Victor D. Infante's Blog, page 158
June 11, 2014
Thoughts on Being Across the Street While My Colleagues are Covering President Obama
Hi. My name is Victor Infante, and I write stuff for a living. Sometimes poems, sometimes stories, sometimes reviews of rock and pop shows. You can read more about that on my newly revamped website. It's not a bad life, as it goes. It never seems to pay enough, and I always feel like I'm a little behind on everything. But it has its perks.
Sometimes, if you're very lucky, a life in writing means you get to see things that are truly amazing.
Today, a number of my colleagues covered President Barack Obama speaking at The Worcester Technical High School graduation, and I confess, part of me is a little jealous. Not because I harbor any burning desires to jump back into hard news, but because it was one of those moments where the stars aligned and, if you step back, you can see the thousand small threads that connect everything: Dozens of bright teenagers, facing the blank canvas of a future, and -- whether you care for him or not -- one of the most powerful people on the planet. And we look at the latter, and say he's the story, but that's not quite right. And we look at those dozens of teenagers, poised on the edge of metamorphosis, and say that's commonplace, when really it's remarkable.
Without those kids, the president being here would be just a travel itinerary. And certainly, his presence made us look at them, but the truth is each and every one of them -- the students and the president and the audience and the people reading the newspaper -- are stories in progress. They're love stories and tragedies, heroic epics and cautionary tales, Horatio Alger rags-to-riches stories and small, quiet firefly stories that burn briefly and bright.
Being able to tell those stories is a privilege, and if I'm completely honest, it's a privilege I never quite feel the people and companies who own newspapers ever seem to quite understand. How could they? Most of them come from some other world: From ad sales or venture capital or something sensible like that. There's always that small gap in understanding between what they see and what we do. It's the nature of the beast.
But once in a while, we get lucky. We get to stand at the axis where the meek and the powerful converge, and we have the privilege to report back what we find there. And maybe that changes the world a little. And maybe it doesn't. But either way, we get to point and say This. This matters. Pay attention.
And most people probably won't. There's also usually a gap there, too. But it doesn't matter. You still get to tell the story, and in that telling, you help make the world just a little more real. You hold up a sign that says that we were here, and this is who we were. And sometimes that's terrible. I made my way back to arts reporting because I wanted to look at the best in people for a while, wanted to watch people who create, and tell their stories. But as hard as it probably was, this one looked like a good day. I hope it was -- I left the office before the reporters came back. And as I said, I'm a little jealous. I always want to see things I'll probably never be able to see again. It's the best part of this job. Sometimes, it's what makes it all worthwhile.
Sometimes, if you're very lucky, a life in writing means you get to see things that are truly amazing.
Today, a number of my colleagues covered President Barack Obama speaking at The Worcester Technical High School graduation, and I confess, part of me is a little jealous. Not because I harbor any burning desires to jump back into hard news, but because it was one of those moments where the stars aligned and, if you step back, you can see the thousand small threads that connect everything: Dozens of bright teenagers, facing the blank canvas of a future, and -- whether you care for him or not -- one of the most powerful people on the planet. And we look at the latter, and say he's the story, but that's not quite right. And we look at those dozens of teenagers, poised on the edge of metamorphosis, and say that's commonplace, when really it's remarkable.
Without those kids, the president being here would be just a travel itinerary. And certainly, his presence made us look at them, but the truth is each and every one of them -- the students and the president and the audience and the people reading the newspaper -- are stories in progress. They're love stories and tragedies, heroic epics and cautionary tales, Horatio Alger rags-to-riches stories and small, quiet firefly stories that burn briefly and bright.
Being able to tell those stories is a privilege, and if I'm completely honest, it's a privilege I never quite feel the people and companies who own newspapers ever seem to quite understand. How could they? Most of them come from some other world: From ad sales or venture capital or something sensible like that. There's always that small gap in understanding between what they see and what we do. It's the nature of the beast.
But once in a while, we get lucky. We get to stand at the axis where the meek and the powerful converge, and we have the privilege to report back what we find there. And maybe that changes the world a little. And maybe it doesn't. But either way, we get to point and say This. This matters. Pay attention.
