July?! How did that happen? Hope you’re getting lots of sun and enjoying some music, art, and poetry this summer.
Please consider buying a copy of my latest books: Ghost Town Poetry, an anthology (co-edited with Toni Partington) of poets from the open mic poetry reading I founded in 2004, and To Be Named: And Other Works of Poetic License, the limited edition art book and poetic travelogue I created in collaboration with David Madgalene and Toni Partington. David recently updated the To Be Named website (http://tobenamed-artandpoetry.
Original cover art for Ghost Town Poetry by Christopher Luna
Original cover art for To Be Named by Christopher Luna
I am very proud to be a part of this year’s Market Day Poetry Series, the monthly reading curated by Dan Raphael for St. Johns Booksellers (noon every Saturday through September, 8622 N. Lombard). On the 16th, I will host a reading featuring Judith Arcana, Jenney Pauer, guitarist Aram Arslanian, and myself. Here is the rest of the July schedule, courtesy of Mr. Raphael:
7/16 Christopher Luna, Judith Arcana, Jenney Pauer, and Arasm Arslanian
7/23 Casey Bush, Kirsten Rian, David Elsey
7/30 Barbara LaMorticella
The newsletter also includes the summer schedule for Poetry on the Piazza, hosted by David Abel. I am very proud to be sharing the bill on August 1 with Dan Raphael, Laura Winter, and musicians Rich and Carson Halley.
Recently I was added to the roster of artists at L. Alan Arts, a gallery that specializes in erotic art. Here is Larry’s announcement about how you can take a look at the work available for sale: “July’s Second-Sunday Salon promises to be one of the best yet! If you haven't been by lately, an almost entirely new line-up of art and artists awaits you (alongside all your favorites), including new works by Ryan Mikesell, Christopher Luna, Chelsea Rose, Rachel Sanders, John Gamboa, Bobby Ctkr, Colleen Birch and more. Plus this month for the first time I've submitted announcements to the cultural events calendars in several local publications, so it might be quite an interesting day to come by and show your support! That's Sunday, July 10th, 1pm-6pm; address and directions here: http://www.LAlanArts.com/location.html”
I am very excited to welcome one of Portland’s best to this month’s Ghost Town Poetry Open mic:
GHOST TOWN POETRY OPEN MIC
HOSTED BY CHRISTOPHER LUNA
AND TONI PARTINGTON
at COVER TO COVER BOOKS
7pm Thursday, July 14
and every second Thursday
COVER TO COVER BOOKS
6300 NE St. James Rd., Suite 104B
(St. James & Minnehaha)
Vancouver, WA
360-993-7777
mail@covertocoverbooks.net
http://christopherluna-poetry.blogspot.com
christopherjluna@gmail.com
all ages & uncensored since 2004
With our featured reader, Tommy Gaffney: Tommy Gaffney was born and raised in Kentucky, somewhere between the projects and the trailer parks. He is the author of two collections of poetry and prose, Whiskey Days (2010) and Three Beers from Oblivion (2006). His work has appeared in such anthologies as The Night Bomb Review, The Drunk Poets Society Anthology; Volume 2 and The Broken Word Anthology; Volumes 1 & 2. He has performed at the Insomniacathon, Wordstock, Columbia Gorge Community College, KBOO radio, and hosted the annual Artists Night Out Spoken Word Festival at Artists Repertory Theater. In 2010, Tommy was nominated for the Oregon Book Award for Poetry. Gaffney's favorite colors are John Deere Green and Joey Ramone Black. Nowadays, you can often find him wandering the streets of Portland, Oregon.
Banshee Time
by Tommy Gaffney
Head for cover right around banshee time.
Dusk comes about like a fattened bottom lip,
pouting.
The willows pull in their ears
while lightning bugs hunt down
little kids to taunt.
Sonnets crawl into the dog-houses out back,
boarding spiders and prey
now that the half-breeds are dead.
It’s hard to feel brave in open fields,
no corner to back yourself into.
If genes were balls,
maybe I’d be tougher by now
instead of scared of the dark.
Harrods Creek pulls down its blinds.
The county locks away the mowers for the night
while bluegrass winks at cartographers.
Crickets clear their throat
and banshees tip-toe the starting line.
