Reading, Writing, and Resolve!

It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it. — Oscar Wilde

Local Poets Guild would like to invite poets in the Albuquerque community to commit to reading one book of poetry each week for all of 2012. Yep, 52 books. And we ask you to keep a log of what you read. Every 2-3 months we’ll post a list of some of the books that are being read, and then, at the end of the year, you can submit your list of 52 books of poetry to be entered into a drawing for a gift certificate to a bookstore. This is an easy peasy fun new year’s resolution (and crucial if you want to improve your poetry). Plus, in March we’ll open our new reading room and archive so you can feel free to pop by and read our selections if you’re running short. More on that soon, but we already have donations from several sources. For now, let us know if you want to take on this challenge.

“The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” — Mark Twain

Happy Winter!

I hope everyone is having a tremendous winter. We wrapped up a great season with a final East of Edith in November and are on hiatus for all our programming through December and January to work behind the scenes. Already a number of exciting projects are in development for next year and LPG is also working on a web redesign, grants, and a remodel for a new archive/reading room, and more. I’ll be scheduling a community meeting to announce some exciting changes in our structure and programming in late January, and I’ll also be releasing our annual report soon. It was a good year. My thanks to everyone–I look forward to more poetry!

John Roche Features at East of Edith on Monday, November 21st!

It’s time for some more good poetry news! This coming Monday, November 21st, at 7:00 pm, at the Projects 3614 High Street NE is our open mic night known as  East of Edith. This week you’ll get a chance to hear feature poet John Roche  share his work!

A refresher for you or if you’re new, about the East of Edith Open Mic at the Projects: all poets on the open mic are invited to share two poems, four minute limit (the poets can opt to either read their own work or works by other poets).  The East of Edith Open Mic night has been very busy being awesome – have you been yet? You should come to this. You should totally (for reals) come and listen or read or do BOTH. Please come early to get a cup of juice or coffee and some snacks and then dig on all the things happening at the microphone…and all for whatever you can offer for the hat pass. Which is to say,  pay what you can if you can. Come, enjoy the poetry. So much good poetry, every Monday night, at East of Edith.

A little bit about John:

John Roche is an Associate Professor of English at Rochester Institute of Technology, and also the current President of the Just Poets organization. He earned his PhD from SUNY Buffalo, studying with Robert Creeley and John C. Clarke. His full-length poetry collections, Topicalities (2008) and On Conesus (2005) are available from Foothills Publishing (Kanona, NY). His poems have appeared in magazines like Yellow Medicine Review, Flurb, House Organ, Big Bridge, Jack Magazine, Interim, Intent, Woodstock Journal, Burning World, Grey Sparrow Journal, and in several anthologies. He edited the collection Uncensored Songs for Sam Abrams (Spuyten Duyvil, 2008), co-edited Doing Time to Cleanse My Mind (FootHills, 2009), and edited Martha Rittenhouse Treichler’s Black Mountain to Crooked Lake: Poems 1948-2010, with a Memoir of Black Mountain College (FootHills 2010). His latest book of poems, Road Ghosts, published by theenk Books (Palmyra, NY), is available from Small Press Distribution  < www.spdbooks.org

and is also featured in Big Bridge # 15 at www.bigbridge.org. Recent readings include Talking Leaves Books, Buffalo, Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs; Little Theatre Café, Rochester; Different Path Gallery, Brockport, NY; Greenwood Books, Rochester; Writers & Books, Rochester; Harvest Café, Montour Falls, NY; and the Acequia Book Sellers and Fixed and Free, Albuquerque.

Photo by Margaret Randall.

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The East of Edith Poetry Open Mic takes place every Monday night at the Projects, 3614 High Street NE. Sign-up to read between 6:30 and 6:50 pm.

Hope to see you all on Monday night!

-Rich Boucher

beva sanchez-padilla Features at East of Edith on Monday, November 14th!

Good tidings to all!

It’s time for some more good poetry news! This coming Monday, November 14th, at 7:00 pm, at the Projects 3614 High Street NE is our open mic night known as  East of Edith. This week you’ll get a chance to hear feature poet
beva sanchez-padilla share her work!

A refresher for you or if you’re new, about the East of Edith Open Mic at the Projects: all poets on the open mic are invited to share two poems, four minute limit (the poets can opt to either read their own work or works by other poets).  The East of Edith Open Mic night has been very busy being awesome – have you been yet? You should come to this. You should totally (for reals) come and listen or read or do BOTH. Please come early to get a cup of juice or coffee and some snacks and then dig on all the things happening at the microphone…and all for whatever you can offer for the hat pass. Which is to say,  pay what you can if you can. Come, enjoy the poetry. So much good poetry, every Monday night, at East of Edith.

