Heads-up: Reservoir Dogwoods on March 3

From Poetry on Brick Street :

Poetry on Brick Street will present Reservoir Dogwoods as featured poets at 6:30 pm Thursday March 3rd, 2011 in the cellar room at G. Simone’s Café (112C South Main Street in downtown Zionsville, Indiana).

THE RESERVOIR DOGWOODS are a poetry/spoken-word quartet of Hoosier writers who first toured together in spring 2009, bringing their unique style of poetry and live performance to both traditional and out-of-the-way venues all over Indiana.
Judy Spector, Professor of English at IUPU Columbus, said: “The Reservoir Dogwoods ... were able to do in one evening what it takes most of the faculty ten weeks to do."

With a saucy blend of humor, drama, street smarts, literary acumen, homespun wisdom, worldly events, personal catharsis, and bawdy pokes at the human condition, the Dogwoods bring enthusiasm and poignancy to every performance. Each has an individual style and is well established in his own right. Together they are an unstoppable juggernaut of poetry.

THE RESERVOIR DOGWOODS are:

Jason L. Ammerman (Indianapolis)

Matthew Jackson (Columbus)

Tony Brewer (Bloomington)
Joseph Kerschbaum (Bloomington)

http://www.IndianaPoetryTour.com

An open mic for poets will follow the featured speaker.

Future Readings:
April 7, 2011 - Elizabeth Weber (Indianapolis)
May 5, 2011 – To be announced
June 2, 2011 – Phoenix Cole (Indianapolis)
July 7h , 2011 - Anne Haines (Bloomington)
Aug. 4, 2011 – Sarah Skwire (Indianapolis)
Sept.. 1, 2011 - The Airpoets (Indiana)
Oct 6, 2011 - John Sherman (Indianapolis)
Nov. 3, 2011 - Elise Paschen (Chicago)
Dec. 1, 2011 - To be announced



Poetry on Brick Street is sponsored by Brick Street Poetry Inc. — a tax-exempt non-profit organization under IRS Code 501(c)(3). Brick Street Poetry Inc. also publishes the Tipton Poetry Journal and hosts other poetry-related events.

Spoken word in Indianapolis

Have you ever asked yourself, "What is spoken word?"
Here is a video from Anna Rees, who reads at open mics in Indiana (Note: language advisory):
.

Tasha Jones at Indiana State University

According to an article in the Indiana Statesman, Indiana spoken word artist Tasha Jones:

"... spoke a message that encouraged perseverance through life's trials, might it be abuse, heartbreak or self-loathing. She many times referenced the "manure" that human beings are covered in, which later becomes "fertilizer" that helps them grow."

Read the complete article here.

Nikki Giovanni challenges Gary, Ind., writers

Last weekend, Nikki Giovanni (pictured) visited Gary and was quoted in the local paper:

"As far as I know, no native of Gary has written about the Jackson 5, or former mayor Dick Hatcher, or the black arts conference that was there," the writer-educator-activist said.

"There's a rich history in Indiana that's just electrifying. There's no lack of muses. The muse is there. I would urge them to use it. The soil there is very rich."

The evening's events also included Indianapolis poet Mari Evans. To read the entire story, click
here.

'Lord Randall' and 'Hard Rain'

Just an interesting comparison: In an age of sampling and "borrowing" (among poets as well as DJs rappers, and other musicians), would it surprise you that such things were going in the early '60s. The first video is that of a tragic English Child ballad. Bob Dylan borrowed the song's structure and developed into a terrifying vision of the apocalypse (second video). If you're adventuresome, you might want to play the videos concurrently.

Spoken word on WTLC-FM this weekend

If you're in the Indianapolis area, you can listen to spoken-word artists Nazeeha Khali, Tasha Jones, Tony Styxx, Saint Peace, and Allen Imagery will be featured this weekend on WTLC-FM (106.7). Their poetry will be interspersed between selections during the Neo Soul Lounge promotions.

Heads-up: Restoration Press Poets in Zionsville tonight

Poets Mary Sexson (103 in the Light), Dan Carpenter (More Than I Could See), and JL Kato (Shadows Set in Concrete) are scheduled to read at Black Dog Books, 115 S. Main St., Zionsville. at 7 p.m. today (Friday, Feb. 25).  Their books will be available for sale. For other appearances by the poets, click here.

UPDATE: Mark Halliday at Butler University

7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23: Mark Halliday at Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall, Butler University, 4600 Sunset Ave., Indianapolis. Free. Part of the Vivian S. Delbrook Writers Series. To hear samples of Halliday reading his poems, click here.

