Greetings to the
poetically inclined.
Yep, it's Monday.
Last minute
clarification: The Austin International Poetry Festival anthology
read, Aug 6, is at BookPeople, not Barnes & Noble. See details
below.
Beginning next week, a
special section will be added, following announcements, giving full
1998 National Poetry Slam schedules.
The following events
are free unless otherwise noted. Some venues request donations for
featured poets.
APAL Poets Guide:
1. Tuesday, August 4 -
Ruta Maya Coffee House, 4th and Lavaca. APAL open mic, sign up at
6:30 pm. Hosted by Sara Sutterfield Winn and Maslow. Benefit for 1998
National Poetry Slam. Featured poet: Austin Slam Team member
Genevieve Van Cleve! This one you don't wanna miss!! FMI e
maslow_at_flash.net
2. Tuesday, August 4 -
Electric Lounge at 302 Bowie. Mock slam bouts between the 1998 Austin
Slam Team and surprise challenge-teams! Sonja Feher hosts. FMI, call
476-FUSE.
3. Wednesday, August 5
- 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
4. Thursday, August 6
- BookPeople, 6th and Lamar. 7 p.m. Austin International Poetry
Festival Anthology. This di-verse-city reading features a who's who
of some of Austin's finest poets. Among the scheduled readers are
Pablo Rodden, Mark Jones, Floyd Freeman, Heidi Zeigler, Marcelle
Kasprowicz, Barbara Carr, Valerie Bridgeman Davis, Stazja McFadyen,
Albert Huffstickler, Ralph Hausser, Mary-Agnes Taylor, Jill Wiggins,
Ken Fontenot, Marvin Kimbrough, Kat Stevens, and W. Joe Hoppe. These
readings promise to be among the best of the year.
4. Friday, August 7 -
Mojo's Daily Grind, 2714 Guadualupe. Marie Fleischman hosts First
Friday open mic, signup at 8 pm.
5. Saturday, August 8 -
Saturday Afternoon Live Poetry at Quack's. 2120 Guadalupe. APAL open
mic, sign up at 3 pm. Diane Fleming hosts. Featured poet: Stazja
McFadyen. Fmi, contact buddydog_at_texas.net.
6. Saturday, August 8 -
Ebony Sun Java House, 1209 E. 11th. Ebony Poets perform at 7 pm. fmi
call 472-8875
7. Monday, August 10 -
Jovita's, 1619 South First St. Open mic readings 7-9 pm
8. Tuesday, August 11 -
Ruta Maya Coffee House, 4th and Lavaca. APAL open mic, sign up at
6:30 pm. Sara Sutterfield Winn and Maslow host. Benefit for 1998
National Poetry Slam, featured poet is Austin Slam Team member Ernie
Cline. fmi e maslow_at_flash.net
9. Tuesday, August 11 -
Electric Lounge, home of the Austin Slam. 302 Bowie. Sign up by 8:30
pm. Sonya Feher hosts. "Did I mention, winner gets $50?" $2
admission. fmi call 476-FUSE.
10. Wednesday, August
12 - Movements Gallery 211 E. 6th St. BYOB: Blast Your Own Breath.
Tammy Gomez hosts, 9-10:30 pm. fmi tejana.tongue_at_mail.utexas.edu
11. Thursday, August 13
- Mexic-Arte Museum, 419 Congress Ave. Poesia Y Sur 1998, 7 pm.
Selections from Federico Garcia Lorca. Hosted by Sun Littleton.
Introduction to the Poet by Dr. Miriam Balboa de Echeverria. Read in
Spanish by
Miriam Balboa de
Echeverria. Read in English translation by Thom the World Poet and
Sue Littleton. fmi call 416-7435.
12. Saturday, August 15
- Quackenbush's Coffee House, 2120 Guadalupe. Saturday Afternoon Live
Poetry, APAL open mic sign up 3 pm. Hosted by Stazja. Featured poets:
Aaron Sanders and Patrick Wharton. fmi buddydog_at_texas.net
13. Saturday, August 15
- Electric Lounge, 302 Bowie. 8 p.m. $2 for all this: Mock slam bouts
and SILENT AUCTION to benefit 1998 National Poetry Slam. Rare
treasures. Art. Gift certificates to your fave shops and restaurants.
Bring your employed relatives, your friends, your neighbors, your
roommates. fmi call 476-FUSE.
