"I am not altogether honest when I write.
I find myself giving up my intentions
for beauty of phrase."...

"Inhibition, that is the problem. Always. Once
I've broken through, I'm back where I started
and another poem is needed to break through again."

Carl Rakosi
*Ex Cranium, Night"
Black Sparrow Press, Los Angeles
1975

The Breakfast Room

trembling flowers
hours
ours

Discussion on
Collage and depression (click here}via
wood s lot (Mark Woods) {click here}

Today, on our drive around Point
Reyes, Toni spotted a White Deer {click here}
*********************************

We interrupt our regular programming
to direct your attention to a crucial
discussion taking place right now on
p- ramblings (Bill Allegrezza)

We're goin' to San Francisco
San Francisco here we come...

to see the
Pacific Rim Sculptors Group
Annual Members Exhibition
July 22 thru August 27 at
the Atrium Gallery
600 Townsend Street @ 7th

Kenneth Baker, juror

Nikki Schrager
Jane Johnson
Peter Eller
Jane B. Grimm
Rene Dayan-Whitehead
Ralph Holker
Gina Telcocci
Susan Nutter
William D. Iaculla
Jane Burton
Nancy Ziegler-Nodelman
Deborah Colcotti
Karen Devich
Patricis Bengtson-Jones
Mel Lyons
Rebecca Fox
Vince Koloski
Leslie Cantor-Fallihee
Pamela Merory Dernham
Jia Jun Lu
******

Visiting Toni's friend Nikki Shrager
yesterday, we also met and enjoyed the
photographic work of Roy Berkowitz
who has tons of equipment for processing his
photos but has always worked with the same 35mm
toy camera!

Dog Days Narcissism

Karl-Merleau Marcuse (Semioanalysis Discoteche {click here} and Gary Sullivan (Elsewhere) {click here} take commentary for a much needed walk off the leash.

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Blogger

Bill Allegrezza (P-Ramblings) {click here}
A discussion on blogging and community gets kicked off on P-Ramblings.


It's Got A Back Beat You Can't Lose It

Silliman and Mayhew opine on CC's rhythms.
Silliman's Blog {click here}

*The New Brutalism Cabaret*

the play goes on right now on
The Well-Nourished Moon

featuring a playlet by
Del Ray Cross:
*Loretta*

Fresh from its world-wide premier performance
at the New Brutalism Cabaret on Sunday, July 18


The complete text of *The Poet Deflated* right now on
The Well-Nourished Moon (Stephanie Young)

a play by Cynthia Sailers and Brent Cunningham
featuring Taylor Brady, Stephanie Young, Brent
Cunningham, Cynthia Sailers, Brandon Brown,
and Shonna
***********************************************
New poem by Charles Bernstein on
Arm/Sasser{click here}
***********************************************

Gata likes the back of the couch for sleeping.  I might try the rest in a bit.

Right now on
Ironstone Whirligig {click here}
 

Fellow bloggers!
Do you know what day it is today?
Hint: which famous blogger
has the same birthday as Petrarch?

Yes, you guessed it!
It's Laura Willey, otherwise
known as Laurable

As Mr. Silliman noted on his blog
recently, we have not heard from
Laurable for awhile.

Happy Birthday Laurable!
We miss you.
**

After a beautiful day
on the Point Reyes
Pacific beaches
zipping around the highways
in our rented bright red
Touring convertible,
(by the way, I haven't seen
beaches this gorgeous since
going to Normandy and Brittany
in the 80's!)
top down, I am still thinking about
the New Brutalism Cabaret
on Sunday night. Images
of movement:

The audience and players staying
outside as long as possible
before the performance,
talking and enjoying the
cool summer air

Saying a quick "hi" to Juliana Spahr
(now teaching at Mills)
Bill Luoma, Mary Burger,
Taylor Brady, and Patrick Durgin
before the show

Del Ray Cross doing the
only actual "reading" in the whole show,
of his play "Loretta"
with just a touch of
Southern accent

Patrick Durgin's perfectly timed,
graceful, pantomimed
dancing with Jen Hofer
as he sang Fred Astaire
style. Patrick patiently asking
a few times for the CD for his
act to be started up

Tanya Brolaski standing rock
still, in mustache, cowboy boots
and complete Western outfit,
crooning Hank Williams style
singing along with her band
*The Cherries*.

