Re the annual Newer Poets reading--a modest proposal.

Full disclosure up front: for a handful of years, I volunteered time and money to make possible the printing and delivery of postcards for the Los Angeles Poetry Festival's Newer Poets reading--organized by Suzanne Lummis.  And I was glad to be of help to Suzanne, so whatever comments I make below aren't meant as ingratitude.

I recently noticed this description of the Newer Poets reading held last night at the Los Angeles Public Library's Downtown location:
"The seventeenth annual newer poets program is guest-curated by three acclaimed poets: Eloise Klein Healy, Arktoi Press; Suzanne Lummis, Los Angeles Poetry Festival; and Gail Wronsky, professor, Loyola Marymount University and member, Glass Table Collective."

You'll notice that Beyond Baroque--which was a guest-curator in past years--is missing from the above statement.  This oversight surprised me; perhaps the honored Venice poetry/arts institution will again be invited to nominate poets in 2013.

But perhaps it's time for me to offer unsolicited (and likely to be unheeded) advice about the Newer Poets reading as it proceeds through the 2010s.  It should be split in two--first with a totally Newer Poets reading honoring those literary-ambitious bards who have, say, less than ten years of existence in what is known as "the poetry community"; then, an Honored Poets reading saluting talented veterans who haven't always received the spotlight so generously (and often frequently) aimed at a handful of others in the LA/OC areas.  And one of the two readings could be held at a venue other than the LAPL deemed prestigious enough by the Los Angeles Poetry Festival organizers. 

Sometimes, poets who have spent up to decades in the trenches of writing/submitting/reading/MFAing may feel a bit spiritually diminished by being suddenly labeled "Newer Poets" akin to musicians/actors suddenly being called "overnight successes" by the mainstream media.  Ergo, the division into two categories.

Feel free to use the comments section to agree/disagree with what I wrote above.

BIG NOIR OPEN READING this Sunday--part of the NIGHT AND THE CITY noir festival.

Glad to be part of this event.  Reprinting from the L.A. Poetry Festival NIGHT AND THE CITY brochure:

Sunday, November 6
3 p.m.–5 p.m.


Big Noir Open Reading—with Features

Come read your favorite Raymond Chandler

Sign-ups 2:30–3 p.m.

Host: Mike the Poet Sonksen

3:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Featured readers: Fiction writer Cheryl Klein • Poet, author Pam Ward

3:30 p.m. Kick-off to Open: Terry McCarty

Gemini Manor (a fantastically original house)

1341 N. Mariposa Avenue • Hollywood 90027 Bring your own wine or noir picnic • Soft drinks, coffee, provided • Admission: $10

Explaining L.A. poetry community to outsiders: the concept of "emerging poets."

http://www.radiuslit.org/2011/10/16/radius-gary-tomlinson-g-murray-thomas-larry-colker/

Taking the stage, it's G. Murray Thomas from the above link to explain how you can be an "emerging poet" even if you've put in a number of years in service to the concept of "community" (highlighting by me):
"Now I’m supposed to discuss an emerging poet I respect. But in a poetry world where reputations can take years to build, what qualifies as emerging? Does it have to be someone new to the scene, or can a poet who has been around for years, but not gotten the recognition (I feel) he deserves fit the bill? I have seen too many poets languish in semi-obscurity to not opt for the latter.
Therefore, my choice is Larry Colker, a poet who is a longstanding figure on the SoCal poetry scene, but is probably better known for co-hosting the long running Redondo Poets series than for his own writing. Even while hosting, he is more likely to read someone else’s poetry than his own. (In fact, he opens every reading with a poem by another poet he likes.) I find this happens quite often in the poetry scene, that those who spend the most time promoting other poets often find their own works neglected."

In my opinion, "emerging" is a tag which should belong to newcomers of one to five years--and "honored" should be the word for the kind of veterans Murray describes in the second portion of his definition.

