Non Sequitur Festival

Just a reminder... I rehearsed my piece with the band on Thursday night and it sounds pretty good, if I do say so myself. The other pieces I've heard are all really excellent as well. I'm excited/nervous but mostly excited.



CCi ComposersCollaborative inc presents
The 8th Non Sequitur Summer Festival — 5 evenings of Performance
The Flea Theater, 41 White Street (Tribeca), NYC

August 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 @ 8PM
By subway: 1 & 9 to Franklin St or 6, N/R, Q/W, A/C/E to Canal St

Tickets: gen’l $25 students/seniors $20
Tickets

Information: Composers Collaborative

Non Sequitur 2008

Rejection: a series of slips and falls

Rejection: a series of slips and falls – an unprecedented run of 5 performances of 5 commissions. ComposersCollaborative inc. (CCi) assembles a cast with 5 composers, 5 poets, 7 musicians & 2 theater artists. The composers and poets pair up, create five new works, and perform them with NON SEQUITUR house band NEWSPEAK. Musical and literary worlds collide, styles are stretched, and creative envelopes are pushed to unpredictable yet always entertaining heights.

Regie Cabico, returns as literary curator and irrepressible host. Our spoken word contingent – Anselm Berrigan, Bakar Wilson, Cheryl Burke, and Douglas A. Martin – descend from New-York-School Royalty to a generation of slam hip hop champions. Our roster of composers – David First, Jennifer Griffith, Kate Soper, Sima Wolf, and CCi Artistic Director Jed Distler – brings together home-grown mavericks, experimentalists and not-yet-categorized voices. The cast is abetted by director Arnold Barkus, lighting designer David Lovett, and Newspeak – Eileen Mack (clarinets), Dave Broome (synthesizer/piano), Taylor Levine (guitar), David T. Little (drums) – with Mellissa Hughes (diva). All are geared up to write a new creative chapter in the CCi NON SEQUITUR mode.

Non Sequitur Summer Festival - August 19-23

CCi ComposersCollaborative inc presents
The 8th Non Sequitur Summer Festival — 5 evenings of Performance
The Flea Theater, 41 White Street (Tribeca), NYC

August 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 @ 8PM
By subway: 1 & 9 to Franklin St or 6, N/R, Q/W, A/C/E to Canal St

Tickets: gen’l $25 students/seniors $20
Buy tickets before August 11 and save $5! Use the discount code “EARLY”

Information: Composers Collaborative

Non Sequitur 2008

Rejection: a series of slips and falls

Rejection: a series of slips and falls – an unprecedented run of 5 performances of 5 commissions. ComposersCollaborative inc. (CCi) assembles a cast with 5 composers, 5 poets, 7 musicians & 2 theater artists. The composers and poets pair up, create five new works, and perform them with NON SEQUITUR house band NEWSPEAK. Musical and literary worlds collide, styles are stretched, and creative envelopes are pushed to unpredictable yet always entertaining heights.

Regie Cabico, returns as literary curator and irrepressible host. Our spoken word contingent – Anselm Berrigan, Bakar Wilson, Cheryl Burke, and Douglas A. Martin – descend from New-York-School Royalty to a generation of slam hip hop champions. Our roster of composers – David First, Jennifer Griffith, Kate Soper, Sima Wolf, and CCi Artistic Director Jed Distler – brings together home-grown mavericks, experimentalists and not-yet-categorized voices. The cast is abetted by director Arnold Barkus, lighting designer David Lovett, and Newspeak – Eileen Mack (clarinets), Dave Broome (synthesizer/piano), Taylor Levine (guitar), David T. Little (drums) – with Mellissa Hughes (diva). All are geared up to write a new creative chapter in the CCi NON SEQUITUR mode.

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.

Benefit Next Friday - Be There!

A Belly Dancer! Raffle Prizes! Speculums!

I'm hosting this benefit next Friday for At Your Cervix, "a film dedicated to making pelvic exams respectful and pain-free" by Amy Jo Goddard and Julie Carlson. This documentary "peek" into the world of pelvic exams puts a spotlight on the Gynecological Teaching Associate (GTA) Program in New York City.

Here's the Info:
Friday, March 21, 2008
Doors 6:30, Show/Screening 7 pm
Collective Unconscious
279 Church Street
$15-$50 Sliding Scale

Monday

Monday Night!



Story Telling @ Coraline Cafe

480 62nd Street (@ 5th Ave), Brooklyn, NY

Take the R or N to 59th Street in Brooklyn and walk 3 blocks.

Tickets $5 (Includes first drink!)



Monday, February 4th – 8 PM



Hosted by: Cyndi Freeman

Featuring: Kimberly Auerbach, Brad Lawrence, Peter Lubell, Cheryl Burke

Reading

I've been so busy this week, I haven't even had a chance to blog about my trip to Baltimore. In short, it was great. T/A and I had a great time and I got to do a fabulous reading with Christine at the very lovely Minas Gallery. Many thanks to Julie from Poetry in Baltimore for putting together such a great series.

Speaking of readings, I just booked one for OCTOBER at the very awesome Drunken! Careening! Writers! Only nine months away!

Upcoming Readings

I have a few more upcoming readings. Info. below. I hope to have a recap of the last week's readings and events up this weekend.