Sean Finney, doing his Billy
Crystal style patter between
acts, complete with faux jokes,
holding the mike in his
hand

Brent Cunningham playing boring
academic poet Thackerey
somebody, attending yet another
poetry reading while automatons
Stephanie Young and Shonni stroke his
collar.

Kevin Killian as Nico, creating true time
travel, returning us to the 60's, with
Geofrey Dyer in Lou Reed sunglasses
playing guitar

Rodney Koeneke reading "rap style" about a few
of his favorite and non-favorite
things with Lesley Poitier's excellent
electronic keyboard playing

Poet Judith Goldman and her band in black
belting out
anti-fascist lyrics, behind posters
with statistics telling us the true economic
and political situation in Amerika
today

The audience, joining in with
excited applause or whistling
or verbal response whenever
possible

James Meetze serving up beer
and all around good cheer.
Toni and I enjoying that cool
beer taking a seat in
the last row after the break

Being introduced, with Toni,
by Kevin K to Dodie
Bellamy after the show.
Kevin handing out some copies
of his and DB's magazine
Mirage (more on that issue coming
soon)

Talking with Kasey Mohammad about how
much we liked his
piece for Patrick and Jen,
him proud as a new father,
afterwards telling me and Toni about his
new tenure track job in
Oregon

Cynthia Sailers coming in from
back stage, out of costume after
her play *The Poet Deflated*

quick conversation with Tanya, out
of costume after the show

More, more New Brutalism Cabaret!

Bring it on!
Take it to the Apple!

We're getting out to Point Reyes
early today, so I don't have time
to tell you about the New Brutalism
Cabaret in all the detail it so richly
deserves. If you were there, you already
know how much fun it was, and how much
terrific talent took that ample stage
at 21 Grand last night. I'll just mention
now that when I told Tanya Brolaski
after the show how much I enjoyed
it she said that she knew that poets
had so many other talents and she wanted
this to be seen and experienced. By this
time she had removed the faux mustache that
had been part of her country singer costume
to sing with her terrific country band,
*The Cherries.*
There's much more to tell as the
evening consisted of
8 acts including a very hauntingly
charming Vaudvilllian
song and dance number by
Kasey Mohammad performed by
Patrick Durgin and Jen Hofer
(that reminded me somehow of
Fred Astaire and Ginger
Rogers), *The Poet Deflated* by
Cynthia Sailers and
Brent Cunningham,
a sharp satire of certain puffed up
male Academic poets, that included
Taylor Brady and Stephanie Young
as accomodating robot-
students, and a powerfully
stirring finale,
*The Force Majeur*, billed
as a "dystopic rock opera*,
with Judith Goldman, Maggie
Zurowsky, Joel Nickels
and Brandon Brown.
But there's so much more to
tell you about last evening,
including Kevin Killian
singing as Nico and Geoffrey
Dyer as Lou Reed and
Del Ray Cross reading his playlet
about Loretta Lynn, I'll
have to come back and tell you
more later. Stay tuned!
Back soon with more about
the New Brualism Cabaret.

"I never had a good idea that didn't start
with feeling. And a really good image
has never come to me except by accident.
My destiny lies in the hands of these two."

"I had an assignation with the spirit of man
but I was weak and in love with the spirit of
language and kept him waiting."

"The more impossible the problem, the more
poetical the possibilities. An ideal
situation."

Carl Rakosi
*Ex Cranium, Night*
Black Sparrow Press
Los Angeles, 1975

Putting the there
there
Tonight, Sunday, July 18
Oakland, California
The New Brutalism
Cabaret
21 Grand
7 pm