Finally, we need to prepare for 100 Thousand Poets for Change, a global event to take place on September 24. What are your ideas about how to use poetry to encourage positive change here in Vancouver? We’re on the list. Read item 10 if you’d like to know how poets around the world plan to participate this spectacular event which was envisioned by Big Bridge publisher and poet Michael Rothenberg.
Hope you’re enjoying the summer,
Christopher
THE WORK
JULY 2011
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Summer 2011 MAC Literary Arts Courses
- The Studio Series: Poetry Reading and Open Mic featuring Donna Henderson and Stephanie Lenox at Stonehenge Studios (Portland) July 10
- July/August Schedule for Poetry on the Piazza, hosted by David Abel
- Free Poetry workshop with Judith Roche and Cascade Journal Pick-up Party at Bonair Winery (Zillah, WA) July 16
- Writing that makes your heart sing workshop with Tonia Twigger McConnell at In Other Words Books (Portland) July 17
- Figures of Speech welcomes Airlie Press + open mic at In Other Words July 19
- Darlene Pagan + open mic at Paper Tiger Coffee (Vancouver) July 21
- Poetry for Prose Writers: A Look at the Oral Roots of Poetry workshop with Cindy Williams-Gutierrez (Oregon City/Carver) July 23
- Steve Williams and Constance Hall at Hillsboro Last Monday Poetry Group July 25
- Verse in Person with Alison Cobb, Dave Jarecki, and Jenney Pauer at NW Library (Portland) July 27
- When I Was Poet by David Meltzer (#60 in the Pocket Poets series) now available
- 100 Thousand Poets for Change info
1.
Summer 2011 MAC Literary Arts Courses
For more information, or to register, call 503-823-2787, or go to http://tinyurl.com/pdxparksonline where you can access all Portland Parks programs. (To download a complete summer course schedule, go to www.multnomahartscenter.org.)
Ways In: Muse-less Experiments in Poetry
Lisa Radon
Wednesdays 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
July 7 – August 17 [7 classes]
Tired of waiting around for the Muse to whisper in your ear? Or worse, hearing similar things whispered time and again? What if you could start your next poem right now without having to confront a blank page? What if rather than fine tuning your poetry practice you could shake it up instead? Throw open the windows and let in some fresh air? In this class, we'll do some serious playing around with writing experiments whose results may surprise you, while giving you tools to reinvigorate your own writing practice.
Lisa Radon writes about art and makes art about writing (and reading). Sometimes this art is a poem. Current projects include the ongoing "The Mine King" and the recently completed manuscript of poems as writings-through of artist statements and essays, Theories & Documents. Her writing about art can be found regularly in art ltd. and ultra (ultrapdx.com). Her work will be included in the exhibition, Reading.Writing. at galleryHOMELAND in August, and she'll give a talk at the Portland Art Museum in September.
Writing Places
Creative Excursions in and around Portland
This summer, take your pen and notebook out for a stroll, and enliven your writing with a breath of fresh air! With local writers and artists as your guides, explore public transit, an extinct volcano, the temple of knowledge, or a cross-cultural landscape — taking inspiration and provocation from views, paths, neighbors, and pictures; from everyday scenes and hidden histories. Each one-day excursion is a self-contained writing experience; register for one, or two — or for all six!
The excursions are open to all; both beginning and experienced writers are welcome. On outdoor excursions, be sure to dress for Portland weather. Specific recommendations and any additional details will be provided upon registration. Full descriptions follow.
July 23 Fire + Water = Park (Mt. Tabor) -- Jesse Morse and Allison Cobb
July 30 A Day at the Library (Central Library) -- Nate Orton and James Yeary
Aug. 6 In Response: Poems on Art (Pearl District) -- Lisa Radon
Aug. 27 Borrowed Scenery (Portland Japanese Garden) -- David Abel
Fire + Water = Park: Mount Tabor
July 23, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Jesse Morse & Allison Cobb
In 1903, John Olmsted wrote in his Report of the Park Board, “There seems to be every reason why a portion, at least, of Mount Tabor should be taken as a public park.” What makes a landscape public? And at what cost to the environment do cities construct and maintain their imagined landscapes? In this workshop, we’ll wander the heavily visited trails of Mt. Tabor, examine the reservoirs, and explore the relationship between a city and its designated landscapes. We’ll read, walk, and write, with time allotted for discussion.