A little bit about beva:

beva sanchez-padilla is a native new mexican, trained in film, a published poet and a produced playwright.  her film and theater work includes: el corrido de emma tenayuca, letty y su mama, la guadalupe que camina,  mali and maya: another story of malinche and de mujer a mujer.   she has worked as a producer, reporter,  videographer for six television stations, was an artist in residence for the san antonio independent district for seven years and now manages the gutierrez hubbell house history museum in the south valley of ‘burque.

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The East of Edith Poetry Open Mic takes place every Monday night at the Projects, 3614 High Street NE. Sign-up to read between 6:30 and 6:50 pm.

Hope to see you all on Monday night!

-Rich Boucher

Kenneth P. Gurney Features at East of Edith on Monday, November 7th!

Hey! *taps the mic…….*

It’s time for some more good poetry news! This coming Monday, November 7th, at 7:00 pm, at the Projects 3614 High Street NE is our open mic night known as  East of Edith. This week you’ll get a chance to hear feature poet Kenneth P. Gurney share his poetry!

A refresher for you or if you’re new, about the East of Edith Open Mic at the Projects: all poets on the open mic are invited to share two poems, four minute limit (the poets can opt to either read their own work or works by other poets).  The East of Edith Open Mic night has been very busy being awesome – have you been yet? You should come. You should totally come and listen or read or do both. Please come early to get a cup of juice or coffee and some snacks and then dig on all the things happening at the microphone…and all for whatever you can offer for the hat pass. Which is to say,  pay what you can if you can. Come, enjoy the poetry. So much good poetry, every Monday night, at East of Edith.

A little bit about Ken:

Kenneth P. Gurney grew up outside of Chicago in the town of Glen Ellyn, IL.  Currently he lives in Albuquerque, NM, USA with his beloved Dianne.  During the “in between” he lived in 7 different US states: either near family or national parks.

He started writing poetry in 1993 after 17 years as a visual artist.  He picked up the poetry bug in Milwaukee, WI where he participated in the slam scene with little success at slams (1 win in 408 attempts).  Gurney’s poems appear on line and in print by publications in the USA, England, Ireland, Austraillia and Canada.  Over the years he’s garnered 3 nominations for pushcart prizes, though there are no wins tucked into is belt.

Gurney’s latest book is titled This is not Black & White.  There are four other collections published and available to the public.

His first adventure in publishing poetry occurred in Milwaukee, WI with Hodge Podge Poetry, which went from 1995 to 1998.  The second publication he edited was Tamafyhr Mountain Poetry from 1998 to 2006 that lead him to the internet and the web.  He had a short stint as editor of Origami Condom in 2007 & 2008.  In 2010 he started up the anthology Adobe Walls which contains the poetry of New Mexico.  He is very proud of the 60+ issues of the magazines and anthologies he helped place into the literary world.

Over the years Gurney has hosted open mics in Milwaukee; WI, Frederick, MD; Port Angeles, WA; and Albuquerque, NM.  He has greatly enjoyed the Soup Bowl poetry parties he hosted in past homes, as well as the living room salon in Albuquerque.

Although he has won several minor prizes for his poetry, he is most please with one of his poems being selected to be spray painted on an anonymous wall by a graffiti artist somewhere in New Jersey.

For a list of publication credits and links for book purchases please visit  http://www.kpgurney.me/Poet/Welcome.html

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The East of Edith Poetry Open Mic takes place every Monday night at the Projects, 3614 High Street NE. Sign-up to read between 6:30 and 6:50 pm.

Hope to see you all on Monday night!

-Rich Boucher

Jules Nyquist Features at East of Edith on Monday, October 31!

More good news on the poetry front! This coming Monday, October 31st, at 7:00 pm, at the Projects 3614 High Street NE is, once again, our open mic night known as  East of Edith. This week you’ll get a chance to hear feature poet Jules Nyquist share her poetry! Now, I know it’s going to be Halloween night, so I’m making a suggestion that folks come in costume. Of course you don’t have to come in costume, but it would be cool if you did! Aaaaaaaaaand let’s just say that the venue is going to look extra spiffy, if you get my drift.

A refresher for you or if you’re new, about the East of Edith Open Mic at the Projects: all poets on the open mic are invited to share two poems, four minute limit (the poets can opt to either read their own work or works by other poets).  The East of Edith Open Mic night has been gathering speed and momentum and I am overjoyed to say that it’s just amazing how this reading has been progressing along. Please come early to get some juice or coffee and some snacks, read, listen, catch an outstanding feature…  and all for whatever you can offer for the hat pass. Which is to say,  pay what you can if you can. Come, enjoy the poetry. So much good poetry, every Monday night, at East of Edith.