And most people probably won't. There's also usually a gap there, too. But it doesn't matter. You still get to tell the story, and in that telling, you help make the world just a little more real. You hold up a sign that says that we were here, and this is who we were. And sometimes that's terrible. I made my way back to arts reporting because I wanted to look at the best in people for a while, wanted to watch people who create, and tell their stories. But as hard as it probably was, this one looked like a good day. I hope it was -- I left the office before the reporters came back. And as I said, I'm a little jealous. I always want to see things I'll probably never be able to see again. It's the best part of this job. Sometimes, it's what makes it all worthwhile.
June 1, 2014
Quite Literally Watching Grass Grow ...
I woke up around 4:30 a.m. with a stomachache. Not horrible, but just uncomfortable enough to not be able to get back to sleep. Not sure what brought it one -- I ate quite a bit at a party, but that was fairly early and I felt fine when I went to bed. I had a couple drinks, but not much, and I was never actually drunk. Stress?
Well, that's a distinct possibility. We find out on Monday whether or not the newspaper's new owners are offering us our jobs or not. It's all a bit much to get into, but basically, no one at the paper knows if they have a job or not, and it's been made clear that there will be some cuts. We don't know how many, or by what criteria. There have been all sorts of speculation, but it all remains just that. We also don't know if the job we'll be offered will be the exact same, or if the pay will be the same. It's all rather unnerving. I've tried to tough it out, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit it was getting to me.
So Monday, I will either be unemployed, or employed and be OK with that, or employed and not entirely OK with it. And I suppose that's no different than any other day, except that I know exactly when the dice are being rolled.
***
I've been spending most of my weekend mornings trying to reclaim our lawn. It's had a bad history in recent years, as one caretaker after another has been forced to abandon it. I've been mowing it, and I've planted seed to fill out the patches. New growth has begun to appear, which is heartening, as I'm not exactly brimming with patience, and have a notoriously black thumb.
***
Various bits and pieces out. In Radius, I have my thoughts in the wake of Maya Angelou's death, "Clipped Wings and Fearful Trills: Maya Angelou, the ’80s and the Obfuscation of African-American Poetry." Also lots of other great stuff, including two amazing poems by William H. Evans, and the next installment of Lauren Gordon's excellent poetry and parenting essays, "[Insert Pun About Labor Here]: On Being a Poet and a Stay-At-Home Mom."
Radius will be adding a fiction component in a few weeks. I'm terribly excited by it, but that's a story for another day.
Over at the Telegram, lots of odds and ends, including my review of the newest from Speaker for the Dead, my review of the Furies and Jaggery at Beatnik's and a quick listen to some new songs by Preacher Roe. Not a bad local music week, all told.
Monday, I review John Legend at The Hanover. It's anybody's guess what state I'll be in after the day's forecasted excitement, but nonetheless, that's the plan.
Well, that's a distinct possibility. We find out on Monday whether or not the newspaper's new owners are offering us our jobs or not. It's all a bit much to get into, but basically, no one at the paper knows if they have a job or not, and it's been made clear that there will be some cuts. We don't know how many, or by what criteria. There have been all sorts of speculation, but it all remains just that. We also don't know if the job we'll be offered will be the exact same, or if the pay will be the same. It's all rather unnerving. I've tried to tough it out, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit it was getting to me.
So Monday, I will either be unemployed, or employed and be OK with that, or employed and not entirely OK with it. And I suppose that's no different than any other day, except that I know exactly when the dice are being rolled.
***
I've been spending most of my weekend mornings trying to reclaim our lawn. It's had a bad history in recent years, as one caretaker after another has been forced to abandon it. I've been mowing it, and I've planted seed to fill out the patches. New growth has begun to appear, which is heartening, as I'm not exactly brimming with patience, and have a notoriously black thumb.
***
Various bits and pieces out. In Radius, I have my thoughts in the wake of Maya Angelou's death, "Clipped Wings and Fearful Trills: Maya Angelou, the ’80s and the Obfuscation of African-American Poetry." Also lots of other great stuff, including two amazing poems by William H. Evans, and the next installment of Lauren Gordon's excellent poetry and parenting essays, "[Insert Pun About Labor Here]: On Being a Poet and a Stay-At-Home Mom."
Radius will be adding a fiction component in a few weeks. I'm terribly excited by it, but that's a story for another day.
Over at the Telegram, lots of odds and ends, including my review of the newest from Speaker for the Dead, my review of the Furies and Jaggery at Beatnik's and a quick listen to some new songs by Preacher Roe. Not a bad local music week, all told.
Monday, I review John Legend at The Hanover. It's anybody's guess what state I'll be in after the day's forecasted excitement, but nonetheless, that's the plan.
