THE LAND/gallery: Opening a Book: Environmental Artists' Books, April 4 - May 15

THE LAND/an art site, Inc. presents OPENING A BOOK: ENVIRONMENTAL ARTISTS' BOOKS @ THE LAND/gallery, 419 Granite Avenue NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102. (505) 242-1501. April 4 - May 15, 2009.

Opening reception April 4, 6-9 pm. Email: mailto:theland@comcast.net. Website: http://www.landartsite.org/

Gallery hours: Thursday and Saturday 11-5 and by appointment.

OPENING A BOOK:

ENVIRONMENTAL ARTISTS' BOOKS presents work by artists from New Mexico and around the country, each uniquely exploring the artist's book as medium for addressing ideas about the environment. The show, curated by J. A. Lee, will feature altered and sculptural books, works of visual poetry, books built around process and performance, and other formally innovative works by David Abel, Kathy Bruce, Abigail Doan, Basia Irland, Mary Ellen Long, Alastair Noble, mARK oWEns, Maria Delgado Rooks, Marilyn Stablein, Beata Wehr and Margaret Whiting.

THE LAND/gallery is operated by THE LAND/an art site, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides opportunities for environmental artists to work in New Mexico and to engage and educate the public about the environment through their work. THE LAND/an art site also maintains a forty-acre site in the Manzano Mountains devoted exclusively to site-specific, environmentally low-impact, land-based art.

slam workshops

Posted @ NM slam list by: "carlos contreras" soothxsayer@yahoo.com Sat Mar 28, 2009 10:49 am (PDT) Poets, Teachers, Writers alike, I will be facilitating a slam resource "workshop" of sorts on April 15th, at Chroma Studios, an art gallery and studio space that Colin H. and Myself have recently started renting space in. The workshop will focus on resources needed to intro and use slam in classrooms. The "workshop" will be mostly informational, and very relaxed and informal. We will all learn from eachother really, but for your money you will recieve a booklet of resources that will save you hours of searching and flitering, when looking for the right stuff for that special case or special writer, student etc... This is the first of many workshops that I will be offering. I am also totally interested and willing to hear any and all ideas from any poets writers etc.. in our community, that would like to host a workshop of their own. perhaps we can collaborate, or I can help in some way with providing space and such. We are really trying to get the writing/slam, music, art community in alb to come together and learn from each other. Come out and give a workshop a try. Email, soothxsayer@ yahoo.com or essentialelementsnm @gmail.com for details on price for April 15th 5-7pm. 15 spots are available for this initial workshop. We will also be performing April 3rd from 6pm on at Chroma Gallery next to Souper Salad on Central and University Playing Host to "activism through art" workshop by Jared Paul and B. Dolan in late April: reply now to get your name on the list for that workshop as well. Again, 10 spots are available for adults. This is a paid workshop, email for details. However, 10 FREE spots are available to the 1st 10 youth applicants. Contact: soothxsayer@yahoo.com or essentialelementsnm@gmail.com

Tony's trio of Fibonacci poems

Just the poems themselves - and their distinctive form, minus lengthy explanations, lead ins. Perhaps a few links at the end.

Seurat's La Parade, filled with Fibonacci's math

Tony Leuzzi, Fibonacci poet and friend from graduate school days at University of Louisiana-Lafayette, writes, teaches and gardens in Rochester NY. If his name seems familiar but you cannot quite place him, that may be from having read non-fib poems published by Dale Harris in her a monthly poetry journal, Central Avenue. I have admired Tony's poetry, essays, reviews and interviews and enjoyed reading, rereading and teaching his poetry: I am pleased to be sharing his work here.

Fibonacci poems by Tony Leuzzi

Deer Sighting

It
had—
as I
remember—
just finished raining
when I saw them in a meadow
nosing the wet, saw-toothed leaves of purple coneflowers.

Six
or
seven
of them tread
the stippled path light
dipping their brown, velveted heads
to green, abrasive tongues that cupped the fallen water.

And
I—
tense as
the unplucked
string on some guitar—
marveled at their movement, which was
clear and fluid, a graceful pouring forth, like water…


Diptych

In
the
panel
on the left
a woman opens
wide her arms, tilts her head back, sees
a beam of dusty light pouring pale gold into frame.

(But
what
is light
if not the
inverse of the dark?
Between extremes there is a hinge—
another name for wing or bridge—an edge and center.)

In
the
panel
on the right
a woman closes
arms like gates before her, lowers
eyes to scrutinize white floorboards shadowed by her feet.


