The final IWL reading is in a few hours and I am still trying to fix up some new-ish poems for the feature. I always try to push myself to put out some new stuff but since we only have a few poems in the chapbook and about six minutes to read, we have to try to draw material from outside the chap.
Still on the let’s push it a lil further tip, here is the set I read at Raphael Cohen’s book launch at La Peña:
SET LIST
– Psalm for Anywhere Avenue
– On The Subway (That’s Never On Time)*
– Revelation & Anywhere Avenue*
– The Amen Break*
– After Working The Late Shift Again, A Young Boricua On Times Square Composes a Response To a White Co-Worker Concerning The Myth of Racism
– Dedication
– Sonnet for the Lexington Avenue Express—Mt Eden Ave Stop
– About B-Boys in the Boogie Down
First off, I had a lot of fun reading this set. No mic, in a small space which let me be a little loud but I still tried to reign some back for the softer parts of the poems. In restrospect, I should have quit with the Sonnet but I was on a bit of a roll so I just followed my gut. Oh yeah, this reading was around the tale end of VONA making it a nice contrast from almost a solid week of analyzing poems to just sharing some. (Which in my case equals a spot on analysis but a nice contrast none the less.)
* New-ish poems that either got edited or birthed at VONA.
Speaking of VONA, you can see some pics of folks here at there more dynamic website. For all of y’all thinking of applying next year, I recommend checking out the more practical website. For the fellows reading I read these two pieces:
– The Remixed Encyclopedia of Myths: Uptown Edition
– Poem written to the Jimmy Castor Bunch’s “It’s Just Begun” (Part 1)
The Myth poem was a spot on first draft that let me put some elements of sound and music into more direct play. I had a lot of Quincy Troupe’s Architecture of Language in my head when I wrote it but its gonna take a lot more work (and music) to get it in shape.
Off to go read, see ya on the flip side!