Poets are Wussies!

That's what this fucker, Tom Buffenbarger, President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said- referring to Obama- when introducing Hillary Clinton at a rally in Ohio a few weeks back.

John Lundberg at the Huff has a great response.

I wish I could be so eloquent. Instead, I keep it simple: I'll kick that guy Buffenbarger's ass any day. Poet or not.

When Novelists Strike

Beware!

It's Official!

I'm in Jack Straw! I made it! Of course, I've known for a couple of months now, but the official announcement just came through. Here it is:

Jack Straw Writers Program announces new resident artists

Seattle, WA. Jack Straw Productions is proud to announce the literary artists selected by curator Judith Roche for the 2008 Jack Straw Writers Program. They are Wendy Call, Janna Cawrse, Kevin Craft, Sharon Cumberland, Waverly Fitzgerald, Merna Ann Hecht, Rebecca Hoogs, Brian McGuigan, Jennifer D. Munro, Ghida Sinno, Judith Skillman, and Michael Spence. (Bios for each writer and the curator are listed below.)

"There are too few ways to honor literary artists," says Roche. "The Jack Straw Writers Program addresses that by providing promotional opportunities for some of our area's finest writers, and the Program's emphasis on oral presentation helps return poetry and story to its origins in the oral tradition."

The purpose of the Jack Straw Writers Program is to introduce local writers to the medium of recorded audio; to encourage the creation of new literary work; and to provide new venues for the writer and their work. The program was created in 1997, and each year a single curator selects 12 writers/writing teams out of dozens of applicants based on artistic excellence, diversity of literary genres, and a cohesive grouping of writers.

This year's writers will participate in various activities that include voice and presentation training, in-studio interviews, the May Reading Series, the annual Jack Straw Writers Anthology, and the Jack Straw Literary Podcast series. This year's May Reading Series will take place:

Thursday, May 15, 7:30pm

Wednesday, May 21, 7:30pm

Thursday, May 29, 7:30pm

All readings are open to the public and are hosted at Jack Straw Productions (4261 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle). Admission is a suggested donation of $5, and comes with a free copy of the anthology. These live performances are recorded for future production as podcasts, radio features, and other noncommercial new media content.

To date, the Jack Straw Writers Program has included more than 150 Pacific Northwest writers who represent a diverse range of literary genres. Writers Program participants have included legendary Litmus Inc. founder Charles Potts (2007), Seattle Poet Populist Jourdan Imani Keith (2006), Stranger Genius Award recipient John Olson (2004), and Writers In The Schools founder Kip Robinson-Greenthal (2000). Past program curators include Rebecca Brown (1997), Charles Mudede (1998), Nancy Rawles (2001), Stokley Towles (2002), and Matt Briggs (2007). Click here to see a full list of all previous writers.

Rebecca Brown Reads Tonight!

That's right. Rebecca kicks off a new series called "No Comment" at New City Theater. Here are the details:

The New City Theater is returning to multi-disciplinary programming
in its new home THE SHOEBOX, at 1404 18th Avenue, just off Union Street.

NO COMMENT : a reading series , beginning Wed., March 19

NO COMMENT is a new reading series in which one writer reads a
substantial portion of his/her work.
No sales, no signings, no schmoozing, no Q & A or song or dance or comment-
just the work read by the author.
The writer will read for 45 minutes to an hour or so.
Three living writers a season & one dead great one read by someone living.

Third Wednesday of the month, 7:30 PM, Shoebox Theater, Seattle.
$4.00 cash at the door.

March 19 : Rebecca Brown
April 16 : Ann Pancake
May 21 : Nate Lippens
June 19 : Gertrude Stein read by Mary Ewald

REBECCA BROWN is the author of a dozen books of prose published in the
US A and abroad. She collaborates frequently with dancers, painters and others.

ANN PANCAKE is the author of a novel, Strange as This Weather Has Been, and
a short story collection, Given Ground. Her work treats issues of cultural
dislocation, class, poverty, and the environment.

NATE LIPPENS is the author of the novel Everything Is Not Enough. He writes
art criticism for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and is a former editor of
The Stranger.

GERTRUDE STEIN is one of the most innovative American writers of the
modernist period.

Info. contact : newcitytheater@comcast.net or John Kazanjian (271-4430)

Brian in Rivet Magazine

I recently had a poem published in Rivet Magazine called "What We Forget When We Remember an Address." Rivet's editors fucked up my 'til's in the poem. I prefer the colloquial 'til over till, which is really what you put money in and not the shortened version of until. I hate when people use till for until. That's just not fucking correct.

These are the concerns of a poet.

"Cheap Wine and Poetry" This Thursday 7 p.m.

I know there are a bunch of readings going on this Thursday, but let's be honest: none of them will be as good as "Cheap Wine and Poetry." Hope you'll make it. Details below:


Good-byes are always hard, but like most things in life, they are usually
made easier with a little bit of alcohol. On Thursday March 13th at 7
p.m., “Cheap Wine and Poetry” will be testing this theory, as we say
good-bye to spoken word poet and performer Katinka Kraft, who is leaving
Seattle after many years of work in our poetry community.

Joining Katinka on stage will be erotica writer Jennifer D. Munro, solo
performer Seth Rosenbloom, and poet Maged Zaher. As always, the
uber-spunky Charla Grenz will host, and the wine is a buck a glass. Open
mic too, where the real surprises go down.

So come on out for “Cheap Wine and Poetry” and hoist up some of the cheap
stuff for Katinka. She will be missed!


WHAT: “Cheap Wine and Poetry” with featured readers Katinka Kraft,
Jennifer D. Munro, Seth Rosenbloom, and Maged Zaher. Hosted by Charla
Grenz.

WHEN: Thursday March 13, 7 p.m.

WHERE: Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, Capitol Hill.

ETC: Wine: $1/glass.
“Cheap Wine and Poetry” t-shirts on sale.
Open mic.


Co-sponsored by Richard Hugo House.

www.cheapwineandpoetry.com


ABOUT THE READERS

Katinka Kraft is a German-American spoken word poet and multi-media
performance artist. She has performed in national tours in theaters,
festivals, and universities, including Western Washington University,
University of Washington, Portland State University, University of
California-Davis, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She has been an arts
educator in private secondary institutions for the last 3 years and is
currently employed at Richard Hugo House. Her most current artistic
endeavor took her to Poland and Germany, where she directed and filmed a
documentary short with the Descendants Project
(www.descendantsproject.com).

Jennifer D. Munro's stories and essays have appeared in numerous literary
journals and anthologies, including Best American Erotica; Best Women's
Erotica; Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica; Zyzzyva; North American Review;
Boulevard; Massachusetts Review; The Bigger the Better the Tighter the
Sweater: 21 Funny Women on Beauty and Body Image; and Literary Mama. Her
new short-story collection, The Erotica Writer's Husband, is available on
lulu.com, or visit the author's website at www.munrojd.com.

Seth Rosenbloom is a writer and solo performer. Recently he has performed
in Seattle at On The Boards – 12 Minutes Max, the Seattle Solo Performance
Festival and at Theatre Off Jackson. Seth is the co-founder of Unicyle
Collective, the only company devoted to producing original solo theatre in
the Northwest.

Maged Zaher was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt. His poems have appeared
in magazines such as Columbia Poetry Review, Exquisite Corpse, Jacket,
Tinfish and many others. His second chapbook "the wholesale approach" was
on Seattle Times local bestseller's list in 2004.