DEEP IN THE HEART REPORT 01.01
Yes, yes, we're sorry.

I am referring, of course, to the “election” of one George W. Bush. I anticipate spending the next four years answering to out-of-state friends who look to pin the administration's foibles on any Texan they can find. “It's your fault,” they will say, as if I personally whipped George W. Bush up in my kitchen one night after I ran out of Suitable Leader batter. But seriously, and this is serious, my immediate concern, as an artist and patron of the arts, is the impending approval of John Ashcroft as attorney general. Ashcroft, as you may have heard by now, is one of the most stalwart anti-NEA senators in recent years, and though we all had a hearty chortle when he lost his Senate re-election to a dead guy this past November, the laugh is apparently on us, and by us, I mean the left-wing us. There is, however, a...

...SILVER LINING
Namely, with the ascension of the Boy King to the highest office in the land, we have one of the most pro-book First Ladies ever in Laura Bush. As Texas First Lady, former librarian Laura Bush presided over the mammoth, annual Texas Book Festival, which will continue in November for its sixth consecutive year. Plans are underway for a celebration of authors, called “Laura Bush Celebrates America's Authors,” drawing on some of the bigger names from this past year's festival, to be held in conjunction with the (I admit, it pains me to say it) inauguration festivities. The event is to be held at 10 am on January 19 (last day of the Clinton administration) at Constitution Hall in DC, with TBF alumni such as Stephen Harrigan, Stephen Ambrose, Mary Higgins Clark, and children's author and poet Pat Mora confirmed to read.

[Editor's note: For another view of the significance of Laura Bush's Celebration, see San Francisco Chronicle book editor David Kipen's January 17 commentary, “A Literary Alamo.”]

GOOD NEWS FROM THE MONOLITH
The Michener Center for Writers at UT Austin quietly puts together one of the best reading schedules in the state year in and year out, bringing notable names from all four of the center's disciplines (poetry, fiction, playwriting and screenwriting) to the 4th Floor Reading Room at the school's Harry Ransom Center. The Ransom Center is one of the most unassuming buildings on campus -- your typical gray, concrete, monolithic slab -- but inside, they boast one of the most remarkable collections of manuscripts, author memorabilia, and other author-related goodies anywhere in the world. And they also have some fine, fine readings four stories above the HRC courtyard (also gray). Past notables to have visited the concrete vault include W.S. Merwin, Louise Glück, and Li-Young Lee. This semester's offerings include Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Cunningham (author of The Hours) on February 1, totally brilliant poet Alicia Ostriker on March 29 (I've seen her live before; highly recommmended), and this semester's visiting poetry professor (from the University of Washington) Heather McHugh on April 26. For more information, go to the Michener Center Web site. The Center's Marla Akin proudly proclaims that the link to the spring reading schedule is one of the few things on their nascent Web site that is actually clickable right now.

SAN ANTONIO IS POISED TO BE HIP
At least, that's what a cover story in the January 2 edition of the San Antonio Express-News said. It might take a while for SanAnto to actually achieve the loftiness of hip (and I say this affectionately as a new resident of the city that you should never ever call the Alamo City, ever), but there are definitely doings and happenings throughout town. Even though puro ¡SLAM! founder Ben Ortiz moved to Chicago last month, taking over hosting duties at Chicago's Wam Bam Slam at the Mad Bar (& becoming our Midwest Museletter correspondent), the slam still celebrates the greatness that is Tuesday night at El Toro (3000 N. St. Mary's). New host Joel Torres is lovable, scruffy, and probably one of the most non-PC slam hosts in the nation (and he can't really help it, and the crowd loves him for it). Yours truly presides over the circus as the new Slammaster, reachable for slam-related affairs at puroslam@texas.net. Los Delicados, a dynamic trio of Latino performance poets from San Francisco, will showcase at puro ¡SLAM! on January 16, with release parties for DJ Jester's CD and T-Bone and Dragonfly's poetry book planned for February.

Speaking of poised to be hip in the Third Fattest City In America, performance artist, belly dancer, and purse collector extraordinare S.T. Shimi is one of those rare people in San Antonio -- someone you'd expect to have long since bolted for greener theater pastures. Happily, she's committed to growing the nascent theater scene in SanAnto. In her new Southern Discomfort, which opens February 9 at Jump-Start Performance Co. (108 Blue Star, 210.227.JUMP), she unfurls what should be, judging from sneak peeks she's given at performance parties over the past few months, an immaculate marriage of text and dance. Though not technically a poet, hers is one of the most poetry-intensive shows of the new year. (Note: the show alternates nights through February 25 with Dianne Monroe's Comfort, so call ahead for info.)