Featured Poetry
This week's theme: RAIN
(as in, Central Texas could use some)
Future themes: Issue
40: Haiku
Issue 41: Spanish poetry, with English translations
Issue 42: Faeries and mythical creatures
1. From Jimmy Smith in
So. Cal. (l love this poem!)
rain
I deamed it was raining
last night
people were standing
gray and almost obscured
on the sidewalk under
the awnings and little city trees
as traffic moved in
slow motion
making waves like
speedboats
the warm yellow glow
from shop windows
invited me in
but I stood outside and
watched
as all of it ran into
the gutter
and down the drain
and what was left
wasn't really worth
dreaming about in the
first place
I dreamed it was
raining
and the sound of it
beating on my car
was like a thousand toy
drummers
all with their own idea
of the tune
and as I listened and
tried to find reasoning
in the noise
I was drawn inside my
thoughts
to a place where reason
and noise
gave way to Peace
I dreamed it was
raining
and the sound of it
and the look of it
and the feel of it
and the smell of it
were so alive and
wonderful
I had to struggle
to bother waking up
one more day
2. Kathleen Coleman
lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Here's her poem:
Rain
I listen to rain's
soothing rhythm,
washing, revealing,
eroding,
yet once again appalled
at the sight of myself.
While all that's left
of faith
is hope that my Maker,
this God,
whose goodness is His
glory,
should cradle against
His chest
like a small child,
dearly loved.
The warmth of embrace
to melt
this heart I've feared
is ice,
for what it sometimes
thinks and says.
It is merciful
kindness,
a tender mercy to
tenderness allow.
Cried to sleep, this
child may slumber,
Let Love's hand dreams
create,
'til on rain barrels
overflowing,
drops dance the sweet
water over,
into reality be born.
by Kathleen Coleman
3/98
3. Chris Vannoy is in
St. Pete. His poem isn't REALLY about rain, but what the heck.
Thunderstorm
My words fall around
you
like summer
thunderstorms
your skin glistens with
them
You open your mouth
lay back your head
eyes closed
swallow all you can
catch
spread your arms like
wings
You let the words
embrace you
rub them into you
feel my hands
a smooth balm of
pleasure
they move over you
Words that drench you
with desire and longing
pound you with the soft
fists of my need
these words I rain upon
you
they fill you
with me.
Chris Vannoy
4. Cynthia Passmore is
a migrant from So. Cal. to Florida.
Summer Squall
I move about
this fabric house of
sheets,
the moon wrapped in
silk
for my tropics.
~
Each small breath of
wind
exposing what is left
of my soul
as it bleeds its
remains
into you.
~
I tear at the sky
and clutch the fine
silken thread
that connects me to you
waiting for it to
break,
Begging this green
summer squall
to brighten and hush.
C.Passmore 6/3/97
Chapbooks/books (and lo
and behold, a CD)
1. Wormhole CD. New
release. Includes The Year 2022 cut by Chris Vannoy of St. Pete. $12.
fmi, contact cvannoy727_at_aol.com or sounds_at_accretions.com (Marcos
Fernandes)
2. "WITH UNVEILED
FACES", BY L.A. BASED POET, JOSEPH POWELL. FEATURES 21 POEMS
WRITTEN IN LOVE AND SOAKED IN TRUTH, DEALING WITH LOVE, FAITH, AND
LIFE IN ITS MANY FORMS. $7. SEND INQUIRIES TO JOBYPOET_at_AOL.COM OR
SEND YOUR CHECK OR MONEY ORDER MADE PAYABLE TO JOSEPH POWELL, TO 443
E. CYPRESS, BURBANK, CA 91501. A BOOK WILL BE SENT OUT IMMEDIATELY
AFTER PAYMENT IS RECEIVED. DON'T BE THE ONLY ONE ON YOUR BLOCK TO BE
WITHOUT THIS INCREDIBLE COLLECTION OF POETRY THAT WILL TOUCH YOUR
HEART AND MAKE YOU THINK, FOR THAT IS WHAT POETRY IS SUPPOSED TO DO.
SO ACT NOW!!! AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
3. Rage and Other
Moods, poems by Donn Deedon. 33 poems, 38 pages.
Two of the poems in
Rage, "Idiot's Delight" and "Dementia" have won
2nd and 3rd place, respectively, in separate international contests.
Each competed against 30,000 entrants and have been published in
separate anthologies. Sells for $8.00 and can be ordered by snail
mail through the poet at
11684 Ventura
Boulevard, #421,
Studio City, CA 91604
Announcements
1. 1999 Austin
International Poetry Festival dates have been set! Thursday, April
15 through Sunday, April 18, 1999.
2. 1998 National Poetry
Slam volunteer meetings are every Sunday, 3 pm at Electric Lounge.
