Days of Love and Blood – Love Letter to Delaware
February 14, 2008 at 10:54 pm | In Culture, Days of Love and Blood, Delaware, Fanblades, Friends, Love Letter to Delaware, Mojo 13, Moving On, My Life, Newark, Poetry, Slam Poetry, The Collingwood, Towns, Writing, i | 1 CommentIt’s 5:15 pm on Thursday, February 14th, 2008. It’s Valentine’s Day, and this is going to be my love letter to Delaware. Tonight my friends in the band i, Fanblades are playing at Mojo 13 with my friends in the band, The Collingwood. Things start tonight at 8 pm there….please come, if you can. I’d like to see you.
It’s been a long time for me here in Delaware. Ten years of so much living; I’m going to miss you all.
Please let me say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to every single poet who ever read at the Tuesday Night Poetry Open Mike & Slam, in all of the locations that it has been in over the years. I can barely comprehend the sheer breadth of work that I’ve been so privileged to hear. Thank you to every friend I’ve every made in Delaware, through poetry and through work. So much has happened, so much amazing poetry has been heard over the years. I know that I am forever changed by my experiences here in Delaware, and by everything I’ve seen and heard as a poetry night host. Thank you to all the poets in the “academic” community here in Delaware, thank you Newark Arts Alliance, thank you Soulstice, thank you Crimson Moon, thank you O’Friel’s, thank you to the Second Saturday poets, thank you to the hip-hop poets, the rap poets, the student poets, the older poets, the crazy poets – thank you all. Thank you to my kindred poets in neighboring Baltimore and Philly and New Jersey – much love, my people, much love. My heart is full of love and thanks to all of my friends here in Delaware – a man could not have better friends than you all have been to me. I could name some people, but, if you are a friend of mine, or have been, then you know that and you know that I love you and am grateful for your friendship.
If you can, please come to a going-away-and-good-luck party taking place at the house of Matt & Hannah & Nigel & Sadako tomorrow night, Friday night…. you can email me at rabbitinvasion@gmail.com for details on how to get here if you can make it.
Good luck to you, Delaware. Love and good luck to Delaware poets and to the Delaware Poetry Slam.
May the spirit of a little stone bunny rabbit guide you, and bring a smile to your face.
beginnings & farewells
February 2, 2008 at 5:34 am | In 2007 Wilmington Delaware Poetry Slam Team, A Mighty Wind, Arizona, Bueller, Delaware, Dreamstreets, Family, Friends, Geico, History, Hope, Legacy, Life, Michael Douglas, New Mexico, Newark, Performance Art, Poems, Poetry, Poetry Slam, Poets, Rain, Reptile, Sadness, Short Wave Radio, Spoken Word, Union Street, Wonder, Writing, beginnings & farewells, the Klute | 3 CommentsWell, this is the post that I did not imagine that I would compose on here for a long time.
Fool that I am, I’m hoping that folks can get out to the Crimson Moon this coming Wednesday, the 6th of February.
I’m going to be moving away, and I’d like to see people before I go. I’m going to try to hit the stage
for the open mic on the night of the Klute’s feature at the reading, so please come, if you can! The Klute, of course, is certainly reason enough to get your behinds off the couch and come out for a night of poetry, drink, and comraderie – but, come also so that I can see you before I go.
I don’t know when I’ll be back again.
8 pm (doors open at 7:00) at The Crimson Moon
1909 W. 6th Street (Between N. Union St. and N. Lincoln St.)
Wilmington, DE 19805
$2 cover
$5 minimum purchase
21+
Hamid Karzai Demands Refund For Water Wings At Elkton Wal-Mart, Trans Prostitutes In Hawaii Confused As To Why This Concerns Them
August 5, 2007 at 11:30 pm | In Animals, Bridge Collapse, Britney Spears, Culture, Delaware, Friends, Life, Michael Vick, My Life, NAACP, National Poetry Slam, Newark, Paganism, Poetry, Poetry Slam, Politics, Spoken Word, Texas, Tom Tancredo, Wicca, Wilmington, XXX | 2 Comments
So, the time is now 7:25 pm and I’m hanging out over at the home of my friends/slam teammates Matt, Hannah, and Nigel. We’re driving down to the Baltimore Airport at 2 am to fly off to Texas for the 2007 National Poetry Slam. I’m nervous, thoughtful, excited, fearful, happy, pensive, tired, hungry, and ready. This will be my first flight since my return flight to Delaware (which was in late August of ‘01).
