MUSELETTER #21
3/3/2000
Welcome to another issue of our weekly Museletter. It's getting bigger & better all the time, so we'll get right to it: this week we have an update from Larry Jaffe in LA, & the first Museletter report from our new Boston/New England correspondent, Robyn Su Millerz. “Su” is a perennial slammer in the New England area and a regular at many spoken word venues; she was an alternate for the 1999 Cape Cod Team. Enjoy!
Margy Snyder & Bob Holman
Your About.com Poetry Guides
POETRY IS EVERYWHERE AT ABOUT.COM
On these cold winter nights, d'you find yourself wanting to hear one of the sagas of “the Bard of the Yukon,” the one & only Robert W. Service? About.com's Guide to Arctic & Northern Culture, Murray Lundberg, has searched out all the best Service texts & links.
BOSTON/NEW ENGLAND
Amazon Super Slam and Anniversary Party
The last Sunday of every month Ren Jender presents the all-women Amazon Slam at Ryles (212 Hampshire St. in Innman Square, Cambridge, MA). The poets there are always hot, but on March 26 they should prove sizzling: it's time for the Amazon Super Slam, where the slam winners from the previous six months compete for hefty cash prizes ($100.00 for first place, $50.00 for the runner-up). The grand line-up consists of Eve Stern, Yvette Leaphart, Tanya Rubins, Danielle Carriveau, Shawnee, and Mary Meiklejohn. This night also marks the fourth anniversary of the Amazon Slam, so come help celebrate. $8.00 admission fee includes dancing after the poets slam. Show starts 8 pm (prompt arrival recommended). For more info, check out Ren Jender's new lit-zine on the Web, Nest O' Vipers.
“From Homer to Hip Hop,” A Poetry Music Festival
Boston-area shakers and movers, including Boston slam master Michael Brown, and Lizard Lounge host Jeff Robinson, got together to produce an extravanganza of poetry and music at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education (65 Brattle St. in Harvard Square) on Saturday and Sunday, March 11-12. For $35, participants can attend Saturday's workshops and daytime performances and Sunday's panel discussion, followed by the first annual Boston Poetry Awards. Or for a mere $2 apiece ($6 for all four) hit only the fabulous line-up of Saturday afternoon shows: Zilla McCue, Tim Mason with Geoff Bartley, Eve and Leni Stern, CD Collins and Pincurl.
On Saturday evening, choose between: “American Bard” at Christ Church (Zero Garden St., Cambridge, MA), featuring Ed Sanders, Jim Infantino, Hettie Jones and Janine Pommy Vega, or “National Poetry Slam Winners” at Longfellow Hall (13 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA), starring Reggie Gibson, Anthony Rucker (aka da Boogie Man), Monica Copeland, and Joel Dias-Porter (aka DJ Renegade). Each show begins at 8 pm and costs $12. You don't have to stop there: later that night Michael Ladd will be at the Lizard Lounge (1667 Mass. Ave., Cambridge) with Jamahl Crawford and Yvette Leaphart.
On Sunday afternoon the Boston Poetry Awards, hosted by Jimmy Tingle, will honor Jack Powers, Brother Blue, Billy Barnum, Diana DerHovanessian, and Elizabeth McKim with life-time achievement awards. To register or find out more, contact the Cambridge Center for Adult Education or Slam News Service.
All Out Jam! at the Lizard Lounge
The air's smoky, the ceiling low-slung, the walls red. Just like a lounge should be. As a special cap-off to the poetry and music festival, the Jeff Robinson Trio (Jeff “the Minister” Robinson on sax, Blake “the Professor” Newman on bass, Jerome “the General” Deupree on drums) invites poets and musicians to their open mike for an all-out jam at the Lizard Lounge (1667 Mass. Ave. between Harvard Square and Porter Square in Cambridge, MA). The featured poets that night are Michael Holley and Corey Cokes. The Trio (ersatz quartet, since David “Big” Johnston joins them on guitar for the open mike) improvises behind poets every Sunday night, starting at 9 pm. $4 at the door. The format begins with the featured poet/s and moves on to open mike (one poem each), after which poets are often invited up to the mike to freestyle. Other upcoming features in March: Tommy Mendez on March 5, Gary Hicks on March 19, and Zilla McCue on March 26. In keeping with the new tradition, one of these lucky poets will be accorded the distinction of “Poet-of-the-Month” and will return the following month to emcee the evenings in April, clad (only?) in a laurel wreath hand-fashioned by Poet Excoriate, Kitty Marrs. Call (617) 547-0759 or visit the Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam Web site.
