Sunday, April 28, 2013

Three Poems with Audio Clips in the new issue of Canyon Voices


Since I had work published in the past few issues of Canyon Voices Literary Magazine, I wasn't planning to submit anything this time around. I've had some great times with their journal, staff, and launch readings...so I didn't want to wear out my welcome. But as the deadline drew near I got an email from their current lead poetry editor (thanks, Arthur Morales!) to ask if a particular poem that he once heard me read was available. Unfortunately, it was awaiting publication at another press, but I did submit another batch of poems.

A few weeks later, I was happy to learn that they were not sick of me (yet) and picked up three of my poems for their latest issue. This time you can even hear audio clips of me reading these poems into the abyss of cyberspace, by CLICKING THIS link for the POETRY section of Canyon Voices Issue 7.

A few quick notes on the poems:


DEDICATION spun out of a Julio Cortazar poem called "The Good Boy." He's been one of my favorite writers, mainly known for his short stories, but I once stumbled onto a collection of his poetry with a great cover photo of him with a cat and it made me very happy.







UNABLE TO SURFACE FOR AIR DURING SHARK WEEK spun out of cable television's tendency to be a muse and the pets that have taken over my own house.


CHEESE was shortened from a piece that I originally performed at an Encyclopedia Show about The Moon...making it obvious that I've never taken an astronomy class.


 

Monday, April 15, 2013

My Gilligan's Island "Performance Writing" Poetry Workshop



I was asked to do a THREE HOUR workshop on something along the lines of spoken word at Glendale Community College.

There are some people who are obsessed with separating everyone into categories of Performance Poets or Page Poets. Nowadays, they usually try to place me into the Performance Poet category (because you simply MUST be placed into one of these boxes. Apparently, the world is not varied enough to encompass more than one distinction.)

To be fair, I have been presenting my writing to live audiences in a wide variety of settings over the past few years (between professors in coffeeshops, between punk bands in bars, during the spin cycle at a laundromat, etc). But those stages don't exactly reflect my background. For years, I completely avoided poetry readings. Even while I began getting published, I assumed I would despise hearing poets put on their lame "poetry voice" and sling words for a crowd. It wasn't until a small press published my first chapbook that I finally went to a reading.

And I was surprised that it wasn't the horrible experience I was dreading. In fact, there were some poets doing amazing things in amazing ways that inspired me in new ways and opened possibilities that I never knew existed. It began to influence my writing in exciting new directions. Sure there were plenty of forgettable poets and lame poems, but I also learned quite a lot from those, as well.

So I decided to focus this workshop on aspects of reading poetry in front of crowds that had a big impact on my own writing. I like to think of it as "Performance Writing."

I was able to share a few videos throughout the workshop, so we could go over some poets who were doing things in front of crowds that I found impressive/inspiring. So I thought I would post some of those here:

This first one is from my first and biggest influence, when it comes to giving a voice to your writing. Even though I wasn't attending readings, I was listening to stacks of William S. Burroughs CD recordings and his delivery and tone were so perfectly matched to the voice of his pages that I would never get it out of my head.


 


This clip is from Nebraska poet Matt Mason. Years ago, I was lucky enough to get scheduled to open for him when he came to AZ for a reading and workshop. I didn't know him at all, but he was great and I've kept my eye out for his work ever since. This poem will be included in the next Pushcart anthology. Of all the bios I've seen over the years, bragging about their nominations, Mason is the first poet I've ever noticed to actually get one in. Right on.





This next one is from Ohio poet Scott Woods, whom I was fortunate enough to see/hear twice in the past few years. This one hit pretty close to home for a few people in the room, as I watched the reactions.





I included this Aimee Nezhukumatathil poem as a great example of a wonderful "page poet" who doesn't act like reading her poems with a little energy and vitality will undermine the craft that went into creating them. 





Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Big Poetry Giveaway 2013 (updated with a sample poem from Ai)


Just realized today is the deadline to participate in this year's Big Poetry Giveaway, so here we go:







My name is Shawnte Orion and I am an Arizona poet who has participated in this blogaway for the past few years.


This year I will be giving away Ai's "Cruelty/Killing Floor"


PROSTITUTE


Husband, for a while, after I shoot you,
I don't touch your body,
I just cool it with my paper fan,
the way I used to on hot nights,
as the moon rises, chip of avocado

and finally, too bored to stay any longer,
I search your pockets, finding a few coins.
I slip your hand under my skirt
and rub it against my chili-red skin,
then I put on your black boots.
I stick the gun in my waistband,
two beaded combs in my hair.

I never cost much,
but tonight, with a gun, your boots...




I haven't yet found a publisher for my first book of poems, so instead I will be giving away one of my copies of the current Thin Air Magazine, which I recently blogged about (at least it contains one of my poems, "Kentucky Freud Chicken").

To enter just leave a comment below (with some way to contact you).