A Day at the Library
July 30, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Nate Orton and James Yeary
See the library as a book of its own: read from its resources of fiction, fact, art, and music; take as sources the people and pages that surround you; and respond in writing and artwork of your own. Writer James Yeary and visual artist Nate Orton (authors of the My Day zine series) will spend the day with you in the Portland Public library, guiding you with models, examples, and exercises. Work produced in the workshop will later be compiled into a collaborative follow-up book to James and Nate's 2009 volume My Day at the Library.
In Response: Poems on Art
August 6, 12:00 – 4:00 pm
Lisa Radon
Spend an afternoon visiting galleries in Portland's Pearl District, making poems in response to and in conversation with works of contemporary art. Poet, artist, and arts writer Lisa Radon will guide you beyond straightforward description, to take a more expansive view of what a poetic response to a work of art might be — stoking the fire with related readings, writing experiments and prompts, and a tuning in to your own five senses.
Borrowed Scenery: The Japanese Garden
August 27, 12:00 – 5:00 pm
David Abel
Considered by many to be the most authentic example outside Japan, Portland’s Japanese Garden is a perfect place for contemplation and observation. We’ll meet in the back room of a nearby cafe to briefly consider some of the basic principles behind the design of the garden and their possible relationships to writing, and then we’ll wander the garden paths and write. Several exercises will help jump-start the writing process. After our visit, we’ll return to the cafe and share our results, with time for feedback and ideas for furthering what we’ve begun. (Garden admission not included in workshop fee.)
For more information, or to register, call 503-823-2787, or go to http://tinyurl.com/pdxparksonline where you can access all Portland Parks programs. (To download a complete summer course schedule, go to www.multnomahartscenter.org.)
Ways In: Muse-less Experiments in Poetry
Lisa Radon
Wednesdays 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
July 7 – August 17 [7 classes]
Tired of waiting around for the Muse to whisper in your ear? Or worse, hearing similar things whispered time and again? What if you could start your next poem right now without having to confront a blank page? What if rather than fine tuning your poetry practice you could shake it up instead? Throw open the windows and let in some fresh air? In this class, we'll do some serious playing around with writing experiments whose results may surprise you, while giving you tools to reinvigorate your own writing practice.
Lisa Radon writes about art and makes art about writing (and reading). Sometimes this art is a poem. Current projects include the ongoing "The Mine King" and the recently completed manuscript of poems as writings-through of artist statements and essays, Theories & Documents. Her writing about art can be found regularly in art ltd. and ultra (ultrapdx.com). Her work will be included in the exhibition, Reading.Writing. at galleryHOMELAND in August, and she'll give a talk at the Portland Art Museum in September.
Writing Places
Creative Excursions in and around Portland
This summer, take your pen and notebook out for a stroll, and enliven your writing with a breath of fresh air! With local writers and artists as your guides, explore public transit, an extinct volcano, the temple of knowledge, or a cross-cultural landscape — taking inspiration and provocation from views, paths, neighbors, and pictures; from everyday scenes and hidden histories. Each one-day excursion is a self-contained writing experience; register for one, or two — or for all six!
The excursions are open to all; both beginning and experienced writers are welcome. On outdoor excursions, be sure to dress for Portland weather. Specific recommendations and any additional details will be provided upon registration. Full descriptions follow.
July 23 Fire + Water = Park (Mt. Tabor) -- Jesse Morse and Allison Cobb
July 30 A Day at the Library (Central Library) -- Nate Orton and James Yeary
Aug. 6 In Response: Poems on Art (Pearl District) -- Lisa Radon
Aug. 27 Borrowed Scenery (Portland Japanese Garden) -- David Abel
Fire + Water = Park: Mount Tabor
July 23, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Jesse Morse & Allison Cobb
In 1903, John Olmsted wrote in his Report of the Park Board, “There seems to be every reason why a portion, at least, of Mount Tabor should be taken as a public park.” What makes a landscape public? And at what cost to the environment do cities construct and maintain their imagined landscapes? In this workshop, we’ll wander the heavily visited trails of Mt. Tabor, examine the reservoirs, and explore the relationship between a city and its designated landscapes. We’ll read, walk, and write, with time allotted for discussion.