Contact Sonya Feher, volunteer coordinator, to volunteer. There is
still much help needed!
"We need donations
for the silent auction to be held at the Electric Lounge, August
15th. *Donations can include gift certificates, art, services i.e.
massage, books, etc. The more the better folks. If you have one of
those gifts lying around that you wish the giver had bestowed upon
someone else, we would be happy to have them." Sonya
ssfeher_at_yahoo.com
Check out Ernie Cline's
brilliant design of the 1998 NPS website at
http://slam.home.texas.net/98Nationals/welcome.htm
Tickets now on sale for
the Nationals, at Waterloo Records, 6th and Lamar, and the Paramount
Theater box office.
Slam winner last week,
and $50 richer is Diane Fleming. Congratulations!
3. From Carol Koss in
Oklahoma:
Art - at its best - is
transformational and redemptive. Artists of a Different Caliber is a
non-profit exhibition that will bring guns to Oklahoma City - Guns
transformed by the visions of metalsmiths into catalysts for
non-violence. These artists come armed with talent, courage, and
commitment.
Poets are Asked to Bite
the Bullet: This fall, IAO will host Artists of a Different Caliber,
a metalsmith exhibit where guns and bullets have been turned into
works of art. They have taken seriously the admonition,"And
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares." These artists
are seeking poetry that speaks to the issue of alternatives to
violence, poetry that uses words against violence, rather than in
violence. If you are interested in contributing poetry to this
exhibit, send it via e-mail to me (cpkoss_at_aol.com) or to Gael Sloop
(SloopPhelps_at_compuserve.com). Deadline (or, life line) for
submitting work is August 15th.
We have been receiving
poems from all over the country (and Australia) for this project. We
may be putting them into a small volume for the exhibit. The reading
of these poems will take place at 8:30 p.m. at Harvey's (19th and
Portland) right after the opening at IAO (Sept.11th). Work (or
play), by poets unable to attend, will be read by volunteers.
4. Donn Deedon recently
returned from a European cruise. Some poetic highlights: "We
went there on the QE2, six days sailing on the queen of cruise ships.
I hosted a poetry reading on the ship on our third day out to sea,,,
In London I got to read at a local coffee house/restaurant and LWT
(London Weekend Television) taped my reading and is airing it in two
or three weeks on English National Television. They promised me a
copy of the tape. I also was able to sell and distribute my chapbook
where ever I went. It was a great trip!!"
5. Press Release:
Texas Nafas, the poetry
show produced by Farid Mohammadi, Christine
Gilbert, and Laura
Baker continues running strong on Cable Channel 10,
Sundays at 9 p.m. The
show being aired August 9, 16, 23, and 30 is a
special on slam
poetry--competitive performance poetry--featuring Taylor
Mali, a national slam
winner and great talent, and Marc Smith of
Chicago, the founder of
slam poetry, as well as several other
outstanding slam poets.
This slam poetry special is in coordination
with the 1998 National
Poetry Slam to be held in Austin from August
19-22--the 9th annual
national poetry slam. Big names attending the slam
include Marc Smith;
Patricia Smith, four time national slam winner from
Boston; Danny Solis of
Albequerque, Ellen Maybe of Southern California,
and a host of others.
For more about the National Slam venues, schedule
of bouts, day events,
late night events, etc., see the web site at
"http://slam.home.texas.net/98Nationals/welcome.htm".
Also watch for two
Texas Nafas one-hour
specials that will be aired at odd late hours on
Cable Channel 10,
called "Un-Cut," featuring energetic venues at
Waterloo Ice House
during the 1998 Austin International Poetry Festival.
cemgilbert_at_earthlink.net
6. Copied from the
Texas Poetry List Serv:
ANNOUNCING POETRY
CONTEST The September 5th meeting will be the deadline for the
entries and winners will be announced at the Workshop. Any form, No
line limit (please don't go over three pages per poem) and the
subject will be SPOOKY THINGS. This contest is open to the public,
but only one entry per person please. Entries must be typed, single
spaced on regular 8 1/2 x 11
paper, two copies (one
with name address and phone number on it in upper left
hand corner, the other
without). Please mail your entries to Texoma Poetry
Society, P.O. Box 2902,
Sherman, Tx. 75091-2902 or bring them to the meeting
on September 5th. ALL
ENTRIES MUST BE IN BY 4 PM ON THAT DAY TO BE IN THE CONTEST.
Previously published poems are acceptable.
Humor Award - any form,
any subject, no line limit (please nothing over 2 pages)
Lida Lee Award - any
form, 30 line limit, on the subject of grandmothers.
