Our news is from the Northern tier this week: We have Marj Hahne on Philadelphia-area events, Ian Ferrier reporting from Montreal & Toronto (where the annual Scream in High Park is tonight!), and Jason Pettus updating doings in Madison & Detroit. Plus, of course, the newest articles & resources at About Poetry are linked below. Enjoy!
Classic Lit Guide Floramaria Deter has assembled a constellation of resources about that most American of poets, Walt Whitman -- grandfather of the Beats & greatgrandfather to today's performance poets:
Her feature article on Spirituality and Religion in Whitman's “Song of Myself”
Polak and Perry Play Poetag
On Thursday, May 18, Poets & Prophets (610.328.POET) hosted Maralyn Lois Polak and Aaren Yeatts Perry at the Philadelphia Ethical Society on Rittenhouse Square. This reading was particularly engaging because Polak and Perry both delivered two 15-minute sets in rotation, which allowed them to play off of each other’s poems during their respective second sets, a sort-of call-and-(delayed) response word-dance.
Polak’s experimental, interactive cyber-novel The Man in Her Mind: Further Adventures of Boris and Natasha has made its online debut as a weekly serial on the political-literary Web magazine, Femme Soul. Polak, who has reviewed books for the New York Times and guested on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, currently writes a weekly commentary column called “Left-Handed” for WorldNetDaily, a widely read Internet news site.
Perry’s CD entitled Mercury Calling (Melody Vision, 2000) is an extensive 27-poem sampling of his work, poems he calls “homages to the energy of love, reverie, protest, and praise that keep us connected to the soul and the spirit.” Perry also wrote the textbook Poetry across the Curriculum (Allyn & Bacon, 1997). Both his book and CD can be ordered by contacting him directly by email at ayperry@aol.com.
Ketan Ben Caesar Dictates Poetry to the People
“The Performance Poet transforms the page to the stage, flips the script and poeticizes from the heart… anybody can write poetry but only the Performance Poet can become the poem itself,” says performance artist/folk poet Ketan Ben Caesar who, on Thursday, May 25, lit up the Black Box, a fledgling performance venue above Frangelica’s Restaurant (200 S. 12th Street, between Locust and Walnut Streets, 215.893.9226). Founder of the legendary London Pub’s Poetry Series (1978-1981) and coordinator of the North Star Poetry Series from 1984-1990 before passing the word-wand to local poet C.A. Conrad, Caesar has brought his poetry-in-motion to art centers and galleries, universities and schools, coffeehouses and restaurants, nightclubs and cabarets, theaters and festivals, and television and radio stations.
Caesar likes to deliver his readings with a new twist, and his winning shtick this time was to open each poem with a question, sometimes serious, sometimes comical. My favorite was the query that opened “Sensuality”: “Question: If I tell you that I love you more today than yesterday but not as much as tomorrow, can we make love right now?” I laughed just as hard throughout his poem “The Ultimate Commandment”:
Thou shalt not should on thyself or thy neighbor
and don’t let thy neighbor should on you.
When he’s not giving good advice, Caesar is commenting astutely on capital punishment, hypocrisy, his neighbor’s wife. His most impressive stroke of pogenius was “A to Z,” an acrostic poem that moves through the alphabet six times. The evening closed with several decent open-mic readings.
Ketan Ben Caesar will be reading next on Thursday, July 20 at 7:00 pm, at the Philadelphia Ethical Society, 1906 Rittenhouse Square, sponsored by Poets & Prophets, 610.328.POET, with open-mic to follow, $4.
this is a poem for me.
I am alone.
one night of words
will not change all that.
