MUSELETTER #37
6/26/2000
This week's Museletter carries lots of news from just the other side of the year's hump, last week's summer solstice -- we hope you all put some poetry into the longest day of the year. We have:
- A regular report from Victor Infante in Orange County, California
- A venue change alert from Shann Palmer in Virginia
- Announcement of a September writers' conference among the Big Trees in Calaveras County, California
- Anne MacNaughton's press release on the Taos Poetry Circus
Margy Snyder & Bob Holman
Poetry Guides
POETRY IS EVERYWHERE AT ABOUT
- “Al Purdy Remembered”
Elizabeth Headlam, About.com's new Canadian Lit Guide, memorializes Canada's best-loved “working man's” poet. - Here are her links to a few other Canadian poets you ought to know about.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA/ORANGE COUNTY
Did Somebody Say “Slam Season?”
That's right, the National Poetry Slam Finals are coming up, and the local Laguna Beach Poetry Slam Team is just rippling with tension. Actually, we're having a lot of trouble prying them away from sipping daiquiris and lying on the beach soaking up this gorgeous sunshine we've had every day but today (figures. . .).
Still, as soon as we can pry them away from the surf, they're gonna be on tour around the region raising money to get to New England. And trust me, these guys need all the help they can get. Remember, Derrick Brown lives on a boat. To help our favorite slackers along, the nice folks at FarStarFire Press have collected some of their poems into a chapbook called The 2000 Laguna Beach Poetry Slam Team.
They'll be selling it at the following gigs:
- Friday, June 30, 8 pm
Laguna Poets, Wells Fargo Bank, 260 Ocean Avenue, Laguna Beach, CA, 949.494.6649, hosted by Pat Cohee. - Monday, July 10, 7:30 pm
Borders at The Block, 20 City West Blvd., Orange, 714.769.3221, hosted by M.C. Bruce. - Tuesday, July 11
Gypsy Den and Reading Room, the Lab, 2930 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, 714.549.7012, hosted by Lee Mallory. - Tuesday, August 1
Diedrich Brea, 730 E. Imperial Highway, Brea, CA, 714.256.6790, hosted by the North Orange County Poetry Continuum.
Rumors are swelling about an appearance in Redondo and possible exhibition slams against LA, San Diego and even the old and decrepit members of previous OC teams, but those aren't confirmed as of this writing. Besides, that's gonna involve luring them from the beach with chocolate, and that gets expensive.
Wanda Coleman in the House
In other news, the Spillway Literary Journal/Tebot Bach Press literary series, hosted by the five penny poets (which includes me) is still going well. This month's appearance by Charles Harper Webb (listen to his interview with David St. John at The Cortland Review) and Jamie O'Halloran was amazing. Next month we're set to top ourselves with an appearance by poetry maverick Wanda Coleman and the grand empress of Laguna Canyon, Marcia Cohee. This promises to be the strongest night of poetry OC's seen in centuries, so of course, I personally am gonna miss it, because I'll be on a plane going to New England at that very moment, so I can read a week before Nationals at the Java Hut in Worcester, MA. Sigh. This makes my second time missing Coleman in the space of a month. I missed her at the LA River Ampitheatre recently, too, when she and others were being honored for their contributions to West Coast poetry by Beyond Baroque Literary Center and other organizations as part of their “World Beyond Poetry Festival.” Do I suck or what?The five penny poets series
Fidelity Federal Bank
19900 Beach Blvd.
Huntington Beach, CA
714.968.0905
A Lob Would Say “BOOM!”
Everybody, and we do mean everybody, will be in the house on Saturday, June 24, for Word Rave VIII, a gargantuan collection of poets from all over OC, San Diego and LA. Organized by the affable Lob, the Word Rave will be held at a secret-ninja location in San Diego, and will include readings by Big Poppa E, Brendan Constantine, Matthew Niblock, Lizzie Wann, Mindy Nettifee and more than 40, that's right, 40 more. For details, visit Thee Web site.
