April 1 – Regie Cabico!

Your quick reminder post for the week =)

Regie Cabico is one of the country’s leading innovators and pioneers of the poetry slam having won 3 top prizes in the 1993, 1994 & 1997 National Poetry Slams and winning The Nuyorican Poets Cafe Grand Slam. Bust Magazine ranked him in the 100 Men We Love & The Kenyon Review called him the Lady Gaga of Poetry. He has appeared on two seasons of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and NPR’s Snap Judgement. His work is published in over 40 anthologies including Aloud: Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Café, Spoken Word Revolution, & The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry. He has taught at Urban Word, Poets House, Kundiman, Split This Rock Mr. Cabico received the Writers for Writers Award for his work with at-risk youth from Poets and Writers. Other recipients include Arthur Miller, Edward Albee, Amy Tan and Stephen King. Mr. Cabico has shared the stages with Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg & Michael Ealy as part of Howard Zinn’s People’s History and with Patti Smith, Allen Ginsberg and Smashing Pumpkins, among others as a featured poet on Lollapalooza. He is former NYU Artist in Residence for Asian Pacific American Studies. When not performing throughout the UK and North America, he resides in Washington, DC. where he makes Thai food and practices his Tina Turner impersonation.

Doors at 6:30p, show at 7p, free and all ages. Donations accepted. Snacks! We’ll be at the WCUW Frontroom (910 Main Street, Worcester) – can’t wait to see you there!

Adrienne Rich 1929-2012

From The Washington Post:

Adrienne Rich, feminist poet and essayist, dies at age 82
By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, March 28, 6:24 PM

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Poet Adrienne Rich, whose socially conscious verse influenced a generation of feminist, gay rights and anti-war activists, has died. She was 82.Rich died Tuesday at her Santa Cruz home from complications from rheumatoid arthritis, said her son, Pablo Conrad. She had lived in Santa Cruz since the 1980s.Through her writing, Rich explored topics such as women’s rights, racism, sexuality, economic justice and love between women.

Rich published more than a dozen volumes of poetry and five collections of nonfiction. She won a National Book Award for her collection of poems “Diving into the Wreck” in 1974. In 2004, she won the National Book Critics Circle Award in Poetry for her collection “The School Among the Ruins.”

She had first gained national prominence with her third poetry collection, “Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law,” in 1963. Citing the title poem, University of Maryland professor Rudd Fleming wrote in The Washington Post that she “proves poetically how hard it is to be a woman — a member of the second sex.”

Read the whole article here.LA Times has a small story here.

Poetry under the fold.

Marty Kruse 1964-2012

Marty was many things… Husband, father, book seller, poetry organizer, union organizer, writer, old skool rocker, dear friend to poets & small presses everywhere, a force of nature. In the poetry slam realm, Marty helped out at more slam nationals & poetry festivals than most poets attend in their lives. He was quick to lend a hand, haul books, bodyguard those carrying funds, share a smile, or bring a laugh. He was one of the people who made it possible for literally thousands of poets to sell their work, read their poems, or just enjoy a good book. He will be greatly missed.

Marty is survived by his wife Carole Reichstein, daughter Claire, son Nick, & enough friends to fill a Rush stadium concert. It Takes A Village was created in order to provide support and encouragement for the Reichstein Kruse family. All funds collected go directly to his wife Carole to use for medical bills, final expenses, and anything else the family needs to make life a little easier;  you can also donate directly to Carole via PayPal at the email address c_reichstein@yahoo.com.

See Marty talking about music in excerpts from “I Was a Teenage Dirtbag.”  (Also featuring a montage of Marty’s noises at the end – if you’ve ever had a conversation about music with Marty, you’ll want to listen all the way through the end.) And a page has been set up on FB, here, to share stories about Marty’s life.

A celebration of Marty’s life will be held Sunday, April 1st, at Mississippi Studios, 3939 N. Mississippi, Portland Or 97227 from 1 pm – 3 pm. Everyone who loved the mighty Marty Kruse are invited to attend. This family friendly event of love and laughter is a potluck. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Carole Reichstein here.

