Non Sequitur Review on The Artists Forum

Here's a nice review of the Non Sequitur Festival on The Artists Forum, a very awesome arts organization.

Come Hear Reading This Thursday

I'll be reading this Thursday at the Leslie Lohman Gallery with a whole bunch of really great poets.

Come Hear: Queer Women Speak!
June 12th, 6:30-9pm
The Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation
26 Wooster Street (between Grand & Canal Streets)
NYC

Fervor Chapbook Party - May 21

Next Wednesday, I'm reading at this party for Zaedryn Meade's fabulous new chapbook, Fervor.


Pleasure Boat Studio: A Literary Press and The Bowery Poetry Club present:
A book release party for
Fervor: Poems from the East Village By Zaedryn Meade

"Fervor is powerful, beautiful, resonant."

"Reading it is moving and sometimes troubling, a deep look
at love's joys and tragedies, at the ways that love can both enthrall and disturb."

Featuring Zaedryn Meade, Jeanette Anderson, Cheryl B., Ariel Federow, and Emily Haines

Wednesday, 21 May 2008, 8pm
Bowery Poetry Club at 308 Bowery in New York City
no cover

About the performers:

Zaedryn Meade (www.zaedryn.com) is a queer butch activist, classically trained poet, spoken word performer, and smut writer. She has self-published two chapbooks, Covet (2001) and Valence: Fool's Gold in the Shape of Poems (2004), and one spoken word CD, For the Record (2004). The third in her chapbook trilogy, Fervor: Poems from the East Village, was published in 2008 by Pleasure Boat Studio: A Literary Press. Her poetry has been included in various collections including The Seattle Review and NPR's "This I Believe" project. Zaedryn holds degrees in both social change and creative writing from the University of Washington, and she studied and taught performance poetry at the Bent Writing Institute for queers. Born and raised in the rainforest of Southeast Alaska, she now lives in New York City.

Jeanette Anderson, poet and photographer, has received national recognition for her writing from the Scholastic awards in 2006 and 2007. Her work has been published in literary magazines such as Xelas and Magma. Scholastic Alliance for Young Artists & Writers published her first solo chapbook, and her second chapbook was a collaboration with poet and mentor Zaedryn Meade. She has also studied with poet Regie Cabico, and participated in creative writing workshops with PEN American Center, Columbia, Random House and Girls Write Now. She currently attends Eugene Lang College, and lives in Brooklyn.

Cheryl B. is a Brooklyn-based writer and performance poet. Her work appears in several print and online publications, most recently; Word Warriors: 35 Women Leaders in the Spoken Word Revolution (Seal Press, 2007) and Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure (Harper Perennial, 2008). She is the creator and producer of PVC: The Poetry vs. Comedy Variety Show, a monthly competition between comedians and performance poets. Her website is www.cherylb.com and she blogs at theblist.blogspot.com.

Ariel Federow spends her days administering non-profit and her nights and weekends sweating glitter and shitting sequins. She has been seen in various incarnations: Switch'n'Play's Open Drag Nights; Miss Jew-S-A 5767 (crowned by the 14th St Y); the director of Big Moves New York; part of the creative team for the JFREJ/Workmen's Circle Purimshpiel; a variety of other radical Jewish spectacle art. She is currently working on running away with the circus and invites you to visit http://www.queeryenta.com to find whatever it is your queer heart desires.

Emily Haines was born in the Bronx and was politicized by the racial injustices she witnessed in elementary school. Her heroes include her grandmothers, Ella Baker, Assata Shakur, and her students. Her writing influences include KRS-One, Chuck D, Eminem, dead prez, Mos Def, Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich, Pablo Neruda, June Jordan and the seven fabulous women of FYI who shake her brain and move her soul twice a month.

What I'm Doing...

I'm working on two poems at once, because I have writer's ADD and I can't concentrate on just one thing at a time. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, probably good to have a lot of ideas, not so good to lose focus. I hope to have at least one of them in presentable shape for the readings on the 25th and 26th.

Today, I purchased the perfect light fall jacket at my favorite store, Beacon's Closet. I've been looking for one for a while now and was elated to find it fit me perfectly and cost less than $20. I'm considering it a pre-birthday gift. I have my eye on a new bag as well, but I'm on a limited budget, so that may not happen.

Speaking of clothes, I'll be attending another clothes swap this Sunday. I scoured my closet last night and have a pile of stuff to give away.

Also, have another date with T/A on Saturday! Yay T/A.

Weekend

On Saturday night, I went to see my friend Jenn Lindsay perform at Sidewalk Cafe. Jenn is one of my favorite musicians and one of a handful of singer/songwriters whose work I really enjoy. So I was honored when she wanted to turn my poem "Reasons to Stop" into a song. I've always had a hard time hearing other people read my work, I think it's a control thing, but I trusted Jenn's instincts and I was interested to hear her interpretaion. She sent me an mp3 of the song a few weeks ago and on Saturday she played it live for the first time. Jenn changed some of the verses around and added a few lines to make it flow. It's really well done and it was fun to hear my words in song form.

The song also gave me the chance to show off a bit to Tall & Adorable who accompanied me to the show. T/A seemed impressed and squeezed my leg as the song was being played. In the past, I've wooed dates with my own readings and performances, so it was interesting to do this through a third party.

Further wooing occurred when we returned to her home and a mouse was caught in a trap beneath her stove. T/A has been having a mouse problem in her apartment and is a bit wary of mice. I'm no fan of rodents myself, but I volunteered to do the deed and with the help of rubber gloves and a plastic bag, I was able to remove the poor critter.

Poetry Jam at Bluestockings - 9/25

I'm reading with the inimitable Christine Hamm on the 25th!

*****

Women's / Trans' Poetry Jam & Open Mike

Tuesday September 25th 7PM - 9PM

Feature Writers: Cheryl Burke & Christine Hamm

Bluestockings Bookstore
$5 suggested donation

Hosted by Vittoria repetto - the hardest working guinea butch dyke poet on the lower east side

Cheryl Burke writes poetry and prose that is both humorous and serious. Favorite topics include sex, not having sex, NYC, things that annoy her and sobriety. Her website is www.cherylb.com

Christine Hamm's poetry is dark, surreal and intimate. Her influences range from fairytales and the confessional poets to early 20th Century instructional pamphlets. She frequently writes about the small and brutal struggles between mothers and daughters.

Bluestockings Bookstore
172 Allen St.
(between Staton & Rivington)
1 1/2 blocks south from E.Houston
NYC
http://www.bluestockings.com/

New Poem up on Suspect Thoughts

I have a brand new poem up on Suspect Thoughts. The whole issue is excellent so read them all and check out the fabulous art work.

FSG Poetry Blog

Check out the brand new and informative FSG Poetry Blog. It's National Poetry Month y'all.