May 27, 2014
Happy Birthday, Lea
I am blessed to be married to the most amazing woman I have ever known, a brilliant and unique person who has been my partner in crime for nearly 18 years now. Whatever else is good or bad in my life at the moment, this is my fixed star to navigate by.
Happy birthday, my love. May the year be filled with joy and adventure.
Happy birthday, my love. May the year be filled with joy and adventure.
May 11, 2014
Happy Mother's Day
I've said this before, I'm sure, but it bears repeating: For all the hard luck I and my family had when I was growing up, the one thing I was absolutely blessed with was to have such an incredible woman for a mother. Raising a child alone is incredible. Raising a child alone amid the torrent of chaos and grief that came in the wake of my father's death is beyond the pale. Most people couldn't have done it. I certainly don't think I could do it.
But my mother did. And that's probably why I don't believe anything's impossible.
Happy Mother's Day, mom. And thank you.
But my mother did. And that's probably why I don't believe anything's impossible.
Happy Mother's Day, mom. And thank you.
May 8, 2014
Just checking in ...
Saturday's visit to the Mass. Poetry Festival in Salem was brief, but enjoyable. Really didn't have it in me to spend a lot of time at events, so I pretty much did my reading, visited with friends, and then left. Terrible, I know. But I've been very tired lately, adjusting to changes in my schedule and coming down off a hectic month. So it was dive in, read setinas and bail. Fun, though.
For various reasons, my schedule has slid earlier. Which is nice, as I;m getting into work earlier and when I work late, there's still daylight. The downside is I'm not inclined to go out much, at least until I've adjusted. Because I am getting old.
***
Lots of little things out. In my column this week, I talk about the new album from Worcester band Thinner, "Elevator From Mars." In Pop Culture Notebook, I have a retroview of The cure's "Disintegration," which turned 25 last week, along with new music by The Roots, Tijuana Panthers, Justin Bieber with Poo Bear, and Joan Smith, as well as Courtney Love, and a quick little look at the "508: A Show About Worcester" podcast on local community radio station, WCUW.
Over on "Radius," we have a fantastic poem by Stephanie Lane Sutton, and our signature feature returns with poems by Ryk McIntyre, William James and Raven McGill.
For various reasons, my schedule has slid earlier. Which is nice, as I;m getting into work earlier and when I work late, there's still daylight. The downside is I'm not inclined to go out much, at least until I've adjusted. Because I am getting old.
***
Lots of little things out. In my column this week, I talk about the new album from Worcester band Thinner, "Elevator From Mars." In Pop Culture Notebook, I have a retroview of The cure's "Disintegration," which turned 25 last week, along with new music by The Roots, Tijuana Panthers, Justin Bieber with Poo Bear, and Joan Smith, as well as Courtney Love, and a quick little look at the "508: A Show About Worcester" podcast on local community radio station, WCUW.
Over on "Radius," we have a fantastic poem by Stephanie Lane Sutton, and our signature feature returns with poems by Ryk McIntyre, William James and Raven McGill.
May 1, 2014
Drag Queens, heavy metal and poets laureate
May is here, and my gulag is nearly over! This was seriously a case of taking on too much, to the point where I thought I was going to break a couple times. But here we are, in May, still standing and still not smoking. W00t!
I only have one reading on the books at the moment, and it's coming up Saturday:
Massachusetts Poetry Festival
"Incredible Sestina Anthology" Reading, featuring Daniel Nester, Michael Costello, Ravi Shankar, Victor Infante, Peter Shippy and Jade Sylvan
Peabody Essex Museum's Bartlett Gallery
1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3, 2014
For information about the festival, visit its website
***
Earlier in the week, I had the honor of doing a sit-down interview with "RuPaul's Drag Race" contender Joslyn Fox. It was a fun visit and a great conversation. Also this week, I listened to some songs by bands that are playing at The Eye of the Stoned Goat festival this weekend.
I also posed the question of whether or not Worcester needs to revive the poet laureate position, which has been vacant since the marvelous Gertrude Halstead passed away in 2012. I honestly can't claim to have strong feelings either way -- although I do love a good horse race -- but I thought the conversation was interesting.
Over on "Radius," things have been a little understated lately, but make no mistake: We have big things underway. In the meantime, go read these lovely poems by Gabriella M. Belfiglio, Joshua Bennett and Jessica Harmon. They're good for your soul.