*****

December 6, 9PM:

DEFENDERS OF PEACE
Join Trickydame & Tom 4 Prez and friends
Otto's Shrunken Head (e 14 & ave b)
$5 door

All info. and lineup here.

November 19, 7PM:

Word Warriors Book Release Party
Bar 13
35 E. 13th Street, NYC

Chocolate Shoes

Tuesday: I read at Bluestockings as part of the Women/Trans' Poetry Jam alongside the awesome Christine Hamm. Christine read poetry and I read memoir in front of a fabulous audience. I really love Bluestockings and hadn't read there in a while so it was a real treat.

Last night: PVC was fantastic! I swear it wasn't fixed, but I won! Many thanks to comedians Mama Spell, Rob O'Reilly and Emily Epstein and poets Jane Cassaday (who came all the way from Syracuse!) and Evert Eden, who was a very last-minute addition to the show. Shayna Ferm belted out the dirty ditties and Carolyn was ablaze as usual. We were judged by Shawn Hollenbach as Bryan with a Y, Allen Warnock as Jean Baptiste and Michele Carlo as Carmen Mofongo. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so there are no pictures from the show.

For those of you who haven't been to PVC, the winner is determined after the top poet and top comedian do battle in a one-minute riff on a topic chosen by the audience. We have ten minutes to compose the riff while the musical guest performs. Last night's topic was "chocolate shoes," which pretty much joined together two of my favorite things.

It Came From NY

On Thursday, I performed at It Came From NY, where I was in great company alongside story-tellers Eric Vetter, Marilyn Torres, and Ryan Britt, burlesque lovely Gigi La Femme and my old friend from the early-nineties poetry days, Azha Day. Everyone was awesome and Michele Carlo, ICFNY's curator and producer did a really fantastic job. There was even a little slide show at the beginning, inclduing pictures of all the performers at their home subway stops, or in my case in front of a Staten Island Ferry sign.

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/

It Came From NY - Sept. 6th

Come hear me tell tales of Catholic School!

*****

IT CAME FROM NEW YORK: OLD SCHOOL
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6TH @ 8PM SHARP!
COLLECTIVE:UNCONSCIOUS 379 Church St. (btw. White & Franklin)
(A, C, E to Canal; #1 to Franklin; 4, 5, 6, N, R or W to Canal)
TIX: $10

Stories about best friends, worst enemies, blood brothers & sisters, playground wars, cutting out,sneaking in, smokin’ behind the handball court, five-finger discounts and “You, three o’clock – outside!”

Featuring:
It Came From WASHINGTON HEIGHTS: Eric Vetter(comedian/NoName & A Bag O’ Chips)
It Came From HARLEM: Marilyn Torres (actress/writer)
It Came From STATEN ISLAND: Cheryl B (writer/Poetry vs. Comedy)
It Came From MOTT HAVEN: Azha Day (retiree)

Plus b-boy comedy from It Came From FLUSHING: BurtNapkins

Old-skool burly-Q from It Came From ASTORIA:Gigi LaFemme

and token Non-New Yorker to be announced!

For more info, please visit: www.michelecarlo.com

Post 'Wyg

Me and Uffish embrace after the show on Wednesday night.

The Gays Went Wild Last Night

The WYSIWYG Talent Show took it's final great big, gay bow last night. To summarize the evening there was a disco song about Gonorrhea, Satan's assistant, the most asinine questions to ask trans person, a go-go intern, Kelli Dunham's boobs and a brand-new hanky code. I read an extended version of this B List classic. There should be pictures and possibly video soon.

Many thanks to Andy Horwitz and Chris Hampton for having me on last night and for putting together such a consistently excellent show for the past three and a half years. Well done.

Cancellations

Unfortunately, I had to cancel my two upcoming gigs this week beacuse of the family situation. You should still go to DOUBLE XX this Sunday though. Robin Cloud and Jenn Lindsay are both brilliant at what they do. It will be a fantastic show.

Reading, Writing, Learning

I had a really good time at the Sunday Salon at Stain Bar last night. All the readers were fantastic and it was really helpful for me to read another section of The Book to an audience. One thing years of doing performance poetry has taught me is that getting a live reaction to your work is a key element to the creative process. Writing is an ever-evolving system of learning. I'm lucky to have access to so many such outlets.

Look, I'm Popular

I have all these gigs coming up. I feel cool.

*****

April 22, 7PM
Sunday Salon
Stain Bar
766 Grand Street
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

May 13, 8PM
Double X: To X's Are Better Than One
Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery
NYC

May 16, 8PM
WYSIWYG Talent Show
Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery
NYC

May 17, 7PM
GirlSalon
Perch Cafe
365 Fifth Avenue
Park Slope, Brooklyn

June 10, 4:30PM
440 Gallery Reading Series
440 Sixth Avenue
Park Slope, Brooklyn

June 22, 8PM
Earshot
The Lucky Cat
245 Grand Street
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Great Reading at KGB

Great reading at KGB Bar. Josh Kilmer-Purcell read his latest OUT magazine column on the other F word and David Bell did a dramatic reading of his short play involving the Swiss Miss and an intervention. I read a short section from my book about how my mother has never trusted my driving, it's much funnier than it sounds here.

Okay, off to bed.