UPDATE: A recent Writers' Center of Indiana e-mail reported that Halliday will appear in the Krannert Room of Clowes Hall. As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, I haven't been able to confirm the venue, but both sites are on campus, so be flexible.

Ted Kooser is featured guest at gathering of state poets laureate

For U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser (pictured, left) will be the featured guest at Poet Laureati, a national convergence os state poets laureate on March 13 and 14 at Lawrence, Kan.

This event is also the book launch for An Endless Skyway: Poetry from the State Poets Laureate of America (Ice Cube Books). Registration rates are begin at $55 for the all-day conference) and accommodations are available in the area. For full information, including online registration, visit: http://www.unitedpoetslaureate.wordpress.com/.
 
Former Indiana laureates Joyce Brinkman (2002-08) and Norbert Krapf (2008-10) will be among those attending. Others include:

* Walter Bargen, Past Poet Laureate of Missouri
* W.E. Butts, Poet Laureate of New Hampshire
* Mary Crow, Poet Laureate of Colorado
* Bruce Dethlefsen, Next Poet Laureate of Wisconsin
* David Allen Evans, Poet Laureate of South Dakota
* Jonathan Holden, Past Poet Laureate of Kansas
* Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, Past Poet Laureate of Virginia
* Denise Low, Past Poet Laureate of Kansas
* Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Poet Laureate of Kansas
* David Romtvedt, Poet Laureate of Wyoming
* Peggy Shumaker, Poet Laureate of Alaska
* Lisa Starr, Poet Laureate of Rhode Island
* Mary Swander, Poet Laureate of Iowa
* Marilyn L. Taylor, Poet Laureate of Wisconsin
* Sue Brennan Walker, Poet Laureate of Alabama
* Karla Morton, Poet Laureate of Texas
* Marjory Wentworth, Poet Laureate of South Carolina

Scheduled events are:
Sunday, March 13:
2:30 p.m. -- Tour the Spencer Museum of Art with a Poet Laureate
4-5:30 p.m. -- Reading with Ted Kooser and eight poets laureate, Spencer Museum of Art, Univ. of Kansas
2-5:30 p.m. -- Silent auction for dinner March 14 with a poet laureate

Monday, March 14:
8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. -- Conference on poetry as it relates to social change, spirituality, the writing process, publishing, healing and making a living, Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire St.
8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. -- Silent auction continues
4-5:30 p.m. -- Reading with nine poets laureate
6-8 p.m. -- Silent Auction winners dine with poets

Sponsors:
Kansas Arts Commission, Lawrence Public Library, Lawrence Arts Center, University of Kansas Spencer Museum of Art, Raven Bookstore, Ice Cube Books, Free State Brewery, Community Mercantile, and the Kansas Area Watershed Council.

Famous Writers Club revived?

Beth Mink is considering reviving the Famous Writers Club that she headed for many years before disbanding it late last year for job reasons. She will have an organizational meeting from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 25, at the Writers' Center of Indiana, 812 E. 67th St. She's seeking suggestions, including meeting times and format. Contact her at elizabethmink@aol.com.

You don't have to be famous or obscure to join. The name is tongue-in-cheek. In the past, the group would discuss individual writing projects, plus complete some fun writing exercises. The group also published a chapbook of members' writings.

UPDATE: The group will resume meeting, beginning Monday, March 21. Details here.

Heads-up: Restoration Press Poets Tour

The four poets published by Restoration Press have announced the first dates of an ongoing tour of area venues. The first, at Black Dog Books in Zionsville, will be Friday, Feb. 25. The second stop: Calvin Fletcher's Coffee Company in Indianapolis on Friday, March 11. The third: The Strand Theater in Shelbyville on Wednesday, April 6. The poets and their books are Thomas Alan Orr (Hammers in the Fog), Mary Sexson (103 in the Light), Dan Carpenter (More Than I Could See), and JL Kato (Shadows Set in Concrete). For details and to sample their poetry, go to https://sites.google.com/site/restorationpresspoetry/home/news.

Riley Fundraiser

Bookmamas, 9 Johnson Ave., Indianapolis, is organizing a fundraiser to help preserve and catalog artifacts at the James Whitcomb Riley Childhood Home and Museum in Greenfield. The bookstore has invited Hoosier poets and other writers to read works of Riley's, as well as their own, from noon to 5 p.m., Saturday, April 9. For more information, contact the bookstore at 317-375-3715.

Words On the Go: poetry on Lafayette buses

Blog reader Stacy Savage reports that one of her poems will be displayed in 20 to 30 Lafayette buses. Her poem is part of the Words On the Go project, which chooses six poems and prints them individually on placards. New poems are chosen every six months. Each poem has pleasing photos or graphic designs (see accompanying photo for a sample). For more information and to read recent poems, visit the Words on the Go website.

