Dear Poets near and
far:
Here I am in Los
Angeles, making me once again an Austin poet at large. More about it
in the announcements section. First, tho, the upcoming happenings:
APAL poets' guide:
Tuesday, January 6,
1998 - Ruta Maya Coffee House features CHRIS
CRABTREE, poet laureate
of San Antonio. There will also be open reading. Located at 4th and
Lavaca. Laura Moliter hosts, sign up by 6:30 p.m. For more
information, call 452-3332.
Tuesday, January 6,
1998 - Electric Lounge 305 Bowie, The Lounge open mic, hosted by
Phil, takes place every Tuesday at 8:00.
Wednesday, January 7,
1988 - Rio Grande Coffee Haus, open mic sign up at 8 p.m., with guest
co-hosts Jennifer Williams and Cynthia Good, covering for moi. Have
fun, ladies!
Saturday, January 10,
1988 - Quack's, APAL Saturday Live Poetry, hosted by the inimitable
John Hawk, sign up by 3 p.m. (And note, this venue will return to
the 7 p.m. time slot on Saturday, Jan. 24.)
Tuesday, Jan. 13 - Ruta
Maya will feature MIM SCHARLACK on 13th-drummer percussionist
performance poet par excellence-she is
starting a fund to get
top UK rant poet M.C.JABBER here. also open mic reading. 6:30 p.m.
East End Black and
White in Color - Thursday, January 15, 1998 at 7:30 pm. at East End
Coffee House, 1806 E. 12th Street. Flora Wilson, 71 year old Austin
poet, will release her collection of poems titled: “Eyes on God.”
Open reading to follow. Sponsored by East End Coffee House and
Austin Poets at Large. Free admission. For more information call
346-7773.
Poesia y Sur for 1998 -
Thursday, January 22, 1998 at 7 p.m. precisely, at MEXIC-ARTE MUSEUM,
419 Congress, will see the first presentation of Poesia y Sur for
1998! Host readers will include Dr. Miriam Echeveriea de Balboa, Sue
Littleton and Thom the World Poet. Previous readings featured the
work of PABLO NERUDA and Federico Garcia-Lorca. Admission is FREE,
but seating is limited. Phone 416-7435 to book your seat for the
first presentation of SPANISH poetry with English translations.
Sponsored by the City of Austin Mexic-Arte Museum and Poesia y Sur.
Release Party! Karyna
Perkins releases her newest collection, Mint Jelly, on Saturday,
January 24, at 7 pm at Quackenbush's. Open sign up to follow. 2120
Guadalupe. For info, call 452-3332
What happened last
week:
The second Pasha
Benefit at Ruta Maya on Tuesday, Dec 30! Featured Albert
Huffstickler, and of course, Pasha. Farid was again on hand to video
the historic event for ACTV's NAFAS! We collected over $150, and a
warm thanks to all who pitched in!
FARID! PLEASE E MAIL
ME ON THE SCHEDULED BROADCAST DATE OF THE PASHA BENEFITS, SO I CAN
INCLUDE IT IN THE NEWSLETTER.
Electric Lounge -
Tuesday, Dec. 30 - Slam news submitted by the slam correspondent,
Susan B.A. Somers-Willett:
The monthly slam at the
Electric Lounge was well-attended this Tuesday.
MC's Mike Henry and
Phil West filled in for Genevieve Van Cleve while she
celebrated her birthday
in sunny Mexico. Nine poets competed, with four
poets in the final
round. Last round poets were (in ascending finishing
order): Jeff Knight,
Karyna Perkins, and Ernie Cline. Susan Somers-Willett
won the first place $50
cash prize with her poem "Dedications for the 8th
Ward Clinic."
New Year's Eve at Rio
Grande Coffee Haus, Dec. 31. Thanks to all who came out and shared
poetry and fun -- Now, everyone go buy some coffee at 2222 Rio
Grande -- show your appreciation.
Saturday, Jan 3 - at
APAL's Saturday Night Live during the Afternoons (soon to return to
Saturday nights) - highlight, according to usually reliable sources,
was our own Jennifer Williams with her freeforming flying poetry
improv work.
Announcements:
Ok, exploiting my
editiorial privileges here: I'm visiting my friend Larry Jaffe in
L.A. for his feature last night at Celebrity Centre Live Poetry Show
and release of his new collection "hate's not natural" and
the poetry is intoxicating, elevating, satiating! A pride of poets
came together at the Little Theater and I swear I heard the producer
use "best" to describe the energy and quality of poetry
last night! Do you think I exaggerate or make this stuff up? Ha!
