February 5th – William James, Youth Slam Semis

William James once shot his sister in the back of the head with a BB gun; she retaliated immediately with a rake to the back of his skull. Both of them still bear the markings of this misadventure years later. This has nothing to do with poetry whatsoever, except for perhaps explaining the reason why he tends to speak in poems even when he tries not to.

A member of the Steel City Poetry Slam in Pittsburgh PA, as well as the underground music community, William mixes the ferocity and sledgehammer subtlety of punk rock with the refined art of the literary world. Whether it’s
with a snarl, or a grin, he is dedicated to bringing as much passion, sincerity, and intensity to his craft as a mere mortal can.

He is a fan of typewriters, coffee, and all cats.

Also that night, we’ll have the semi-finals for the Worcester Youth Slam! Come out and cheer for the youts as they slam it out for the last time before finals and team pickin’s!

We’ll be at the WCUW Frontroom (910 Main Street, Worcester). Doors open at 7 – see you there!

Important Stuff

This post isn’t so much about poetry, as it is about poets, about how we take care of each other as poets – as people. It is my firm belief that our biggest, most important duty in this world, and by extension, this community, is to take good care of one another* – you know, basic stuff like be kind, and if you can’t be kind then at least don’t be a jerk, listen more than speak, and speak the truth when we do speak, not cheat or misrepresent, feed each other when we’re hungry, help lift up the end when stuff is too heavy.**

Today I’m asking you to help lift up some heavy stuff. One of our own, Tara Hardy, has been hit with a medical condition, and she has no health insurance, and the community is raising funds for her here. A significant amount has already been raised, but it’s still only enough to cover her for a little while on what could be a chronic condition, so fundraising continues. You can donate a lot or a little, and you can donate so no one else sees how much you donate. And if you’re unable to donate in money, you can also donate a book of your poetry for an upcoming poetry event fundraiser. Let’s pull together and help – every little bit counts.

Here’s some more information from the IndieGoGo page:

Dear Friends, Family, Poets, Lovers of Life and Words,

Two months ago, our dear friend and loved writer Tara Hardy went to the emergency room. She was extremely fatigued and little red spots were appearing on her legs and cheeks. When doctors told her that the platelets were low in her blood, so low that it was a miracle that her brain didn’t suddenly hemorrhage, she found herself with a sudden life threatening (but un-diagnosed) condition.

January 29th – Workshop Night and Extended Open Mic

Join us for our inaugural Last Sunday Workshop. Come meet up with Shakti* lady Sou MacMillan for a generative** workshop based on word-pooling. Come on out and bring your writing tools. We’ll have the open mic at the end instead this time so everyone can show off their new stuff – and this one will be an extended open, meaning 5-10 minutes instead of the regular 1-5: ZOMG! We’ll be at the WCUW Frontroom (910 Main Street, Worcester). Doors open 5:3o for the workshop (to start at 6:oo), open mic at 7 – see you there!

*Shakti was this kickass ladies’ writing group the Asylum used to run back in the Java Hut Days.
**That means we gonna write some stuff \o/

January 22nd – Sarah Guimond

Sarah Guimond, author of caramels and other poetic treats, was a superstar at the once-upon-a-time-ago Monday Night Miniature Reading, and remains unforgotten. Her poetry and visual art both,  have been described as dark, confessional, surreal and other. She has been reading out and bout in the New England region since forever ago, and we are thrilled to have her back at the Asylum for a feature.

We’ll be at the WCUW Frontroom (910 Main Street, Worcester). Doors open at 7 – see you there!

 

 

WoWPS Video Slam Up & Running!

This was originally supposed to end on the 16th, but the voting has been extended!*

Brenda Moossy WoWPS Video Competition

Put a great poet in the Women of the World Poetry Slam by voting for your favorite poem today! You may vote once per day. Voting will close on Monday, January 23 at 9 PM EST.

Go look at videos, and vote for your favorite here.