I only have one reading on the books at the moment, and it's coming up Saturday:
Massachusetts Poetry Festival
"Incredible Sestina Anthology" Reading, featuring Daniel Nester, Michael Costello, Ravi Shankar, Victor Infante, Peter Shippy and Jade Sylvan
Peabody Essex Museum's Bartlett Gallery
1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3, 2014
For information about the festival, visit its website
***
Earlier in the week, I had the honor of doing a sit-down interview with "RuPaul's Drag Race" contender Joslyn Fox. It was a fun visit and a great conversation. Also this week, I listened to some songs by bands that are playing at The Eye of the Stoned Goat festival this weekend.
I also posed the question of whether or not Worcester needs to revive the poet laureate position, which has been vacant since the marvelous Gertrude Halstead passed away in 2012. I honestly can't claim to have strong feelings either way -- although I do love a good horse race -- but I thought the conversation was interesting.
Over on "Radius," things have been a little understated lately, but make no mistake: We have big things underway. In the meantime, go read these lovely poems by Gabriella M. Belfiglio, Joshua Bennett and Jessica Harmon. They're good for your soul.
April 24, 2014
We Threw A Poetry Slam, and Everybody Came: Reflections on a Hell of A National Poetry Month
There were around 100 people in the library to see MegaSlam 2014: The Battle For The Worcester on Tuesday. It was kind of breathtaking, seeing so many people crowd into that room: People of diverse ages and ethnic backgrounds, people who had never been to a poetry reading before, people who used to attend readings but whom we haven't seen much of lately. It was truly stunning, and humbling.
The idea was simple: Invite as many poetry organizations in town to each send a representative to compete in a slam. Oh, and then tweak the rules as we go -- sometimes in collaboration with the poet or organization, sometimes not (but only if they were being handed a random advantage!) For instance, any poet or organizer who asked me, in our correspondence about the event, "Does this mean we have to have poems memorized?" got an automatic one-point advantage. There were three, including eventual winner Dmitry Berenson, competing for the Worcester Review. But man, did he earn that win, reading two stunningly gorgeous poems.
Second place went to Heather Macpherson, representing Ballard Street Poetry Journal, who killed it in both rounds, particularly her sestina for Kurt Cobain. Tony Brown represented Radius, and had what would have been the highest score of the night for his poem "Gepetto Town," if not for the six points in penalties he accrued: one point for having to represent a journal the host edits (yes, he knew that going in), and five more for time penalties. The fact that a few people were actually kind of surprised by the time penalties tells you how good it was.
Some people were playing by different rules. Lea, who was repping The Hangover Hour (and who is reading tonight for the Round Room Women's Poetry Salon!), had to read a poem by someone else, because that's what the Hangover Hour does. She read James Wright. Nick Davis broke the rules (with my foreknowledge, of course) by bringing along musical accompaniment for his "Dirty Old Town." I've heard that poem a million times, and I don't think I ever saw it get an audience misty eyed.
In the end, every single poem on that stage was good. Every one of them. Such an honor to belong to a community that can bring together such an eclectic array of poets for an evening like this ... including a couple previously unknown to me! (I really hope we see more of Amanda Borelli and Linda D'Agosto, who were the big surprises for me.)
National Poetry Month started off on a silly note for me, with the nonsensical #FantasyPoetrySlam game on April Fool's Day, wherein I somehow convinced a sizable group of writers to all write poems in the voices of a denizen of a fictional world, and then post videos for people to vote on. Utterly ridiculous, and fantastic.
I posted the winning videos back at the beginning of the month, but there were many, and some of them were really amazing poems ... especially under the circumstances. Three of my personal favorites were:
"Smeagol's Love Song," by Mariya Deykute:
"13 Ways Of Looking At My Nightmares," by Jenith Charpentier:
and "Fan Letter to H. P. Lovecraft, from Jorge Luis Borges," by Sam Cha:
Great stuff, all written with a minimum of notice. Astounding how talented some of these people are.
After that, I basically did three readings in two days: We had a small poetry salon reading/reception at our apartment for "The Incredible Sestina Anthology" editor Daniel Nester, where we finally made him read his own work. I've done numerous readings with Daniel lately, but because he's been pimping the anthology, I've not heard one word of his own writing, so I was glad to rectify that. Then, the next day, I read a set of T.S. Eliot's work for the aforementioned Hangover Hour, and was gratified to have a a full house, and even more gratified that the crowd stuck around for the sestina reading.
