Florida in
my rear view mirror
Farewell
manatees, pelicans, gulls, dolphins who danced on water
Farewell
Frenchy's Saltwater Cafe, the place with Cajun Chowder
Farewell
you ancient bearded oak who dominates Orange Street
Farewell
Cockney Rebel, Shana, Chris, Kathy, Bob, et al.
Hello
Austin Poets at Large!!!!!
APAL Poets
Guide:
Events are
free of charge unless otherwise stated. Some venues collect donations
for featured readers.
1.
Tuesday, July 7 - Ruta Maya Coffee House, 4th and Lavaca. APAL open
mic, hosted by Sara Sutterfield Winn and Mark Maslow. Featured poet:
Harve' Franks. Sign up by 6:30 pm. fmi, e mail maslow_at_flash.net
jj2.
Tuesday, July 7 - Electric Lounge, 305 Bowie. The magnificent,
exciting weekly SLAM! $50 cash to winner. sign up as early as 8 pm.
$2 admission. 476-FUSE.
3.
Wednesday, July 8 - BYOB: Blast Your Own Breath at Movements Gallery,
211 E. 6th St. Tammy Gomez hosts, 9-10:30 pm.
tejana.tongue_at_mail.utexas.edu
4.
Thursday, July 9 - Barry's Coffee House in Temple. Morrie Greene
produces an island of poetic wonder with the Central Texas Live
Poets. Featured poet: Frank Pool. sign up at 7:30 for open mic. fmi
e mgreene_at_sage.net
5.
Thursday, July 9 thru Saturday, July 11- John Henry Faulk Living
Theater, 4th and Brazos. The KAIROS! Co, performance poetry troupe. 8
pm. For admission price or other info, call Clint or Richard at
447-7118.
6.
Saturday, July 11 - Saturday Afternoon Live Poetry at Quack's, 2120
Guadalupe. APAL open mic, hosted by Diane Fleming, sign up at 3 pm.
Double
feature: recent slam winnner RD Perin, and, visiting from So. Cal,
one of my favorites, Joseph Powell. FMI e buddydog_at_texas.net.
7.
Saturday, July 11 - Barnes & Noble at Westlake, 7-9 pm, presents
Austin International Poetry Festival readings from the 1997 anthology
"di-verse-city" and 1998 anthology "di-verse-city
too". See announcements section. FMI, e wigg119_at_flash.net.
8. Monday,
July 13 - Southside Poetic Action Series, Jovita's Restaurant y
Cantina at 1619 South First, from 7-9 p.m
9.
Tuesday, July 14 - Ruta Maya Coffee House, 4th & Lavaca. APAL
open mic, hosted by Sara and Mark, sign up at 6:30 pm. fmi, e mail
maslow_at_flash.net
10.
Tuesday, July 14 - Electric Lounge, 305 Bowie,,, home of Austin's
weekly SLAM. $2 admission. Sign up as early as 8 pm. compete for
$50.fmi call 476-FUSE or show up and ask someone.
11.
Wednesday, July 15 - Movements Gallery Movements Gallery, 211 E. 6th
St. BYOB: Blast Your Own Breath at Tammy Gomez hosts, 9-10:30 pm.
tejana.tongue_at_mail.utexas.edu
jr6r6jr6jrdj
312.
Saturday, July 18 - Quackenbush's Coffee House, 2120 Guadalupe.
Saturday Afternoon Live Poetry, APAL open mic, hosted by Diane
Fleming. Sign up at 3 pm. Featured poet: Ed Glover. fmi, e
buddydog_at_texas.net
Featured
Poetry: This week's theme is 4th of July/Independence Day. The
fireworks are over, but the poetry lives on.
Next
week's theme is a cuckoo's nest kinda subject, psych treatment.