*Due to some weird technical stuff that happened – all fixed now =D

Tonight! (Your Quick Reminder Post)

The Speakout! Poetry Collective has spent the last six years mentoring youth poets & promoting the power of one’s voice through the art of spoken word. Every year, our collective organizes youth poetry slams, raises funds, & chaperones several competition winners to an big showdown event like The Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Festival- this year they’re heading to the MAss LEAP shindig, even! This is the last prelims before the spots for the team are battled out – some see history happen! Open mic before the slam, as usual; we’ll be at the WCUW Frontroom (910 Main Street, Worcester). Doors open at 7 – see you there!

Emily Gets Out of the House

(from XKCD)

Actual poem beneath the fold.

Wahlkus Via Shakesville

if you don’t already read the osm blog Shakesville*, perhaps this post will urge you to check them out. I admit to snorffing a little coffee out my nose upon reading it (ahh, the occupational hazards of a blogmistress).

Wahlku from Liss over at Shakesville.

Apparently there was a challenge to write some Marky Mark haiku – read the whole story (with transcript, btw) here.

Also, feel free to post your own Wahlku in the comments* here =D

***

*Shakesville isn’t a poetry blog – it’s all kinds of stuff, even stuff relevant to you, Poet Friend, and I’m thrilled to have an excuse to introduce you!
“Welcome to Shakesville, a progressive feminist blog about politics, culture, social justice, cute things, and all that is in between. Please note that the commenting policy and the Feminism 101 section, conveniently linked at the top of the page, are required reading before commenting.”

**Seriously – we loff comments. Or, rather, we would loff some – please consider yourself invited to comment ♥

New Iron Poet at the Dirty Gerund

Laughing It Off At Ralph’s
Victor Infante from Worcester Telegram & Gazette‘s Pop Culture Notebook

As Monday night rolled into Tuesday morning at Ralph’s Chadwick Square Diner, things were beginning to look up a bit for New Hampshire poet Sam Teitel. Monday morning had found Teitel dealing with the fallout from an article on MTV News which, in his opinion, had grossly misrepresented an open reading for political poetry that he and fellow Manchester poet Mark Palos had co-produced. The forum, which mostly presented liberal voices, was described by MTV as a rally to support Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul. From there, the better part of his day was spent fielding questions and concerns from his fellow poets, and interested news organizations, including the Telegram. (MTV has since amended some of the story, to clarify that the event was not organized to boost Paul.)

But as the clock ticked past midnight, the nuisance of politics and public relations had given way to art and silliness as Teitel bested reigning “Iron Poet” champion Bobby Gibbs of Worcester after a three-round poetry slam that centered on the “secret ingredient” theme, “The Mona Lisa.” (The secret ingredients are chosen by Ralph’s bartender Yosh Shartin, and must be incorporated into all three poems presented during the competition.) Teitel won the coveted title with a poem recounting a co-worker who attempted to teach him how to pick up women, and who called every woman he saw “Mona Lisa.” The poem was hilarious, and managed to rack up points from the judges.

Read the rest of the article here.

Kickass Contest

IWPS 2012 Logo Design – Official Commission/Contest

by Houston Hughes on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 5:06pm

Art commission:
We are looking for one piece to serve as the logo/emblem of the 2012 Individual World Poetry Slam which will be held in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Prizes:
- A 1-year free pass to all Ozark Poetry Slam Events
- Advertisement in the official IWPS 2012 program
- Gallery space in at least one of the events at IWPS 2012
(we are working on more prizes for the winner, and will announce them and amend this note once they are confirmed)

Theme:
The theme of the piece is “Homegrown”. The piece needs to represent the city of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Possible focuses: the organic and natural elements of the town, the Ozark Mountains, the interplay of urban and mountainous environments. The theme should incorporate or be paired with either the words “Individual World Poetry Slam 2012” or the shortened version, “IWPS 2012”. Feel free to present multiple versions of the same piece, as we will likely end up needing variations to fit on a variety of mediums.