Between then and the library reading, I was pretty much hunkered down and working: Trying to make sure that show went up OK (obviously it did), and trying to keep up with my everyday life: Working on Radius, and some of the big developments we have coming there, trying to sell a novel, working on a singing competition TV show for WCCA (more on that soon!), working for The Telegram & Gazette and everything that entails: Writing, editing, listening to rock bands, talking to drag queens. You know ... normal, everyday stuff.
Oh, and I did all of this while quitting smoking. You want to know why I've been an antisocial basket case when I didn't have a task right in front of me? There's your answer.
So ... yeah. Winding down. Lea's at The Round Room tonight, I'm back pole dancing for the sestina anthology on May 3 at the Mass Poetry Festival, but otherwise, it's looking a little quieter on the horizon.
Maybe I'll do something relaxing.
Hell, maybe I'll write something ...
The idea was simple: Invite as many poetry organizations in town to each send a representative to compete in a slam. Oh, and then tweak the rules as we go -- sometimes in collaboration with the poet or organization, sometimes not (but only if they were being handed a random advantage!) For instance, any poet or organizer who asked me, in our correspondence about the event, "Does this mean we have to have poems memorized?" got an automatic one-point advantage. There were three, including eventual winner Dmitry Berenson, competing for the Worcester Review. But man, did he earn that win, reading two stunningly gorgeous poems.
Second place went to Heather Macpherson, representing Ballard Street Poetry Journal, who killed it in both rounds, particularly her sestina for Kurt Cobain. Tony Brown represented Radius, and had what would have been the highest score of the night for his poem "Gepetto Town," if not for the six points in penalties he accrued: one point for having to represent a journal the host edits (yes, he knew that going in), and five more for time penalties. The fact that a few people were actually kind of surprised by the time penalties tells you how good it was.
Some people were playing by different rules. Lea, who was repping The Hangover Hour (and who is reading tonight for the Round Room Women's Poetry Salon!), had to read a poem by someone else, because that's what the Hangover Hour does. She read James Wright. Nick Davis broke the rules (with my foreknowledge, of course) by bringing along musical accompaniment for his "Dirty Old Town." I've heard that poem a million times, and I don't think I ever saw it get an audience misty eyed.
In the end, every single poem on that stage was good. Every one of them. Such an honor to belong to a community that can bring together such an eclectic array of poets for an evening like this ... including a couple previously unknown to me! (I really hope we see more of Amanda Borelli and Linda D'Agosto, who were the big surprises for me.)
National Poetry Month started off on a silly note for me, with the nonsensical #FantasyPoetrySlam game on April Fool's Day, wherein I somehow convinced a sizable group of writers to all write poems in the voices of a denizen of a fictional world, and then post videos for people to vote on. Utterly ridiculous, and fantastic.
I posted the winning videos back at the beginning of the month, but there were many, and some of them were really amazing poems ... especially under the circumstances. Three of my personal favorites were:
"Smeagol's Love Song," by Mariya Deykute:
"13 Ways Of Looking At My Nightmares," by Jenith Charpentier:
and "Fan Letter to H. P. Lovecraft, from Jorge Luis Borges," by Sam Cha:
Great stuff, all written with a minimum of notice. Astounding how talented some of these people are.
After that, I basically did three readings in two days: We had a small poetry salon reading/reception at our apartment for "The Incredible Sestina Anthology" editor Daniel Nester, where we finally made him read his own work. I've done numerous readings with Daniel lately, but because he's been pimping the anthology, I've not heard one word of his own writing, so I was glad to rectify that. Then, the next day, I read a set of T.S. Eliot's work for the aforementioned Hangover Hour, and was gratified to have a a full house, and even more gratified that the crowd stuck around for the sestina reading.
Between then and the library reading, I was pretty much hunkered down and working: Trying to make sure that show went up OK (obviously it did), and trying to keep up with my everyday life: Working on Radius, and some of the big developments we have coming there, trying to sell a novel, working on a singing competition TV show for WCCA (more on that soon!), working for The Telegram & Gazette and everything that entails: Writing, editing, listening to rock bands, talking to drag queens. You know ... normal, everyday stuff.
Oh, and I did all of this while quitting smoking. You want to know why I've been an antisocial basket case when I didn't have a task right in front of me? There's your answer.
So ... yeah. Winding down. Lea's at The Round Room tonight, I'm back pole dancing for the sestina anthology on May 3 at the Mass Poetry Festival, but otherwise, it's looking a little quieter on the horizon.
