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Saturday, April 29, 2006

an important message from MOVEON.org 

This was sent to me today from the poet Merry Fortune:

http://www.civic.moveon.org/save_the_internet/

YIKES!
CAConrad

Friday, April 28, 2006

I'D VOTE FOR HIM ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 

Have to share this marvelous new piece of writing from Sparrow! He's a mad genius, and lovely, and tough!
--CAConrad

today I wrote this imaginary letter to myself, for my Phoenicia Times gossip column:

A Letter

Dear Sparrow:

My wife is in charge of folding laundry in our house. Every two or three days, she fetches a pile of clean clothes and drops it on the floor of our bedroom. There it sits for a time -- from 40 minutes to six hours --until she folds it.

One day, in a stray moment, I went over to a pile and rearranged some of the clothing. I placed three brown socks on top, and pushed in the bottom of an undershirt. Then I stepped back. The pile looked better! I had invented "laundry sculpture."

Now, every time there's a new heap of clothes, I work on it. Often I make the pile taller. I try to harmonize the colors. Gradually, I have learned the importance of red in laundry. When I really like a sculpture, I take a photograph. I'm saving these photos to show in a local gallery.

Abe Tessert


Have you seen the latest issue of SHAMPOO magazine yet?

Recent Philadelphia transplant (originally from Atlanta) Paul Siegell has a great poem there!

I'm not sure if the SHAMPOO editors named their magazine after the famous Goldie Hawn / Warren Beatty / Lee Grant flick, but I like to think they did. Don't tell me the answer, unless it's this one.

CAConrad

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

)))))))))))))(((( tomorrow ))))((((((((((((( 


Do you know your neighbors? What kinds of lives take place around you?What kinds of noises are there? Have things noticeably changed sinceBush took office?

Please join us at the Kelly Writers House on Thursday, April 27th at7pm, when six writers will read commissioned work about themicroclimate and micropolitics of their neighborhoods, within 100meters. Featuring:


*** CAConrad *** Jamie-Lee Josselyn ***
*** Jenn McCreary ***Jena Osman ***
*** Frank Sherlock ***John Taggart ***
POETRY / POLITICS / PROXIMITY
Third Annual Kerry Sherin Wright program.
Thursday, April 27th, 7pm.
Hosted by Josh Schuster and Jessica Lowenthal
[Kelly Writers House is located
at 3805 Locust Walk
on UofPenn Campus,
Philadelphia]

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Camden Urban Ecology Network - CUENet 

check out CUENet & please spread the word for anyone in the Camden area.

thanks!
hassen

poetry zine COCK NOW! returns to Philly! THIS SUNDAY! 

editors of the POETRY zine COCK-NOW! appear this SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(they were snowed out a couple months ago, but this Sunday... this Sunday... this is the Sunday!)

COCKNOW!

Performing Sunday will be:

Ifwhen (ex-All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors) - IFWHEN

Zelda Pinwheel - ZELDAPINWHEEL

So L’il - SOLIL

Panda Riot - PANDARIOT

The Fire is located at 412 Girard Ave. And the show starts at 7pm & is $7 (though probably more like 7:30 [though Ifwhen (So L’il’s sister band) are opening and are PHENomenal]. The order should be like the listing above (Ifwhen 7:00, Zelda 8:00, So L’il 9:00, Panda Riot 10:00).

The Fire's website - THEFIRE

--posted by CAConrad

Monday, April 24, 2006

Eat at Su's 

I ate at Su Xing by chance last week, and it was so good I wanted to recommend it. It's chinese vegetarian, it's better than any chinese vegetarian I have had (I had the General Tso Veggie dish), it's a new restaurant, it's comfortable, it has take-out, the service is fantastic. It's at 1508 Sansom (btw 15th and 16th).

