"full of adventure, turnin up the temperature"

there is a ton to blog about but not much time to really lay it all out. or, just maybe, i am pretty satisfied with the personal conversations i have in real life.

whatevahhhhhhhhhh

i had a feature this past friday night. why didnt i make mention of it? cuz i didnt know that i was going to be the feature until i actually arrived at the spot. previous to that revelation, i was under the impression that i was going to be a host. no worries, my precognitive abilities kicked in *oh, you didnt know about that? sheet, all south americans have them ;-)* and i printed out the Acentos set list right before leavin the jay.oh.bee and i was good to go.

back to the feature– the set went well. i mixed the order up a bit since the second to last poem (viewing the world from the back of a turtle) went over really well last time. in a fun fluke, the second to last poem of this set (menagerie) probably got the best reaction. go figure. the set in question went down at the downtown bronx bar & cagfe. a pretty tough room in terms of its narrow layout and the fact that it is a restuarant. any of you who have read at a food establishment know that it is one of THE biggest challenges in terms of commanding attention from the audience. this was no exception and, just to make it even more fun for me, i am reading to a group of folks who have spent the whole day at a teaching conference. oh yeah, mad fun. no, really. truth to tell, probably one of my best readings as i felt ultra-confident regarding the work and it came through in my performance. thank god, cuz the lady that decided to talk through the whole thing was not letting up and even though she didnt have a mich, she sure sounded like she did but i was able to make it all work and i left the podium feeling more like a poet than ever since i was able to to use my performance skills to make my poems come to life. i guess that makes me a a performance poet? or maybe, dare i say, spoken word?

ACENTOS BRONX POETRY SHOWCASE CELEBRATES THREE YEARS OF POETIC EXCELLENCE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2006

CONTACT: Rich Villar
rich at louderarts dot com

ACENTOS BRONX POETRY SHOWCASE CELEBRATES THREE YEARS OF POETIC EXCELLENCE

NEW YORK CITY – The organizers of the Acentos Bronx Poetry Showcase today announced the featured performers for their anniversary month of March, including singer-songwriter Eliane on March 14, and the acoustic group Trío Con Cuatro rounding out a showcase of poets from the past three years to celebrates the series’ third anniversary on March 28. The series takes place every second and fourth Tuesday at the Bruckner Bar and Grill, located at One Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx.

On March 14, Acentos will reach into the worlds of Brazilian and Latin-style guitar to bring singer-songwriter Eliane to the Bruckner. She has previously toured Europe and has appeared at such popular NYC venues as Joe’s Pub and the Blue Note. The popular Acentos open mic begins with a signup at 7 p.m.

Then on March 28 at 7 p.m. sharp, the Acentos 3rd Anniversary Show will feature a performance by Trío Con Cuatro, an acoustic group whose music is a fusion of new sounds and the traditional folk rhythms of llanero, jazz, blues, and calypso. In addition to the open mic, there will be a special set of showcase performances consisting of past features from the acclaimed series’ three-year run. More names are forthcoming, but already set to perform are HBO Def Poet Rachel McKibbens, Mahina Movement, and Carlos Andrés Gómez. In the DJ booth for the evening will be Acentos’ own DJ Geko Jones.

In the past weeks, the ownership of the Bruckner Bar & Grill has undertaken an impressive expansion into the adjacent building, adding a state-of-the-art performance space to the existing lounge areas. In addition to the drastically improved acoustics and audience capacity, the new space boasts four front and rear JBL speakers; a full PA system and DJ booth; and a brand new stage, spotlight, and house lighting scheme. With this exciting new setup, the organizers are set to launch their fourth year with a stellar March lineup.

For three years, Acentos has stood at the vanguard of the burgeoning artistic scene in the South Bronx, providing a renewed spotlight for Latino/Latina poetry in a venue that fosters an encouraging atmosphere for writers of diverse backgrounds and experience. Based in the Bruckner Bar & Grill (Corner of Third Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard), a part the ethnically rich Mott Haven section of the Bronx, Acentos showcases nationally recognized poets alongside emerging voices in a setting that stimulates open dialogue and an increased sense of community.

Acentos is a program of the louderARTS Project, Inc., a not-for-profit arts organization committed to developing challenging spaces for artists to create, critique, present and teach poetry, and is presented in conjunction with the Bronx Writers’ Center, a program of the Bronx Council on the Arts. Acentos is brought to you every second and fourth Tuesday of the month by Jessica Torres, Fish Vargas and Rich Villar.

For more information, please visit www.louderARTS.com/acentos.

# # #

move over BOONDOCKS… here comes AFRO SAMURAI

Samuel L. Jackson is is set to voice and produce an Afro Samurai live action feature to be based on the Japanese comic franchise created by Takashi Okazaki, according to Daily Variety.

Afro Samurai is the tale of a black samurai futuristic, yet feudal Japan who is on a mission to avenge the wrongful death of his father. Samuel L. Jackson stars as Afro, a warrior who travels a solitary path encountering a myriad of enemies, friends and challenges beyond imagination.

This deal is in addition to Jackson previously signing on to to lend his voice in an animated Afro Samurai television series for Spike TV.

"You keep lying, when you oughta be truthin’"

how crappy was my monday? the fact that i got a rejection letter from the Indiana Review didnt even make my top five.

in other news, i am fighting off some kind of bug that has me coughing something awful. i am literally fighting this bug away cuz
a) i dont like bein sick
b) it IS mind over matter
c) barbara will be in nyc very shortly
thus, the vitamin c is in full effect as well as wearing mad amounts of clothes to bed in an effort to sweat this bad boy out. i have done it before and will do it again. amongst my other self cures has been fully recovering from a hernia with nothin more than aspirin. of course, i was 23 at the time, but still…

on a more positive note. there was quite the fun party this last saturday– lynne’s fabulous shoe & hat partay in honor of miss procope’s birthday. if ya feel up to the challenge–

Match the shoes with said poets:
Roger Bonair-Agard, Cheryl Boyce-Taylor, RH Douglas,
Rachel McKibbens, Lynne Procope, Pat Rosal
P2180003 P2180004 P2180005

P2180006 P2180011 P2190013

P2180009but ima go out on a limb and say the winner for the night was this set of rocker boots complete with (what the hell do you call that ankle bracelt thingy people wrap around their boots??) and matching hat which belonged to a friend of lynnes that is a former child actor, apparently he makes an apperance in John Water’s Hairspray, and has an MFA in poetry. so once again, poets rule!

more silliness (including me & jai discussing pro wrestling while doing the hand jive) can be found here

love ya like J Lo loves Manolo Timbs

Pinion: A Reading to Celebrate the Quill, the Ink, and the Turning of the Gears

louderMONDAYS
Monday, February 27th, 7:00 pm

PINION featuring Barbara Jane Reyes with guest poest Jessica Hagedorn, Bino A. Realuyo and Anthem Salgado plus the Open Mic!

louderMONDAYS closes out February with a four-fold feature centered on the 2005 winner of the prestigious James Laughlin Award for her second collection of poems, poeta en san francisco (Tinfish Press). The Pinion Reading Series features exceptional poets of particular renown or accomplishment. These poets are encouraged by the curators to invite a selection of guest readers whose work they have mentored or through whose work or teaching they have been influenced.

Hosted by Lynne Procope

Open Mic sign-up @ 7pm sharp!
13 Bar Lounge
35 East 13th Street @ University Place 2nd Floor
212.979.6677
4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R, W to 14th Street  Union Square
$5  $4 students
2 for 1 drinks