Rewriting Ovid Lite

January 16 - The Poetry Forum at Rumba Cafe, Cols., OH
January 21 - The Encyclopedia Show Indianapolis

Fri., Jan. 14 - Appearance on "Speaking of Poetry" an internet radio show to discuss WOWps 2011 See talktainmentradio.com for the podcast
Fri., Jan. 21 - 8 pm Haiku Nuku Feature at First Draft Poetry, @ Kafe Kerouac, 2250 N. High, Cols.
Tues., Jan. 25 - 7 pm at SIPS Coffeehouse in Mt. Vernon, OH
Sun., Feb. 27 - PoetryElyria, 1-3pm, Jim's Coffeehouse And Diner, 2 Kerstetter Way, Elyria, OH
Wed-Sat., March 9-12 - WOWps 2011 (Host City Chair)
June 1-25, 2011, the Language of Art, The High Road Gallery Worthington, OH, poetry reading on June 5
June 4, 4:40 pm, Columbus Arts Festival, featured reading
June 4, 8:00 pm, Columbus Arts Festival Slam, competitor
June 10-11, Rustbelt, team Writes' Block
June 17, Writers' Block fundraiser
August-ish, the Kitchen Sessions, Providence, RI Didn't happen
Oct. 20, Cliterati, Atlanta, GA

I have been carrying around two folders of poems: the one of poems that have been tried out and the new poem folder. I have removed the "tried out poems" folder from my messenger bag and now it is only going to be new poem time.

I had only one poem in the tried out poem folder that I will kind of miss not using again (except for a good reason) because it was pretty darn new ("Letter to Myself"). But! That is the point. And I read it at the Cantab so I'm cool with letting it slide. Of course, now as I write this I'm feeling the vibe of that one -- but no! -- be strong. New poems only.

I haven't been posting poems here much lately anyway. I've got a creepy one I'm saving for the Halloween show. Hahahahhahahha. And I've practiced that laugh! I am off paper with that laugh! Hhahahahahahah. Aw, I've over used the laugh, into the old poem file. Dang it.

I had 30 - 50 poems picked out as possibilities for the Cantab feature last Wednesday. (I always have 30 - 50 poems picked out ahead of time for a feature.) But I waited till I got there to narrow it down. This is what I ended up performing and I'm sure this is the right order and it seemed to work pretty well that way. Simone said early funny, sexy poems gave permission to laugh at later poems that take a second (Past Lycra).

Morning Sex
I <3 You
About Not Being My Mother
Letter to Myself
Mary Magdalene
Last Thought
Asparagus
Locust Pods
Past Lycra
Lemonade
Show of Hands
These Are My Pants
The Beauty of Being Adopted

That looks like a lot but many of those are one and two minute poems and it was to be a 30 minute feature, so the number of poems adds up.

It went very well if I do say so myself. I should have made a new chapbook, but I'm sort of not going to read most of these again without good cause.

Testing. 1. 2. 3.

I had a tuna fish sandwich for lunch yesterday. It had roasted red peppers, a pickle, and not too much dressing. And I'm reading a great book, City of Thieves David Benioff.

OMG! What the hell am I talking about? Tuna? A good book? Where's the haiku about my clean socks? That's not what THIS week is about.

This week is Women of the World Poetry Slam 2010 and HOT DAMN it's going to be awesome. The venues are hot and the poets hotter. THe organizers are not so bad themselves! It's going to be one big high of great art, great people, great-good-God this is Columbus at its best.

All of which is to say YOU need to come. If you're nearby, you need to be a part of this. You will make it happen because that's how it gets into your life.

Full schedule at www.wow.poetryslam.com. Bouts start tomorrow night.

And just so you know, I'll be emcee at the showcase slam at Capital University, 6 pm in Bexley, at One College and Main (yes that is the freaking address). (Did it help that I have a Faculty/Staff parking pass -- the world may never know.)

WOWps is going to hot action start to finish. You're going to feel so good about the world, it'll change the axis of your life. Days will seem like they are longer this time.

I'm also doing the early morning writing exercises. If you know anything about me -- anything -- you'll know I know how to pull a great first draft out of the air. You and me, we could sit down for an hour and get a fantastic poem. We're always 15 minutes away from genius. Ask and you shall receive -- but you have to ask. That's at 9 am on Thurs. and Fri. beginning at the Hampton in the Short North area of Columbus.

Enough plugging me. Bouts start at 7 pm tomorrow night. Be there!

(You know that tuna sandwich was pretty good and the book is great.)

The weather has done us in.

Tonight, DO NOT come out and see if I put my sweater on backwards! I assure you I did put it on backwards. AND just so you know my eyebrow hairs are all pointing up!

Tonight, come out and see if I put my sweater on backwards! Tonight, come out and see if all my eyebrow hairs are pointing up! Tonight, come out and see if I am going to read that poem, you know, the one with the thing at the beginning? Tonight, come out and see if my face cleared up! Tonight, come out and see me pour out my heart and soul -- yes, this is going to be the feature where you will see me calm down, and gear up, and switch on, and power forward, and point guard and give it all I've got. And I've got a plan, o, yes, and it is a good one, nay, great.

I'm talking about my poetry feature tonight at the Poetry Forum @ Rumba Cafe.


Details:
Monday, Feb. 15, 7 pm
@ the Rumba Cafe
2507 Summit St., Cols., OH.
Open mic and features every week

Making plans for the weekend? Include this:


Either one of these guys should be a draw! Logic, veteran of the National Poetry Slam stage, haiku champion, will trade poems with Steve Abbott, master craftsman and veteran of the battlefields of print publication. Then, time to ask them questions, see what really goes on behind the poetry.

We'll have soda and water. BYOB is allowed.

Page Meets Stage (Columbus)
Logic and Steve Abbott
Sunday, Nov. 15, 8 pm, $5
@ The Wild Goose Creative
2491 Summit St. (near the Summit/Hudson intersection)
Columbus, OH 43202
More information: loui526@yahoo.com