Heads-up: Terrance Hayes at UIndy

7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24: Poet Terrance Hayes at Good Hall, Recital Hall, University of Indianapolis, 1400 E, Hanna Ave., Indianapolis. Free. Part of the Allen and Helen Kellogg Writers Series. Hayes has published three books of poetry: Lighthead (Penguin, 2010); Wind in a Box (2006); Hip Logic (2002), which won the 2001 National Poetry Series and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award; and Muscular Music (1999), winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award. About his work, Cornelius Eady has said: "First you'll marvel at his skill, his near-perfect pitch, his disarming humor, his brilliant turns of phrase. Then you'll notice the grace, the tenderness, the unblinking truth-telling just beneath his lines, the open and generous way he takes in our world.” He has been a recipient of many honors and awards, including a Whiting Writers Award, a Pushcart Prize, three Best American Poetry selections, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and the Guggenheim Foundation. He is a professor of creative writing at Carnegie Mellon University and lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his family. For more information please contact Dr. Elizabeth Weber at 317-788-3373 or eweber@uindy.edu.

Meet the man who invented the poetry slam

This is a Facebook message sent by Adam "Henzbo" Henze:

Indianapolis, we are extremely lucky to have Marc 'Slampapi" Smith (right) from Chicago, IL featuring at Metric Mondays this week (Feb 21).

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Poetry Slam, founder Marc "So What" Smith is traveling the country visiting our venues. We hope you can make it out for this historic event. Come out have beers and three cheers the man who invented the game we love to play so much. Let's show him what Indianapolis artists have to offer!

8:30 this Monday at Locals Only (56th and Keystone) Feb 21. 21 and up. And as always... Only 5 dollars!

Riley Reconsidered

Love him or hate him--and I have done both--James Whitcomb Riley is a poet who is underappreciated by those who would dismiss out of hand and oversentimentalized by staunch defenders who fall for the mythology of the so-called Children's Poet.

My problem with Riley is his use of dialect. I simply do not want to work to read through it, which blinds me to the many good things he had written. Hearing his words spoken, however, reveals Riley's lyrical side.

Jared Carter, in his blog, Rushing the Growler, has reproduced his essay Defrosting the Punkin: Another Look at Riley. The essay reveals much about the Hoosier poet I didn't know. I recommend the essay. Click here to read it. Though many detractors will not bother to follow the hyperlink, I believe that Riley's admirers have most to gain by doing so.

Poetry, film, and music combined

Ball State professor Matt Mullins presents poetry with film and music. Click here.

"Strange Fruit"

A 1930s lynching in Indiana inspired the lyrics of Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit." Read the story here.

13 high schools in Poetry Out Loud Finals on Feb. 26

Poetry Out Loud, a poetry recitation competition, attracted 13 high schools statewide, including Lawrence North, Broad Ripple, University, Columbus Christian, Traders Point Christian Academy, Anderson Preparatory Academy, and Brown County High School. For full story, click here.

UPDATE: Warsaw High School junior wins comprtition. Click here.

Borders closing two stores in Indy area; one in West Lafayette

According to the Indianapolis Business Journal:

Borders said Monday morning that it will close its downtown-Indianapolis and Carmel stores. Five other stores in the Indianapolis area are not on the closure list: Castleton, River Crossing, Indianapolis International Airport, Greenwood and Noblesville.

For the full IBJ story, click here.

Complete list of closings in Indiana:

Indianapolis, 11 S. Meridian St.
Carmel, 2381 Pointe Parkway.
Evansville, 6401 E. Lloyds Expressway.
Merrillville, 2074 Southlake St.
Mishawaka, 4230 Grape Road.
West Lafayette, 348 E. State St.

Tipton Poetry Journal: It's not just Indiana

NewPages Blog has taken notice of the Tipton Poetry Journal:

Tipton Poetry Journal is one of those great, saddle-stitched journals that looks local, but packs a helluva global content.

 Read the entire post here.

Wanted: Bookings in central Indiana

I'm sharingt his request with the community at large. I'm unfamilar with this poet's work, so I can't vouch for him. But if anyone is interested, here it is:

Good morning,


I hope you don't mind my writing, but I was given your contact info as a possibility for assistance. My name is Zachary Kluckman and I'm writing because myself and two other poets are coming through the area in June and we are attempting to find places to share some work from our new books and perhaps host writing workshops.

We each have new books coming out through West End Press and Casa de Snapdragon. Between us we have extensive writing performance and workshop credits and have been sought after often to facilitate workshops for all ages and audiences. Of course I can send you bios and samples if you would like.