A Day at the Library
July 30, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Nate Orton and James Yeary
See the library as a book of its own: read from its resources of fiction, fact, art, and music; take as sources the people and pages that surround you; and respond in writing and artwork of your own. Writer James Yeary and visual artist Nate Orton (authors of the My Day zine series) will spend the day with you in the Portland Public library, guiding you with models, examples, and exercises. Work produced in the workshop will later be compiled into a collaborative follow-up book to James and Nate's 2009 volume My Day at the Library.
In Response: Poems on Art
August 6, 12:00 – 4:00 pm
Lisa Radon
Spend an afternoon visiting galleries in Portland's Pearl District, making poems in response to and in conversation with works of contemporary art. Poet, artist, and arts writer Lisa Radon will guide you beyond straightforward description, to take a more expansive view of what a poetic response to a work of art might be — stoking the fire with related readings, writing experiments and prompts, and a tuning in to your own five senses.
Borrowed Scenery: The Japanese Garden
August 27, 12:00 – 5:00 pm
David Abel
Considered by many to be the most authentic example outside Japan, Portland’s Japanese Garden is a perfect place for contemplation and observation. We’ll meet in the back room of a nearby cafe to briefly consider some of the basic principles behind the design of the garden and their possible relationships to writing, and then we’ll wander the garden paths and write. Several exercises will help jump-start the writing process. After our visit, we’ll return to the cafe and share our results, with time for feedback and ideas for furthering what we’ve begun. (Garden admission not included in workshop fee.)
2.
The Studio Series: Poetry Reading and Open Mic will feature Donna Henderson and Stephanie Lenox on July 10, 2011 at Stonehenge Studios, 3508 SW Corbett Avenue, Portland 97239 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The Ross Island Café will stay open late after the reading. Free and open to the public, the Studio Series is held monthly on second Sundays. For additional information please contact info@stonehengedesigns.com. (503)224-3640.
3.
From: David Abel
Date: Mon, Jun 20, 2011 at 5:45 PM
Subject: [Local events] 7/11: Poetry on the Piazza, Morse/Yeary/Radon/Abel
Poetry on the Piazza
Host: David Abel (MAC Literary Arts Program)
Jesse Morse, James Yeary, Lisa Radon, David Abel
Monday, July 11, 7:00 pm
Director Park
SW Park and Yamhill
directorpark.org
Downtown on a summer evening? Stroll over to Director Park for a free open-air poetry reading! Featuring local poets and musicians (and special guests from up and down the Coast), the Monday evening readings throughout July and August will showcase a few of the many independent reading series in the lively Portland literary scene.
This series made possible by a partnership between Director Park and the Multnomah Arts Center, and coordinated by David Abel.
Schedule (mark your calendars!)
7/18 Host: Jesse Morse (Smorg Reading Series)
Melissa Benham, Stacy Elaine Dacheux, Noel Tendick
7/25 Host: Rodney Koeneke
Bryan Coffelt, Alicia Cohen, Donald Dunbar, Rodney Koeneke
(Note: August 1 reading will be located in Shemansky Park, south end of North park blocks tween Main & Salmon)
8/1 Host: Dan Raphael (Poetland)
Laura Winter, Christopher Luna, Dan Raphael,
Rich Halley (saxophone), Carson Halley (drums)
8/8 Host: David Abel (Spare Room Reading Series)
James Yeary, Sam Lohmann, Maryrose Larkin, Endi Hartigan,
Jennifer Coleman, David Abel
8/15 Hosts: Donald Dunbar & Jamalieh Haley (If Not for Kidnap Reading Series)
Ethan Saul Bull, Emily Kendal Frey, James Gendron
8/22 Host: David Abel (Northern Worlds Book Launch Tour)
Robert Mittenthal (Seattle), Donato Mancini (Vancouver, BC),
Louis Cabri (Windsor, ON)
8/29 Hosts: Paul Maziar & Allison Cobb (The Switch Reading Series)
Paul Maziar, Jen Coleman
4.