1. Alice
Pero lives in So. Cal. For a year she produced the Live Poetry Show
at the Celebrity Centre in Hollywood. Her poem:
FIREWORKS
Gunpowder
flowers
releasing
their petals
in
3arj6 j
jp]ook;oijjijijjhuo-wvoo0i90uu-wu9$94i94t4tt44t0000tiflorets of
colors
that
pierce the sky
Gunflower
blasts
to
startled eyes
Patterns
stain dark
in an
instant,
then die
An
audience gasps
and waves
little flags
small
titillations
in tinier
doses
that seem
to remind them
that they
are alive
Showering
explosions
outside of
their minds
outside of
their troubles
outside of
their lies
Radiant
flows
in
exterior worlds
a violence
of colors
a beauty
that flies
Under the
showers
the rivers
of light
the people
in wonder
gunpowder
shy
Flowers
inside them
wait to
release
a
brilliance of colors
they never
ask why
They run
from their power
their
glorious fire
larger
than anything
made in
the sky
2. Jan
Houston of Dallas is an international freedom fighter. The following
poem is being featured in Arcanum Cafe this month.
LET
FREEDOM DAWN
Out of
oppression's heavy night
thick as
steel
forged
into living lies
from the
might of Truth's betrayals...
through
eons traveled
hails a
shining promise...
a once
blind hope
that
kindled the brave hearts
of wounded
warriors
killed
again
again,
again
defending
Right
At long,
long last arrived
into this
day
the age
old cry of Freedom
let it
dawn...
Rejoice!
for this
is the true new world
Mankind in
harmony
a sea of
life in vibrant unison...
behold
the Golden
Age
©
1998 Jan Houston. All rights reserved
3. Larry
Jaffe's poem explains itself in the title.
independence
is not a day
written in
honor of independence, not independence day
independence
should not be a day
it should
be a lifestyle
not just
one day out of 365
of flag
wave
buffoon
parading
hot dog
eating
picnic
enchantments
independence
is not just a day
it is
freedom
to be
to do
to have
without
fear
without
retribution
without
stepping
on someone
else's toes
or getting
in the way
of
someone's destination
yet not
stopping your
own
travels and search
independence
is not a day
it is
spiritual certainty
to breathe
the air
without
sniffing
political
pollen
to walk
down streets
without
needing
to defend
it is a
government
of all the
people
by the
people
and for
all the people
not just a
privileged few
©
1998 lgjaffe
4. An
anonymous poem of thanksgiving
There were
many reasons
to be
thankful for the rain
though it
was not Thanksgiving;
it was
Independence Day.
The grass
was browned like
turkey in
a roasting bag.
Gardens
threatened suicide
what with
water rations.
Humidity
was thick as thieves
in a way
only kids fail to note.
Fireworks
ban will likely leave
some
roadside vendors broke
Family
barbeque was rained out.
Hardly
anybody came.
My
gratitude to all of you
who stayed
home on my independence day.
Chapbooks
Temporary
Tattoos, A book of love poems by Chris Vannoy, © 1997 by The
Poet's Tree Press. Contact Chris at CVannoy727_at_aol.com. 42 pages, 37
refreshingly readable poems. Also available is Soft Fists of Rain.
Both priced at $7.
Announcements
1. APAL
free poetry workshop every Sunday at Quackenbush's Coffee House, 2120
Guadalupe. Starts at 2 pm. Bring 10 copies of an original poem.
2. On
Saturday, July 11, at 7 p.m., Barnes & Noble at Westlake will
host
the first
of two summer poetry readings for the Austin International Poetry
Festival's anthologies, di-verse-city and di-verse-city too. Editor
Scott Wiggerman will host the readings, which feature many of
Austin's best talents. Among the readers scheduled for the Barnes &
Noble reading are Gloria Amescua, Richard Cole, Molly Todd, Peggy
Lynch, Harriett Parker, Cindy Huyser, Larry Cordle, Robin Britton,
Patricia Fiske, Christine Gilbert, Joddy Murray, and Frank Pool.