Will

C H A R L E S B U K O W S K I P H I L L Y S T Y L E 


The following announcement was sent to me from Rich Wexler, one of Philadelphia's most tireless Arts coordinator, facilitator and activist. He and his Sherman Collective are putting together a BUKOWSKI TRIBUTE. --CAConrad

I am doing a tribute week for Charles Bukowski during the week of June 24th-July 1st. it will include 4 screenings (or more) of "Born Into This" the CB doc that came out about 2 years ago (and never played philly) plus a show at Tritone (of classical based music & drink specials)

I am doing this at the Cinema (former Cinemagic) and am looking for readers to do CB poems & a few of their own that are in the spirit of CB before the screenings (and poss at Tritone show). I thought of you for this. Please let me know, and forward to folks who may be into this. The week will be called something like.

Sex, Drugs and Classical Music?
A tribute to Charles Bukowski

Email
Rich@shermanarts.org
610-246-8968

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Hassen, that link to Bramhall's work is fantastic! It's a WHOLE BOOK of work! I read a little, and will go back to get more. "Lenin matters as a judge for social chewing." That's fucking tattooable!

This life for the poems, man oh man, loving poems more and didn't think I COULD! Just got back from a trip to Buffalo, where, oh, I walked through the archive. That, a, mazing, sanctuary of poems. Michael Basinski is a SERIOUS gem, a real generous soul. He took Buck Downs, Kevin Thurston and I on the tour of a lifetime for poetry. For years I've considered my time spent at the Poetry Library in London to have BEEN IT! Next to Jonathan Williams's home FULL OF BOOKS OF POETRY, but no no no. It really is TRUE, the collection at Buffalo is -- quite seriously -- THREE OR FOUR TIMES LARGER THAN THE POETRY LIBRARY IN LONDON!

I've been hearing about this collection in Buffalo for years from friends. And let me be honest that in the back of my head was always this thought, "Wow, I'd love to go see it, but there's no way it's as big as the London library." Yeah well, I was very wrong!

Michael Basinski was such a fantastic host, he was more than happy to honor my request we look for a copy of Susie Timmons's book LOCKED FROM INSIDE, the book that so many (from Eileen Myles to Erica Kaufman, to Anselm Hollo) talk about as this true Magic Force. And there it was, on the shelf, right where it should be. Wow! It's so delicious to actually HOLD something you've been aching to see, and read but is out of print!

Shit, that was so beautiful, makes life seem worth any amount of bullshit!

Christine Thurston drove Buck and I to Niagara Falls. Neither of us had ever seen the falls before, and there's just no way to prepare for it. It's the Grand Canyon in reverse, or something, I don't know! It's just impossible to explain unless you SEE it! I mean, I've seen pictures and film footage all my life and it just canNOT compare to being there. And I know how much everyone complains about all the weird tourist trappings built around it, but to be honest, when we were THERE, and I mean, right AT the water, then below it looking up, not even the sun mattered, for the moment. Pure, exhilarating awe. A special alarm goes off and your blood gets jammed with some kind of Special Occasion Sugars.

Everyone I met in Buffalo, especially the poets, were great! We talked and talked and talked about poetry talking and talking about poetry and it was wonderful talking so much about it! Kevin and Christine were the most generous hosts, opening their new home to us. Cannot possibly thank them enough.

Buffalo is my one of my new favorite cities.

Blissed out,
CAConrad

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Allen Bramhall's Simple Theory 

Allen Bramhall just sent me his book, Simple Theory, published by Potes & Poets Press in 2002. I think you can still get it from SPD Books. It's a gem. I couldn't wait to get on here to share. The style's peculiar with both fresh, literary wit & serenity, for my laziness to further expound.

The title poem has a couple of my favorite lines of late. It's probably obvious which ones &/so I won't point...

    Simple Theory

    the wheatfield looks lovely
    because people say so. that must
    be a
    poem or perhaps just a
    title for the familiarity
    that words breed. there is no
    wheatfield so lovely
    as the time it took
    to say so. or really, what
    day could grow greater
    than the morning greeting? the
    wheatfield springs from a
    logic, words on
    one's lips. if one is not
    ecstatic then
    one has traveled wrong. the
    wheatfield fills the eye, space
    brings a determined
    marking to our careers. there are
    poems placed in every
    conversation, they are
    why we stay up late.