Maybe I'll do something relaxing.
Hell, maybe I'll write something ...
April 21, 2014
What If We Threw a Poetry Slam and Everybody Came?
Here's how it went down: A while back, the Worcester Public Library asked me if I'd be interested in hosting a poetry slam for them for National Poetry Month. Frankly, I couldn't think of anything more boring, so I countered with, "How about I invite as many Worcester poetry readings, salons and journals to each send a representative to a slam?" And remarkably, they said yes, and so tomorrow we have
MegaSlam 2014; the Battle For Worcester
!
Poets Dmitry Berenson, Amanda Borelli, Tony Brown, Jenith Charpentier, Linda D'Agosto, Nicholas Earl Davis, Lea Deschenes, Joe Fusco Jr., Robert Blackwell Gibbs, Angel Gonzalez, Joyce Heon, Mareh K Labenski, Dan Lewis, Heather Macpherson and Sarah Sapienza will throw down in a poetry slam that promises to be filled with twists, turns, drama, tears and perhaps small amounts of blood!
The poets are representing Ballard Street Poetry Journal, the Barnes & Noble Poetry Series, the Conscious Corner Poetry Series, the Dirty Gerund Poetry Series, The Hangover Hour Poetry Salon, the Outlaw Stage/Works in Progress Open Stage, the Poets' Asylum, Radius Online Literary Journal, the Round Room Women's Poetry Salon, Step Up Open Mic, StreetBeat Poetry Series, the Top Floor Poetry Salon, the Worcester Review and Worcester Storytellers.
To be honest, I expected a bunch of folks to say "no," but everyone seems to have grasped the spirit of the event. It's entirely too rare that we have a chance to have such a diverse group of poets on one stage. I'm terribly looking forward to the party.
MegaSlam 2014: The Battle for Worcester!!!
Featuring poets Dmitry Berenson, Amanda Borelli, Tony Brown, Jenith Charpentier, Linda D'Agosto, Nicholas Earl Davis, Lea Deschenes, Joe Fusco Jr., Robert Blackwell Gibbs, Angel Gonzalez, Joyce Heon, Mareh K Labenski, Dan Lewis, Heather Macpherson and Sarah Sapienza in a two-round poetry slam that promises to be filled with twists, turns, drama, tears and perhaps small amounts of blood! Hosted by poet and journalist Victor D. Infante.
The Worcester Public Library
3 Salem Square, Worcester, MA, 01608
7 p.m. Tuesday April 22
Free!!!
Poets Dmitry Berenson, Amanda Borelli, Tony Brown, Jenith Charpentier, Linda D'Agosto, Nicholas Earl Davis, Lea Deschenes, Joe Fusco Jr., Robert Blackwell Gibbs, Angel Gonzalez, Joyce Heon, Mareh K Labenski, Dan Lewis, Heather Macpherson and Sarah Sapienza will throw down in a poetry slam that promises to be filled with twists, turns, drama, tears and perhaps small amounts of blood!
The poets are representing Ballard Street Poetry Journal, the Barnes & Noble Poetry Series, the Conscious Corner Poetry Series, the Dirty Gerund Poetry Series, The Hangover Hour Poetry Salon, the Outlaw Stage/Works in Progress Open Stage, the Poets' Asylum, Radius Online Literary Journal, the Round Room Women's Poetry Salon, Step Up Open Mic, StreetBeat Poetry Series, the Top Floor Poetry Salon, the Worcester Review and Worcester Storytellers.
To be honest, I expected a bunch of folks to say "no," but everyone seems to have grasped the spirit of the event. It's entirely too rare that we have a chance to have such a diverse group of poets on one stage. I'm terribly looking forward to the party.
MegaSlam 2014: The Battle for Worcester!!!
Featuring poets Dmitry Berenson, Amanda Borelli, Tony Brown, Jenith Charpentier, Linda D'Agosto, Nicholas Earl Davis, Lea Deschenes, Joe Fusco Jr., Robert Blackwell Gibbs, Angel Gonzalez, Joyce Heon, Mareh K Labenski, Dan Lewis, Heather Macpherson and Sarah Sapienza in a two-round poetry slam that promises to be filled with twists, turns, drama, tears and perhaps small amounts of blood! Hosted by poet and journalist Victor D. Infante.
The Worcester Public Library
3 Salem Square, Worcester, MA, 01608
7 p.m. Tuesday April 22
Free!!!
