Poem for L.A./Oregon poet Scott Wannberg, who recently passed away:
you were blessed
with a light inside you
that converted everywhere you traveled
into a warm, inviting living room
where we could gather
and hear you in poem, story and song
the cattle rustler,
the snake oil salesman,
the purveyors of matters trivial and supercilious,
the holy pretenders who sold
zircon-coated unthinking obedience as Truth--
you let none of them disturb/distress you
as you traveled through this life
when it's time to pass into the Afterlife,
I can't wait to see you in its living room,
faithful, truth-loving canine companion Sparky by your side,
with more poems, stories and songs
about what was,
what is,
and what will be
.
Showing posts with label Iguana Cafe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iguana Cafe. Show all posts
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
New poem: A BRIEF HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES POETRY
A BRIEF HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES POETRY AS I KNEW IT
When there was an El Nino storm,
people still went out to poetry readings.
That was 1998.
NEXT magazine was the beacon
telling you where to find the word banquets.
And the first place I went
was the Midnight Special Bookstore
on Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade
because it was listed in NEXT.
Politics in the air at Poetic License.
Poems with "Free Mumia" messages.
Lots of fingersnaps for a line or even a word.
People filled with strong notions
of what was right and wrong.
Just about every reading
was filled to capacity.
And it was easy
to find readings
every night of the week.
It was also possible
to make acquaintances
and real friends.
In those days,
people weren't always worried
about being Published.
You could go to Kinkos
and print your own DIY chapbook--
breaking even by selling it to other poets
at readings.
Went to the Rose Cafe
and was exposed to poetry as Disciplined Art.
Long introductions for features
and open readers told to return
next week when time ran out.
(Eventually, the Rose Cafe
became the template
for most readings in Los Angeles and Orange County today.)
Those were the days
before venues and readings closed,
gasoline prices climbed,
popular poets and hosts moved out of state
or left the Earth entirely,
remaining poets began feuding
and a quiet movement began
to encourage uniform standards of quality.
raise the bar for booking features
and discourage the kind of open mikes
that attracted musicians and comics.
For some, this was a great notion
Oracles said that it was good for poetry.
I heard phrases like "layers of meaning"
used ad nauseum.
And other poets said not to complain
about changes in the scene--
or other poets themselves.
For it was perceived as
causing the entire scene
to suffer grievously
from intemperate words.
And today, there are fewer venues.
And just a few poets with power--
some of them use it more generously
than others.
Recently, there was a rainstorm
in Santa Monica.
It wasn't as strong as an El Nino.
And people did come to the reading--
but not nearly as many
as on a torrential night
thirteen years before.
When there was an El Nino storm,
people still went out to poetry readings.
That was 1998.
NEXT magazine was the beacon
telling you where to find the word banquets.
And the first place I went
was the Midnight Special Bookstore
on Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade
because it was listed in NEXT.
Politics in the air at Poetic License.
Poems with "Free Mumia" messages.
Lots of fingersnaps for a line or even a word.
People filled with strong notions
of what was right and wrong.
Just about every reading
was filled to capacity.
And it was easy
to find readings
every night of the week.
It was also possible
to make acquaintances
and real friends.
In those days,
people weren't always worried
about being Published.
You could go to Kinkos
and print your own DIY chapbook--
breaking even by selling it to other poets
at readings.
Went to the Rose Cafe
and was exposed to poetry as Disciplined Art.
Long introductions for features
and open readers told to return
next week when time ran out.
(Eventually, the Rose Cafe
became the template
for most readings in Los Angeles and Orange County today.)
Those were the days
before venues and readings closed,
gasoline prices climbed,
popular poets and hosts moved out of state
or left the Earth entirely,
remaining poets began feuding
and a quiet movement began
to encourage uniform standards of quality.
raise the bar for booking features
and discourage the kind of open mikes
that attracted musicians and comics.
For some, this was a great notion
Oracles said that it was good for poetry.
I heard phrases like "layers of meaning"
used ad nauseum.
And other poets said not to complain
about changes in the scene--
or other poets themselves.
For it was perceived as
causing the entire scene
to suffer grievously
from intemperate words.
And today, there are fewer venues.
And just a few poets with power--
some of them use it more generously
than others.
Recently, there was a rainstorm
in Santa Monica.
It wasn't as strong as an El Nino.
And people did come to the reading--
but not nearly as many
as on a torrential night
thirteen years before.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Re Erica Erdman's memorial and the passing of the old Iguana Cafe scene.
First, let me offer kudos to Amelie Frank, Richard Modiano and Beyond Baroque for the excellent memorial to L.A.'s Erica Erdman yesterday at Beyond Baroque. There was a fine line-up of people (including poets, Erica's father and former co-employees from FedEx) that communicated their love of Erica, her life and her poetry in words and song.
And I'll offer a sort-of-thanks to Tom Ianniello--a man who I have ambivalent personal feelings towards--for offering a stage to Erica and other talented poets/performers (first with the Iguana Cafe and later with Exile Books and Music) to develop and deepen their artistic craft.
I started reading my poems in public in 1998, so I missed out on the Iguana Cafe era--but was lucky to read at Exile (which later became Mysteries, Murder and Mayhem bookstore--run by mystery author Terrill Lee Lankford) when Amelie and Richard hosted a reading there. But it was inspiring to see and hear its alumni get together again.
Making a safe guess that Erica's spirit--which could be felt inside the Beyond Baroque theater--enjoyed and was gratified by the afternoon's tribute.
And I'll offer a sort-of-thanks to Tom Ianniello--a man who I have ambivalent personal feelings towards--for offering a stage to Erica and other talented poets/performers (first with the Iguana Cafe and later with Exile Books and Music) to develop and deepen their artistic craft.
I started reading my poems in public in 1998, so I missed out on the Iguana Cafe era--but was lucky to read at Exile (which later became Mysteries, Murder and Mayhem bookstore--run by mystery author Terrill Lee Lankford) when Amelie and Richard hosted a reading there. But it was inspiring to see and hear its alumni get together again.
Making a safe guess that Erica's spirit--which could be felt inside the Beyond Baroque theater--enjoyed and was gratified by the afternoon's tribute.
Friday, February 19, 2010
RIP to Los Angeles poet Erica Erdman, 55.
Was shocked and sad to find out that L.A. poet Erica Erdman passed away yesterday.
I didn't know Erica that well, but she was a class act as a person and as a member of the tribe called "the poetry community."
Met Erica in the late 90s at Amelie Frank's reading series at the Hot House in North Hollywood. Saw her last at the 2009 Newer Poets reading at the Downtown Los Angeles
Public Library.
Here's a link to Amazon.com for Erica's book THE APOCALYPTIC KID:
http://www.amazon.com/Apocalyptic-Kid-Erica-Erdman/dp/1892687003/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266636221&sr=1-1
I didn't know Erica that well, but she was a class act as a person and as a member of the tribe called "the poetry community."
Met Erica in the late 90s at Amelie Frank's reading series at the Hot House in North Hollywood. Saw her last at the 2009 Newer Poets reading at the Downtown Los Angeles
Public Library.
Here's a link to Amazon.com for Erica's book THE APOCALYPTIC KID:
http://www.amazon.com/Apocalyptic-Kid-Erica-Erdman/dp/1892687003/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266636221&sr=1-1
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