I trust she knows by now how publicly loved she is, how much her poems are ours, given one night of words on Friday, May 26, given the standing-room-only crowd that packed the Painted Bride Art Center (230 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA, 215.925.9914) to pay tribute to this inspirational poet, teacher, advocate, activist, woman, mother, upon her retirement from Temple University. Organized by journalist James Spady and Larry Robin, owner of Robin’s Book Store (108 S. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 215.735.9600), this free celebration was a five-movement dance of music, politics, memories, poetry/drama, and Sonia’s solo swan song. Among the speakers were Amiri Baraka, Toni Morrison, Lorene Cary, Tracie Morris, Ramona Africa, and Sanchez’s two sons, whose beautiful two-minute tribute to their mom probably meant more to her than the lifetime of praises she’s garnered. Local playwright Kimmika Williams’ poetic paean was a crescendo that vibrated the room, and Ozzie Jones’ dramatic reading from two of Sanchez’ plays received an instantaneous standing ovation. The grand finale was Sister Sonia herself, saying and singing her poems to Monette Sudler’s cool-jazzy guitar, “shift[ing] with ease from a blues-inspired love poem to a political call to arms,” as one writer has described her work. Sonia, you are
fo real.
…pushen us
toward past
beginnings.
…ahhhh beautiful
music
coveren our blue
indigo
bodies………
(from “poem for etheridge”)… you are
a poem for the world
(from “summary”).
Highwire Reading Series Lies Low for the Summer
On Saturday, June 10, The Highwire Reading Series, held every other Saturday at 8:00 pm at the Highwire Gallery (139 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA, 215.829.1255), closed its second successful year with poetry by Ethan Fugate and Cathleen Miller. Host Kyle Conner fittingly described Fugate as one of the New Wave of DC Surrealists, writing fantastic word-trips through the bleak streets of our nation’s capital. Miller recently completed Temple’s MA program and read from her manuscript of poems on the theme of fire. The following week, I saw Miller read as a member of Poetry for the People (poetry4peeps@hotmail.com) at the annual Clark Park Festival (43rd and Chester, Philadelphia, PA). Poetry for the People is a grassroots group affiliated with Temple University's Institute for the Study of Literature, Literacy, and Culture that does community outreach with poetry, continuing the work of poet June Jordan's California-based organization of the same name.
Stay tuned for next season’s lineup of Highwire readings beginning in the fall.
2Bards at 3Beans
On Tuesday, June 13, two New Jersey poets, Frank Finale and Peter Murphy, closed this season’s Poetry Reading Series sponsored by Newton Colony Arts Bank (the second Tuesday of every month at 7:30 pm, at the 3Beans Coffee Shop, 132 N. Haddon Avenue, Haddonfield, NJ, 856.354.2220). Series hostess is Kathy Volk Miller, who teaches creative writing at Rutgers University-Camden, serves as co-editor of the literary journal Painted Bride Quarterly, and writes a monthly column called “Art for Our Sake” that appears in the “Saturday Review” section of The Philadelphia Inquirer. This series’ events cost $3 admission and include an open-mic reading following the featured poets.
Frank Finale read with a low-tide calm his poems and prose about seascapes and lifescapes from To The Shore Once More: A Portrait of the Jersey Shore, a beautiful coffee-table-size book of his writing complemented by the artwork of area artists. Finale teaches at East Dover Elementary School in the Toms River Regional School District, and currently serves as poetry editor of the new renaissance, an international, award-winning literary magazine. He has published over 270 poems and essays in more than 100 different books, journals, and magazines. Finale’s biography and reading schedule can be found at Jersey Shore Publications.
Peter Murphy read poems that grabbed my funny bone and my viscera, and he agrees that his best ones seize both at the same time. Murphy has taught English and creative writing at Atlantic City High School for the past 25 years, many of his students having been recognized for their wordsmanship. For example, over the ten-year course of the New Jersey High School Poetry Contest, sponsored by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and Rutgers University-Newark, more than 30 of Murphy’s students have been among the 20 finalists selected annually from a pool of 600-700. Five of those students, three having graduated and two returning as seniors in the fall, will be reading at this year’s Dodge Poetry Festival, September 21 - 24. Murphy also organizes a number of writing workshops, retreats, and small-group excursions described on his Web site, and since 1994 has hosted an annual Winter Poetry and Prose Getaway at Cape May, which has expanded from 20 poets its first year to 175 multi-genre writers and artists this past January. For a more extensive biography of Murphy and a sampling of his poetry, go to his site at Skyland Writers & Poets. In 1996 The New York Times profiled Murphy and his teaching in an article entitled “Revise, Revise, Revise!.” Murphy has also served as judge for the first three monthly InterBoard Poetry Competitions.