The Boston Slam, at the Cantab
If you plan on talking during the readings at The Cantab Lounge (738 Mass. Ave., Central Square, Cambridge), be prepared to hear one of the cohosts, Sam Libby or Tommy Mendez, recite the standard lecture about how there are hundreds of bars where you can go to talk, but only one where you can come to hear poets. Ignore that and risk having Boston slam master Michael Brown approach you personally. Result? Quite possibly the best listening audience a poet will find in the country. Sign up for the open mike by 8 pm, give your $3 at the door to the venerable Ron Goba, and thank him for the fact that the Cantab is now smoke-free. (Smokers can go upstairs.) After the open mike there is usually a feature, beginning between 9:30 and 10 pm, followed by a slam. Highly recommended: plan on staying late and catching the slams this March and April. These are qualifying slams for a chance at making the Boston team for the National Poetry Slam, to be held in Providence, RI on August 2-5, 2000, and the competition is stunningly fierce. Keep abreast of all that's happening here via Slam News Service.
Down City Slam at Nick-a-Nee's in Providence, RI
Even if Nick-a-Nee's (75 South St.) hadn't been voted by Providence Phoenix readers as the Best Bar in the city, somehow I would've been able to guess. Gush, even. John Powers and Sage Francis cohost an elaborate poetry series here every Thursday except for the 1st Thursday of the month, which is reserved for the slam at AS220 down the road (115 Empire St.). They sponsor a slam every 3rd Thursday of the month, which, along with those at AS22O, qualifies winners to compete for a slot on the hometown team at this year's National Poetry Slam in Providence. The following week, every 4th Thursday, they hold a champion bout, where the slam winner goes head to head in a best 3 out of 5 against the former month's champion.
There's always a short open mike, where you can sometimes expect to compete with the happy buzz at the bar (personally, I like the challenge) and, since John Powers has been lining up legends for the featured readers, you can also expect to encounter rapt attention on any given night. Taylor Mali, Beau Sia, and Patricia Smith have all recently featured. Upcoming events:Shows start at 7:30 and cost $3 at the door. For more details and a full list of events, please call (401) 831-8100 or contact John at downcity@gotpoetry.com. Even if you don't want more details, go to the Down City Web site (still under construction) in order to admire Kyria Abraham's Web artistry.
- March 9 - open mike, and Bill Macmillan
- March 16 - open mike, da Boogie Man, and slam
- March 23 - open mike, followed by a Down City Champion Bout between the winner of the slam and the current champion, Jack McCarthy. Plus, a preview of the Nationals: a Providence team challenges two teams from NYC, Team Union Square and Team Urbana.
On Cape Cod, Best Beloved, there are poets,
. . . and they love poets. . . . It's always worth the trip to Cape Cod to hear or read poetry. Where else can a gal get a marriage proposal on the strength of one poem? (Bother those injunctions against bigamy!) On February 25 Jose de Gouveia (1999 Poet Laureate of Cape Cod) and Kristin Knowles (1998 Poet Laureate of Cape Cod) gave featured readings and cohosted the slam for the title to this year's Poet Laureate of Cape Cod, won in four rounds by Adam Stone (1999 Cape Cod team member and editor, Son of Word).
The evening also marked the debut of Kaffee Wolfgang (448 Main St., Hyannis, MA) as the new venue for spoken word events in the upper Cape region. The cozy, smoke-free coffee shop sports wide-plank wood floors, chess sets, and an electric toy car racetrack -- or, as described in their newsletter, “the atmosphere is plain (man's touch).” (Please note Wolfgang will be accepting poems and essays to publish in this newsletter.) The calendar is still evolving, but the current plan includes an open mike every Thursday at 8 pm and poetry events 2 Fridays a month. Look for me back there on March 31in a co-feature with Boston's Poet Excoriate, Kitty Marrs, 8 pm. For other events as they are booked, please contact Joe at capepoet@hotmail.com.
2nd Annual Provincetown Poetry Festival
If you need an excuse to visit Cape Cod during the springtime, make it this year's Poetry Festival in Provincetown, April 14-17. Your $75 registration fee covers four days of workshops, readings, literary tours, cocktail receptions, brunches, and two major theatrical events, “Walt & Oscar's Wilde Weekend” (recounting the occasion Oscar Wilde visited Walt Whitman) and “Murder in the Cathedral” (stage version of the classic T.S. Eliot story). The festival is capped off by a Poetry Slam, hosted by Cape Cod Slam Master Kristin Knowles, where poets will compete for a fabulous prize: a weekend on Nantucket for two. Registration fees do not include housing (festival rates are provided by Distinctive Inns of Provincetown), transportation, or the competitor's fee (around $5) for the Slam. For details, contact PoetFest@aol.com or call (508) 487-3699 or (508) 487-4992.