FREE POETRY WORKSHOP! The Poetry of Place: Expressing Your Sense of Place through Poetry with Judith Roche followed by a reading featuring Judith Roche and Cascade Journal pick-up party July 16, 2011 Workshop: 1:00 to 4:00pm Post Workshop Reading & Cascade Pick-up Party: 4:30 to 6:00pm Location: Bonair Winery 500 South Bonair Road Zillah, WA 98953 (Yakima Valley Wine Country) Free and Open to the Public. RSVP to help us plan at: washingtonpoetsassociation@gmail.com Renew your membership to help the WPA continue to find and fund great new programming. Renew Today: http://www.washingtonpoets.org/join_wpa.php |
5.
VoiceCatcher presents
Writing that makes your heart sing
with Tonia Twigger McConnell
Sunday, July 17, 2011, 1:30-3:30 p.m.
In Other Words, 14 NE Killingsworth
Dig deep for what’s important and what makes your heart sing. Catapult your creativity rather than spend your energy on lackluster projects that stare at you unfinished from your laptop.
Designed for beginning writers of all genres and genders!
Tuition: Sliding scale: $35-$45
For more information: www.voicecatcher.org
6.
Figures of Speech reading series hosted by Steve Wiliams and Constance Hall. www.figuresofspeechpdx.wordpress.com/about
Our next reading at In Other Words, 7 p.m. on July 19th, will feature two founding members of Airlie Press -- an independent local press publishing local women's writers. Big Kudo's to all of their members for putting this organization together.
Also at In Other Words on July 10th at 4 p.m., our monthly critique group open to the public. Bring 10 copies of a poem you'd like feedback on from the group.
A quick note about In Other Words -- we visited with a board member and they say that prospects for their continued service to the community look very good. They are excited about future fund raising events starting with the opening of their lending library on July 9th. They want to express their gratitude to members of the community who have stepped forward and offered their help. More info at www.inotherwords.org.
Jessica Lamb has taught writing for many years through the Northwest Writing Institute, Portland Community College, and Literary Arts Writers in the Schools program. Her poems have appeared in numerous journals, including Poetry, The Southern Review, and Willow Springs. Along with three other poets, she is a founding member of Airlie Press, which published her book Last Apples of Late Empires in 2009. She lives in Portland.
Born in Colorado, Carter McKenzie earned her master’s degree at the University of Virginia. She currently lives in the Cascade foothills, and teaches creative writing classes to students of all ages in after-school programs and through Writers in Lane County Schools residencies. She also serves as one of the founding members of the poetry collective Airlie Press. Among the publications Carter’s poems have appeared in are Fireweed, hipfish, Raising Our Voices: an anthology of Oregon poets against the war, Dona Nobis Pacem: Grant Us Peace, and The Whistling Fire. In 2006 her poem “September 11” was presented as a performance piece at the Hult Center and at Lord Leebrick Theatre in Eugene. Carter is the author of Naming Departure, a chapbook of poetry published by Traprock Books in 2004. Her full-length book of poetry Out of Refusal, published by Airlie Press, was released to bookstores in October, 2010. In addition to teaching, editing, and writing, Carter studies and performs songs in the Scottish Gaelic language with the women’s a cappella group Kitchen Ceilidh (pronounced: KAY lee).
7.
From: Daniel Nelson
Hi Again Folks,
It took me a few days to come down from our reading on the 16th of June. Not only did Mike Guimond pour out his heart for us in an amazing and inspiring display of humor, honesty, courage, passion, twisted imagery and the kind of gut wrenching performance that births legends (though it was no more than we've come to expect from the poetic juggernaut that is Mike G), but the readers of the open mic reached deep inside also to share with us a gamut from the sublime to the horrid to the ridiculous. Thank you one and all for attending, enriching and/or promoting that event.
God willing and the creeks don't rise, for our next Third Thursday gathering (July 21st at 7pm at Paper Tiger, 703 Grand Blvd in Vancouver, located on Grand between Evergreen and Mill Plain about a mile east of I-5) we will be featuring our first 2nd time reader, Darlene Pagan, who you may remember was scheduled for May but was unable to attend due to a family emergency. Darlene Pagán is a writer and teacher, an activist and mother, and a wife who makes a mean loaf of homemade bread. She is a member of a writing group called Broads on the Side, made up of funny, smart women without whom she wouldn't have had any writing successes, including publishing poetry in the following journals most recently: Hayden’s Ferry Review, Hiram Poetry Review, Hawaii Pacific Review, and Two Review: An International Journal of Poetry and Creative Nonfiction. Her first chapbook was just released, Blue Ghosts, and she's at work on a full length collection. Darlene is a wonderful poet, intelligent, humorous, sensitive, profound, with beautiful and thoughtful imagery woven into her verse. Darlene struck deep chords within all of us in her Feb. '10 reading and I'm really looking forward to hearing her work again.