In Celebration of Life: A Memorial for Wil Perkins
Before West Philly scat poet Wil B. Perkins died of lung cancer on April 28, he requested that his memorial service be a huge poetry reading open to the public. On Sunday afternoon, June 25, Wil’s family, friends, and fans gathered at the Painted Bride Art Center (230 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA, 215.925.9914) to celebrate his life and work with the cornerstones of his lifework: poetry and jazz. Accompanying the readers on stage were Elliot Levin on saxophone and flute, Bob Adamski on bass, Bob Mack on guitar, Ed Watkins on drums, and Ron Carter on congas. Local poet/playwright Kimmika Williams invited us to invoke Wil in a communal chant with a sound of our choosing, because he “was a sound improvisario.” She electrically spoke her riveting piece, all the more astounding when poet/hostess Mbali Umoja told the crowd afterward that Williams, nine months pregnant, had mentioned at 8:00 pm the previous evening that (understandably) she would not be able to write a new piece for the memorial. Also a dynamic reader, Ketan Ben Caesar opened and closed his piece with a relevant excerpt from his own work: “In the beginning was the word -- the word was in the beginning.” Umoja told us how she long ago had named the surviving kitten of a litter “Perkins,” then said her poem about the “sleek, catlike scat man.” Musicians Levin and Carter also read their poetic tributes to Perkins. Levin’s musi-poetical piece sampled Wil’s poetry, words Levin felt privileged to hear up-close, having read with Perkins in October 1998 at the Painted Bride. He also announced the upcoming release of a CD recording of that event, the production services for which were donated by composer/engineer Rodney Whittenberg and Melody Vision in Philadelphia. Closing the celebration was one of Wil’s cousins, who spoke with gratitude on behalf of the family. Scat! is the title of Wil Perkins' 1997 volume of poetry.
Sherman Alexie Crosses Borders at Borders
Since witnessing Sherman Alexie deliver his intelligent no-nonsense perspectives as a poetry-discussion panelist, slam against Patricia Smith, and perform his work with his band during the first People’s Poetry Gathering held in New York City in April 1999, I have had all the room in the world for whatever the man has to say. So when “The Toughest Indian in the World” came on Monday, June 26, to Borders (1727 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 215.568.7400), one of the last stops on his national book tour to promote his latest collection of short stories, I got there a half-hour early, but had no idea that so many folks ranging from teenager to senior would soon crowd the space around me. That night, Alexie read two poems and excerpts from a couple stories in The Toughest Indian in the World. I think my favorite excerpt was the one taken from a story during which the narrator’s father responds powerfully, with integrity, to his son’s arrogant professor’s disdainful challenge: “‘What kind of Indian are you? You weren’t part of the revolution.’ ‘I’m a man who keeps my promises.’” (p. 29) In an interview that appeared in The City Paper prior to his bookstore appearance, Alexie said, “I’m a performer, too. I’m not some boring guy mumbling up on a podium.” True to his word, Alexie spent a good deal of his time entertaining (and educating) the crowd with his satirical observations about white guys, television, and film-industry executives, to name a few -- though no group was spared, which is why it’s so easy to like him, to laugh in agreement or at least understanding, to pay attention to every word he says.
