1. Using one adjective, describe your current living space.
cluttered
2. Using two adjectives, describe your current employer.
dedicated, considerate
3. Using three adjectives, describe your favorite hobby/pasttime.
consuming, rewarding, introspective
4. Using four adjectives, describe your typical day.
rushing, frustrating, surprising, hysterical
5. Using five adjectives, describe your ideal life.
active, reflective, fulfilling, loving, energetic
let’s reflect on some random shit that will mean nothing except to those who actually speak with me.
-starting a movement means shit if that movement is dead.
-it may take a village to raise a child but only a press agent to make a griot.
-there is bad poetry in this world, nothing has convinced me otherwise.
-if my life was being shown in a movie theatre, i would duck out the back.
-i would read all the reviews.
-being the cornerstone of a movement that is dead is kinda like winning the cookie game, tu sabes?
-i am being pulled in too many directions.
-focus is a motherfucker but success is like getting with the prom queen.
-i need to change the color scheme to this blog.
-there goes three weeks of my life.
-i still refuse to post anything about my life on this blog.
-what the fuck did chuito de bayamon sing about?
-“fester/like culture”
-“radio wado was the soundtrack and you didnt know why”
-“all we have is gated minds”
-“tracy towers/a world away”
-“read like a POET”
-if i dont write this father poem, ima burst.
-workshops will save my life.
-poetry wont
-yes, i know it’s 17 syllables.
-see, see, see. yeah but you can show it too me.
-teaching is a bitch but a damn good poem is like getting with a first night stripper.
-the following poem is about (and 5 minutes pass), let me start, (3 minutes pass), thank you
-cheryl’s rants are quite contagious.
-yep, still convinced about that bad poetry thing.
-mattingly shoula waited till torre left.
-ima miss zim.
-the sax goes way better with poetry than the drum.
-bass is sexy.
-everyone may be a poet but can they produce a poem.
-use the comment section.
-more than zim, i miss the honda.
-how many times can a person fuck up before they exhaust all their chances?
and that’s that. next time, i’ll stick to reviewing venues.
“In a Turkish town, waiting there for me”
Finally! A Latino college reading with actual Latinos in the audience!
After what was just an amazing workshop with Roger as moderator, and Rich, Cheryl Boyce-Taylor and myself (Can it get better than that? The opinions and perspectives on political poetry were way too fuckin’ cool.), it was up to Columbia for the Dia de los Muertos reading.
Team Acentos had a reunion of sorts as it turned out to be me, Rich, Fish and
Jayme as the featured readers alongside our host for the evening and resident birthday girl, Nina. I have always wanted to get Nina to Acentos on a more regular basis and would love to see her grab the flag and be the standard bearer that would bring in more articulate, gifted Latinas to the Blue Ox. Damn that law school!
Unintentionally, I hogged up quite a bit of performance time which wasn’t a big issue because the musical act still hadn’t gotten their yet but once they did Nina had to cut short Jayme’s and Rich’s time. I kept waiting for the “two more” sign but never saw it.
Nina and Justin put together a great reading which also let me speak with some great minds and good readers. Vivienne showed up and dropped her poem that I think is some damn good writing. Another young lady, Ruby, displayed great poise and strong work on the mic as did Diana Marie, a Columbia Creative Writing MFA, who I had a great discussion with as to the oral nature of poetry.
She wasn’t feeling me on all my points but was certainly of the open mind set to debate. This is where the slam can be a pain as the mundane, pedestrian nature of gimmick poetry becomes lumped in with strong performance poetry that only really succeeds when there is strong content to be found in the work. Diana pointed to some stage work as all flash and little substance. She is right on a couple of levels and it is hard to differentiate the work that you love and aspire to in comparison to some ourpourings that are little more than over extended dialougue.
The discourse could have been more in depth but Pa Lo Monte, an Afro-Carribean drum circle, was in the fullest of effect and had the crowd jumping and the place spinning with beats that brought the tribe together in dance. The reverb said community, and the movement spelled celebration but it my have well been a war dance as the message was clear– We will not see the traditions of the past fade to darkness, our forebearers would greet us with una chancleta on the other side, if we did.
“And as sleek as a shriek”
Checked out the reading at the AAWW last night. Given the choice between the Nuyo and checking out F Omar Telan… the choice was clear.
There are many things I can say about Omar that would make him blush (NO! It’s not about that) but I will just keep it brief and say that Omar is one of the best performance poets out there… end of text. Why? Because his writing has more levels than a game of Robotron as witness by his deeper, shorter poems that he will bust out on you, just to keep you honest.
Off-Tangent: Make no mistake that space is everything. Li Young Lee once likened a poet to an architect in that it is the poets responsibility to construct the emotional space in which the poem will dwell in the reader. Ya get me?
Likewise, from where you deliver your piece is everything.
Different venues have all their own energy, a process that is equal parts the work laid bare before that altar and the sacrifices left by the worshippers. See what I’m saying?