April 17, 2014
Novel excerpts, Howard Stern shout-outs and other odds and ends ...
First off, I'm terribly pleased that the lovely online literary journal Extract(s) published a section of my ever-forthcoming novel, Why We should Suffer for This. This comes on top of some sections that were previously previewed by Amethyst Arsenic. It's an honor to be in both publications, but the feedback I've gotten from both has been heartening, especially as I'm now in the soul-crushing "trying to sell the book" phase. If I had half a brain, I'd just put the damn thing out on an indie press, and I may still do that, but I feel the need to actually try this path for a while. I'm fully aware I might live to regret that ambition.
***
The other day, Howard Stern obliquely referenced one of my columns. More to the point, he referenced my 2013 review of his guest that day, Bam Margera. You can her the discussion in the YoUTube video below, at the 26-minute mark:
My response is here, but on the whole, I'm amused by the whole thing.
***
I feel like I've not been productive at all lately, but I suppose that's not entirely true. Here's my interview with RuPaul's Drag Race contestant Joslyn Fox, and my essay 'There are no reasons': Geldof, Cobain, music and loss.
Over on Radius, our signature feature returns, with poetry by Rachel McKibbens, Stevie Edwards and Emily O’Neill. There are other bits and pieces, both on Radius and in Pop Culture Notebook, but those are the big ones.
***
This is happening Tuesday:
MegaSlam 2014: The Battle for Worcester!!!
Featuring poets Dmitry Berenson, Amanda Borelli, Tony Brown, Jenith Charpentier, Linda D'Agosto, Nicholas Earl Davis, Lea Deschenes, Joe Fusco Jr., Robert Blackwell Gibbs, Angel Gonzalez, Joyce Heon, Mareh K Labenski, Dan Lewis, Heather Macpherson and Sarah Sapienza in a two-round poetry slam that promises to be filled with twists, turns, drama, tears and perhaps small amounts of blood! Hosted by poet and journalist Victor D. Infante.
The Worcester Public Library
3 Salem Square, Worcester, MA, 01608
7 p.m. Tuesday April 22
Free!!!
Celebrate National Poetry Month with fisticuffs!
See you there!
***
The other day, Howard Stern obliquely referenced one of my columns. More to the point, he referenced my 2013 review of his guest that day, Bam Margera. You can her the discussion in the YoUTube video below, at the 26-minute mark:
My response is here, but on the whole, I'm amused by the whole thing.
***
I feel like I've not been productive at all lately, but I suppose that's not entirely true. Here's my interview with RuPaul's Drag Race contestant Joslyn Fox, and my essay 'There are no reasons': Geldof, Cobain, music and loss.
Over on Radius, our signature feature returns, with poetry by Rachel McKibbens, Stevie Edwards and Emily O’Neill. There are other bits and pieces, both on Radius and in Pop Culture Notebook, but those are the big ones.
***
This is happening Tuesday:
MegaSlam 2014: The Battle for Worcester!!!
Featuring poets Dmitry Berenson, Amanda Borelli, Tony Brown, Jenith Charpentier, Linda D'Agosto, Nicholas Earl Davis, Lea Deschenes, Joe Fusco Jr., Robert Blackwell Gibbs, Angel Gonzalez, Joyce Heon, Mareh K Labenski, Dan Lewis, Heather Macpherson and Sarah Sapienza in a two-round poetry slam that promises to be filled with twists, turns, drama, tears and perhaps small amounts of blood! Hosted by poet and journalist Victor D. Infante.
The Worcester Public Library
3 Salem Square, Worcester, MA, 01608
7 p.m. Tuesday April 22
Free!!!
Celebrate National Poetry Month with fisticuffs!
See you there!
April 12, 2014
The Confessional is OPEN!!
Haven't done this for a while.
Tell me a secret.
Comments are set to be screened. I will not unscreen the comments, nor will I reply to any of them.
I will not reveal anything about what was posted or about who posted it, but feel free to post anonymously.
I may use some of this as writing material fodder, but if I do, serial numbers will be VERY filed off.
All right. Tell me something you've been wanting to tell someone.
Tell me a secret.
Comments are set to be screened. I will not unscreen the comments, nor will I reply to any of them.
I will not reveal anything about what was posted or about who posted it, but feel free to post anonymously.
I may use some of this as writing material fodder, but if I do, serial numbers will be VERY filed off.
All right. Tell me something you've been wanting to tell someone.
