Haven’t posted for a while. Railroad is on hold for the foreseeable and I am so fucking tired I could sleep anywhere, at anytime. Has something to do with my decision to take a job loading boxes for 40 hours a week. I hasten to add that I do this mindless joe job happily as it affords me the privilege of regular stuff, which right now I need more than ever. Still, I can’t help worry about the resultant dip in creative output. So after weeks not writing so much as a haiku, I was nothing short of delighted to get this: a poet for which I have great admiration, reading one of my poems in contribution of the JLWPP. It was the perfect reminder that I am a writer, at heart, temporarily pulled up by circumstance.
If you have not heard/ read Miggy Angel – go fix that. I am not just reciprocating the support by maintaining that he is one of the best poets that London has seen in years. This is my humble opinion. I find something altogether real, dark and beautiful in his work. Don’t take my word – check out some of his poetry at his ‘online hovel’.
If, like me, you have been gripped by Miggy’s words he has his first full collection of poetry coming out on Celandor Books, entitiled Grime Kerbstone Psalms. For all information and updates on Miggy’s work you can take your pick:
I would like to thank Miggy for his participation ( in general) but also because his reading is the first that has come from outside of the good ol’ US of A. It is no secret that I am keen to get more British folk to support my work, (coming from the UK and all). America gets this stuff, and I’m genuinely grateful for that, but here’s hoping that Miggy has encouraged the ever so reluctant Brits to get involved. Cheers Miggy!
Apologies for the lack of readings, posts and such – as much as I obsess over words and more over, writing them down, life has caught up with me, as it has a habit of doing. This time it damn near derailed me. In a sort of beautiful way that I wont bother trying to convey here and now. (Poem on this to follow) I have veered so far off I’m not sure I want to come back. To return to form, sitting in a silent room for twelve hours straight, writing, and get up the next day and do it all again. Except, for me it is a necessity, even when I try to ignore the pull, to put it off, to blank it out in an effort to simply experience, I have to eventually give in. Sooner or later I have to remove myself completely, detatch from the moments and the minutes, in order to record, preserve, express, to try to put it on the fucking page. It is a rarity for me to escape, to be in the moment without a draft forming, a poem hatching, an idea grinding. So I intend to enjoy it whilst I can, or as Jim Morrison put it “I’m gonna get my kicks before the whole shithouse goes up in flames.” So here’s to living it and writing it down some other time.
There are not many poets that make it onto my reading list on a permanent basis. I’ve read a lot of stuff that grabs me, in the moment, stuff that I would say is good, but that I might not pick up again. Jared Randall’s debut collection made its way onto my desktop, it even got printed out. He/you may not appreciate the compliment here, but I am poor, ink costs me too much, and I usaully only hear the beautiful hum of the printer when I’m proofreading my work. When I need to get as close as is physically possible to the words. Apocryphal Road Code was for me, such an occasion.
Apocryphal Road Code documents the transient nature of human existence through the perspective of the hobo, deconstructing the notions of place, community and social codes via experiences that span generations. Randall’s voice is authentic, penetrating, musical. Road Code can be likened to a timeless album, a timeless folk album by rights. There are an array of musical influences prevalent within its pages. Dylan and Waits are the obvious influences and in terms of writers, there are ditinct echoes of Whitman and Kerouac. The opening line of a poem called ‘Packer’ is the sort that keeps me awake at night. Awake wondering if I will ever write anything that keeps another writer from their sleep. “some tracks won’t afford a boy to cross the moon.” I make no apologies for this being out of context, as I feel that it is just as beautiful standing alone. If it bothers you, as it did me, read the collection, you will not be disappointed.
Here is the poet himself, who kindly agreed to read a poem of mine. Many thanks Jared!
Another great reading by a fellow poet and railroader. Alex wrote a poem called ‘Books On The Driveway’ which I read a while back and it still bothers me, even months after reading it. That is probably the best compliment a poet could wish for, so that said check out his work, it is well worth a look.
It is amazing to get so many contributions from across the pond, and the stats on this blog reveal that folk in the USA seem to get this stuff more than those in my homeland. Perhaps it is because I use words like ‘Folk’ – maybe? Nevertheless it would be grand (Brit) to get some Brits to participate, so until I get hold of Russell Brand or someone else who is clearly from ’round these parts – I ask you, good people of Britain to stop being so reserved and well British and get involved – for I have taken to proofreading with a southern drawl!
I started this blog almost a year ago and the activity has been minimal up until recently. I think that was in part because I had mixed feelings on having a blog. I wanted to try and force myself into this century (with regards to writing) but I was unsure of where I was going with it. I started it up, ignored it for months, wrote a couple of lines here and there.
So I started the poetry protest as a little experiment, intended to create ongoing content as well as being a back to front strategy for promoting my work. People tend to record/ recite your work when you are widely published, famous and /or dead. I wanted to turn that on its head, get as many folk as possible involved in promoting a ‘lesser known poet – me’ – to paraphrase Frank Bryant – Educating Rita
‘THINGS THAT MATTER’
I have had a few people asking protest related questions, so in an effort to clarify, settle the score, here goes:
I realize that this is not a protest in the usual sense of the word. I also think that there are far more important things to protest about, but since I am a poet I feel I need to protest about poetry. What am I protesting against? The fact that mainstream publishers won’t read past the titles of my poems. ‘Ode to Trailer Trash’, ‘Suicide Cardigan’, I can almost see the manuscript dropping into the ‘no thanks’ pile, the email moved to the rejection category. When looking at possible places to submit a collection it became evident that most publishers expect ‘innovative marketing’ proposals alongside submissions. So I guess that is what I’m trying to do.
