Archive for the 'Recommends' Category

back from the dead

Published on August 19, 2008 in Event, News, Poetry, Recommends and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Hi all,

Sorry it’s been a while since you’ve heard from me! It’s been a crazy, busy month–lots of visitors in town, lots of going out of town…so no blogging. But, I’m back, and want to tell you about some exciting events coming up and some other new news.

I’ll be in NYC with my man from August 27th-September 2nd, and while I’m there, I’ll be doing a very special reading on the 31st at goodbye blue monday in Brooklyn. It’s the first time I’ll be reading a large section of my work in progress, prison-house, and I’ll also be collaborating with a talented friend of mine.

Stefanos Tsigrimanis (AKA animal nudity) will be accompanying me as I read prison-house (think noisy, noisy goodness). He’s one of my favorite people and a great musician. Here’s his info:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=50786080&MyToken=5a937580-ccd6-4554-a853-dabe8e4f243f

And here’s the info for goodbye blue monday:

http://www.myspace.com/goodbyebluemondayinc

As you can see on their calendar, we go on at 9 pm. I’ll also read from the book, and animal nudity will kick out some jams. I’m excited, and hope to see some old friends there!!!

In other news, I’ve started up a page at www.goodreads.com, a great site my friend recommended to me. This neat site allows you to keep track of what you’ve read, what you’re reading, and what you’re planning on reading. I’ll be writing book reviews, and it’s a great way to connect with your friends on the reading tip.  If you’re interested, you’ll find me here:

http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1441658

Right now, I’m working on Adorno’s Negative Dialectics with my very brilliant friend Greg. We meet every Sunday and discuss a section of the book we’ve read. It’s difficult material, and slow going, but really exciting stuff (and really relevant to prison-house). I’m also beginning to put together applications for Creative Writing MFA programs across the country, and am hoping, next year, to get paid to write for a few years. I’ll keep you all posted on how it goes!

Well, see you East Coast folks soon!

get noisy at beyond baroque

Published on June 17, 2008 in Event, Out and About, Recommends and The City. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

I’m heartbroken I’m going to be out of town this weekend, because of this:

21 June, Saturday – 7:30 PM
BEYOND MUSIC:NIGHT OF THE LONE WOLF A rare night of solo performances from the members Michigan's own WOLF EYES (Sub Pop). Three of the most prolific and active proponents of current underground experimental music, in LA for a day during their Wolf Eyes tour: JOHN OLSON (American Tapes, Handicapper Hornz, Waves, Casket Sinkers, Plants, The Man Who Ate Himself), NATE YOUNG (AA Records, Demons, Beast People, Mongoloid Men), and MIKE CONNELLY (Gods Of Tundra Records, Hair Police, Gate to Gate, The Haunting). Presented by DAMION ROMERO and JOHN WIESE.

It’s at Beyond Baroque, which is a really wonderful space, and they’ve been struggling to stay open as of late. They host a bookstore, free writing workshops, and numerous spoken word/art/music events throughout the year. This is a perfect opportunity to support them, and see some incredible performances. If you’re not familiar with the fellas from Wolf Eyes, check this out:

hot.

For Beyond Baroque’s info/directions go to:

www.beyondbaroque.org

Beirut, and the LA Poets and Writers Collective reading

Published on June 1, 2008 in Out and About, Poetry, Recommends, The City and Thoughts. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

It’s been a wonderful weekend. Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Beirut at the Wiltern, and it was absolutely amazing. They were charming as hell, and their performance was nothing short of epic. The best way I can describe it: imagine if a group of kids from the high school band walked out on stage, and then proceeded to blow a sold-out crowd away. Zach Condon’s voice is simply one of the best out there. It was one of those shows that reminds you why it’s good to be alive–touching, energetic, and unpretentious. Not to mention the sheer volume of instruments on stage, and damn, those kids can play. Simply beautiful. If you haven’t gotten a chance to check them out, I’d suggest getting a copy of Gulag Orkestar–I think it’s their best. Also, they’ve got mp3’s on their website, http://www.beirutband.com. In the top left corner, there’s a little player you can use to go from song to song.

Other highlights of the show included a girl who was ejected by security for attempting to get crunk/”belly dance” in the aisle, and Zach’s comment that on Friday night he’d had a real LA night, having woken up in a hotel room covered in blood that morning.

Today, Sunday, I went over to the LA Poets and Writers Collective reading at Beyond Baroque in Venice, hosted by Jack Grapes. Jack’s been doing these for a long time, and they’re always a lot of fun. Readers who go over the 2 minute time limit are subject to a fart machine, and if that doesn’t stop them, they’re squirted with water pistols. I actually got to be one of the enforcers today and squirt a few people, which was pretty great. Jack also surprised me by asking me to get up and read from the book, and we got a really positive response from the crowd. It was a fun afternoon, and I’m always touched by Jack’s generosity in mentoring and helping local writers and small presses. I began studying with him when I was 17, and I can’t say I’d be the writer or the person I am today had it not been for his encouragement and guidance.