It's safe to guess that some poets who have spent years/decades in service (and waiting his/her turn to "arrive" ) may be a bit personally irked by being called "emerging."

But, if they've been active in the community for a certain length of time, they avoid complaining and just accept it as one of the conditions of belonging.

Yes, I have a poetry attitude problem.

In terms of poetry advancement in Los Angeles and Orange Counties (forgetting for a moment about what you actually put on paper), it helps to be a joiner who will follow leaders just about anywhere--whether the leaders are right or wrong in the short term.  Thinking about the long term tends to stay in uncharted territory--kind of like riding into the Forbidden Zone in the original PLANET OF THE APES movie franchise.

Years ago, I remember hearing this meant-to-teach-me-something statement from a poet in our community (someone I'll call LMN): "Well, I guess you just don't want to be on people's good sides."

I didn't start out to be a horrible, we're-tired-of-hearing-you-over-and-over malcontent; in long ago times, I looked up to those who proclaimed themselves to be Leaders until I discovered their alleged leadership qualities were too tied up in cliquishness and cronyism.

And I guess I'm sick to death of those community icons who now run on the fumes of their pasts--and who people unquestioningly worship instead of making things happen for themselves and other poets.

Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if people would take breaks from their own notions of poetry self-centered careerism (and I'm talking to those zine editors and MFA seekers in particular) to think about what L.A./OC poetry could be? 

But, as we all know, self-centeredness and short-term gratification are always winners in SoCal.

Being set straight yet again about Los Angeles poetry's desire to keep the herd thinned.

So the Important poet and I have been continuing to e-mail and, among other things, I was reminded that my standards for which poets should get features (a mixture of various types--and sometimes skill levels) aren't correct ones. I would allow too much--the horror, the horror--mediocrity to be put on display.

Along with that axiom, I was reminded that if poets aren't able to get features at venues where, say, Red Hen Press authors, Pushcart Prize winners and RATTLE (or other literary magazine) editors are favored (including most of the remaining "coffeehouse" readings), then it means the poets should write "better."

I know I'm showing my stupidity/naivete/lack of undertanding again, but it seems to me that a big, diverse city like Los Angeles ought to have a more diverse small-reading scene than it does.

But chasing prestige (or being in the presence of it) is paramount with a lot of people now.

And so the poetry scene in Los Angeles will continue to be exclusive and secretsecret--with the late Hyperpoets reading at Venice's Rose Cafe being the template for the high-toned, often too-dry and too-self-consciously "I'm writing TRUE poetry, as any fool can see" artistic desert.

One more post on the reading I attended last Thursday.

When receiving backchannel e-mail from the Important poet at last Thursday's reading in Redondo Beach, I had an accusation hurled at me.

Essentially, it was that I don't notice how "positive" the poetry scene is.

And there was one actually-positive event that evening I didn't write about earlier.

A teenage girl (who, to me, seemed to be a junior in High School) stood up to read a "found" poem assembled from opening paragraphs of Charlotte Bronte's JANE EYRE.

Feeling overwhelmed by reading a poem for the first time in front of an audience of strangers, the girl began to cry.

Audience members--plus the host, Dave McIntire and his wife--encouraged the girl to keep reading and finish her poem. She did.

When she sat down, someone near her said, "It will get easier."

To be honest in the best way, first-timers tend to invariably receive good treatment and support when they take the open mike at poetry readings of all types in the Southern California area. And it is something to be commended.

But I write a blog called POETRY-ARTS CONFIDENTIAL. And I feel that the biggest part of my job is to be a disinfectant when certain poets and/or poetry cliques become too self-important, fatuous, pompous and restrictive to relative newcomers and veterans alike.

I'm confident that the teenage girl will write some excellent poetry of her own.

My hope is that she'll get a chance to put together a first feature sooner than later--and not have to wait her turn for years while MFA-degree holders, Pushcart Prize winners, editors of "au courant" literary magazines and small presses are favored by certain poetry hosts.

Is that too much to hope for her?

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