I can’t wait to see old friends. I can’t wait to make new friends.
And to hear some tremendous poetry and have a good time in the best place to be in the state of Texas.
POETRY ON TV IN DELAWARE: BIG EXCITING NEWS ALL OVER THE PLANET! COME TO THE CRIMSON MOON TAVERN WEDNESDAY, JULY 11TH AT 8 PM!
July 10, 2007 at 3:16 am | In Announcements, Art, Blogdom, Blogging, Blogs, Books, Bush, Cheddar Cheese, China, Creative Writing, Delaware, Delaware Poetry, English, Feminism, Friends, Gardening, Literature, MTV, Newark, Delaware, Performance, Poem, Poems, Poetry, Poetry Slam, Reading, Salman Rushdie, Shakira, Slam Poetry, Spoken Word, Sports Illustrated, The White House, UK Terror, Wilmington, Delaware, Writing, iPhone | Leave a Comment
So. I’ve got confirmation that we have a local television company coming to film us at the reading for a big profile this Wednesday, July 11th at the Crimson Moon Tavern in Wilmington, Delaware! I’m so excited about this reading that I’m practically ready to lose continence (will keep you all posted). I’ve been hoping for so long that we could catch back some of that momentum we had going a while back, and this is our chance. So, any of you people out there within reach of downtown Wilmington, Delaware who like to read poetry, who like to write poetry, who NEED to read or write poetry, if you like to listen to poetry; PLEASE come. Be a part of the true beginning of a new area in the local culture.
I expect there to be a lot of poets there. I expect there to be a lot of sexy men and women there getting their good time on. And to all of you Delaware bloggers, the ones who read my little corner of TEH INTARWEBS, please come and check it out! Maybe you’re not into poetry so much. Maybe you are. But please, this could be a special night. Please help me make this a special night and come to the reading! Dress your best! We’re gonna be on TV!
please come to the reading -
The Crimson Moon Tavern is located at:
1909 W 6th St
Wilmington, DE 19805
(302) 654-9099
Oh! And, hey! I’ve been published online! Three poems of mine can now be found at (a very nice-looking website indeed) www.depoetry.com. Please go there and check it out!
A little word of thanks.
June 17, 2007 at 4:27 pm | In Friends | Leave a CommentIt’s been a few couple-two-three several days since my last post – because I’ve been busy with a relocation and I wanted to thank my good friends Amy and Brian for being there for me these past several months. You two are beautiful friends.
First team practice: Sunday, June 10
June 10, 2007 at 10:45 pm | In Announcements, Art, Culture, Delaware, Friends, Life, Life in General, Literature, Newark, Delaware, Poems, Poetry, Pop Culture, Slam Poetry, Spoken Word, Wilmington, Delaware, Writing | Leave a CommentHey, whats up, world—
I’m at the lovely home of Matt and Hannah and Nigel (and Sherrod just arrived) about to have our first team practice for the National Poetry Slam in August….
…I feel like I’m standing on the edge of a diving board looking down,
towards the deep end of some pool down there I can’t quite see…
*and with a loud “sproi-oing!” Rich’s feetz leave the board*
….whoopee!
For my old friend back home…do you remember Real Life?
May 10, 2007 at 8:15 am | In 1985, Friends, Life, Memories, Music, Videos, YouTube, Youth | 2 Comments
Walt Disney Presents: Herbie Goes to the Moonlight Bunny Ranch
May 7, 2007 at 7:33 pm | In Blogging, Communication, Culture, Friends, Life, Life in General, Movies, Music, My Life, Newark, Delaware, Pop Culture, Rambling, Thoughts | 5 CommentsI’m sorry that I’ve been incognito and out of play for a few days. I’ve had a rough few days. I got laid off at my new job and thus subsequently lost the place I was all prepared to move into. Life has been crazy.
A few random thoughts for right now, until I have time to blog again later today:
1) I’m excited to see Spiderman 3, but I’m not excited to deal with movie crowds. Why, oh why, can’t people just behave and be quiet during a movie these days?
2) Now that it’s legal to look at pictures of her naked, what do you think the odds are Lindsay Lohan will be doing that flashing thing again at her birthday? And why does she have to keep changing the way she looks? How come she can’t just stay with this look?:
3) Matt, you and the rest of I, Fanblades played wonderfully, and loudly, on Saturday night. I had a good time.
4) I hope you are all doing well. May God’s love (or the love of the universe, or the gods,) be with you.
