Deep Oakland Release Party

From Stephanie Young of Deep Oakland Editions:

Deep Oakland is excited to announce the publication of several new chapbooks and projects, along with a release party on November 19, organized by Charles Legere, in celebration of Deep Oakland editions.

On Thursday, November 19, please join us at 21 Grand in Oakland, at 7:00 for short readings by:
Adam Cornford
Samantha Giles
Dan Thomas Glass
Javier Huerta
Charles Legere
Barbara Jane Reyes

We’ll also be projecting photographs from Meg Escudé’s collaboration with Charlie Legere, Dan Thomas Glass’s 880 series, and Rebecca VanDeVoort’s series focused on gas stations in Oakland. There’ll be a DJ in the 21 Grand house, Alex Benson. And you know what that means: dancing!

October Readin’


Read
Originally uploaded by sabeth718

I’m feelin monster tired but with not much to show for it. I say this knowin full well that I have helped out at a number of local literary events with everything from watching the front door, putting chairs away at the end, and just coming through to archive the events in my Flickr and YouTube accounts. Aside from that I am still attending my BCC poetry class and (I think) gettin good grades. My jay-oh-bee continues to get more interesting (read: more work, more hours, more stress, more fulfillment) and I feel like it’s just going to keep gettin more interesting.

On the flip side, I haven’t been getting any writing done and it feels like I’m also reading less.  This could be just a regular dip in energy level or it could be just a reaction to a lot of negativity I keep sensing in e-world around poetry.  Mind you, I’ve never been one to pay heed to all the calls of “Poetry is Dead” or “Poetry Never Does Anything.” I always view these random editorials much the same way I view a person on the corner yelling out, “The end is near… Repent!”  But this joyless tone is draining my desire to read up about anything poetry related on the net.  So my reaction has been to fold up a little aluminum hat and ignore all my RSS feeds and that includes my own blog which has had little content in the last six weeks or so.

Now that I’ve typed that out, maybe I can turn it around and get more positive about poetics cuz there sure is still a lot of great work out there to read and enjoy.  Emphasis on the joy part.

I only read four books in October but they were all damn good.
Continue reading “October Readin’”

Scenes from Amiri Baraka at the San Francisco Public Library

YouTube videos from We Are Already in the Future: Amiri Baraka at the San Francisco Public Library can be found here.

Flickr pictures from We Are Already in the Future: Amiri Baraka at the San Francisco Public Library can be found here.

Digging: The Afro-American Soul of American Classical Music
Digging: The Afro-American Soul of American Classical Music

Back Room Live: October 31, 2009


Back Room Live: October 31, 2009
Originally uploaded by OBermeo

The poetry of Amalia Bueno, Rachelle Cruz, Guillermo Parra and Amir Rabiyah is featured this month’s issue of Back Room Live, guest edited by Oscar Bermeo.

From my editor’s notes:

The poets presented here believe in the value of community.  All the poems here happen in the wild open air with interactions as varied as Radiohead in Venezuela, a trip on the Bx1 in the Bronx, communion with the dead, and conversations with God.  These poems bristle against the unexpected, invite conversation and (in my idealized world) spread out to create connections with their poetry.

Many thanks again to Life Long Press editor-in-chief Valyntina Grenier for this chance to the work of some very exciting poets.

Acknowledgment: Guest Editing at Back Room Live

Back Room Live with Guest Editor Oscar Bermeo
Back Room Live with Guest Editor Oscar Bermeo

Many thanks to Valyntina Grenier of Life Long Press for the opportunity to guest edit this month’s issue of Back Room Live.

Be on the lookout for some great poetry from Amalia Bueno, Rachelle Cruz, Guillermo Parra and Amir Rabiyah.

And for all of y’all on Facebook, please check out the events page.