I was just wondering if you might be able to help us set something up at the University or perhaps recommend someone who can help us arrange a reading/panel/workshop/etc? Your website is very full of events (and I'm dying of envy that I can't be there to see Bob Hicok read!), but I was hoping you might be able to make a recommendation on specific people or venues we can contact?

Thank you very much for your time and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Respectfully,
Zachary



Zachary Kluckman
Spoken Word Editor - The Pedestal Magazine
Associate Editor - The Journal of Truth and Consequence
Verse~Converse Festival Coordinator
Albuquerque Slam Poet Laureate Program Director

-----------------------------------------
"What we need is more people who specialize in the impossible." - Theodore Roethke
"Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it" - Dalai Lama

Note: To reach Zachary, send an e-mail to zgkluckman@msn.com

Late notice: Tonight in Bloomington

This notice came in last night:

Eros at The Venue


Tuesday, February 15, 6:00 – 7:30pm

Location: The Venue Fine Art & Gifts, 114 S. Grant St., Bloomington IN 47408

The Venue Fine Art & Gifts will host its first ever erotic poetry reading featuring readings by local poets Glenda Breeden, Eric Rensberger, Tonia Matther and others. Material appropriate for an adult-only audience is anticipated.

Depending on how things go, there is a slim possibility for others to read very short poems or sing a saucy tune. If you are interested in reading something very short (!) if the time is available, please check in with Patricia Colemna before the program begins.

A new blog from Jared Carter

Poet Jared Carter comments on books, literature, the arts and whatever strikes his fancy on his new blog, Rushing the Growler.  http://www.the-growler.com/. It's been added to the blog roll on the right.

Jared Carter: New book

Jared Carter has announced that his fifth book of poetry, A Dance in the Street, will be issued next fall by Wind Publications. Check it out here.

Norbert Krapf: New book

Norbert Krapf has announced that Indiana University Press will publish Songs in Sepia and Black and White in spring 2012. The collection of 99 poems will include up to 50 black-and-white photos taken by Richard Fields, head photographer for Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Tonight

I am the featured poet at tonight's An Evening With the Muse reading series, at the Writers' Center of Indiana, 812 E. 67th St., Indianapolis. The Grammys are being broadcast tonight, but if you come, you'll hear me read a few poems about some Grammy winners. The reading starts at 7 p.m., with an open mic and refreshments to follow. Below is from the publicity release:

JL Kato is a native of Japan who grew up in Indiana. Despite his Japanese heritage, his childhood assimilation into American culture was so complete, that today he would starve if he had to rely on chopsticks. His experiences are chronicled in his first poetry collection, Shadows Set in Concrete, released on 2010 by Restoration Press. The sequence of poems in the book forms a time line from the atomic bomb blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the poet's imagined death. Kato's poems have appeared in Paterson Literary Review, the Tipton Poetry Journal, the Flying Island, Arts & Letters Journal of Contemporary Culture, and other publications. He is a two-time winner of the Masterpiece in a Day writing competition and NUVO Newsweekly's 2002 Authors Here at Home contest. Kato is a board member of Brick Street Poetry Inc. and Etheridge Knight Inc. He is a technical editor who lives in Beech Grove with his wife, Mary. 

Photo by Paul Young

Poems for Mr. Lincoln winner

The winner of the Poems for Mr. Lincoln contest was announced Feb. 12 at Lincoln Park in Zionsville. Shari Wagner of Westfield was awarded 30 $5 bills for her poem "Lincoln's Field."

Here is a photo of the finalists posing with the Lincoln re-enactor. From left, John Cardwell, Jared Carter, Jennifer Lemming, Shari Wagner, Lincoln imprsonator Dean Dorrell, and Joseph Heithaus. (Pay no attention to the oblivious idiot who is snapping pictures in the background.)

To read the winning poem, click here
(NOTE: Poem might not be posted yet.)

Photo taken by Susan Hoskins Miller.

Catching up: NEA Poetry Fellowships: Donald Platt

I'm still playing catch-up from my time away from this blog. Here's an announcement that occurred last November. Donald Platt of Purdue University is one of 42 receipients nationwide to be awarded an NEA Poetry fellowhip. worth $25,000. http://coldfrontmag.com/news/nea-poetry-fellowships-announced

Poems for Mr. Lincoln event in the Zionsville paper

http://timessentinel.com/local/x1569784988/-Lincoln-to-hear-poetry-in-the-park

Poems for Mr. Lincoln finalists announced

Brick Street Poetry Inc. is pleased to announce the six finalists for its "Poems for Mr. Lincoln" contest. The are, in alphabetical order:

John Cardwell
Jared Carter
Joseph Heithaus
Jennifer Lemming
James Murdock
Shari Wagner

Former New Hampshire Poet Laureate Marie Harris is judging the poems. The winner, who will be awarded $150 in $5 bills, will be announced Saturday at activities beginning 2 p.m. Saturday at Lincoln Park, First Street between Oak and Cedar streets, Zionsville.