Five IMPORTANT Things About Me…In Haiku
April 18, 2007 at 1:12 am | In Blogging, Culture, Delaware, Friends, Haiku, Humor, Poetry | 3 CommentsOkay, here goes nothing – I got tagged by my lovely friend Heather to do this, so, check it:
FIVE IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT ME….IN HAIKU
I
When I was a boy
our neighbors had noisy sex
I listened closely
II
If you say the words
“recovering catholic”
I’ll raise my hand, yes
III
Sometimes I notice
that the voice in my head
doesn’t sound like me
IV
I walk on the street
every day waiting for the
nuclear horror
V
One day I will die
sorry that i never learned
how to waterski
Hydrogen Juice and Pomegranite Preserves
March 29, 2007 at 5:04 am | In Baltimore, Delaware, Friends, Life, Newark, Delaware, Poems, Poetry, Reflections, Slam Poetry, Wilmington, Delaware, Writing | 2 CommentsThe past few weeks in my life have been quite the blur.
New job. Left a graveyard shift job that was making me a little crazy. A couple of road-trips to Baltimore for the poetry slam down there, and a lot of poetry at the Crimson Moon of late. I feel blurry, but somewhat good.
And then there was tonight.
Tonight at the Delawhere Open Mic & Slam at the Crimson Moon we had the “Big Ol’ Month-End Poetry Slam” and, I have to say I’m surprised here, I actually won. And it wasn’t like this old codger had any kind of an easy field of competitors to go up against, either: Innocence Bello, Matt McDonald, Hannah McDonald (yes, I vanquished a married couple in a slam, *snicker*), Fran Lazartic (member of the first ever, inaugural Delaware Poetry Slam Team from 2005) and very talented, energetic newcomer Sherod Smallman all competed along with me in tonight’s slam. It went three rounds, elimination-style. So, round one, all 6 poets went up in their randomly selected turn, and at the end the lowest-scoring two poets got eliminated, and this continued until it was down to just me and Matt in the final round.
I think, creatively, for me, this was a high point in my slam experience. The reason being that I gave the audience something truly unique and different each time I read, and not only that, but, in the tradition of the really OLD SCHOOL poetry slammers, I was able to get off a couple of friendly riffs on my competitors, to good “point” effect. I love that. For round one, I was up third and I chose something completely brand new, a comedic work, and worked it off the page and had the crowd with me. After the first elimination, I would up going up I believe second, and did “Bling Bling”, an older, loud, all-over-the-place theme-wise poem that was “topical” and also sprinkled with “funny parts” here and there. One of those high-volume poems. My deciding to make a friendly joke at Matt’s “German” poem in the middle of “Bling Bling” was a good move and one the judges seemed to find amusement in. Either that or I really just wanted to yell a bunch of German nonsense in the middle of my own poem where it make sense to about five people in the whole room. The cooler part though, was Hannah M. following me in that round and riffing off of me riffing off of Matt. Hannah, you rocked when you did that.
And then, finally, my last turn at bat I decided to go softly-softly and I got into the crowd (way the heck away from the mic) for a more meditative tone (usually not the wisest choice in a slam, but in a slam, so much of this is really contextual) with “Mercury’s Children”, an older poem in my “catalog” about a desire for a return to a slower overall pace of life in this hyped-up Mountain Dew Amp culture. And somehow I actually got to work a chill reference to Hannah’s “If You’re Reading This Poem, You Will Die in 7 Days” poem in the middle of mine! I don’t know if anyone caught it, but I could hope so.
And Innocence? If you’re reading this, beautiful, thank you for what you said to me tonight about caring to read new work on the slam stage. I guess I’ve had so many years behind me of being predictable about what you can expect me to compete with in a slam that I feel it’s about time I showed some stones up there on the stage. It’s also just a great thrill to break out a new poem in a slam and find out that it works the way that it ought to in a slam.
So, anyhow, sorry to go so long, I just had to get it out that it felt so good to win this thing tonight. I’m now qualified to be in the semi’s to make the 2007 Delawhere Poetry Slam Team!
I should also say it’s a lot of fun when Liam hosts the event. Especially with a glass of Merlot in his hand. There’ll be pictures up at the reading’s website, so, please, by all means, be on the lookout for those.
In other news, thanks to all who responded to my desperate post about that weird A-with-the-halo thing I saw on someone’s car. I still don’t know if I believe any of you, but thanks all the same.
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