Crisis at Borders, 7/11
I've already blogged about three of the five poetry readings I attended last week:
Barking for Daniel Thompson (Tuesday 8 July at the Spider)
To the Mac's (Wednesday 9 July at Mac's Backs on Coventry)
Raised Glasses, Nearly Bared Asses, and the Poetic Masses (10 July at the Lit)
Now I'd like to cover number four.
Deep Cleveland (11 July at Borders Books and Music in Strongsville):
Up till now, I was uncertain about the protocol as far as snapping people's pictures at readings. Being an unknown, I didn't want anyone to worry I was performing surveillance for the Department of Homeland Security or something. Plus I am, believe it or not, a bit bashful when I'm offstage and offline - so I was somewhat shy about just coming out and asking folks if I could photograph them. I also didn't want to distract the reading poets with my flash.
I experimented with taking pictures at Mac's after Smith and Dianne told me folks probably wouldn't mind. But since I hadn't yet posted the picture blogs, I still wasn't sure how it would be received when I went to the Deep Cleveland poetry reading on Friday 11 July. So I didn't take out my camera that night. But now I wish I had.
Danilee Eichhorn was the featured reader. I'm rather amazed that she doesn't have a book out yet, because she has some good stuff. I sent her a MySpace message a few days ago asking if I could post one of her poems on this blog. But she hasn't been online since then and hasn't read my message (one thing I like about MySpace - you can always tell when someone's read your message). When I have a chance to talk with her, I'll see if I can post something by her in my Crisis Chronicles Online Library. [Update by JC on 7/21: I've posted Danilee's poem Basil there!] If I'd thought of it sooner, I could've asked her when I saw her the next day at the Brandt Gallery, where I captured this image:
Poet and storyteller Danilee Eichhorn in Tremont
One thing cool about Danilee's performance was that she didn't confine herself to "reading" from a page or even to just "poetry," per se. She sprinkled in her unique stories as well - though I think of them as from-the-heart-and-psyche prose poems in their own right. Lots of goodies....
The open mic portion of the night was cool as well. I debuted two poems: "A-hem" (which you can read here) and "Think You Very Much" (to be published soon). Many groovy folks I've met, heard, and liked before like T.M. Göttl, Christopher Franke, Jack McGuane, Steve and Kathy Smith, Dianne Borsenik, J.E. Stanley, Dan Smith, and Ralph Ryan were on hand. So were a couple of folks whose written work I'd read and respected without ever having met or heard them in person before - like Mary Turzillo and Geoffrey Landis. Awesome to meet them.... (To see a photo Geoff took of me that night, click here.) And there were a few good poets I'd not previously known (I probably should have - but remember, I'm a relative newbie) - these included Wanda Sobieska (over a week later, her "To Wal-Mart" keeps coming to mind), Roger Miller and Eric Anderson. Last, but not least, our host was Joshua Gage, often referred to as the "purple-bathrobed mystic of the Cuyahoga," who started us off with a poem by the Sufi mystic Hafiz and said quite a few nice things about my blog. [Much appreciated!]
Josh also writes a blog - on the new ClevelandPoetics Blogspot. Another great place to visit if you're into the scene.... To check out what Josh wrote about this Deep Cleveland reading (and see more photos of the poets, including me, by Geoffrey Landis), follow this link:
http://clevelandpoetics.blogspot.com/2008/07/deep-cleveland-poetry-hour-danilee.html
To read what I wrote about last month's Deep Cleveland reading, click here.
Deep Cleveland holds readings at Borders the second Friday of every month at 8:30 p.m. And I'm very much looking forward to the next few months' featured readers - all of whom I have seen and want to see again.
Christopher Franke (August 8th)
Karen Schubert (September 12th)
Jack McGuane (October 10th)
Borders Books and Music
17200 Royalton Rd. (Rt. 82)
Strongsville, Ohio 44136
phone: (440) 846-1144
Hope to see you there.... I'll be taking pictures next time. 
* * *
P.S. Books by some of the folks I've mentioned above are available through my Amazon bookstore (click "Browse Amazon.com" near the very top of my left sidebar, under Helpful Links, to see what you can find - remember, a percentage of all purchases helps keep crisischronicles.com in business).
Many more books by the poets above are available through www.deepcleveland.com.
I'm very curious. Did you not get in trouble over the butt shot in your last blog?
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lol... no! Maybe because it was a male butt.
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It's also a very nice butt.
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I know!
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This surely was a busy past week for you. I am happy to see all the poets faces (and a few backsides) in your many blogs and like the company you have been keeping lately. Poets, like my friends at LCCC and the archaeologists I have traveled with are fun people to be with and usually pretty laid back. Keep up the good work on these open mic readings and perhaps one day soon you will have a published book. Best wishes and peace to both you and Geri. Hope to see you at one of the readings in the near future. Peace and hugs from Elena
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Thanks, Elena!
I went to another reading today in Huron - and I still have last Saturday's Brandt Gallery reading to talk about. Both places, I met some new, very cool people - and took pictures.
Best wishes and peace back at you....
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good poet folk everywhere
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Amen... and Awomen
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Danilee is interesting. I have to devote some time to read yr library.