Hope you will all come down on the 21st and share in our celebration of poetry. Along with great beverages and fine company we also have an open mic before and after the feature. See you there. Now here's a piece by Darlene to show you what you'll miss if you don't attend!
Starving the Panic
by Darlene Pagan
Whatever woke you—
the baby choking, a lover’s elbow
to your chin, mice scratching
Morse code between the walls behind
the bed, the rumor you never admitted
to starting, the doctor’s, I’m sorry, before
she leaves the room—let the panic take
one last snap like a towel wound
and whipped at your thigh
in a high school locker room. And then
let it settle like a sheet. Set your hands
to smoothing each billow and pocket. Pull
the corners taut, lay back in the dark
as if you’d been waiting for someone
to join you for a midnight picnic, someone
who still hasn’t shown by 1am, 2am, 3am,
and you hardly care anymore because
no matter what morning carries in
on its silver hands, the moon
is a purple tongued pup,
wagging the black night, just
begging you to throw something.
Sincerely,
Daniel Nelson
360-334-1129
nelsondaniel59@yahoo.com
8.
From: Cindy Williams Gutierrez
Dear All:
Recently several prose writers have expressed interest in my poetry classes. So I have developed two half-day workshops on poetry for prose writers which I will offer in July. Please let me know if you are interested (or if someone you know might be interested).
Best,
Cindy
Poetry for Prose Writers: A Look at the Oral Roots of Poetry
Poetry is rooted in the oral tradition. The Greeks performed poetry accompanied by the lyre. Greek playwrights wrote dramatic works in poetic form. And writers like Homer wrote epic poetry to remember history and retell the stories of real and imagined heroes. Invoking Aristotle’s Poetics, we will discover what a poem can do that makes it different than prose. We will read contemporary poems aloud and listen for what lingers, for the ineffable that keeps us from turning the page, and keeps us returning to each word, each breath.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
1 pm to 4:30 pm
My house near Oregon City/Carver (It will be a glorious summer day in the country!)
$55 (or $100 for both workshops)
Poetry for Prose Writers: Borrowing from the Sister Arts
To be a poet, you must be a painter, a musician, a sculptor. Learn the basic secrets of poetic craft and you will never look at a poem the same way. How does a poet use line and imagery to startle the reader? How does a poet use sound to captivate and cast a spell on the reader? How does a poet use the space on a page to shape the reader’s experience? We will examine painterly, musical, finely chiseled poems to deepen our appreciation of poetry. You will also have the opportunity to try your hand at adapting a free write into a poem to experience the difference between prose and poetry.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
1 pm to 4:30 pm
My house near Oregon City/Carver (It will be a glorious summer day in the country!)
$55 (or $100 for both workshops)
9.
From Fred Melden:
HILLSBORO LAST MONDAY POETRY GROUP
135 SE 3rd Ave., Hillsboro
July, 25, 7:00-9:00 PM
For July, our Last Monday Poetry group gets a two-for-one: Spouses Constance Hall and Steve Williams, whom I call ‘Poet Activists’, will be the presenters. Think of it as a double-scoop ice cream cone, or maybe a double burger – without the cheese or onion – but with fries and tomato, or KFC with two wings and…
(I really shouldn’t start these notices before dinner).
Below are some brief bios:
Constance is a poet and has served as an Associate Poetry Editor for Stirring: A Literary Collection since 1999. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in a variety of journals – Harpur Palate, Rattle, Pedestal, The Dirty Napkin, Babelfruit, and others. She also serves as an Administrator of on online poetry critique forum, as Co-Chair of the Portland Unit of the Oregon State Poetry Association, and as the Managing Editor for VoiceCatcher, an annual anthology of poems and stories by Portland area women writers. During her career, she was an instructor and training director in both corporate and government environments.
