darn close to where they had started out from the night before!! They had driven all night essentially for a few hours shut eye and a meal! Well, after a quick assessment of the sky, John and Dave decided to strike out for NY. Thus was their DC adventure. We'll get you back here, John. . . only I'm going to book you sometime during a heat wave! Hats off to two great guys who were mighty good sports about the capriciousness and bad manners of Mother Nature.
OK, the last venue: Taalam Acey and Faraji Salim always bring folks out of the woodwork when they come to feature, so our open mic list of 19 reflected this! Among those stepping up to the mic for the first time at Myth were Sandy and Sally Marsh, ages 9 and 11, daughters of our wondrous poet diva Cheryl Crockett, along with Chloe Ruff, who visited us all the way from Roanoke, Beth Cole, John Sullivan, Jon Michael, and Indra. Good thing I arrived early with tie-downs for the roof and heavy-duty buttressing for the walls -- because when Taalam and Faraji stepped up to the mic, we had everything but a total meltdown!!! More than 100 Myth-goers remain glued to their places for the hour long feast that followed. Now, these guys know our feature slot is thirty minutes -- but there was no way to sate the audience: They vibed right along with them, shouted out requests, clapped in time to some pieces, encouraged by Taalam at times -- and sometimes had to be shushed by him for their overwhelming display of love for the Wickedest Men in Babylon. Wave after wave of thunderous applause let Taalam and Faraji know that Myth is just another place to call home away from home. They came with many new pieces, weaving favorite old standbys through their set. And even after an hour, folks still wanted more -- and we still had 15 slammers waiting to compete following their performance! We never let 'em escape entirely, though: they'll be back to feature at our First Birthday Special Venue later this year!
As always, after such an electrifying feature, the slam took on a monumentality of its own.and set the bar way up high: First-time Myth slammers Todd Pack, who came from Roanoke to test his mettle, as well as Lottie Mae, Denise Johnson, Scott Dickinson (also repeat visiting from Roanoke), Cheryl Crockett, Maia Williams, Josh Kellar, Xquisite, Shannon Williams, Scott Kirkpatrick, Edith Graciela Sanabria, John Holly, and David Langkford gave us one of the best slams at Myth to date! Ray Campbell offered himself up as the goat with his tribute to Allen Ginsburg, “Howl Baby,” as the slam got off to a ripping start. A half point separated the first three places in the end: Shannon Williams apparently found her cowgirl boots cuz she took home the big money, followed closely by David Langkford. If anyone else was like me, it took hours after the lights had dimmed and the floor was swept to “come down” from that night! Whewwwww!
Prepare to be jazzed... this week at the Myth, Sunday, February 6, featured poets: Matthew Payne, host of The Movement at Bar Nun, DC and Karen Kinneyfrock, Frederick, MD.
About Matthew. . . .
Matthew is a local DC poet, songwriter, promoter, activist and organizer. He has been producing cultural arts and poetry events in the metro area for nearly 3 years. Since April of 1997, Payne, with a small group of area artists, has produced The Movement, one of the most successful and consistent live jazz/spoken word venues on the East Coast. Every Monday evening, local and national poets, vocalists and emcees gather at Bar Nun on historic U Street in NW DC for The Movement's weekly show. He has also authored a chapbook entitled Life Sentences, which features 25 original poems and 3 original paintings created by the author. In the coming months, the local and international music scene will witness the debut of Payne's new funk, soul and blues band called “Moya.” They can be seen in the DC area at venues such as Metro Cafe, State of the Union, and will perform at the Takoma Theater on February 12, 2000. Keep your eyes and ears open -- you will see and hear many things from this vibrant artist for years to come.
About Karen. . . .
A native and resident of Frederick, Maryland, Karen believes that artists have a responsibility to the world to make art, and strives to bring some form and beauty into our chaotic existence. While she has always written poetry, she received a sudden and shocking introduction to performance poetry by representing Washington, DC at the National Poetry Slam in Chicago last summer. Karen has been performing poetry since February 1999 and is still searching for her voice (though secretly hopes she will never find it). Karen's life is a struggle for balance; she yearns to meditate more, worry less and keep searching for IT (though she secretly hopes she will never find IT). Her poetry appears in the anthologies The MYTH does Chicago, and The Event Horizon. She is a regular reader at MuddPuddle Cafe, and a slammer at Cafe Myth. Karen is also a potter who spends weekends stacking and stoking at the kiln's edge, and is currently awaiting acceptance to the MFA program at the Naropa Institute.
