Random Mac's of Poetry (reading I attended on 11 June)
Last night (Wednesday) I attended a monthly poetry event at the very cool Mac's Backs bookstore in the storied Coventry district of Cleveland Heights. Hosted by Mac's Backs' very own Suzanne DeGaetano, the evening began with readings by this month's three featured poets: Phyliss Asnien (retired from Lakeland Community College and author of Poet of the Mountains/Poet of the Streets), Michelle Cooper (founding editor of The Newport Review and Crone's Nest literary journals and author of Posting the Watch
), and Karen Schubert (editor of Cleveland State University's Whiskey Island Magazine
and author of The Geography of Lost Houses). The last part of the night featured an open mic session. Several folks shared their work, some of it quite good, and I read my recently blogged poem Rapists - its public performance debut.
If you're into books and in the Cleveland area, you'll want to check out Mac's Backs. It's another literary treasure trove - and on the same street as a cool, eclectic assortment of restaurants and stores, including my awesome former employer, City Buddha. Not to be missed....
(Don't let the sign fool you. They also have hardcovers, magazines and more.)
Mac's Backs
1820 Coventry Road
Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118
phone: 216-321-BOOKS
website: www.macsbacks.com
on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/macsbacksbooksoncoventry
The next Mac's Backs poetry reading will be held on Wednesday July 9th from 7 to 9 p.m.
Featured readers will be: Deetsah, Frances Killea, and Rashid Whatley.
An open mic session will follow, and I'll likely be there.
* * *
Here are links to some of my recent and not-so-recent poetry:
Rapists
Short Cut
Dead Souls (from In a Dada ga Vida)
Holier Than Thou
John Cage Engaged and Uncaged
Oppressed
Allen Ginsberg Wants You
Maiku and Cadillac Mountain
Prison poetry (puerility?) - Don't Pass Me By
Sin and Slumber (from In a Dada ga Vida)
Five Fun Fotos and Laughing Delicately
), and Karen Schubert (editor of Cleveland State University's Whiskey Island Magazine and author of The Geography of Lost Houses). The last part of the night featured an open mic session. Several folks shared their work, some of it quite good, and I read my recently blogged poem Rapists - its public performance debut.If you're into books and in the Cleveland area, you'll want to check out Mac's Backs. It's another literary treasure trove - and on the same street as a cool, eclectic assortment of restaurants and stores, including my awesome former employer, City Buddha. Not to be missed....
(Don't let the sign fool you. They also have hardcovers, magazines and more.)
Mac's Backs
1820 Coventry Road
Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118
phone: 216-321-BOOKS
website: www.macsbacks.com
on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/macsbacksbooksoncoventry
The next Mac's Backs poetry reading will be held on Wednesday July 9th from 7 to 9 p.m.
Featured readers will be: Deetsah, Frances Killea, and Rashid Whatley.
An open mic session will follow, and I'll likely be there.
* * *
Here are links to some of my recent and not-so-recent poetry:
Rapists
Short Cut
Dead Souls (from In a Dada ga Vida)
Holier Than Thou
John Cage Engaged and Uncaged
Oppressed
Allen Ginsberg Wants You
Maiku and Cadillac Mountain
Prison poetry (puerility?) - Don't Pass Me By
Sin and Slumber (from In a Dada ga Vida)
Five Fun Fotos and Laughing Delicately
Posted by Jesus Crisis at 6/12/2008 12:21 PM 
Categories: Cleveland, Poetry Events, Travel and Places
Categories: Cleveland, Poetry Events, Travel and Places
& we will most likely see you at Mac's Backs. We're going to visit Cleveland the first half of July.
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Hallelujah!
That's another reason for folks to be there!
I look forward to it.
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You are causing me to be extremely homesick. I love going to Coventry.
I think we will visit Cleveland sometime this year...would love to come hear your poetry in person!
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That would be cool!
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Why don't we all get together and go to one of JC's poetry readings? Everyone needs to change something in their lives and the TIME IS NOW!!
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Sounds like a great idea Elena!
I am in the perfect mood for change. I've just about already changed my entire life this year! New job, getting married, first time going on a cruise, etc...so why not continue the evolution?!! Would love to meet you guys.
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ego alert -
if you do go to mac's backs, look at the paintings up on the wall behind the cash register - tim herron's portrait of me hangs between the portraits of daniel thompson and jack micheline.
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Hey Smith, let's meet when you come back
to Cleveland with Lady. Maybe we could arrange a tryst in the bookstore. You both amaze me with your Oaxaca sojourn and I think we'd hit it off.
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I remember seeing a portrait of you there last fall, the week before Geri and I met you and Lady in person. Couldn't remember if it was in the bookstore or in Tommy's restaurant next door....
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random mac's of poetry? hee hee...
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A little corny... but I couldn't resist.
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it will go down in the hall of fame along with "i misc you"
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I forgot about that one. Some fame... lol.
I Misc. You
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Sounds like a really nice place to visit!!
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It is, Caroline!
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Glad you were able to get to another reading. How different was the crowd there? Each open mic draws a different crowd.
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Thanks, Chris! And so true.... I've been to three in the Cleveland area, and I saw completely different people all three times (with the exception of the deaf poet, who appeared at both the Nia Coffeehouse and Mac's Backs).
Tonight, Geri and I are planning on attending a reading sponsored by Deep Cleveland at the Border's bookstore in Strongsville. We'll probably see different folks altogether. But I suspect we'll see some familiar faces as well, since Ray McNiece (who I mentioned in my Poetry Performace Update blog about the Barking Spider) is the featured reader. Looking forward to seeing him perform again....
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