In’digo Flo’ Moves to Bring More Color to Local Poetry Scene
Tired of what they’ve observed as nepotistic-like favoritism and exclusiveness from some area open-mic hosts, a group of local spoken-word artists decided to organize their own collective and sponsor readings by their own members followed by an open-mic segment at rotating venues around the city. Their debut event was held on Friday, June 30, at Robin’s Book Store (108 S. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 215.735.9600), and was attended by twelve people, only a few of whom read their poetry along with the collective’s organizer, who describes herself not as a poet but rather a supporter of poets. I intend to keep supporting the noble efforts of In’digo Flo’, who will appear next on Saturday, July 22, from 7:00 - 10:00 pm, in HMV Records’ second-floor Crimson Moon Cafe (1510 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 215.875.5100).
The Woman Who Tries to Believe Has Made a Believer Out of Me
Although I had seen Barbara Daniels’ name in print many times and was introduced to her just this past May, I had never seen her read her poetry until Friday, July 7, at Robin’s Book Store (108 S. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 215.735.9600). A teacher at Camden County College, Daniels received an Individual Artist Fellowship from the New Jersey Council on the Arts in 1998, and last year, she completed an MFA in poetry at Vermont College. That night, I heard every word she read in her slow, deliberate cadence from her chapbook entitled The Woman Who Tries to Believe, as if I were now the trusted holder of delicate words passed ever so carefully to me. “Something like the memory of wind,” “the sad and conscientious heart,” “the trees instruct us,” and “How many days are we sure of?” were just some of the crystal phrases I hung onto -- clear, comprehensible, but also multi-faceted, word-spheres revealing more truths if you look more deeply. Daniels is as mischievous as she is meditative, namely in “Smoke,” a sarcastic rumination about her ex-husband, someone she hears about but never sees; in “The Kids Speak,” a promotion for childlessness, given what they might have said and done; and in “An End to Dreams of the Mouth,” a poem about wishes in the vein of “Cape Disappointment will change its name.” The Woman Who Tries to Believe won the Quentin R. Howard Prize from Wind Publications in Lexington, KY, and Daniels’ poems have appeared in The Massachusetts Review, The Seattle Review, Poet Lore and slant, among others. A sampling of her poems can also be read at the University of Pennsylvania Kelly Writers House Web site.
Wednesday, June 19, 7:00 pm
Tonya Marie Evans, dubbed “Lawyer by day, Poet by night,” will read from Seasons of Her: a collection of poetry, a beautifully illustrated book divided into four sections that explore the proverbial seasons in a woman’s life.
Tuesday, July 25, 7:00 pm
Afaa Michael Weaver, a former Philadelphian described as “a poet of angels and demons” by Alicia Ostriker, will read from his sixth book of poetry entitled Multitudes: Poems Selected and New.
Poetry Finds Another Stage at The Point
Kim DeAngelo is very committed to furthering poetic expression. She might even say that this desire is a regular ache in her gut, hence the title of her new open-mic poetry series at The Point (880 W. Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA, 610.517-0988). Occurring about once a month, P.M.S. or “Poetry Must Shine - Poetry Must Survive,” has had two well-attended readings so far, on Monday, June 26 and Thursday, July 6, from 8:00-10:30 pm. Attendees were primarily Main Line and Delaware County poets, many of whom do not necessarily venture into Philadelphia for its reading opportunities, and I can’t blame them -- The Point is the quintessential coffee house, and this crowd appears to be very enthusiastic and supportive of each other. Plus, musical accompaniment is available depending on which local musicians show up. The next reading will be held on Monday, July 31, and Kim is busy organizing a regular schedule, including a Halloween event for which you may dress up as, say, a famous poet or the subject of one of your own poems. Kim can be contacted at possessedpoet@aol.com for what she calls “Poetic Mind Sharing!”
Poetry Miscellany
On Sunday, August 13 from 11:00 am - 6:00 pm, The Salon des Amis Gallery on Yellow Springs Road in Malvern, PA, will be showing the work of recent graduates of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Musical entertainment will be provided, and between sets, poets will be able to read their work. Rain date is Sunday, August 20. Call Robin Hotchkiss at 610.647.6010 if you are interested in participating and for directions if necessary.
