The Poetry Circus, Burning Books, and The Size of Our Bed

It has been busy. I can only hope life will remain this alive.

The Poetry Circus is beautiful; it takes countless hours and an intense generosity from our community to make this event take place. It takes work. I admire work–hard work. I admire everyone who came, read, performed, and became The Poetry Circus.

Soon there will be photos (thank you Edwin Vasquez), video (thank you Karyn Ben Singer), and a proper thank you (let me just start by saying thank you Anne Yale, thank you Curt Hanson, thank you Julio Gosdinski).

There are so so many things to say about The Poetry Circus…mostly words of gratitude…but for now life is racing and I’m racing to stay on creative street. I remember poet Juan Felipe Herrera teaching us, “you have to run on creative street or you’ll go cold.” I didn’t realize at the time how true his statement–I’m beginning to understand–creative street is a long road.

This Saturday is a poetry marathon. Beginning with book burning and ending in bed; let me explain.

My Saturday begins with this event: Red Hen Press at WeHo Reads 2015: Banned Books

Date: Sep 26th, 2015
Time: 2:00 pm
Location: West Hollywood Library
625 N. San Vincente Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Description:

2:00-2:45pm

THE BOOKS YOU SHOULD NOT WRITE

Free event! Red Hen presents “The Books You Should Not Write” panel discussion at WeHo Reads, featuring Ron Koertage, Douglas Kearney, Nicelle Davis, and moderated by Kim Dower.

As an author who has had my books burned, this is a subject near and (smoldering) dear to my heart.

Once the fires have been put out in North Hollywood, I’ll race to Beyond Baroque for a moment I’ve been waiting years for–the release of Jacqueline Tchakalian’s first poetry collection, “The Size of Our Bed.” This is a not to miss poetic milestone.

Jacqueline Tchakalian Poetry Reading

Date: Sep 26th, 2015
Time: 8:00 pm
Location: Beyond Baroque Literary/Arts Center
681 Venice Blvd
Venice, CA 90291

So I’ll be running on creative street this Saturday, I hope to see you on the road. Best to all.

Welcome to the circus.

In the Circus Of You

Book trailer for IN THE CIRCUS OF YOU: An Illustrated Novel-in-Poems by poet Nicelle Davis and artist Cheryl Gross. The book will be released in March 2015: preordering begins in February 2015.

More information at http://www.rosemetalpress.com.

I am not a barker. There is no kiosk here to see. No ticket vendor. No brightly lit sign, painted hand or enormous arrow that points to this place.

We are not attending the carnival or the midway but we are all gathered under the big top. We are the attractions. We view ourselves with equal parts delight and horror.

Out in the Midway, as the ride begins, it slowly lurches forward with us tightly belted in to our seats. It is a journey that promises much; fear, anticipation, and joy all wrapped together. We are pulled past windows where we are shown carefully created dioramas depicting Oddities that somehow both match and outstrip our own imaginations and orchestrations.

These tickets were bought a long time ago. Life is a freak show and all of us are participants. We jump from audience to performer as quickly as we wish to be separate from one or to belong to the other. We slide in and out of shadows, like   shape-shifters of compromise. We contort ourselves in service of the pragmatic, the mundane, or the bigger whole. We desperately wish we were seen as the magician, sorcerer or conjurer of our own illusions.

We are in awe of giants, coveting their power and perspective. We fear them for the same reasons.

I don’t have a tattoo. I appreciate the art. Even more, I understand the need to make a mark or public display of being an outsider. The act of covering my skin with an image has just never seemed to fit with the desire to peel back and expose the truth of living in that skin.

The broken knuckle from a forgotten fight that blooms from a finger is an awkward ornament. The scar that sits just above the knee from a reckless moment on a bike is a crescent moon drawn into the skin. Our scars, creases and configurations are the art that history makes of our bodies and illustrates our humanness.

As with any good sideshow, if we are lucky to look long enough, we end up seeing each other. We are a lucky audience to find ourselves in what is revealed in others.

As we catch our reflection in the peripheral mirror of vision, we recognize ourselves in the performer’s knowing gaze. We are what we are delighted by, when we are invited under the flap of the sideshow tent. We are freaks.

Cheryl Gross is an illustrator. Nicelle Davis is a poet. They met through the publication, Broadsided, which puts visual artists and poets together to collaborate and create literary-posters that are distributed across the world.

This process of collaboration almost always results in a revelation for each, because poets can’t anticipate what an artist will see in their words and the artist is always surprised by the power of words to suggest the image.

The power in this particular partnership illuminated and infused both the words and the images. The words are twined with the illustrations as though the poet and artist are sharing the same soul. As with conjoined twins the two share “In the Circus of You” as an expression of a unique bond that creates an additional intimacy, as though sharing arms, legs or a torso.

The collaboration you hold in your hand is joined by all of us who hope to recognize each other in our search for what makes us beautifully human, joyous in the expression of our differences and willing to celebrate the intrinsic connections between us.

Welcome to the circus.

October Winners and November Highlights

Our Lucky Winners Are:

Mr. Fancy Ryan (Free-for-All Treat)

Alexis Vergalla (Bodie)

Fernando McGregor (Haunted Poem)

Please email me (NicelleCDavis (at) gmail (dot) com)

with your contact information so I can mail you your prize.

I hope everyone had a marvelous holiday.

Thank you to all of you poets, editors, and readers

for making the Bees’ Knees first month a truly ghoulish experience.

(We set out to make a monster and a poetry monster we have!)

Here is a sneak peek at

the incredible November line-up:

November Poetry Prompts:

1. Beat Poets (write a beat-like poem and be entered to win a copy of Allen Ginsberg’s Death & Fame),
2. Micheal Jackson and the song “Beat It” (write a poem about the King of Pop and be entered to win a MJ C.D.)
3. and the monthly “Free-for-All” workshop is open to one and all

The November Bees’ Threes will include interviews with the phenomenal:

1. Kaite Hillenbrand, Assistant Editor-in-Chief of Connotation Press
2. Arlene Ang, Editor of The Pedestal Magazine and Press 1
3. Bonnie Bolling, Editor of Verdad Magazine