And a kickass lettre (titled Lettered) from Tarzan to Jane. One line reads "now that I'm downcast and under the impression, you will have to play fiercely along." It's signed "true to you and colonies of yes,//your love, T" !! Makes me gleeful.

I've not read the entire book yet. As much as I'd like to. I reserve newer books of poetry for the nightstand, read before sleep. Perhaps fortunately, I can only absorb a few at a time before my lids conclude...
these are fine, if not best, lullaby poems for adults, in any event.

~hassen

PS AND LET ME INSIST - check out his stunning work up at The Mag.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

If you're in Brooklyn on Tuesday night... 

THE BROOKLYN CENTRAL LIBRARY
at
Grand Army Plaza presents

Poets Coffeehouse featuring:

THOMAS DEVANEY, JOANNA FUHRMAN,
& DAVID SHAPIRO

Tuesday April 18, 7 PM
Central Library, Second Floor

http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/events/culturearts/

--TD

Directions: Subway: 2, 3, Q 2/3 to Grand Army Plaza
or Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum of Art station,
or Q to
7th Avenue.

Car: From
Manhattan - Brooklyn Bridge and left onto Tillary,
then right onto
Flatbush Ave. Or take Manhattan Bridge,
which turns into
Flatbush Ave.


Friday, April 14, 2006

The Moles Not Molar
Reading Series
for Emerging Writers

USHERS IN AN EXCITING EVENING OF
FILM, PUPPETS & POETRY!

Friday, April 14th
7:30 pm
at Nexus Gallery
located at 137 N 2nd Street (between Arch and Race)


Featuring
JANAKI RANPURA (puppeteer; Minneapolis)
KATE DOLLENMAYER (filmmaker; Los Angeles)
JEN HOFER (poet & translator; Los Angeles)


-Div

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

TEN THOUSAND BY THE FOURTH OF JULY PLEASE! 

Hassen, THANKS!

Was up working on this all night. In fact, it was daylight before I realized it.

TEN THOUSAND BY THE FOURTH OF JULY

Thanks again,
CAConrad

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Deviant Sunday 

Conrad & Compton's reading/booksigning last Sunday was such a pleasure. & I can't believe the turn-out - seems like half of Philly showed up. the line for the booksigning was so long that by the time I got to the table Shanna's books were sold out & Conrad had only three left! Larry Robins sounded sincerely appreciative that Conrad chose to have the event there, which was nice to hear.

My favorite piece Shanna read was something called Mouth Made Out of Trees, apparently a title suggested, if not enforced, by poet/friend Schafer Hall. A snip:

    Your mouth is its own environment a canyon
    with trees and snow a felt mouth unembroidered
    coal a paintbrush of dark wood the instrument
    of the mouth wind blown through the mouth of trees.

Conrad's reading left us wanting more as usual. I often note during his readings how eager folks are to absolutely crack up & understandably so because he's certainly honed line & delivery. Though I'm not certain many of his poems are intentionally or exclusively funny. Especially Dear Mr. President There Was Egg Shell...poem (Google it!). But it's one of the many things I really dig about this poet - relevant, opulent tragicomedy. Exhibit:

    It's True I Tell Ya
    My Father is a 50 Cent
    Party Balloon


    my father paper thin again
    lost on the basement floor

    but who will put their lips
    to his stiff old hard-on?
    who will blow him up?
    who will want this
    man floating
    stupid
    stuck in
    a tree again?



Thanks for the incredible, indelible afternoon.
    Hassen



PS - thanks, too, for the wine and chocolate donuts with jimmies, Conrad!

PPS - re previous post "4 springing UP!," Heather's last name won't be Hassen but Saker. for future (& public) reference...