Poets will be reading their poems from the anthologies as well as
other original poems.
3.
Calling for volunteers, needed for Slam Nationals in August. APAL is
assisting Mike Henry and Phil West (Slam Master) and here is what is
needed:
1.
Distribute packets to businesses and possible sponsors. Solicit
donations, sponsorships from these people. The packets will be ready
in a few days. The packets contain information about the slam and
information about sponsoring or donating money. Also, businesses that
might donate items, services to silent auctions will be needed - so
anyone who knows of a business willing to do this
should
speak up.
2.
Volunteer during slam week. There will be lots of volunteer
opportunities. Sonya Feher is the volunteer coordinator. 326-9692 or
sfeher_at_mail.utexas.edu
3. House
out-of-town slam poets. Mark Maslow and Rev. Wyrdsli have already
offered housing. Contact Phil West for this, pony_at_mail.utexas.edu.
4. Sara
Sutterfield Winn is back in form, winning the slam last Tuesday at
the Electric Lounge. Congrats, Sara! Check out the Austin Slam
website at http://slam.home.texas.net/ If you have questions about
the 1998 National Poetry Slam coming up in August, you can get them
answered thru this website.
5. Brett
Axel & Amy Ouzoonian tour:
"We
will be at The Ruta Maya Coffee House (218 W. 4th, Austin) Tuesday,
August
18th & at Jobita's Restaraunt (1619 South 1st Street, Austin)
Monday, August 24 7:00 PM.
Both
readings will have an open mic.
We need
places to read/meet with potentially publishable poets/sleep Sat 22nd
and Tuesday the 25th around Dallas, and Sunday 23 around Austin
Please
e-mail Linda at axels_at_mhv.net or call her at (914) 343-1377 to offer
assistance."
6. Janet
Colligne of Rochester, known as Lilacborn to nearly every poet on
AOL, has featured my good friend Larry Jaffe on her "Petals of
the Rose" website this month. I invite you to read her comments,
reprinted by permission, and visit her superlative site.
"I
want to say a little bit about the poem I selected of Jaffe's for
this month, because it is a special poem for me. Unlike Jaffe, who
sees this poem from the eyes of someone of Jewish heritage, I am
German. One quarter German to be exact and a German major in
addition. I learned many things while studying the German language
and people. I learned that these people are people of hospitality and
a very strong work ethic. They are people who worked incredibly hard
after the bombings and war to rebuild not only the structures of
their country, but also the integrity of their land. Yet, to know
this was not enough for me. Every time I saw a German film, I wanted
to know how one man, Hitler, could put such a blight on a people.
"In
my senior year of college, I got permission to study Nazi propaganda.
It was then that I spent two full days watching the brilliant and
horrific Nazi propaganda film 'Triumph of the Will.' A cinematic
masterpiece, the film placed back to back images of saluting Hitler
and marching through the streets juxtapositioned with images of
German festivals and culture. The imagery and power of this film was
shocking and breathtaking.
"In
Jaffe's poem 'Anthem,' the poet does an equally powerful
juxtapositioning of images. This time, the marching through streets,
the saluting of Hitler is juxtapositioned against the shouting of a
proud Jewish people--a people ready to rebuild and fight for their
heritage. Larry Jaffe has built an animated site to best serve those
wishing to understand the atrocity of the holocaust and the pride of
the Jewish culture. You may see it now by going to the main menu of
my web site and clicking the nazi screams link.
http://members.aol.com/lilacborn/index.html
7. Clint
Small sent this review of Monday night at the Arthouse in Melbourne,
Australia:
Thom and
Melbourne guitarist, Clint Small hit the stage with singer Neena
Wynter,
guitarist Robbie Grieg and percussionist Milan for a driving, high
energy set
of totally improvised poetry and music.
Although
four of the performers had worked in various configurations before,
no-one had
ever met Milan before. Musical inspiration covered everything
from
reggae to techno - not bad for an acoustic (although partly
amplified)
group -
while the poetry improvisations dealt with the joys and alienations
of travel,
the rituals of the solstice and the power of poetry.