Steve is in the middle of a career change and has recently graduated from PSU with a degree in Psychology. Together with Constance they are the co-chairs for the Portland unit of the OSPA, the Figures of Speech Reading Series and a monthly critique group that meets at In Other Words and is open to the public. He has had work published in various journals including Stirring, Scratch, The Rose and Thorn, and Verseweavers. He has a chapbook, “Skin Stretched Around the Hollow” published by Rattlesnake Press in 2007.
10.
Wed, July 27 at 7pm: Verse in Person — Free
Northwest Library, 2300 N.W. Thurman Street, Portland, OR 97210
Three poets will be reading:
Allison Cobb is the author of Born2 (Chax Press, 2004) about her hometown of Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Green-Wood (Factory School, 2010) about a famous nineteenth-century cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. Her work combines history, personal narrative, and poetry to address issues of landscape, politics, and ecology. She was a 2009 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow and received a 2011 Individual Artist Fellowship award from the Oregon Arts Commission. She works for the Environmental Defense Fund, a national environmental nonprofit.
Dave Jarecki owns Breakerboy Communications, a writing firm that helps businesses, individuals and non-profit organizations communicate through story. He facilitates writing workshops for youth and adult writers throughout the Greater Portland area. His fiction, non-fiction and poetry have appeared in a number of journals and publications, including Cloudbank Literary Magazine, INUR Magazine, Baseball Savvy, and Reed College Magazine. He and his wife Courtney live in NE Portland with their daughter, Lazadae.
Jenney Pauer moved to Vancouver three years ago after teaching on the border of Mexico and Arizona for three years. She recently finished her first full year as a high school English teacher. Jenney received a degree in Theater Studies from Southern Methodist University and a Secondary English Education Degree from UW Madison. She served four years as an active army Korean linguist and voice interceptor. Jenney writes: "I started writing again two years ago and was lucky enough to chance upon Toni Partington and Christopher Luna who encouraged me to keep writing and performing at different poetry venues around town such as the Paper Tiger Coffeehouse and Cover to Cover books."
Dave Jarecki owns Breakerboy Communications, a writing firm that helps businesses, individuals and non-profit organizations communicate through story. He facilitates writing workshops for youth and adult writers throughout the Greater Portland area. His fiction, non-fiction and poetry have appeared in a number of journals and publications, including Cloudbank Literary Magazine, INUR Magazine, Baseball Savvy, and Reed College Magazine. He and his wife Courtney live in NE Portland with their daughter, Lazadae.
Jenney Pauer moved to Vancouver three years ago after teaching on the border of Mexico and Arizona for three years. She recently finished her first full year as a high school English teacher. Jenney received a degree in Theater Studies from Southern Methodist University and a Secondary English Education Degree from UW Madison. She served four years as an active army Korean linguist and voice interceptor. Jenney writes: "I started writing again two years ago and was lucky enough to chance upon Toni Partington and Christopher Luna who encouraged me to keep writing and performing at different poetry venues around town such as the Paper Tiger Coffeehouse and Cover to Cover books."
For more information: 503.988.5560, or: http://www.multcolib.org/events/verse.html
11.
From: City Lights Newsletter
Date: Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 1:05 PM
Subject: Hot Off the Press | When I Was a Poet by David Meltzer
Date: Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 1:05 PM
Subject: Hot Off the Press | When I Was a Poet by David Meltzer
City Lights is proud to announce the release of
When I Was a Poet
by David Meltzer
by David Meltzer
A duel milestone in City Lights history, When I Was a Poet is volume 60 of the Pocket Poets Series as well as our first book of poems by renowned Beat author David Meltzer. The title piece is an ambitious work by a master at the height of his powers, a spiritual assessment of the meaning of a lifetime spent writing poetry. Also included are portraits of key figures in the poet's life, including Semina artist Wallace Berman, as well as "California Dreamin'," a reminiscence of Beat-era bohemian life. Among its other highlights are the vintage, previously uncollected series, "French Broom," a nutty homage to "Mr. Peanut," a section of mystical "amulets," and complete versions of "Night Reals" and "Dogma" which appear here for the first time. With its profound meditations on love, loss, aging, and death, When I Was a Poet is a substantial contribution to American poetry by one of its foremost living practitioners.
