the way i’ve been goin lately, not posting for a few days feels funny
especially when i have mega shit to talk about
jack mccarthy & roger in uppah westchester was off da hook. mccarthy is clearly the obiwan kenobi of poetry. roger represented to the fullest. the diner afterparty was just as much fun if not more so.
saturday, i am livin on three hours of sleep wakin up at 8 to head to the plantation. full day with only a ten minute break. then off to hostos to catch a reading from nuyor/ricans that came on the scene in the 90s. which freezes out fish, rich and jess as well as ignoring a nice list of others (guy pops out right from the top of my dome which is extra fucked up since he featured most of the readers at a lil bit louder) the reading was the perfect drink for the hatah in yo life
AN UNMODEST LISTENER
1/3 poets whose work you admire & respect
1/3 writers whose work you are first being introduced to
1/3 orators that have left you unfazed to this point
blend in tall glass with some ice to cool yo heels
a sprig of mint to freshen the air
shake vigorously with your applause hands
top with a splash of red.bull to keep ya from sleepin
afterwards, i was off to raj’s birthday bash. no sleep on the train as i got into some good convo with somebody from the reading. partied at raj’s with the usual suspects till (after setting the clock forward) 5 am. got home at 7. some qucik math says i have been in full effect for 23 hours! huzzah, the poet life.
still managed to get up in time to get eric a present for his birthday, show up on time(!) and have a great birthday fiesta then caught SIN CITY with fish. i have a review in me, i just cant get to it now but it is a movie that should be seen in the theatres so RUN DONT WALK!(ring the inside joke bell). i also cant go into how the YANKS spanked some sox nation ass but i will tell ya that i was plenty happy. “today i consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the planet…” (DING!)
monday was the anniversary fiesta. as opposed to the acentos bash, i got to actaully listent to some poetry which made it a lil better in my eyes (but acentos still has the best dancers in poetry- fo realz!) i had the unenviable task of following up hal siroitz but proved to the task or so they tell me, well, actually, hal himself said he enjoyed my work so thats good enough.
tuesday, i act like a poetry fiend and convince the crew to head out to the yerbabuena band’s reading at el maestro and like a good addict, i hit rock bottom. yes, the shit started mad late. yes, we had a CORE audience of about 3. yes, there was no structure to the reading. yes, everyone was drinking pretty good for a tuesday all night. and, YES, i bombed. and, yes, fuck all those other excuses cuz flaco navaja tore down the house and he went on even later than me. i pulled a MARIANO and went from being a game six hero on moday to blowin the series on tuesday. however, a girl wrote me the best poem ever and “thats gangstah” (DING!) and then i had some WHITE CASTLE in the parking lot with rich and fish aka un.earth day
today sees me a bit frustrated with an entirely different aspect of my life but this too shall pass
off to more readings and speakin of which i just dropped the massive listing of shit comin up in the city on my e-list so hear ya go
love ya like tino on first
Wednesday, April 6th @ 7:30pm
First Wednesdays featuring Poet Tania Rochelle
Downtown Bronx Cafe – 141 E 149th Street
Reading begins at 7:30pm, followed by an open mic.
#2, 4 or 5 Train to 149th St/Grand Concourse
FREE!
Sponsored by the Bronx Writers’ Center
For more info, call 718 409 1265
http://www.bronxarts.org/gp_bwc.asp
http://www.downtownbroxbarandcafe.com/
Friday, April 8th @ 5:30pm
Master Class in Poetry with MartÃn Espada
Cosponsored by Acentos
$175 general, $150 Members
The Asian American Writers’ Workshop
16 West 32nd Street, Suite 10A
For more info, call 212.494.0061 or desk@aaww.org
http://www.aaww.org/
Friday, April 8th @ 7:30pm
Pepatian 5th Annual Jump It Up: Bronx Artist Spotlight
2005
featuring Lydia Cortes, Arlene Chico-Lugo, High
Priestess from El Grito de Poetas, Desi Moreno-Penson,
Victoria Sammartino and Simply Rob
Pregones Theater La Casa Blanca
571 Walton Avenue, between 149th and 150th
#2, 4 or 5 Train to 149th St/Grand Concourse
$10 Cover
http://www.pregones.org/
http://www.pepatian.org/
Friday, April 8th @ 10:00pm
Friday Night Slam @ the Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe
236 East 3rd Street (between Aves B & C)
Slam Hosted by Karen Jaime
Open Room Hosted by Rich Villar
$5 Cover
http://www.nuyorican.org
Saturday, April 9th @ 8:00pm
TRANSMITTING with Jane LeCroy & Tom Abbs
special guest beat-boxer Kid Lucky
Pianos – 158 Ludlow at Stanton
F or V to 2nd Ave/Houston St
FREE!
http://www.pianosnyc.com/
Sunday, April 10th @ 3:00pm
louderWORKSHOP -From Atmosphere to Inspiration: Using
other media to enrich poetry with facilitator Mara
Jebsen
For more info, workshops@louderarts.com
http://www.louderarts.com/workshop/
Sunday, April 10th @ 6:00pm
Spoken Word with Nuyorican Poet- Anthony Morales
Arka Lounge – 4488 Broadway @ 192nd Street
#1/9 Train to 191st Street
$5 Cover
http://www.undercoverent.com/home.htm
Monday, April 11th @ 7:00 pm
louderMONDAYS – 13 Bar Lounge – 35 East 13th Street
… Fish Vargas, Samantha Thornhill, T’ai Freedom
Ford, Lynne Procope and Elana Bell compete in
Semi-final Slam #1! And don’t miss a fabulous
mini-feature by Sarah Hannah
Limited Open Mic sign up @ 7pm
$5 cover ($4-students), 2-for-1 drinks
http://www.louderARTS.com/
TUESDAY, APRIL 12th @ 7:00pm
Acentos – Blue Ox Bar – Corner of Third Ave & East 139
Street
The Uptown’s Best Open Mic & feature Jaylee Alde
… JAYLEE ALDE is a member of the Pinoy Spoken Word
collective Proletariat Bronze based in Oakland, CA.
His confessional style, a tangle of intricate writing
and intense delivery, placed him 2nd in the nation at
the 2004 National Poetry Slam. When he’s not writing,
he’s thinking about it.
Hosted by Oscar Bermeo
FREE! ($5 Suggested Donation)
http://www.louderarts.com/acentos