The near
capacity crowd drunk in the fiery performance, reflecting the
performers'
energies back to them, spurring them on to greater leaps of
creativity.
Those who
were also at last year's performance in the same venue by Thom,
Clint and
Neena with an electric band were amazed at the difference in style
and are
already looking forward to next year's performance which, of course,
will be
different again. When these people say, "For One Night Only"
they
are
totally serious. Totally.
8.
Reminder: The North American Poetry Jam/NAP JAM 2 is coming up in
September. If you are not yet registered, as in, have not forked over
the registration fee, contact bowerbird_at_aol.com, or e mail me.
9. Howard
Frost called me Trans Atlantic the other day, sends love to all his
APAL and AIPF friends. Plans to return for next year's festival.
Welcome to
new subscribers. APAL newsletter now goes to five countries. Submit
your poems, your chap book listings, comments and announcements in e
mail text.
Anyone
wanting off the mailing list, e mail me.
If you
can't be with the one you love, write a poem.
Much love,
Stazja
Subj: RE:
austin poets at large #35
Date: 98-07-06
15:35:38 EDT
From: larry_at_jaffe2.com
(larry jaffe)
To: Stazja_at_aol.com
thank u
dear stazja
*
Subj:
austin poets at large #35 tp
Date: 98-07-06
10:57:16 EDT
From: 106251.103_at_compuserve.com
(Alex Krysinski)
Sender: 106251.103_at_compuserve.com
(Alex Krysinski)
To: Stazja_at_aol.com
(INTERNET:Stazja_at_aol.com)
Hi Stajza,
I hope you had a good journey home. I spent time in Key
West some
years ago and loved it. Florida is an interesting state to visit,
I enjoyed
the Everglades.
We are
having a terrible summer, all rain and no sunshine. See if you can
send some
over the net.
Much love
Alex xxx
Subj: Re:
austin poets at large #35
Date: 98-07-06
19:31:22 EDT
From: Shana2001
To: Stazja
GO
STAZJA!!!
We sure
are going to miss you at the Rebel tonight. Thanks for being part of
a poetry renaissance at that open mike night; just a few months ago
we couldn't quiet people down enough to listen...now, people are
opening up their ears eagerly!
Are the
poetry venues you listed also acoustic music rooms? I ask this
because I am dead-set on coming to Austin this year and would like to
find a few places to play.
Glad we're
in touch...keep knockin' 'em dead!
Your pal,
SHANA :-)
XOXOXOX
P.S. I am
going to read the Independence Day poems from your mailer at the
Rebel tonight! :-)
Subj: Re:
austin poets at large #35
Date: 98-07-06
19:42:34 EDT
From: Gruvz
To: Stazja
Culio
Subj: Re:
austin poets at large #35
Date: 98-07-07
00:07:59 EDT
From: Lilacborn
To: Stazja
Thank you
for the kind words about my site. One correction, if I may. If this
is used in Poetic Voices, my last name is Collinge. Janet Collinge.
Most people call me Janet on aol, so I would like that noted. Thanks
a lot, Stazja.
Subj: FW:
austin poets at large #35
Date: 98-07-08
07:13:37 EDT
From: larry_at_jaffe2.com
(larry jaffe)
To: stazja_at_aol.com
(Stazja Mcfadyen (E-mail))
-----Original
Message-----
From:
Shana2001_at_aol.com [mailto:Shana2001_at_aol.com]
Sent:
Monday, July 06, 1998 10:13 PM
To:
larry_at_jaffe2.com
Subject:
Re: austin poets at large #35
Thanks
Larry!
I enjoyed
your Independent Poems thoroughly. Planning to get out your way
this year
and am glad to be introduced to this wonderful mailing list!
Shana
singer/songwriter/etc.
:-)