It may not make a bit of difference – but the protest is essentially about getting the poems out there some other way, and I am thankful to everyone who has helped out so far. The other thing people have touched on is the amount of poems available for contributors to use. I appreciate that there are only a handful posted on here ( I only post the published poems) and I’m working on that, always. With the lack of published stuff in mind, I have encouraged contributors to record any poem they like, no matter if it has already been recorded. It is great to get different interpretations of a poem and I’m not gonna mind getting a hundred versions of ‘Poem for Stevie Nicks’, It makes me smile, especially after reading the latest rejection slip.
Dear Jade,
Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to read and consider your work. Unfortunately, we have decided not to use it and wish you the best of luck in placing it elsewhere.
Please remember to wait 90 days before submitting again
Thanks,
No, thank you – and thank you Kyrsten Bean for sending this on the same day.
Kyrsten Bean is a writer and musician raised by a pack of artists in the Bay Area. They instilled in her a need to create stuff, much to her chagrin, putting the roots so deep into her DNA and her core that she cannot possibly live any other life without precipitously self-destructing. Her work has been published here and there, you can find it on her website, kyrstenbean.com or on her blog thestifledartist.com, where she encourages other crazy wild peeps to pursue their creative stuff or die an ignominious death.
Kyrsten is also a fellow ‘Railroader’ and is the original POTM over at Railroad Poetry Project. So be sure to check out her poetry and her tunes!
It is weird how things work out. Of the few poems I have had published ‘Note: In favour of not committing suicide’ was the one I wasn’t sure about. Something still bothered me about it after the final draft. I knew it was finished but wasn’t comfortable with something. It is a strange feeling. Yet – this one seems to get a lot of attention. Luke Roe recorded it, Kyrsten has given us her interpretation and a couple of other writers have shown interest in performing it for the protest. Even stranger feeling – when other people read it, it seems to work. Again this makes me smile, and I’m not much of a smiler, so thanks (again) to all those bringing my work to life, making me smile.
The latest contribution to my Poetry Protest sees Rick Dale reading ‘Wednesday Dad’.
It was particularly sweet when this dropped on the electronic mail mat. I think this was because ‘Wednesday Dad’ is one of the only poems that I have nailed in one. That is a rarity. I’m the seven, eight, nine… drafts kind. The other reason is that it’s great to see a fellow ‘beat’ supporting the project. Beatniks worldwide feel free to get involved!
Rick Dale is the author of The Beat Handbook -which you should go buy, directly after reading this. Rick also maintains an excellent blog called The Daily Beat. Check it out for the word on everything ‘beat’. If there was an award for ‘Best Beat Blog’, and personally I think there should be, Rick would be in pole position for the winner’s badge.
Speaking of badges – it’s a protest – calls for a badge right? I’ll see what I can do!
I never read or listened to erotic poetry before, but since K (a.k.a Kristie LeVangie) offered to contribute to my Poetry Protest, I spent most of Friday night watching videos of her work. Granted I’m no expert on this stuff, but I know that she does what she does well, and after checking out other folk who perform this syle of poetry, it is my humble opinion that she is pretty much top of her game.
Kristie LeVangie writes by the pen name of K– and is the creative mind behind www.libidacoria.com. She’s a poetess, plus-size pin-up model, podcast and talk show host, erotic narrator and performance artist. Her internet audio shows are broadcast to more than 59 countries around the world, and her book, Libidacoria: In a Plain Brown Wrapper, has been described as “wallowing in an orgy of undiluted lust” that questions “aspects of both traditional gender roles and contemporary feminism.” She has appeared at venues such as the Erotic Poetry and Music Festival in Detroit, the Ohio Burlesque Festival, and The Baltimore Book Festival. Touted as The Bad Girl of Poetry, this bad girl uses bad words and that’s what makes her so good. - DRUNKEN ABSURDITY
Like Adam Schirling who contributed to the protest with his rendition of ‘Poem for Stevie Nicks’, K is also a revolutionary over at Drunken Absurdity. If you haven’t stopped by there yet, get on to it, it is the perfect pit stop for the broken and the beat.
Anyway, a massive thank you to K for taking time out to get involved with this protest. Here she is doing what she does best, bringing poetry to life.
Just a quick update on the Poetry Protest. First off, here is the official poster for my crazy idea. This was kindly put together by the guys over at PoV – a quality magazine showcasing the best in contemporary writing and photography. If you haven’t already, check them out!
Second up, here is Adam Schirling’s contribution to the cause. Adam is the editor-in-chief at Drunken Absurdity. I have only recently stumbled upon the site, but it was a decent find, and i’ll be trying to offload some stuff there. What Drunken Absurdity is all about is best summed up here:
“This site is a revolution for those who cannot stand to be left silent on the roadside anymore. Those who walk the streets late at night, heads full of misery and booze, and a heart full of despair. Strippers, poets, homeless, drug addicts, boozers, fetishists, artists, ex convicts, and all others who refuse to stagnate in the shadows while an ignorant city moves around them. We will be heard. Our voices will sink into your soul, and make you see a whole new world.” – DRUNKEN ABSURDITY
Gotta say – the positive feedback really has been encouraging. When I started this thing, I was half expecting people to either ignore the call for volunteers or tell me to go… whatever – but the response so far has been really good. Sure, I haven’t convinced Mr Depp yet, but then again I aint tried. So, again – massive thanks to all those who are spreading the word and contributing.
Here is Adam Shirling reading ‘Poem for Stevie Nicks’.