Monday, April 10, 2006


Many thanks to Larry Robin's of ROBIN'S BOOKSTORE for setting up the book party for Deviant Propulsion and DOWN SPOOKY! It was fun, in fact it was so fun that I didn't even mind when the angry woman screamed at me, and demanded the publisher's phone number to tell them what a filthy pig I am! Hehe! Then she slapped me, threw my book at me! What is it Eileen Myles says about homophobes? "It's good to be hated!" Yeah, it's funny too sometimes.

But it felt so nice sharing that day with so many amazing friends!

Thanks to everyone who came! And thanks to Shanna Compton for reading with me! Thanks to Frank Sherlock for that INCREDIBLE introduction! Yeah, it was like family Frank, that's exactly what it felt like, just like you said, and in the very best possible way too.

CAConrad

Friday, April 07, 2006

THIS SATURDAY NIGHT 

(picture of Edmund Berrigan of I FEEL TRACTOR)

PEPI GINSBERG

I FEEL TRACTOR

NIAGARA FALLS

and CAConrad

Saturday April 8 2006 / 8:30 PM Arts Cafe

Kelly Writers House / 3805 Locust Walk

Philadelphia / Pennsylvania

grub and box wine


4 springing UP! 

Will, first, THANKS SO MUCH! Makes me happy of course! HEHE, my favorite line is you saying "he's too modest for promotion" considering I've never made so many fucking flyers in my whole fucking life for an event. Hope some folks can make it Sunday, it'll be fun, red wine and chocolate donuts! Our own little resurrection!

Have you all had the chance to check out Heather Radawski's (soon to be known as Heather Hassen) paintings on her blog? If you haven't, please DO, AND just so you know, if you CLICK on a painting it will zoom-up closer for a better look. CLICK HERE! Her paintings gas up the tank! Y'know?!
CAConrad

Thursday, April 06, 2006

SPARROW interview in new RAIN TAXI 

I have an interview with Sparrow in Rain Taxi's spring 2006 online edition.

The interview is entitled: “WE LIVE IN A COUNTRY WITH MAYBE THE MOST DELICIOUS LOOKING FLAG OF ANY NATION.”

Here is a paragraph from my intro:

No one can quite explain Sparrow's work. Writers I associate him with include Yoko Ono, Abraham Lincoln, Washington Irving, Ted Berrgian, and Basho. It's an impossible mix, but it is a grouping that resonates with Sparrow's life and work: Ono for her Fluxus performances and her writing in Grapefruit; Lincoln for his humor, political philosophy, and grip of his prose style; Irving for his eccentric characters and unforgettable dispatches from upstate New York; Berrigan for his expansive personality and poetry mixed with facts, flair, and gossip; and Basho for his legendary mysticism setting the little life in the circle of the greater life of the Tao.

Read the SPARROW INTERVIEW here.

Sparrow is joy and surprisingly poignant. I hope you enjoy it.

--Tom Devaney

See everyone who can make on Sunday at Robin's for Conrad's book party and reading! See Will's previous post here for more details!

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Public Notice 

(He would kill me for writing this; he's too modest for promotion) Get over to Robin's Bookstore (or your local independent) to purchase your copy of C.A. Conrad's Deviant Propulsion, which I just did, and you also get to read Eileen Myles' back-cover blurbing: "[Conrad] is Gay Sunshine anew." And wonder pleasantly at the cover layout,



which, if you ignore the lettering printed on Conrad's bird-delivering hand, reads deviant ion. The Ion was the text by which Plato demonstrated poetry to be a kind of divine madness.

--Will

Monday, April 03, 2006

MORE CREATIVE SURGES FROM RAWORTH! 




Tom Raworth has created a fantastic comicstrip of his recent reading tour across the USA. To view this, click HERE!

And, if you still haven't listened to his readings or interviews recently posted at PENNSOUND, you can do so by clicking HERE!

CAConrad
p.s. collage to the right is by Tom Raworth (2000)

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