Simon Says

The
point
is not—
contrary
to common belief—
whether or not one can repeat
a sequence of deceptively simple instructions,

or
test
one’s strength
by placing
the self in absurd
even degrading positions
to appease the fatuous whims of authority.

It
is
rather
a fine art
by which one appears
to be bound to the rules while still
infusing each charge with a subtle flame of protest.

by Tony Leuzzi © 2009

Publications: Tony Leuzzi's verse, book reviews, essays, and nonfiction have appeared or are scheduled for publication in various small press and academic journals, including Double Room, Arts and Letters, California Quarterly, Fox Cry Review, Rhino, Shiny, The Harvard Educational Review, Sage and others. The author of several chapbooks, his first full-length book of poems, Tongue-Tied and Singing, was published by Foothills Press in 2004. Currently, Tony is interviewing a wide range of American poets about their understanding and use of traditional and/or organic forms that he plans to publish in book form.

• More poems (pre-fib series) at Tony's Monroe College page
• What are Fibonacci numbers?
• Fibonacci Numbers and Poetry

World Poetry Day 21 March

Poetry “designs the contours of possible forms of dialogue among cultures, histories and memories.”

World Poetry Day was yesterday - 21 March - I'm late but so what: that happens. Time flows differently here, but the delay was as much or more me as local temporal gravity. Better late than not at all. Picnic news can wait.


World Poetry Day, now celebrated in hundreds of countries around the world, probably started in the 1930s. Teachers take the day as an opportunity for a lesson on poets and their craft, hopefully not the only time in the year but once is better than not at all. In 1999, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) also designated March 21 as World Poetry Day.

In 2004, World Poetry Day honored Nobel Laureate, Chilean poet Pablo Neruda

A Lemon (1904-1973), the centenary of whose birth was also being celebrated.by Pablo Neruda

Out of lemon flowers
loosed
on the moonlight, love's
lashed and insatiable
essences,
sodden with fragrance,
the lemon tree's yellow
emerges,
the lemons
move down
from the tree's planetarium

Delicate merchandise!
The harbors are big with it-
bazaars
for the light and the
barbarous gold.
We open
the halves
of a miracle,
and a clotting of acids
brims
into the starry
divisions:
creation's
original juices,
irreducible, changeless,
alive:
so the freshness lives on
in a lemon,
in the sweet-smelling house of the rind,
the proportions, arcane and acerb.

Cutting the lemon
the knife
leaves a little cathedral:
alcoves unguessed by the eye
that open acidulous glass
to the light; topazes
riding the droplets,
altars,
aromatic facades.

So, while the hand
holds the cut of the lemon,
half a world
on a trencher,
the gold of the universe
wells
to your touch:
a cup yellow
with miracles,
a breast and a nipple
perfuming the earth;
a flashing made fruitage,
the diminutive fire of a planet.

More international poetry at Poetry International Web (continuing the spirit of poetry as dialogue among cultures):

‘On Derry’s Walls’ by Kerry Hardie, March 2009

As for the rest, there is almost nothing to add,
not even This is how it was,
because all we can ever say
is This is how it looked to me

And more poetry in translation at Lyrik, which is the platform on the internet on which poems are available to listen to, and to read both in their original languages and various translations: a concert of verse in the voices and languages of the author

532 poets and 5000 poems in 49 languages are available by now as well as more than 5800 translations in 47 languages!

Visit another country by picking a poet from there and reading his or her work...

Medieval Irish Poetry

Something for St Patrick's Day....

• Medieval Irish Poems, with translations

• Poetic Forms

• Irish Poetry: Poems and Songs

• Irish Blessing Poems

History of Irish Poetry

Irish bards formed a professional hereditary caste of highly trained, learned poets. The bards were steeped in the history and traditions of clansyllabic and used assonance, half rhyme and alliteration. As officials of the court of king or chieftain, they performed a number of official roles. They were chroniclers and satirists whose job it was to praise their employers and damn those who crossed them. It was believed that a well-aimed bardic satire, glam dicin, could raise boils on the face of its target. However, much of their work would not strike the modern reader as being poetry at all, consisting as it does of extended genealogies and almost journalistic accounts of the deeds of their lords and ancestors. The Metrical Dindshenchas, or Lore of Places, is probably the major surviving monument of Irish bardic verse. It is a great onomastic anthology of naming legends of significant places in the Irish landscape and comprises about 176 poems in total. and country, as well as in the technical requirements of a verse technique that was