13 is an entirely different space than the Bowery Poetry Club which is nothing like the Nuyo and that is a big reason why some poets can achieve things on their perspective home turf that they can’t in other spots. Got that?
The space at the AAWW is one of real camaraderie and honesty. The aftermath of a lot of poems sacrificed for the greater good lingers there and it is one of my favorite places to read.
Got to the spot in plenty of time to hear Omar read. The curators of the reading did a three at a time kinda thing where they read the bios of a trio of the performers and then let them all go one after another. Different but not something I am going to emulate anytime soon. I didn’t know this little fact and when one of the performers finished her poem, I started to clap (Hey, her verse was tight, what can I say?). Well, I was the only one clapping as the audience kinda sat quiet throughout to allow the poets there maximum time on stage. All right, I can dig it.
Omar’s work received quite a bit of applause as did Justin Chin, who is off the meter! His perceptions of life balanced between the rib splitting and the tear forming were amazing. A Chinese poet by the name of Wang Ping was another wonderful relacion.
Afterwards, it was time fro a quick bite to eat at White Castle where Omar, Ed Garcia, and I geeked out on some Sci-Fi trivia leaving poor Rich Villar reminiscing about He-Man and Skeletor while we got down on the last episodes of Buck Rogers, Battlestar Galactica, and Star Trek– The Animated Series.
Damn it Jim– I’m a poet not an engineer!
“When the fifth sun sets get back reclaim”
On the Monday I was leaving for Nationals, Leslie Shipman, of the Bronx Writers’ Center, E-mails me about being part of the Lit Fest: Home. She mentions a panel discussion which really sparks my interest since I have never actually been part of one and I am thinking the process would be cool to help get my head in check. Then she drops the kicker, “We’ll be exploring issues surrounding first generation American writers.” (Stone Cold voice ON)Oh, hell yeah! (3:16 OFF)
Bringing it back to a few weeks ago, I discover that the event is scheduled the same night as Acentos. D’oh! No worries, Fish has the helm and I’ll just have to miss a night at the Blue Ox.
Luckily, the reading was only four blocks away. As Rich might say, “En el medio del carajo,” actually that’s what my mom would say.
Reading– Dope! Lynne went first and ripped through a set of poems that she had already begun writing for another project.
Audience– Not so Dope! Lynne is not the most feel good poet out there, for sure, but she does bring immediacy and poignancy to her work. This crowd could give two shits and was content sitting on their hands throughout.
I go up next and get a little bit more reaction with the “Ceviche” poem but once I go back to my more personal work the crowd dies again. Check it– the fact that they aren’t feeling me at the moment isn’t what bugs me… it’s the fact that they have some energy in them and they just aren’t willing to share it.
Patrick Rosal finishes it off and through my own sheer will, I lead the applause for each of his pieces. For the record, Patrick’s work is dope and I have got to pick up his book.
Then comes the panel discussion and guess how many questions the crowd had? … That’s right. They pleaded the Fifth.
Much love to Ron of Mosaic Books for putting the show together and trying to get the energy up in the crowd.
I had a good time doing work in front of an entirely new crowd and having to reach deep as opposed to riding on my rep (whatever that is). Let’s take a look at the clock (8:28), time for Acentos!
I boogie over the Blue Ox and catch Mahina Movement going over their set in the front, Matt Siegel and Guy splitting a Newport, and then walk into warm lights, an energetic crowd, and good music. (Not for nothing, it was kinda like the first time I ever went to 13.) A head count a bit later told me that we had almost the same number of heads at both readings but the vibe was SO much better. I missed the Open Mic which was sad because that is usually my favorite part of any show (provided that the curators give a damn about it and don’t let it turn into a sad addition to a top heavy line-up).
ACENTAS in the house as we had a great balance of ladies on our mic and, from all reports, presenting lovely work. Dats what I’m talkin’ about!
Mahina rocked but that was never a question. The ladies are the epitomy of collaborative work exploring range in voice, tune, and visuals in a style that emphasizes organic interaction versus the ‘flash over style’ mentality that permeates so many super-sized duets and trios running around spoken word today. (Sounds like if I was still doing the Announcements, huh?)
Guy has been talking about the warm energy surrounding the series for a while now and this was the first time I actually got to experience it from the outside, if you will, and was really feeling the signature we have created in our little rincon criollo.
More of that ol’ Nuyo spirit remained as Rich, Jess, Juan, Matt, and myself ended the night with an impromptu workshop of sorts as both Juan and Jess let me look at the work I missed and we started kicking around some more ideas. Let me tell you, Juan is one of the coolest mo’fos on the planet– he really knows how to accept critique on his work. As a group we rocked this old synonymUS practice of performing each other’s pieces. Matt did “Brooklyn Back Break Beat” and got real emotional in this spot that I normally get reserved at in the poem. I covered Juan’s piece and got to step out of my voice for a second in that Juan has serious lyrical skills and I had to adapt a faster cadence to read his piece. Man, this life rocks!
“You need to get up there and/give it away so you can keep it”
-Willie Perdomo
See y’all on the 11th!