WE'VE GOT THE JACKS
Namely, we've got the Trigger Happy Jacks, the latest in a long and proud history of Austin performance poetry ensembles, who will debut at FronteraFest at Hyde Park Theater (511 W. 43rd Street, 512.479.7529) on January 17. According to company principal Ragan Fox, the January 17 show will be the first of three productions during FronteraFest, which is simply one of the baddest experimental theater festivals in the country. Four shows a night for six weeks, written and performed by community members, and judged by community members for Best of the Week and Best of the Fest presentations. Exciting hit or miss action every night, packed houses, wall-to-wall cavalcades of whimsy. In other words, a good festival. The January 17 show is called “Mother/Fuckers,” the February 1 show is called “Penises and Vaginas,” and a show that is TBA for February called “Performaltz.” The ensemble features some famous names from past slam teams, including Fox, gay superhero Jason Edwards, and 1999 Austin alternate Sara Sutterfield Winn. The group also includes Bug (not her real name, we'll assume), Lee Marshall, Valerie Coleman, and John Moler. Aligned around their identity as gay, lesbian and bisexual performers, Trigger Happy Jacks falls under the Austin Poetry Slam's new Raising Our Voices project, yet is also looking to carve out its own monthly performance space. Venues interested in showcasing this talented group can contact them directly at triggerjacks@aol.com.

TINA, MEET BALLABAJOOMBA; BALLABAJOOMBA, MEET TINA
In yet more Austin slam news, the First Family of the Austin Slam, Mike Henry and Sonya Feher, will lead a pack of Austin poets to Corpus Christi's ¡Ballabajoomba Slam!, at the Lotus Cup, 505 S. Water, on Saturday, January 27, at 9:15 pm. Through the tireless efforts of Corpus poet Stefan Sencerz, the City by the Bay (though not the City by the Bay that Journey sang about) has launched a slam that has maintained strong ties to both Austin and San Antonio. Last year about this time, Corpus hosted its first-ever poetry event, a three-team slam between Austin, SanAnto, and Corpus in the social hall of a Unitarian Church. It was a dedicated crowd in a setting supportive of many Corpus arts events, but for the participants, the overriding vibe was, “Wow, we're doing a poetry slam in a church.” The Lotus Cup, as you can tell by the name, is more a temple than a church. Go to www.lotuscup.com for links to the slam and to other events out of this Corpus Christi oasis.

ESPERANZA & BRIDGFORTH TEAM UP
Sharon Bridgforth, one of Austin's most-respected and better-known poets (as indicated by the Austin Chronicle's recent accolades), is curating a monthly reading series at one of San Antonio's most important arts organizations, the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center (922 San Pedro, 210.228.0201). Taking place the second Wednesday of every month, the WORD! series encourages all types of writers at all levels to participate in an open mike format. The Esperanza Center has most recently been in the news over a court case in which they took the city to court over their funding -- a case which brought up issues ranging from institutionalized homophobia to San Antonio's arts funding history, which many contend to be less than stellar. Supporters of the Center throughout SanAnto display red and yellow “¡Todos Somos Esperanza!” yard signs, and while this is Spanish for “We are all hope,” it means “a liberal lives here” to San Antonians.

Damn, it's time for Temptation Island.Uh, I gotta run. Send all your Texas poetry news to pinata@texas.net, especially from the more out-of-the-way cities. Send me enough, and we could end up with an all-Lubbock issue next time....

Phil West

From Zoe Trouveres:
BATH WRITERS' WORKSHOP, England
We meet, 1st + 3rd Saturdays, each month. Details via Z.T. as above. 'The splendour, it all coheres.'

From Tony Washington:
CHANGE NOTICE: FROSTBURG POETRY BASH
Our Poetry slam is now a open slam. The first 30 people to sign up by 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, February 17 in the Performing Arts Center at Frostburg State University will compete in the slam. This slam is still only open to college students. If anyone has any questions they can email me or call me: twashington@frostburg.edu or 301.687.4500.

From Rene Steinke:
IMAGINING WALES
The Literary Review, an international journal of contemporary writing, invites you to a reading of poetry and fiction. Celebrate the publication of “Imagining Wales” at a reading by Welsh writers, Tony Curtis and Christopher Meredith, Wednesday, February 21, at 7 pm, at Teachers and Writers Collaborative, 5 Union Square West, 7th Floor, New York. For information, call 212.691.6590.

Keep in touch with Museletter! If you have news or views, gossip or announcements that belong in the About Poetry Museletter, please send them to your nearest correspondent, or submit them on our Reader Submissions page.

2000 Museletters

1999 Museletters