Worcester Poetry Slam & Poets' Asylum
Blurbs are not adequate to capture the scope of what hosts Bill and Sou Macmillan have built here on Sunday and Monday nights at Java Hut (1073A Main St., Worcester -- “Woosta” -- MA). You owe it to yourself, if spoken word (or having a blast, or shaved ice coffee) means anything to you, to come experience it. And no, Bostonian flatearthers, the world does not drop off outside Route 128. End of lecture. Next time I'll parcel enough space to fit all the superlatives in, but until then this is the nutshell version:
Sunday nights (7 pm) Bill hosts an open mike, featured poet, and slam, and on Monday nights (7:30 pm) Sou hosts a “guest poet” reading (Dorothy Parker, Lydia Lunch and Lord Buckley have made appearances), open mike and theme slam. Upcoming events: Sunday, March 5, the semi-final Poetry Slam to winnow out slammers for the Worcester Poetry Team; Sunday, March 12, Reggie Gibson ('98 Indie Slam Champ), and Sunday March 19, the Worcester Poetry Slam Team Finals. Call (508) 752-1678 if you need directions. Get there early, as the nights are often packed.
A couple of new beginnings to wrap up:
I ran out of space and stamina long before I ran out of even 1/3 of the places I meant to mention. Harangue me at wickedlit@mindspring.com if you want your venue reviewed.
Slam Comes to Bridgewater, MA
Valerie Lawson and Phil Hasouris cohost an Open Mic and Poetry Slam at The Daily Grind on Bridgewater Common, 7:30 pm every other Saturday. Upcoming features: March 4 Michael Brown, March 18 Adam Stone, April 1 Kristin Knowles, April 15 Michael Mack. For info call: Valerie at (508)833-3100, VMuddyPond@aol.com or The Daily Grind at (508) 279-9952.
Spoken Word Comes to Somerville, MA
Umelini and Ghetto will host Poetry, Spoken Word, and Music at the Legacy Gallery (1299 Broadway, Somerville MA), every 2nd and 4th Wednesday, beginning March 8th at 8 pm. $3 at the door. For details, contact (617) 821-6114 or LegacyGA@aol.com.
LOS ANGELES
It's Been Quite a Month
Well folks, it has been quite a month: between traveling and the Moondog Cafe being sold and turned into a sushi bar, I been one crazed poet. At the beginning of the month I was in Detroit doing a reading for DaimlerChrysler’s Spirit in the Words poetry program. From there I flew to San Francisco to do reads in Petaluma and deep in the Haight at Café International. One thing that is neat about traveling around and visiting other venues is getting a perspective of where poetry is at in America. I find it fascinating how popular poetry is with people, how many people actually write poetry and how the media and educational system seem to neglect its very essence. Yes, I find this very fascinating indeed. But there are signs things are changing. Oh and along my travels, I came to find out that Mike the owner (Mike Giangreco) had sold the dawg and it was destined to become a sushi bar. But we found a great new place for the dawg as you will soon find out down below.
Jerry Quickley: Poet & Impresario
This month I am profiling one of LA’s most incredible spoken word artists and poets and hosts, Mr. Jerry Quickley. If anyone can change the perception of poetry it is this man. I first met Jerry about 3 years ago and he has featured for me regularly in PoeticLicense. Jerry and I worked together with Jones Juke Joint, where he put poetry into the fashion world editing an excellent anthology. He is extremely active in the community and we recently put together an anthology to benefit the Mumia911 campaign. You literally need a Daytimer just to keep up with the man.
Jerry has been on a whirlwind pace touring the world. Since December he has performed in Paris, London, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, and Auckland. He has also done shows with bands including Aztlan Underground, Ozomatli, Spearhead, Black Eyed Peas, Jurassic 5, Blackalicious, and others. Right now he is in the studio working on his own record, and doing some work on the upcoming Ozomatli album. Another major project he has been working on is the upcoming UnBound CD, a benefit effort to raise awareness of Mumia Abu-Jamal and money for his defense. Some of the other artists he worked with on the CD include: Zack DeLa Rocha (rage against the machine), Black Thought (Roots), Pharaoh Monche, Chuck D (Public Enemy), Taleb Kwali (BlackStar), Lord Jamar, Divine Styler, The Last Emperor, Saul Williams, Ursula Rucker, and others. This month Jerry is the featured poet in Horizon. And while no one is looking he runs a Poetry in the Prisons workshop on a volunteer basis. He visits Central Juvenile Hall twice a month to help the city’s incarcerated youth craft their stories into art. Did I say this guy is busy?