The Scream in High Park
This week’s column comes on the verge of what is probably the top spoken word event in Canada: The Scream in High Park. The event, in its 8th year now, will take place on the night of July 17th in Toronto’s High Park, and features top performance literature artists from throughout the country.
The man behind it is a fine poet and performer named Peter Mcphee. This is his last year as organizer of the wildly successful word circus, and it’s worthwhile going just to see one of his rare personal appearances. I was talking to him in Toronto’s El Mocambo night club last week, and he said he and his Uneven Rhythm (the band he works with) would be premiering a new work in a new genre he calls “trip grass.” What is Trip Grass? We don’t know. . . . We do know that its antecedents are in bluegrass, but as to what happens after that, well, the only way to find out what it sounds like will be to go to the Scream.
Below is part of their press release for this year’s fest, including the lineup and other sundry details. If you live anywhere near Toronto, try to make it -- it’s worth the trip.
8th Annual SCREAM IN HIGH PARK (a carnival of words)
Monday, July 17, 2000 (beginning at 7pm sharp)
Canadian Stage Company's Dream Site amphitheatre (outdoors, east of the Grenadier Restaurant, High Park, Toronto)
Admission is free with a suggested donation of $5. Audience members are encouraged to bring a picnic, a blanket and a friend. Information:
“Probably the best literary event in the city.” --Word (Toronto's literary calendar)
“Forget your stale ideas about poetry: this is not going to be a conventional evening.” --Word
Scream In High Park has grown to become Canada's largest single-stage literary festival. This year's participants are (in order of appearance with approximate set times):
at 7 pm:
RONNA BLOOM, Fear of the Ride (Carleton University Press)
JOE BLADES, River Suite (Insomniac)
HELEN TSIRIOTAKIS, A House of White Rooms (fall, CHB)
GARY BARWIN & Uh Maybe, Outside The Hat (Coach House)
LISA ROBERTSON, Debbie: An Epic (New Star)
at 8 pm:
ANNE MICHAELS, Skin Divers (M&S)
CORRADO PAINA, Hoarse Legend (The Mansfield Press)
JEMENI, as heard on the cd anthology Wordlife: Tales from the Underground Griots
Peter McPhee & his uneven rhythm, Running Unconscious (Coach House)
at 9 pm:
Runited after 15 years,legendary sound poets OWEN SOUND (Michael Dean, Steven Smith, Richard Truhlar)
R.M. VAUGHAN, Invisible To Predators (ECW)
CHRISTOPHER DEWDNEY, Signal Fires (M&S)
ANNE STONE, Hush (Insomniac)
JIM MUNROE, Angry Young Spaceman (nomediakings)
SHERI-D WILSON, The Sweet Taste of Lightning (Arsenal Pulp Press)
Hosted by Stan Rogal and Gayle Irwin, with occasional appearances by various other Scream alumnae. The program will conclude by 11pm. There may be other surprises. The Scream continues all year round at www.scream.interlog.com with bios and pictures of all 124 alumnae. Watch as Digital Carnival, the site's creative arena, grows with new writing and new ways of presenting text-based art. Carnival: a Scream In High Park Reader (Insomniac Press) features 48 writers who appeared from 1993 to 1995.
Running Unconscious
If you can’t make it to the Scream, you can still hear more from Peter McPhee. Check out Running Unconscious, Peter's first collection of poetry, at the Coach House Books Web site. The site contains the complete text of the book, with sound and an alternative electronic design by Bill Kennedy.
Bite at El Mocambo
The El Mocambo, by the way, is featuring a new spoken word series called BITE. It happens on the first Tuesday night of every month, and presents two or three featured performers, as well as an open mike for any up and comers who want to try the stage.
Unheard Of
That’s all from Canada for now. I’m off on tour to Europe in a couple of weeks, but will be back in September with new events direct out of Montreal.