The best part of the whole weekend, though, had to be when a woman at the reading came up to me after I’d read my piece and asked me, “Were you a crackhead?”

Compliments are always appreciated.

chiwan choi (and this wednesday)

Published on May 19, 2008 in Event, Poetry and Recommends. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

As y’all know, I’m reading with Chiwan Choi this Wednesday at Good Hurt and had promised to post a sample of his work. Chi’s a genius, and he’s also 1/2 of my publisher, Writ Large Press. Here’s a poem from his website:

Jacob and Israel

it’s how the story was told to me
on the steps of the kitchen,
my little belly hanging out over the waist
of the beige shorts mom made me,
with seams stitched in
so i’d know which side was the front,
the comic book in my hands,
unable to admit to her
that i was making up the words
after overhearing her tell her sister
who lived next door with her unbearable husband
that i could already read at not quite 4,
sitting there on the steps that my father built
just like he built the rest of the house
once over the business of having me,
sitting on those steps that went down into the kitchen,
as she stuck her hands
into cabbage and pepper flakes
and drew me the picture of that cliff,
that mountainside of rocks,
with her words
and i pretended not to care
and held the book i couldn’t read to my face
and pretended i didn’t hear the story
of jacob,
of israel,
hanging there on the rocks,
his hands on the cloth of the angel’s robe,
whose wings were no match
for a young man’s desperation.

Chi’s one of the best poets writing today–so I highly recommend you make it out for this one. I know it’s the westside, but it’s worth it, I promise.

Here’s the info, one more time:
Wednesday, May 21st
8 pm (Chi and I will be reading between 8:45-9:45)
Good Hurt Bar
12249 Venice Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90066

and, be sure to check out Chi’s website, www.chiwanchoi.com, and Writ Large Press’ website, www.writlargepress.com.

El-P has a blog, and it’s incredible!

Published on May 8, 2008 in Recommends, The City and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

In case you’re not familiar with the man in question, El-P (El Producto) is the co-founder of Definitive Jux, an amazing underground hip-hop label featuring the likes of Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif, Cage, Cannibal Ox, Del the Funky Homosapien, and, of course, his own albums. He’s also a well-known producer, to put it mildly.

He’s started up a blog, and it’s fucking hilarious.

I’m not sure quite how to describe it, but let’s just say El-P has used his photoshop skills to create an evolving narrative in pictures chronicling his plans for a stage show featuring lions and unicorns. Then:

the good news is looks like we got that red bull dough after all. which is cool with me cause its good for you and fun to drink. the bad news is we lost the unicorn. apparently humans cant actually touch unicorns or they die. which ours did. we did however manage to get a last minute replacement and honestly i dont think anyones gonna notice the difference.

The “last minute replacement” is a donkey, which is amazing, but it just keeps getting better, as El-P loses his red bull sponsorship due to the content of his lyrics and is forced to take on “Lightning Bolt,” an energy drink created by Steven Segal, as his new sponsor.

As if this isn’t wonderful enough, there are also a number of quotes from El-P’s favorite writers, which he takes time to reflect on:

I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center. -Kurt Vonnegut

i think about that when i realize all my most talented and creative friends are also completely out of their minds.

i also think about that when i wake up in some strange girls bed after a drug and alcohol binge. then i think to myself, ‘damn you, kurt vonnegut. look what you made me do again.’

I will be checking this shit every day, religiously. I can’t do it justice here. Just go:

http://blogs.okayplayer.com/el-p/

recommended: Rod Smith’s Deed

Published on April 10, 2008 in Recommends. 0 Comments

B7A403B4-B884-4E40-BF70-9718DBB47B34.jpgI’ve just finished a great book of poetry, Rod Smith’s Deed. I first heard Smith’s work when I was taking a writing workshop with Chris Nealon (another fabulous poet) while I was at Berkeley. Chris brought in a poem, “The Good House,” that blew me away. At the time, it was only available as a chapbook published by Spectacular Books, and I was too broke to buy one when Chris brought in some copies for our class. I’ve been looking for that poem ever since, and googled it recently to see if I could track it down.

The good news: University of Iowa Press had included “The Good House” in a collection published in 2007, Deed. The better news: the rest of the collection is equally wonderful. Smith’s got an incredible range–a linguistic adventurer at heart, he manages to be both hilarious and deadly serious, light-hearted and frank. Technique-wise, he’s admirable to say the least, but he doesn’t rest on his laurels, hovering at the level of cleverness. Underneath the spirit of play in his work runs an undercurrent of political and existential unrest that’s both unnerving and wonderful.

Perhaps a good way to sum this collection up is to say this. After stanzas such as this:

“the good house – it is heavy,
the good house – it exercises
hope in the inhuman, is transformed
by it—
becomes blatant in its strength
& is destroyed, the good
house must be rebuilt
carefully. The good house
is in conflict.” (Deed, 13)

Smith ends the collection as such:

pour le CGT

“We work too hard.

We’re too tired

To fall in love.

Therefore we must

Overthrow the government.” (Deed, 87)

Indeed, Mr. Smith. Indeed.