Then on to the Onyx, celebrating first anniversary of that venerable
venue. Co-host Milo Martin called it right -- raising the soul in
poetry and music, that's what church is all about, isn't it? And Milo
and Ben Porter Lewis send their greetings to the Austin slam poets
they met in Connecticut last August. As for me, five more nights of
L.A. poetry, and promoting the festival, then back to Austin.
Oh, and here's a little
tidbit: " calling all performance poets! nap jam one -- the
poetry jam in las vegas in march 1998". For more info, e mail
bowerbird_at_aol.com (attention Thom the World Poet: Bower Bird says
you get a personal invite!)
Austin International
Poetry Festival 1998, April 1-6 If you haven't yet registered (yes,
you!) call (512) 918-AIPF or e mail: anina_at_arts.state.tx.us or
aipf98_at_aol.com or just see me! I have application forms on my person!
NEEDED! Housing for
poets coming to the 1998 festival the first week of April. Volunteer
by e mail now. And thanks to those of you who have already offered
your homes.
The Austin Younger
Poets Awards will be presenting $100.00 in prizes and publication in
the Austin Younger Poets Awards anthology in conjunction with the
Austin International Poetry Festival in April. Young people up to the
age of 19 are eligible for the prizes, but work of college students
will be considered for publication in the anthology. All poets
published in the anthology will receive a free copy and an invitation
to read their work in public at AIPF 98. For information, call
346-8717 or email AIPF98_at_aol.com
AIPF poetry slams have
been scheduled for Thursday, April 2 and Sunday,
April 5. Those
interested in signing up should contact Phil West at
419-7669 or by e mail
pony_at_mail.utexas.edu
The planning committee
for the 1998 National Poetry Slam to be held here in
Austin this August is
hard at work making this the best Nationals ever. The competition, to
be held August 19-22, draws teams from all over the country and even
overseas (last year's competition included teams from Canada and
Sweden). In true Austin style, the National team finals will take
place in the historic Paramount Theater! Those interested in
volunteering or planning for the National Slam should contact Phil at
the above number.
Frank Pool is a
featured poet on the Poetry Super Highway website during the week of
January 5 - 11, and then forever thereafter in the Past Poets
Archive.
Check it out at
http://www.loop.com/~rickpoet
and enjoy this poem by
Frank:
The muse is a harsh
mistress
Who never heeds
commands.
I shout, when at my
great distress
To shape a line, I make
demands
On her, then
vivaciousness
Turns wanton, and she
damns
My insolence. Yet
worthiness
To her means patience,
grand
Endurance, even
waywardness
With truth; she
understands
Nothing of time’s
wretchedness
Or the failure of empty
hands.
Yet only can I listen
and my muse adore,
And lay my lines and
meter at her door.
Frank Pool
APALers are looking for
ways to help poets market their chap books and MAKE MONEY at poetry
that way. Anyone wanting to list their chap books in the APAL weekly
e-newsletter, e mail me the info.
Featured poem, by
Karyna Perkins. Karyna will be featured at Quack's on Saturday, Jan
24 at 7 p.m. when she releases her newest book. Y'all be there.
"Fresh Eggs, Ales"
I dream the eggs,
yellow eyes
fixating stare from the
skillet
the butter bubbling hot
in disbelief
I take the yolk, touch
my lips
to it, the fragile
swollen body
-need paprika and a
fork-
my mouth to it's
phosphorescent
blood, I eat my eggs
nothing more, I eat my
enemy
wet and endometrium in
gullet
deep enough to wake me
Ales, let's show our
bodies
tonight: peaches.
mangos.
banana. coconut.
You check for freshness
and I'll check for
firmness, Ales
we have the good fruit
we have the God fruit
and when you step into
me, foot Here
the aisles of my legs
are perfect to taste
perfect to part, Ales
like all their lives
they have waited, so
let the dogs come
and cry at our toes,
our cooked smell
still lingering from
spilled dream-butter
but we are better now,
resewn
thrown from a marital
morning
and into each other's
mouths
and maybe I'll stay,
but
somewhere, Ales, is a
skillet
still smeliing of
Teflon
and it taunts me
tonight
your tokens of
affection are at hand
on my hands, frozen
loop
of frying fat, this
wedding ring
holds nothing of my
dreams, only
the fate
the eyes of eggs
my eggs
the morning when you
kiss my spatula
with the mouth of a
spouse
when you say, juicy
pulp
dying pastel on the
window sill, Ales
that my fruits are out
of season
and it makes me stop-
and touch you now
hold your sleeping head
in my hands
suckle and weigh you
like a rare and solar
grapefruit.
--karyna perkins
have a great week, get
out to spoken word, put some poetry in people's lives!
love,
stazja
media liaison
austin poets at large