April 1st – Regie Cabico

Regie Cabico is one of the country’s leading innovators and pioneers of the poetry slam having won 3 top prizes in the 1993, 1994 & 1997 National Poetry Slams and winning The Nuyorican Poets Cafe Grand Slam. Bust Magazine ranked him in the 100 Men We Love & The Kenyon Review called him the Lady Gaga of Poetry. He has appeared on two seasons of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and NPR’s Snap Judgement. His work is published in over 40 anthologies including Aloud: Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Café, Spoken Word Revolution, & The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry. He has taught at Urban Word, Poets House, Kundiman, Split This Rock Mr. Cabico received the Writers for Writers Award for his work with at-risk youth from Poets and Writers. Other recipients include Arthur Miller, Edward Albee, Amy Tan and Stephen King. Mr. Cabico has shared the stages with Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg & Michael Ealy as part of Howard Zinn’s People’s History and with Patti Smith, Allen Ginsberg and Smashing Pumpkins, among others as a featured poet on Lollapalooza. He is former NYU Artist in Residence for Asian Pacific American Studies. When not performing throughout the UK and North America,  he resides in Washington, DC. where he makes Thai food  and practices his Tina Turner impersonation.

Doors at 6:30p, show at 7p, free and all ages. Donations accepted. Snacks! We’ll be at the WCUW Frontroom (910 Main Street, Worcester) – can’t wait to see you there!

Louder Than A Bomb Is Upon Us!

From the LTAB facebook –

Over a year of planning. Countless volunteer hours. Amazing support from the Massachusetts Poetry Outreach Project, Young Chicago Authors and the 80 Proof Poetry Club at Massachusetts Institute of Technology!

Announcing the inaugural LTAB Massachusetts Youth Poetry Slam Festival!!!

16 Youth Teams have signed up to participate in this FIRST statewide youth poetry slam festival! Newburyport to Dorchester. North Brookfield to Lowell. Worcester to Peabody! Close to 100 Bay State Teens are preparing poems, getting amped to “Cross the Street” & share their crafted stories over the course of this historic three day tournament.

Details and schedule under the fold.

Tonight – Jamaal May!

Jamaal May is the author of two chapbooks, The God Engine and The Whetting of Teeth. He has received fellowships from Cave Canem, Callaloo, and the Bread Loaf Writers Conference. A graduate from Warren Wilson’s MFA program, Jamaal is a two-time finalist for the Ruth Lilly Fellowship, a two-time Individual World Poetry Slam finalist, and three-time Rustbelt Poetry Slam Champion, with poems appearing in Callaloo, Indiana Review, and Blackbird, among other journals. For years he coached Detroit’s youth slam team and taught poetry in Detroit Public Schools. Currently, Jamaal is the 2011-2013 Stadler Fellow at Bucknell University where he hosts a poetry slam, acts as associate editor for West Branch, and tweaks his first full-length manuscript, which was a finalist for The National Poetry Series as well as the Levis Prize from Four Way Books.

But wait – there’s more! Before we start the night with our open mic (followed, of course, by Jamaal’s sure-to-be-excellent feature), we’ll be holding a workshop, lead by Jamaal himself. Workshop from 5:30 – 6:30, then doors will open to the general public. Show starts at 7p.

To recap, workshop (5:30-6:30), open mic (starting at 7), Jamaal May features! (until we shut the place down). Doors at 6:30p, show at 7p, free and all ages. Donations accepted. Snacks! We’ll be at the WCUW Frontroom (910 Main Street, Worcester) – can’t wait to see you there!

Bring Out Yer Books!

Ever read a book that was SO GOOD that you totally want to share it around? Well! From the Worcester T&G this morning comes this neat bit of news on a really cool project:

…“The Give and Take,” a simple idea of the Friends of the Worcester Public Library. It consists of a shelf of donated library books that was installed a few weeks ago inside Worcester’s Union Station. The idea could hardly be simpler: Take a book, read it at your leisure, and return that book or another one in its place.