Dig it:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jules lives in Albuquerque and is honored to be the featured poet at her favorite open mic.  Here’s a bit about Jules in her own words:  The moment I walked into the Projects and the East of Edith open mic, I was warmly welcomed. I had only been here a month and knew about three people, total, and the poets I saw on stage with their words and the words of other poets affected me immensely. I knew I had to keep coming back and I have, almost every week.  These poets are my dear friends, my comrades, and are so very supportive of everything I have read and performed for them.  Every week I discover new writer’s works that they share and the energy here is just amazing. The space is, too.  It truly is a group of troubadours spreading the word of poetry.

As for my background, I have an MFA in Writing and Literature (Poetry) from Bennington College, Vermont and my BA in Writing from Metro State University in St. Paul, Minnesota.  I didn’t start college until 20 years out of high school, have an arm’s length of jobs and careers on my resume and my first love has always been poetry.  I started writing poetry in my room in high school with the encouragement of a patient English teacher and I haven’t stopped writing since.  I like to experiment with form and my favorite is the sestina, along with an occasional villanelle.  My latest poetry manuscript is looking for a publisher, and my poems have been published in various journals including Adobe Walls, Malpais Review, Duke City Fix, Salamander, and 5 AM.  I’ve had fun in a couple of “Encyclopedia” Shows and I also like to read along with music and that may happen again tonight. I’ll be sharing some favorites from my chapbook “Appetites” and also some new ones.

I thank the Burque poetry community for the warm welcome and look forward to blending my poetry energy with all of yours on the open mic.  If you want to keep up with me and my poems, my website is www.julesnyquist.com

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The East of Edith Poetry Open Mic takes place every Monday night at the Projects, 3614 High Street NE. Sign-up to read between 6:30 and 6:50 pm.

Hope to see you all on Monday night!

-Rich Boucher

Cathy Arellano Features at East of Edith on Monday, Oct. 24th!

This coming Monday, October 24th, at 7:00 pm, at the Projects 3614 High Street NE is, once again, our open mic night known as  East of Edith. This week you’ll get a chance to hear Cathy Arellano share her poetry!

A little reminder for ya, about East of Edith: each person on the open mic is invited to share two poems, four minute limit (the poets can opt to either read their own work or works by other poets).  The East of Edith Open Mic night has been gathering speed and momentum and I am overjoyed to say that it’s just amazing, how this reading has been progressing along. Please come early to get coffee and snacks, read, listen, catch an outstanding feature…  and all for whatever you can put into the hat. Which is to say,  pay what you can if you can. Come, enjoy the poetry. There’s good poetry happening at East of Edith.

***

Here’s a little bit about Cathy, from Cathy herself:

Poems and stories about home—my family in San Francisco’s Mission district —fill my upcoming chapbook, Salvation on 24^th Street, that will be published by University of Notre Dame’s Momotombo Press in the next month; my first chapbook (I Love My Women, Sometimes They Love Me) is full of broken-hearted lesbian love poems. I have work published in many different grassroots anthologies, journals, and newsletters.

I teach Developmental English full-time at Central New Mexico Community College, and this semester I’m teaching a creative writing course in Chicano Hispano Mexicano Studies at the University of New Mexico. In the spring, I’ll be leading creative workshops at El Chante Casa de Cultura, National Hispanic Cultural Center, and UNM.

I’m excited that Lisa Gill asked me to join East of Edith’s planning committee, and I thank Burque’s vibrant writing community for helping me to revive my writing.

***

The East of Edith Poetry Open Mic takes place every Monday night at the Projects, 3614 High Street NE. Sign-up to read between 6:30 and 6:50 pm.

Hope to see you all on Monday night!

-Rich Boucher

Tanaya Winder Features at East of Edith Monday, October 17!

Let’s all hear it for tomorrow night! Tomorrow night is Monday night, which means it’s time for the East of Edith Open Mic at the Projects again1 Each person on the open mic is invited to share two poems, four minute limit (the poets can opt to either read their own work or works by other poets).  The East of Edith Open Mic night has been gaining momentum and speed and I am happy to say that it’s just amazing, how this reading has been progressing along. Please come early to get coffee and snacks, read, listen, catch an outstanding feature…  and all for whatever you can put into the hat. Meaning: pay what you can if you can. Come, enjoy poetry.