Táin Bó Cúailnge

"the driving-off of cows of Cooley", more usually rendered The Cattle Raid of Cooley or The Táin) is a legendary tale from early Irish literature, often considered an epic, although it is written primarily in prose rather than verse. It tells of a war against Ulster by the Connacht queen Medb and her husband Ailill, who intend to steal the stud bull Donn Cuailnge, opposed only by the teenage Ulster hero Cúchulainn. Traditionally set in the 1st century AD in an essentially pre-Christian heroic age, the Táin is the central text of a group of tales known as the Ulster Cycle. It survives in two main written versions or "recensions" in 12th century manuscripts, the first a compilation largely written in Old Irish, the second a more consistent work in Middle Irish.

An Táin - English Translation

A graphic novel by Colmán Ó Raghallaigh
English translation © Cló Mhaigh Eo, 2006.

Queen Méabh is consumed by jealousy when she finds that her husband, Ailill, has bested her for riches and wealth. To him belongs the Fionnbheannach, a white-horned bull believed to have no equal in Ireland. Or so it seems…

This is a new and exciting retelling of the greatest tale in the Irish language, the Táin or Tain Bó Cuailgne as it is better known. Ranked among the great epics of the world it was written down in the Book of Leinster, the earliest manuscript in Irish, sometime before 1106 A.D. The nobility, courage and tragedy of the original are subtly blended together in this graphic novel.

Streetwise Wordsmith

New Mexico native Jason L. Yurcic was drawn to gang life while growing up in Albuquerque. Though he never joined, his involvement was enough to keep him illiterate, which prevented him from accepting an athletic scholarship. Yurcic taught himself to read, and the former boxer now conducts poetry workshops and gives presentations in colleges, prisons and schools throughout the United States.

Publish Post

To celebrate the publication of his third book of poems, Odes to Anger, Yurcic will read at the Coronado Mall Barnes & Noble at 1 pm The event is free, call 883-8200 for more information. (Sarah M. Kramer) Barnes & Noble

Hason with Jimmy Santiago Baca and a couple of interns on a trip to Colorado to teach in a boys prison

Savage

I am a savage of the street
contained in me are the images of friends
murdered, shot,
stabbed
fatally wounded in front of me
the knife
the gun
somehow always turned away from me
at the last moment
I write to change my life
but the images never leave
the blood won't wash away
the blood that dripped on my hands
when I held their heads and listened to dieing words
I turn the pages of my life
but the savage lurks within me
reminding me
I was slatted for death
but I escaped
with a savage implanted in my heart...

Jason L Yurcic

Mark Fischer Poetry Prize: deadline, March 20

Contact Telluride Council for the Arts and Humanities / 970-728-3930 / for more information about The Mark Fischer Poetry Prize (deadline, March 20)

The Telluride Council for the Arts and Humanities and Talking Gourds invites submissions to the twelfth annual Mark Fischer Poetry Prize. Started by former TCAH director Art Goodtimes in 1997 and sustained by Mark’s widow Elaine Fischer and the Fischer family, the prize is named in the memory of Telluride’s much-loved poet, lawyer, skier and raconteur.

Mark Fischer was a daring experimenter who combined a polyglot’s command of numerous languages with a quirky sense of humor and a passion for obtuse words. In that spirit, prizes will be awarded to the entry that best exhibits the qualities of originality, novelty, complex meaning, linguistic skill and wit. All styles and content matter are acceptable (the wilder the better).

Winners will be judged and selected by the 2007 winner of the award, Grand Junction poet Wendy Videlock. Awards of $250 first prize, $150 second prize, and $100 third prize will be presented at an event in Telluride April 28 at the Wilkinson Library during National Poetry Month. Winners are encouraged to attend and read their winning poem.

Submission Guidelines
Submissions are limited to one page of original work (8.5x11”), in a font no smaller that 12 points. Any poet residing in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah or Arizona for at least seven months of 2008 is eligible to enter, and multiple entries (up to 5) will be allowed. Previously published work is acceptable so long as the writer retains the copyright.

Submission to the contest grants one-time use rights of publication to the Telluride Council for the Arts & Humanities in local papers and in any future anthology of work. But copyright is retained by the author.

A reading fee of $5 per poem/page must accompany submissions, and a SASE is necessary for notifying contestants of the winners. Make checks payable to the Telluride Council for the Arts & Humanities (TCAH).

No names on the submissions themselves. On a separate sheet, please legibly write or type your name, the title of your piece(s), your phone number, email and your address. Snail mail must include check, SASE and poems (no email submissions accepted).