The event commemorates the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's whistlestop tour during his journey to Washington, D.C., after winning the presidency. Costumed Lincoln actor Dean Dorrell of Washington, Ind., will address the crowd and announce the winning poet.

(In case of inclement weather, the proceedings will take place at Black Dog Books, 115 S. Main St., Zionsville.)

Max Ehrmann Poetry Competition

Here's informatrion about a Terre Haute-based contest for all ages. Deadline is Feb. 25:
http://tribstar.com/opinion/x233958768/B-SIDES-Competition-could-uncover-the-next-Max-Ehrmann-challenge-our-thinking

Allen Imagery and the Fighting Words poetry group

http://www.indystar.com/article/20110130/ENTERTAINMENT/101300311/Artist-profile-F-ghting-Words-Poetry

Ropewalk Visiting Writers Reading Series

(Media-Newswire.com) - The spring 2011 RopeWalk Visiting Writers Reading Series will include free public readings by Todd Boss, Heather Sellers, and Adrian Matejka. Each reading will begin at 5 p.m. and will be followed by a reception and book signing.

Todd Boss

Thursday, February 17

Kleymeyer Hall, Unervisity of Southern Indiana's Liberal Arts Center

Todd Boss is the author of Yellowrocket, a collection of poetry that was selected as the 2009 Midwest Booksellers Honor Book for Poetry. His poems have appeared in The New Yorker, Poetry, Best American Poetry, and Virginia Quarterly Review, which awarded him the Emily Clark Balch Prize in 2009. His work has also been syndicated on NPR and in Ted Kooser's "American Life in Poetry" column.

Boss is the founding editor of Flurry, an online journal of wintry poetry from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Dakotas, and is the co-founder of www.motionpoems.com, a poetry film project that turns poems into animated stories.



Heather Sellers

Thursday, March 3

Carter Hall, USI's University Center

Heather Sellers is the author of the memoir You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know, three volumes of poetry, a children's book, and three books on the craft of writing. Her short story collection, Georgia Under Water, won a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers award. She's an NEA fellowship recipient in fiction and professor of English at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.



Adrian Matejka

Thursday, April 7

Carter Hall, USI's University Center

Adrian Matejka is the recipient of the Kinereth Gensler Award for his first collection of poetry, The Devil's Garden. His second collection, Mixology, was a winner of the 2008 National Poetry Series and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. He is the recipient of two Illinois Arts Council Literary Awards and his work has appeared or is forthcoming in Southern Indiana Review, American Poetry Review, The Best American Poetry 2010, Gulf Coast, Pleiades, and Prairie Schooner among other journals and anthologies.

Matejka is an assistant professor of English at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, where he was awarded the William and Margaret Going Endowed Professorship and serves as the poetry editor for Sou'wester.



Publications by these authors are available for purchase at the USI Bookstore and Barnes and Noble Booksellers.

Presented by USI's College of Liberal Arts, the RopeWalk Visiting Writers Reading Series is made possible through the support of RopeWalk Writers Retreat, Southern Indiana Review, USI Society for Arts & Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, Indiana Arts Commission, and USI Student Writers Union.

For more information, call Nicole Louise Reid, associate professor of English, at 812/464-1916.

Spoken Soul Food Sunday canceled this week.

Because of the Super Bowl, the following event has been canceled this week:

8 p.m.-11 p.m. Spoken Soul Food Sunday at Midtown Arts and Coffee Lounge, 519 E. 38th St. (just east of Central Avenue), Indianapolis. Host: aLLEN iMAGERY. Cover varies. 317-223-1288. Every Sunday.

Poetry on Brick Street: a change in schedule

Because of the weather, John Sherman's appearance at Brick Street Poetry tonight (Feb. 3) has been postponed to Oct. 6. Instead, it will be an open mic for anyone who shows up at 6:30 p.m., G, Simone's Cafe, 112C S. Main Street, Zionsville.

Poetry salon canceled, 2-1-11

No surprise here, but Richard Pflum has informed me that tonight's Poetry Salon at the Writers' Center of Indiana is canceled because of the ice storm. Stay home, stay warm, and use the time to wrote a poem that you can bring to the next salon on Tuesday, Feb. 15.