In one sense, “The Give and Take” is just what readers and friends have always done — loaned and borrowed books to and from one another. The idea is familiar and can be seen at work in company cafeterias, senior centers, and even libraries — basically, wherever books can be found. But putting a bunch of books where commuters can grab them, and doing it on the honor system, is taking public literacy to a new level.

Read the rest of the article here.

March 25th – Jamaal Versiz May, Feature and Workshop!

Jamaal May is the author of two chapbooks, The God Engine and The Whetting of Teeth. He has received fellowships from Cave Canem, Callaloo, and the Bread Loaf Writers Conference. A graduate from Warren Wilson’s MFA program, Jamaal is a two-time finalist for the Ruth Lilly Fellowship, a two-time Individual World Poetry Slam finalist, and three-time Rustbelt Poetry Slam Champion, with poems appearing in Callaloo, Indiana Review, and Blackbird, among other journals. For years he coached Detroit’s youth slam team and taught poetry in Detroit Public Schools. Currently, Jamaal is the 2011-2013 Stadler Fellow at Bucknell University where he hosts a poetry slam, acts as associate editor for West Branch, and tweaks his first full-length manuscript, which was a finalist for The National Poetry Series as well as the Levis Prize from Four Way Books.

 But wait – there’s more!  Before we start the night with our open mic (followed, of course, by Jamaal’s sure-to-be-excellent feature), we’ll be holding a workshop, lead by Jamaal himself.  Workshop from 5:30 – 6:30, then doors will open to the general public.  Show starts at 7p.  

To recap, workshop (5:30-6:30), open mic (starting at 7), Jamaal May features! (until we shut the place down).  Doors at 6:30p, show at 7p, free and all ages.  Donations accepted.  Snacks! We’ll be at the WCUW Frontroom (910 Main Street, Worcester)  – can’t wait to see you there!

March 18th – Spotlight by Stephen Meads, Youth Slam

Stephen Meads is a writer of things. His unmatched energy, incredible wit, and acrobatic performances made him an integral member of the Bay Area’s collaborative writing and performing ensembles from 2005-2011, and he annually serves as one of three judges for the National Poetry Slam’s legendary Nerd Slam. Stephen was a member of the Tourette’s Without Regrets 2011 slam team representing Oakland Ca, the Berkeley 2010 slam team, Oakland’s 2009 slam team, as well as San Francisco’s 08 and 05 team, which placed 6th in the world. Stephen is currently making his home in Portland, OR where he has taken on occasional hosting duties as part of the Portland Poetry Slam.

After our usual Open Mic and the spotlight feature, we’ll be celebrating Worcester’s youth – come on down to the Poet’s Asylum to send our Worcester Youth Team to the Louder Than a Bomb: Boston competition/showcase, coming right up. The youth will be strutting their stuff: Sarah & Liz can’t wait to hoot and holler and they hope you bring your voice down (to the show so that you can raise it up), too.

Doors at 6:30p, show at 7p, free and all ages. Donations accepted. Snacks!We’ll be at the WCUW Frontroom (910 Main Street, Worcester) – can’t wait to see you there!

101st International Women’s Day is Today!

Today is the 101st anniversary of International Women’s Day. You can celebrate in all kinds of ways – in Russia, it’s customary to give out flowers.

Poetically, you can totally celebrate by booking a woman to feature at your reading – you’ve been meaning to anyway =)

Bread And Roses, by James Oppenheim*

As we come marching, marching in the beauty of the day,
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray,
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
For the people hear us singing: “Bread and roses! Bread and roses!”
As we come marching, marching, we battle too for men,
For they are women’s children, and we mother them again.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses!

As we come marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient cry for bread.
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.
Yes, it is bread we fight for — but we fight for roses, too!

As we come marching, marching, we bring the greater days.
The rising of the women means the rising of the race.
No more the drudge and idler — ten that toil where one reposes,
But a sharing of life’s glories: Bread and roses! Bread and roses!

*Yes, I know, there’s a bitter touch of irony here that the poem is by a man. BUT this poem has significance in the Bread & Roses Strike of 1912 at Lawrence Textile Mills.See also for reference, please, Rose Schneiderman, and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.