***

The East of Edith Open Mic Feature Poet for Monday, October 17th is Tanaya Winder. Here’s a little bit about Tanaya:

Tanaya Winder is from the Southern Ute and Duckwater Shoshone Nations. She graduated from Stanford University in 2008 with a BA in English. Tanaya was a finalist in the 2009 Joy Harjo Poetry Competition and a winner of the A Room Of Her Own Foundation’s Spring 2010 Orlando prize in poetry. Her poems have appeared in Cutthroat magazine, Yellow Medicine Review, Adobe Walls, and Superstition Review, amongst others and are forthcoming in Drunken Boat magazine. She teaches composition and introduction to creative writing at the University of New Mexico where she is currently pursuing her MFA in poetry. She is currently the Assistant Director for the University of Colorado-Boulder’s Upward Bound Program – a college prep program for over 85 Native American high school students from different reservations all across the country. In her free time she enjoys coffee, karaoke, and teaching a monthly writer’s workshop at the local library in her hometown, Ignacio, CO

The East of Edith Poetry Open Mic takes place every Monday night at the Projects, 3614 High Street NE. Sign-up to read between 6:30 and 6:50 pm.

Hope to see you all on Monday night!

-Rich Boucher

Look Who Is Coming to East of Edith This Week! Lucky Us…

Last week was a stellar, moving, grounded, intense performance by Beata Tsosie-Pena at East of Edith, and Local Poets Guild Monday open mic continues its magnificent run of features with Olivia Gatwood.

Olivia is already a renowned performer and poet! And she’s just getting started. The bio on her FB poetry page says, too modestly:

 ”Olivia Gatwood is a young poet who currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After moving out of the country at age 10, she discovered writing as a new past time. What was once short stories, soon became short poems and eventually she ventured into the world of slam poetry. Olivia has been a part of the Albuquerque Youth Slam team for the past two years and was featured on HBO’s Brave New Voices in October of 2010.  In the future, Olivia hopes to move to a larger city and will publish a book by 2015.”

If you’re unfamiliar with East of Edith, it’s a pretty hot open mic. “Hot” meaning “literary”…. everybody’s working and writing. Each person on the open mic is invited to share two poems, four minute limit, and often they share one of their own and one classic. It’s a rollicking good time, with a serious edge, serious listeners, good fun, happy chatter. Arrive early to get coffee and snacks, read, listen, catch an outstanding feature…  and all for whatever you can put into the hat. Meaning: pay what you can if you can. Come, enjoy poetry.

We also have a fabulous rotating cast of hosts who are usually up to a wee bit of something, like sharing classics between, or offering writing prompts.

Enjoy! Hope to see you Monday!

–LG

The Line Broken Oasis Where We Build the City

I am asking Burque poets to send poems about the city that I can use in a performance/talk for Oasis classes for seniors. On October 19th from 10:30 to 12:00, on behalf of Local Poets Guild, I’ll be teaching a class about the literature of the city, and I can say with certainty that one person’s idea how Albuquerque should be rendered in literature is not adequate. I have my ideas–and my favorite’s like  Rudolfo Anaya’s rendering of Jack’s Bar, that infamous hot spot for lit majors and poets… but truthfully, although I’ve been living in New Mexico since I was a stubborn-and-refusing-to-speak 12-year-old, the last almost two decades of my life (post undergrad school) were spent outside of city limits. For this class I’m interested in representing the city itself. Although I moved right smack into downtown Albuquerque a little over a year ago, I feel like I’m still getting my verse up to city snuff.

I need help.

You can help by sending poems specifically about Albuquerque to Localpoetsguild@yahoo.com with “Burque poem” in the subject line and I’ll happily consider teaching them. Moreover, I’ll also consider publishing the top-ones here on the blog. GIVE ME PERMISSION IF IT’S OK TO REPRINT ON THE BLOG.  Cities need representation in literature, and from listening around on the scene, I know that we as a community are doing it. The multitude of voices paints a strong and compelling picture, a picture to rival descriptions of Paris or London, NY or San Francisco. Let’s get Albuquerque on the map by paying attention with our lines and stanzas to what it means to live here, to what we learn, what we love, what sticks in our craw.

And I’m also going to invite any seniors taking the class to share writings they’ve done if they want. The class only costs $7 and should offer a good tour of both areas of the city and also types and styles of poetry. I’m excited to do this. Look forward to sharing.

And I’d be grateful if you’d let me share some of your work with the students, let me indulge and flush out the big picture in a way that makes our town sing.

You can register for the Oct 19 10:30-12:00 class at Oasis here for a mere $7.

Much gratitude,

Lisa Gill