Jerry also runs two spoken word series that are ripping up the town: Words and 33 1/3. Words is a monthly series and just maybe the most popular spoken word venue in the world. The next Words is on Tuesday March 21, and the features are Sarah Jones (NYC), Tony Medina (Philly), Angelic Vagrants, and The Unknown Poet. Each Words draws 300 - 400 people (the club only holds 360 and they were just over the limit). It was recently written up in LA Weekly. Jerry is also the resident poet and host of 33 1/3, a weekly gathering of the soul/roots/spoken word/hip hop crowd. Al Jackson and C-Los spin wax for the poets and mc’s. There’s an open mike and there’s usually a featured poet. 33 1/3 has been running for about a year, Monday nights from 10 - 2 at Luna Sol Café, 2501 W. Sixth Street (near downtown - between Rampart and Alvarado), $5. Info line: (323) 957-4897. Jerry Quickley is putting poetry on the map. . . no, he is taking over the map.
San Gabriel Valley Stuff
Just in time for National Poetry Month, the San Gabriel Valley Poetry Festival will be inaugurated on April 1 - 16. This information comes to us from Don Campbell, one of the heads of the event along with poet Ryan Oba. For complete festival info, go to the San Gabriel Valley Poetry Web site. Don also hosts the reading at Pasadena Borders Books + Music Tuesday nights at 8 pm. Their March schedule includes: March 7th - Catherine Daly, March 14th - Ron Gregus, March 21st - Ryfkah, and March 28th - Blue + Katie O’Loughlin. 475 S. Lake Avenue, free parking in the adjacent Macy’s garage. Call (626) 281-3605 or email sensitive@earthlink.net.
Now For the News at PoeticLicense
As I said above, the dawg is gone and we have acquired new digs. Beginning Tuesday, March 7, PoeticLicense will be at Home Los Feliz, a wonderful venue at 1760 Hillhurst Avenue between Hollywood Boulevard and Franklin Avenue, (323) 669-0211. Our March features are as follows:We have a new Web address for PLNEWS and assorted PL info.
- March 7th - Heather Long & Jennifer Robin, guest poet from Oregon
- March 14th - Janet Buck & Doug Tanoury
- March 21st - Jimmy Smith/Blind Lemon Pledge Birthday Extravaganza
- March 28th - Mac Dennis & Larry Jaffe Annual Birthday Bash.
Internet News
Since I seem to live online and offline simultaneously (great trick -- write me and I will tell you how I do it), I will from time to time let you know about some hot Web sites. This month we are taking a look at Lovestories.com, established in 1997. They get 2.5 million page views a month, and over 500,000 visitors a month. Who says poetry ain’t popular? The poetry section was recently reviewed in Web Guide Magazine’s February issue, rated highest among Love Poetry sites, noted as the most extensive on the Web. Topics go way beyond Love, though (the site was also reviewed in the February issue of US Magazine). Lovestories.com published their first anthology, Bytes of Poetry, in November. According to founder Alanna Webb, their mission has always been to promote poetry in everyday life and to encourage people to write if they are inspired, even if they aren’t academically educated about poetry. The poets in the book range from age 14 to 65+, and the styles and topics are diverse, from slavery to the Holocaust, as well as love, divorce, and more. Lovestories.com recently added Poetry Readings Sunday night, and are always expanding features. The highlight of the site for poets is that they can sign up for a free Poet account, and log in 24/7 to post their poems. It gives them total control over posting their work on the Web.
Popoff Italian Style
Our good friend Georgia Popoff will be conducting a poetry workshop in the beautiful landscape of Tuscany this June 10-17 under the aegis of Il Chiostro di Toscana, a local program of arts workshops. Rates are extremely reasonable, the environment enchanting, the opportunity to grow as a writer is certainly profound! One of the many benefits of this series is the intimacy of the workshop experience, which limits participation to 10 for a strong and cohesive communication among those registered and a great deal of personal involvement in the creative process. For a full description of Il Chiostro di Toscana, visit the Web site. For a brochure, registration information, and other details, contact may be made by phone, email, or fax.
That’s it for this month of musin' in la la land. See you next time.