Before I go, there’s a new spoken word CD that’s well worth a spin, an anthology of poets on a label called Tupperware Sandpiper. Its title is Unheard Of, and it features 26 pieces from new (mostly) Canadian writers. For more information head to www.tupperwaresandpiper.com.
Bye for now, and if the heat is exploding your brain, take the top off and let the cool air blow in.
Madison, Wisconsin Slam
Rusty Russell, slammaster of the Madison, Wisconsin poetry slam, writes in this week with details about their show. The “Cheap At Any Price” open mic has been running for eleven years now, and quotes Russell, “We're the only NPS-certified venue in Wisconsin (as far as I know), but Mike Wallace still hasn't returned my calls. Bastard.”
Cheap At Any Price Poets
open mike reading, slam (monthly), and featured poets/performers
1st and 3rd Tuesdays of every month
8 pm, sign-up begins at 7:45
Cafe Montmartre
127 E. Mifflin Street
Madison
608.255.5900
The Latest From Detroit
Here is a selection of upcoming Detroit-area poetry events, courtesy our old
friend Liberty R.O. Daniels:
Saturday, July 15
The Beginning Poetry With Basic Forms workshop with Aurora Harris will be held at 736 Java, Inc. at 736 Lothrop Avenue, one block north of the Fisher Theatre Building between 2nd and 3rd Avenues from noon - 2 pm. There will be 4 sessions for youth ages 8-15 for a fee of $10 per student. Students should bring pencils and a spiral notebook. Contact 736 Java, Inc. at 313.875.5282. Contact Aurora Harris at uln2aeh@prodigy.net.
Sunday, July 16
The Savannah Series continues at The Plymouth Coffee Bean Company at 884 Penniman Street in Plymouth at 8 pm. Sandy Lawson will perform her one woman show of adult material, Shame on Me. Donna De Meyer is the host. Free. Directions from Detroit: I-96 west (Lansing) to M-14 (Ann Arbor) to the Plymouth/Sheldon Road exit. Left at the light and go to Territorial Road. Left at the light. Road turns into Penniman. The Plymouth Coffee Bean Company is on the left side of the street at 884 Penniman Avenue at Harvey Street.
That's it for this week. Don't forget, the National Poetry Slam is coming up in one month! Daily reports from yours truly here at About.com! Also, I'll be performing at a series of shows in New York City the week before, from August 5 through 10. If you'd like to know the dates, or have any information about upcoming Midwestern poetry events, send them to me at jpettus@hotmail.com, or visit my Web site.
From Raindog:
FRIENDS OF LUMMOX:
Everyone experiences this (once if you're lucky): some hiccup happens in your browser and poof! All your email addresses are gone. . . . This happened to me the other day. So if any of my former list members see this and you want to continue to receive your monthly update on all things Lummox (info on the latest monthly Lummox Journal; news of the latest books from the Lummox Press & readings by Lummox authors; or the occasional drippings from Raindog's pen), then please email me. Or if you're curious, try the Lummox Update and see how you like it.
The Lummox Journal (65 issues and counting) is publishing its final tribute to Charles Bukowski in August. 30 contibutors from around the world include Gerald Locklin, Robert Peters, AD Winans, Todd Moore, Haruo Yamanishi, Ed Galing, Dave Church, Buk and more! 40 pages. $4 (special)
The Journal is available by subscription ($20 US - $30 world). Subscribe before 8/31 and get a bonus (A.D. Winans collection, Remembering Bukowski). September features an interview with Blues Poet, Tony Moffeitt of Colorado.
From Donna: Night When Moon Follows, new book by Cheryl Boyce Taylor
Cheryl Boyce Taylor has done it again, with her new book of poetry Night When Moon Follows. She explores issues of migration, relationships and her struggle with diabetes. These poems wrestle with physical illness and the writer's ability to live and triumph in the face of a serious illness. “An amazing collection,” says Sapphire. “Luminous, compelling, generous, and wise,” says Andrea Lockett. “Gets all big and nasty, swaggering with love,” says Bob Holman. Published by Long Shot Productions.
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