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Thanks, Lady! I have a whole lot of other stuff ready to add to it, as soon as I get caught up on my blogs and other correspondence. Goes without saying (I hope) that you and Smith can contribute anything you want to it whenever you like - I'd be honored - don't mind if it's been previously published or anything. Right now the main page is just like a blog, with the most recently added piece at the top - but I hope to come up with a cool front page and index for the library soon. And I want to include as many good local artists as possible eventually - and also provide an online literary presence to some who don't otherwise have much of one. Will take time... but the sky is the limit.
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muchas gracias
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De nada.
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eye will set this one aside until nexttime same looknottome channel same looknottome time you aer into local talent im too far away to be from Clevland but im trying to be a smoozer there thankzx for the mention por favor
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Not everyone who'll be included is from Cleveland - though I plan to expend a greater effort, for a season, recruiting local talent. You are welcome, friend. When I have a chance to look at more of your stuff, I'd like to post a couple of my favorite pieces of yours on the library. Not sure how long it will take to get to it - but I'm working steadily, even when folks see little evidence of it online.
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gracias por algo agradecerle gracias a Dios muchas las gracias gracias por venir/tu ayuda
may we ???/ MOI OUI /we may
hehehehehehheheheheh
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I posted a poem called "Listening to Flamenco" and mentioned an album that I was listening to. Interesting that since they are doing a documentary on the artists in that album and Angel Carmona from Granada is planning to put that poem in his documentary and wants me to register my poem with the Library of Congress. WOW. Check out my blogs. The last one has a poem called "Ojos" and this one was read by a well known poet and artist who has his poems published in several places along with other Arab American poets. He also has written to me so my poetry is finally getting attention...
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I really do enjoy the blogs where you have a lot of pictures, but I can appreciate your consideration in not wanting to take pictures. I think that pretty soon, people are going to start looking to get their pictures on their blog. You are introducing me to poets I never heard of and a scene I was completely unfamiliar with. I've always loved poetry, but tended toward the old classics. Reading your poetry I found a unique style that I like, and I look forward to finding more new poetry. Something I never would have considered before I started reading your blog.I was particularly intrigued by Danilee Eichhorn. I fancy myself a story teller and I think I would like to hear some anecdotes between the poems.
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Thank you, Tara! For the longest time (through the eighties and much of the nineties) I tended toward the old classics. I always said I'd read all of those and then explore the new stuff. After all, they were classics for a reason, I reasoned, and deserved first consideration.
Well, I still have a healthy respect for the classics, but ... I've traded in my yearning for a Dead Poets Society for a Living one. I believe it was Cleveland legend d.a. levy who said something like this: "The dead poets have all the support they need. Give to the living." Or as my Aunt Phyllis said when my dad was having his open heart surgery: "Give the roses while they're living." So as important as I think it is to remember and study the greats who came before, I'm coming to believe that it's equally important (and perhaps in some ways more so) to keep poetry alive and thriving in the eternal Now. Hope I explained that well... I'm still operating on a coffee deficit.
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You explained that very well. I got started liking poetry when I was little and my Nana would send me to the library with a list of poems to copy and bring home for her. I used to think that the classics were easier to understand for the most part (no Ezra Pound for me, LOL). But, since I have been reading your poetry I really do enjoy the more contemparary point of view. You opened my eyes to a whole new poetry experience.
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Thank you, Tara!
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Well... I got lost trying to figure out which blog I missed commenting on and this one is actually the one I neglected. Instead I double posted on the Lit blog.. oh... well...
I'm glad you were able to hear Danilee read at the Strongville Border's reading... because I loved the pieces she shared at the Brandt reading. So I 'm glad to have been able to hear her read on Saturday at the Brandt. She is so very good. She reads and shares things that have a rich sweetness that I didn't expect... her pieces particularly touched me... I like the way she expresses herself.
Anyway... thanks as usual for posting these blogs on the readings.. it's the next best thing to being there.
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Thank you, Chris!
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PLEASE! Take pictures... When Deep Cleveland was getting started, I brought a camera to every reading, and shot tons of photos. Financial troubles and Border's facism have sort of removed us from our roots (levy, etc.) but by all means take photos. I'll make an announcement, if you want to feel all warm and fuzzy about it, warning folks that you'll be shooting them, but I'm sure it won't be necessary. Geoff didn't ask anyone last time, and he got some really solid shots. Just please be sure to e-mail me the photos, so I can throw them up on the Cleveland Poetics blog as well.
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Cool... I will do it!
How would you feel about me videotaping the featured readers? Thought about trying that with Chris Franke on the 9th... need to find his e-mail address so I can ask him, too.
I'm doing that on August 3rd in Sandusky - at a Bottom Dog Press sponsored reading by T.M. Göttl. Larry Smith and T.M. gave me the go ahead. I will post the video on my blog, You Tube it a few days later to publicize the venue and the artist, provide T.M. with a DVD of the performance. I'm hoping to make a series of it - and Deep Cleveland could be a regular part of it. We'll be recording history - and promoting the poets and venue. Publicity might even help open the doors to another, less squeamish venue giving us a slot in the area. Something to think about....
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