Anyway, I've been traveling again, which means it's time to blog! I flew down from Seattle to San Francisco on Sunday, and happily bounced around from D's new house (complete with three delightful, warm, welcoming housemates) to visiting beloved cousins J and A up at their house on the big hill in Santa Rosa.
My first night in the Bay area, I went to a small house show that seemed a lot like the Kibbutz's montly Coffeehouse - friends gathering to share artistic work and get feedback. One thing this show did differently was require artists to ask for exactly what kind of feedback they wanted. One person showed video clips of her new clowning act. Another did a monologue about her new one-woman show, still in the research phases. I read a few poems. We ate salmon and greens and tabouli, and talked about heady art things. I haven't had such an abstract conversation since college, I think, but I enjoyed it.
I did a small house show at J&A's place, which is uniquely suited for poetry house shows - it's really as much an art space as it is a house, thanks to A, who has spent the last couple of decades in paint, jewelry and sculpture. About five of their friends came over to nosh, drink, and hear from "J's young cousin, who's passing through town and reciting poems." I got to read a whole bunch from the Raizl/Rachel series, as well as some smaller work - less of the big slam stuff. They loved it. I loved it. Honestly, I love performing to people my parents' age. There's something about that generation - they're so unjaded about poetry, so completely unsullied by expectation. Or rather, their expectations are so incredibly low that I can be sure I'll surprise them in a good way.
Next up: Charlotte, NC, where I'll be volunteering at the Individual World Poetry Slam. Take advantage of the time change, loves - give me a call!
(this entry has been Posted From An Airplane. Seriously. Seriously.)
2 comments:
Thank you for the call to let me know you were back to earth, seriously! It's pretty amazing to think you can blog from the heavens. J wrote me that they all enjoyed your soiree too. What a fun opportunity! And I think you're right, our generation tends to have a fairly low expectation for poetry... which thankfully, has not passed to your generation. Much to thank for current teaching of English!
Love,
YVLM
Hey YVLM, some of us have pretty high expectations, too. But it's true that we didn't have the venues back then that exist now for performance and feedback. And so the current generation of poets have a leg up.
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