The entire month of February will be set aside for slammers who have never won a slam. If you have aspirations of competing for a slot on the DC National Poetry Slam Team, you have just 6 more weeks to do so to be included in the pool competing for slots for the 2000 National Slam!
Upcoming events at the Myth:
- Feb 13 - JASON CARNEY and TARA SHETH/Dallas
- Feb 20 - MENTALFOOD: DARRYL LEE and KEN HARRIS/Brooklyn
- Feb 27 - LYN LIFSHIN/DC and MICHAEL MACK/Boston
- Mar 5 - COREY COKES/Boston and KAMILAH MOON/Baltimore
- Mar 12 - JASON RAPER/London, England and CHRISTINA SPRINGER/Pittsburgh
- Mar 19 - DA BOOGIEMAN/Cleveland and HARI JONES/DC, 1st Semifinal
- Mar 26 - CLEBO RAINEY/Dallas, 2nd Semifinal
- Apr 9 - MAR HILL/NYC and TAMMY CARR/NYC, 3rd Semifinal
- Apr 23 - NO VENUE, HAPPY EASTER
- Apr 30 - BOB MOYER/Winston-Salem, NC
- May 7 - PHILLIP HASOURIS/Brocton, MA
- May 14 - MICHAEL SALINGER and SARA HOLBROOKE/Cleveland
The Frederick Poetry Salon
4th Saturday of every month
Saturday, January 22, 6:30 pm till we drop
Hosts: Nicki Miller and Toby DeBarr
at Other Words Studio, 433 N. Market St., Frederick, MD
Bring your friends! Bring your poems! Bring your instruments! Bring your opera librettos! Bring wine, a dish to feed six, and come ready to share, party, and kick back! Come ready to dance on the tabletops! Yes, it's the fourth Saturday again, sports fans. . . Time to come on up to Frederick for the liveliest open mic poetry reading in the DC Metro area! As always, newcomers are welcomed with open arms and hugs.
Directions: be sure to print and keep!
From DC, I-495, Northern Virginia, I-270 corridor: Take I-270 north to Frederick. Get off at the Market St. exit. Follow Market St. all the way into downtown. Once it crosses Patrick St., it becomes E. Market. / From Reston and Leesburg, VA, and the Rte 15 corridor: Take Rte 15 north and cross the Potomac River into Maryland. Follow to the junction with Rte 340 east. Follow 340 east as it comes into Frederick and becomes Jefferson St. Turn right onto South St. Follow South St. to Market St. Turn left onto Market St. Once it crosses Patrick St., it becomes E. Market. / From Baltimore and I-70 East: Take I-70 west to Frederick, exit at Market St and head east. Follow Market St. all the way into downtown. Once it crosses Patrick St., it becomes E. Market. / From Hagerstown and I-70 west: Follow I-70 west to the exit for Rte 15 and Gettysburg exit. Take the exit, stay on Rte. 340 east, which turns into Jefferson St. DO NOT turn left for Rte 15. Just stay on Jefferson St. to South St. Follow South St. to Market St. Turn left onto Market St. / From Gettysburg, PA, and Rte 15 north corridor: Take Rte 15 south to the exit for Patrick St. EAST. Follow Patrick Street as it splits and becomes South Street, going one way into downtown. Follow to Market St. Turn left on to Market St. Once it crosses Patrick St., it becomes E. Market. // FROM ALL OF THESE DIRECTIONS, after you're on E. Market, go five blocks. . . Other Words Studio is on your left between 4th and 5th St., near the corner of 5th St. Parking is on the street..
The Muddpuddle Cafe
123 S. Carroll St., Frederick, MD
Open Mic Poetry Series
2nd Tuesday of each month
February 8, 7:30 pm, sign ups begin at 7
Hosted by Nicki Miller and Toby DeBarr
Come on down and get down with your poetry, drink a little java, nosh a sandwich, or one of Ami's killer desserts. Growing by leaps and bounds!! We'll be looking for everyone tonight to make this the biggest and best one yet! Best and most lively poetry reading in Frederick! For more information: GalAengus@aol.com, or call 301-662-4323 for directions.
Keystone & the Richmond Slam
Well, that wraps most of what I have. As always, call before you go anywhere this time of year. We close things around these parts if they even predict snow!
Oh wait! We had the slam at the Theater in the Mall in Richmond and great fun was had by all! Keystone (Robert Elstein) led the event. He'd been at local schools all week, drumming up business and it really paid off! Over a hundred people were there ready to read. Okay 20 or so of us were ready to read. He did a decent job as MC, though some people didn't know quite what to make of the event. We're doing another in March during spring break. I'll let you know!bear hugs and all that poetry jazz,