Victor's Soap Box
It's not poetry related, but I did want to take a second to mourn the death of medical marijuana activist Peter McWilliams, author of the best-selling book, Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do, a wonderfully level-headed and humorous book that picked apart the absurdities of having consensual crimes in a free society. He passed away June 14, after choking on the vomit induced by the medicine he took to control symptoms of his AIDS and non-Hodgkins related lymphoma. Previously, he had -- under doctor's orders -- smoked marijuana to control the nausea, until a California judge ruled that he not do so anymore. This, in a state that supposedly legalized marijuana for medical purposes four years ago. Again, the nonsensical War on Drugs claims another victim. For more on his death, visit The Marijuana News.
That's it for me.
VIRGINIA/DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Venue Change Alert: “June Jaw”
The “June Jaw” events announced at Ashland Coffee & Tea have been moved, to have a better venue (drinks and dinner available and in town), to: Cheers, a great little place in Carytown, near historic Monument Avenue.
Tuesday, June 27th, hear:
Larry Jaffe (LA) and Georgia Popoff (Chicago), well known performance poets and a presence on the Net (see Ernest's Poet Watch). Open mike after.
Lots of off-street parking and easy access in all directions by interstate. $4 cover charge, but I'll give a dollar back to anyone who reads this and brings a copy to the venue. Please come -- it's about 90 minutes from DC, less if you're closer. I can send maps or URLs for maps. Contact shannp@sprynet.com for more info/directions or call 804.266.2249.
READER-SUBMITTED POETRY NEWS BRIEFS
From Penny:
Poems in the Forest Writer's Conference
September 15-17, 2000
Workshop leaders & faculty poets include: Steve Kowitz, Linda Hussa, Josh McKinney, Susan Kelly-Dewitt, Catherine Webster. Join poets and naturalists among the giant sequoias of Big Trees State Park at this Writers Unlimited poetry weekend designed to facilitate your knowledge and experience of the natural environment. Faculty-led excursions on the natural and cultural history of the land will use nature to inspire poetry. Activities: panel discussions, campfire readings and craft workshops. $200 fee includes camping fees, 6 meals, materials. Limited to 50 participants. Contact Penny at Calaveras County Arts Council, P.O. Box 250, San Andreas, CA 95249, (209) 754-1774 or email arts@goldrush.com for more information. See www.calaverasarts.org for details and application.
From Anne MacNaughton:
The World Poetry Bout Association
TAOS -- Sherman Alexie proved himself to be “the toughest Indian in the world” last Saturday night by three-peating in the World Heavyweight Championship Poetry Bout in a split decision. The challenger in the ten-round contest, New York poet, spoken word artist and Poetry Guide, Bob Holman, came within one round of capturing the Title on two of the judges’ cards. Three citizens of Taos judged the event, the “Main Event” of the 9-day festival, at 96-94, 95-95, and 96-94. This is the first time there has been a three-peat in this event. In nine of the rounds each poet presents one original poem, and in the tenth they improvise a poem based on a word drawn from a hat. Holman expertly riffed off the word “beads,” while Alexie worked from the word “mask.”
The festival attracted hundreds of people from around the world by combining performance contests with more standard poetry readings by such literary giants as American poets Ishmael Reed, Jerome Rothenberg and John Trudell along with the legendary Japanese poet Nanao Sakaki.
Earlier in the week Jim Navé hosted two poetry slams, including one for youth. The winner of the Poetry Circus’ Open Poetry Slam was Sonya Feher of Austin, Texas. Joanne Young of Santa Fe, last year’s first place winner, took 2nd, while R. Eirik Ott of California took 3rd place and Craig Arnold of Utah came in 4th. In the Next Generation Youth Slam, Melissa Goodman of Crested Butte, Colorado, took 1st place. Christa Sperry, Daniel Ingroff and Rachel Brown of Taos took 2nd, 3rd and 4th places respectively. Winners won passes to the festival as well as cash prizes.
Wednesday the third annual Tag Team event was staged. In that event, the 2-poet team of Danny Solis of Albuquerque and Paula Friedrich of Seattle edged past that of former Heavyweight Poetry Champions Terry Jacobus (’82) and Lewis MacAdams (’83, ’85). Tied by the end of the 8 rounds, the event would have gone into a regulation sudden-death overtime round had the veteran Bouters not run over the 5-minute time limit. The half-point penalty cost them the contest. Also on the bill during the 3-ring affair were daily discussions and workshops as well as free open readings and a poetry video show. Videotapes of all performances are available from the World Poetry Bout Association at 1.877.203.9520.