"With this primal book, David Meltzer takes his place among the great poets of his generation." —Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Read about how our Poetry Editor, Garrett Caples, acquired the book here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2011/05/the-maestro-david-meltzer-part-i/.
"With this primal book, David Meltzer takes his place among the great poets of his generation." —Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Read about how our Poetry Editor, Garrett Caples, acquired the book here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2011/05/the-maestro-david-meltzer-part-i/.
ISBN: 9780872865167
List Price $10.95
List Price $10.95
Buy it online for 30% off the cover price at
www.citylights.com
12.
From Michael Rothenberg:
Dear Friends of Big Bridge,
I am writing to find out if you would be interested in organizing an event on September 24 for 100 Thousand Poets for Change in your community.
So far 100 Thousand Poets for Change has over 230 cities and 54 countries signed on to organize events, as part of a global initiative to celebrate/demonstrate poetry and address issues of peace and sustainability.
We have set up an event page on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=106999432715571
and a blog/website for the event at http://www.bigbridge.org/100thousandpoetsforchange
The website discusses the concept of the event in more detail on the ABOUT page, but the bottom line is that this is a global event, with the overall theme of peace and sustainability, in which each local community can address its specific concerns.
I am very excited by this project, there seems to be a groundswell. I live in the San Francisco area and originally hoped to have 1 big event but it has evolved into 11 events in the SF/Bay Area, with City Lights bookstore tweeting the event and posting flyers around the store, Oakland Slam poets will be putting on a SLAM FOR CHANGE, Word Party will organize an event of poetry and music, Free University of San Francisco will have a day of lectures by poets about poets and their art, The North Beach Annual Poetry and Art Walk located at The Beat Museum has dedicated their event to 100 Thousand Poets for Change, and there will be a 100 Thousand Poets for Change reading at the Oakland Public Library sponsored by PEN Oakland. Other groups have indicated their interest in fundraisers to help projects they care about. I like the idea that so many poets of so many styles and inclinations have seen their way through this initiative to join with each other.
Also, the website provides each individual event an EVENT LOCATION page, which is also a community page blog, that allows participants to post particular event details and also to post poems, photos, documentation to share with all the other participants around the world. Poets and writers around the world need to know each other better and these events pages will facilitate and initiate communication.
After September 24th, these event pages as a whole will become a major document of contemporary world poetry.
Not to go on too much—I would be honored to have you set up an event in your country, city, town, or neighborhood on September 24 for 100 Thousand Poets for Change. Please let me know if you are interested.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincere regards,
Michael Rothenberg
100 Thousand Poets for Change
ps. you can learn more about me at Big Bridge online magazine. I am the editor and publisher. http://www.bigbridge.org/BB15/2011_BB_15_EDITORS/bioroth.htm
pss. Here is a very short list of some of the events that will be taking place:
In Vancouver, BC Fraser Riverkeeper will lead a TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup at False Creek East, near some of the dirtiest waters in Canada. Mary Woodbury of Moon Willow Press is working with community poets and artists to develop a poetry reading later that afternoon or evening.
In Philadelphia, there will be a PACE action, which is a wandering participatory reading through the streets.
In a Seattle, a 12 hour skype session, poets skypeing poems in from around the world.
In Kathmandu, Nepal there will be an all day school project which involves discussion of peace and sustainability, writing poems, a contest, and inclusion of the poems in a book to commemorate the event.
In Milwaukee poets who are active in the Labor Union demonstrations will give a reading.
In Guatemala, Mexico City, Lisbon, Portugal, Sydney, Australia, Austin, TX, Oakland, CA, Spokane, WA, Hilo, HI, Accra, Ghana and Athens, Greece there will be a Slam for Change!
Bancroft, Ontario, has the distinction of being known as, 'Ontario's Most Talented Town,' and this year is Bancroft's 150th anniversary so, on September 24th, they'll be celebrating their thriving arts community and a birthday with poetry, music, and, possibly, theatre. For change, their focus will be on creating more awareness about their natural environment.
In Mentone, AL for Sept 24. It will be an outdoors/picnic event with poets, speakers and music/singers/artwork. We will use the event to call attention to environmental issues and citizen action for change.
In Nigeria they will have a peace rally against gang violence with a poetry reading.
(The list goes on. And it is early yet so people are still formulating their programs).
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