Send completed submission packet to Mark Fischer Contest, c/o Wendy Videlock, 323 Mayfair Dr, Grand Junction, CO 81501

Deadline (postmark date) is Friday, March 20, 2009. No incomplete or late submissions will be accepted or considered.

Facebook, Poetry, National Poetry Review, more

The National Poetry Review (poetry, reviews, essays) has its own group on Facebook. And they are not alone. Poetry @ FB includes but is not limited to: The American Poetry Journal Writer's Market Facebook's Poets and Writers Registry Dream Horse Press Poemeleon: A Journal of Poetry

Tanka from the Edge by Miriam Sagan

Magnapoets Announcement: Tanka from the Edge by Miriam Sagan published by Modern English Tanka Press

Miriam in the Petrified Forest (with poems), Artist in Residence, 2008, National Park Service photo

and more poems by Miriam: San Francisco, Remarriage, Empty Orchestra

Another opportunity

Another opportunity for all of us... Posted by tirods@hotmail.com, Tue Mar 3, 2009 3:11 pm (PST) ...or in the immortal words of hip hop legends Smif-n-Wessun. .."If I shine, You shine"....from Mary Oishi and Jon Knudsen Hakim- I have started a Sunday poetry column on the city blog Duke City Fix. So far I have published three local poets: Richard Vargas, Margaret Randall, and Demien Flores. I would love to publish one or two of your poems as well. My thought was to feature local poets on a regular basis. This would not only help educate the general public, but give ABQ poets a chance to expand their base of local support. If the poems were about the Duke City, so much the better. I have not had too much interest from our community of writers however. This is too bad because I think it would be a nice opportunity for everybody. The poems would be featured on the front page of the Duke City Fix every Sunday morning. Although later posts push the "Sunday Poem" down they remain on the front page usually for several days. They are then available on The DitchRider's page...virtually forever. Btw, The DitchRider is the pen name I am using for the editor of this feature. I hope you may have something you could send me to help get this project off the ground. If possible please include a short bio, a picture, any links, news, etc. I don't think you will be disappointed with how it turns out. And please, if you know of others who might be interested, forward this invitation. Thanks. Jon Knudsen theditchrider@ gmail.com

Slam update

Slamming the week away & ABQ Youth Slam-off recap, from from "MAS Poetry de ABQ"

The Abqq slamscape is down to the last five qualifying slams for the 2009 ABQ GRAND SLAM, Sat. April 11, NHCC's Bank of America Theater.

Two more qualifying slams this week:

1. POETRY and BEER, Wed. March 4 at Blackbird Buvette Downtown; 8 pm (sign-up at 7:30) featuring touring Texas poets Colin Gilbert & Steven Sargeant plus the world famous poetry slam (head-to-head "Boston" style) and the judged open-mic!
2. Also this week is FIRST FRIDAY, the enormously popular all-ages slam, Fri. March 6 at Winning Coffee Co. near UNM; 7:30 pm (sign-up 7 pm, music starts at 6:30 pm with DJ Smartiepants) with the WAREHOUSE 508 SHOWCASE feat. Houston slam champ Seth Walker plus the world famous poetry slam and open-mic.
   

Youth Slam-off recap:

Over 150 people watched 18 slammers battle to gain a spot on the 2009 ABQ Unidos youth poetry slam team. REED BOBROFF, who attends the Native American Community Academy in SE ABQ, took the top spot to earn his first ABQ Youth Slam Championship. Also making the team were fellow NACA slammer ALECIA LIRZANO, ABQ High's MICKEY FIGEUROA, CNM students ANTONIO RAEL and SARAH TAFOYA as well as UNM student CHASE KOLOSY (from the 2007 ABQ Unidos team and the only returning member of a previous team).

The youth team now begins preparations for the international BRAVE NEW VOICES youth poetry slam and poetry conference being held this July in Chicago. The team is slated to host its first fundraiser at the first ever POETRY PROM at the First Friday slam on Fri. April 3 at Winning Coffee Co. If you'd like to donate to the ABQ Unidos team, contact team manager/asst. coach Kenn Rodriguez at 505.379.2666 or by email, kenn@abqslams.org.

Can't make it in? Or can but not familiar with slam poetry and would rather not spew CO2 for something you're not sure you'll enjoy? Here's an easy solution: oodles of slam videos on YouTube. Slam poetry is for listening and watching, not reading in silent solitude.