Spiritual -open to any
form of spirituality, no line limit, any style
Haiku Award -
Cowboy Poetry Award -
30 line limit, any style
Survivors - on the
subject of violence and abuse, any form, line limit 50
each contest will award
1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 2 H.M.'s...
******************************************************************************
**********
The cookbook/anthology
is open to any poet wanting to participate. The cost
to participate is $3
for 2 pages.(the book will cost be about $6 when it is printed).
I am hoping to pull in
a lot of new voices. Deadline for the entries for the cookbook
anthology is August 15th, so we can have time to get it put together.
Brenda Roberts
Texoma Poetry Society
P.O. BOX 2902
SHERMAN, TX. 75091-2902
Subj: Re: Austin Poets
at Large # 39
Date: 98-08-03 17:34:37
EDT
From: dearle_at_utep.edu
(Duncan Earle)
To: Stazja_at_aol.com
Yo,
Salutations from the
border, this is that strange anthropologist guy in El
Paso again....I will be
in Austin from Wednesday through Sunday and I will
try to show up at the
places you name. Hope to see you there.
Best
Duncan Earle
Margaret Gallardo
Senior Secretary
Center for
InterAmerican
& Border Studies
(915)747-5196
(915)747-5574 – fax
Subj: okay, thanks
Date: 98-08-03 14:42:10
EDT
From: wyrdsli_at_mindspring.com
(Geoff Beardsley)
To: Stazja_at_aol.com
('Stazja_at_aol.com')
Stazja,
Okay, I got the
newsletter.
Thanks a ton for
everything you do!
-Wyrdsli
Re: Austin Poets at
Large #39
Date: 98-08-03 11:28:00
EDT
From: cole_at_GlobeSet.com
(Richard Cole)
To: Stazja_at_aol.com
Stazja:
Monday morning in the
cubicle and my supervisor hasn't come in so I'm
reading <underline>If
You Can't Eat 'Em, Join 'Em</underline>, when your
email newsleter came
in. So I've got to reply and tell you how much I
enjoy your work. Poetry
without trying to be poetic or exalted. My
favorites from the
chapbook: A Miracle, Hardworking Man, Special Effects.
Thank you, thank you.
Richard
Subj: Re: Austin Poets
at Large # 39
Date: 98-08-03 13:04:21
EDT
From: Cynswrds
To: Stazja
Hi Stazja!
Thank you for adding my
poem to your newsletter..... :) just one thing, I'm not from
Southern California, I'm a transplant for New England! I met you
here in St. Petersburg a few times, once at Samantha's and at the
Cockney Rebal at open mic.
I'm a member of Full
Contact Poets...we all miss you and look forward to you visiting
again soon!!! Until then take care! :) Cynthia
Subj: Re: Austin Poets
at Large # 39
Date: 98-08-03 18:21:58
EDT
From: Cynswrds
To: Stazja
Hi Stazja,
You don't have to print
a correction, no big deal :) I really enjoy your newsletter, it has
some very nice pieces in it. Glad i could be part of it!!! see you!
Cynthia
Subj: Re: Austin Poets
at Large #39
Date: 98-08-03 11:53:13
EDT
From: oldfrank_at_juno.com
(jimmy smith)
To: Stazja_at_aol.com
Thanks for running the
rain poem, it's been so hot and dry I ejoyed
reading it. like most
of the stuff I write I sometimes never see it again
and some years later
will stumble accross it someplace, my pal Derek
knows more of my songs
than I do and delights in singing them to me from
time to time and
saying, "guess who wrote that" and sometimes I honestly
don't know, He played
me a record last year and I said " wow what a cool
guitar solo, who was
that" and he just looked at me like I was from one
of the outer fringe
planets and didn't say anything at all, what a putz I
are. I do remember that
Rain was one of two , the other called best
wishes and at the time
I sent them to a few folks,
my mind started turning
on the swords into ploughshears theme as soon as
I read about it, and
will send you something as soon as it germinates.
love you, the chat
stuff is great, bubba will get back to work as soon as
the hangover subsides.
Jimmy
Subj: Re: Austin Poets
at Large #39
Date: 98-08-04 08:45:39
EDT
From: Marc_Hurwitz_at_manulife.com
To: Stazja_at_aol.com
Stazja,
Thanks for all the news
each week! I finally have the internet at home so
I'd like it if you
could delete this address from your e-mail list and
instead send stuff to:
BRANDEIS_at_GOLDEN.NET
Thanks, and I do enjoy
reading all about the Austin scene.
Regards,
Marc Brandeis