Lix and Kix IV - Pics and More from a Fabulous Evening
Just before I walked out the door for Lix and Kix IV
If you missed our fourth Lix and Kix at the 806 Wine and Martini Bar in Cleveland on Tuesday January 20th (Inauguration Day), no blog in the world is gonna give you an adequate idea of how cool it was. And I'm not just saying that because I was the event's co-host (along with Dianne Borsenik). Good people, great poetry and a fantastic amount of fun.... I give hearty thanks to our excellent featured readers, C. Allen Rearick and Elise Geither. I can't praise them enough! They're not only great artists, but also fine folks. Thanks, too, to the other awesome friends and poets who came and showed their support (some drove over two hours to be there). Thanks to the new friends I met in person for the first time. Thanks to the fantastic open mic readers/performers - among them some super Lix and Kix virgins. And though I admit a bit of bias (I try to see through it), I have to say this was one of the most enjoyable nights of poetry I've ever experienced. I feel honored to have been a part of it.
Often, however, the photos tell a better story than any words I can muster. So without further ado....
Poet and playwright Elise Geither was on fire
Poet C. Allen Rearick was smokin' (never mind the no-smoking sign on the left)
Robbie and Jamie thoroughly enjoyed their first-ever poetry reading
Christina Brooks showed Ohio Staters that the blue state up north can rock too
Alex Nielsen and Steve Goldberg shared a special Toledo-Cleveland connection
December featured poet John Dorsey came back from Toledo for a second helping
So did December feature Miles Budimir [photo by Jen Pezzo]
with Jesus in the mirror and Slavic soul sister Gina Tabasso
November feature Dominique Glick was back as well
Along with my wife Geri Lynne
New friend Ella Shurr
Suzanne Savickas of Le-Pink Elephant Press
MoonLit 's Claire McMahon
Maria Belmonte
Allisun Hovater
Alex Nielsen
Vertigo Xi'an Xavier of The Poet's Haven
Jen Pezzo - Kerowyn Rose
March featured poet Gina Tabasso, author of the forthcoming Front Lines, gave us a sneak preview
Miles Budimir, Jean Brandt, Dianne Borsenik, and (in the shadows) Vertigo XX
the legendary Christopher Franke
Singer Jodi Dobos channeled Joni Mitchell beautifully
Brigitte Belmonte-Jarc, an open mic virgin
Dominique Glick and Dianne Borsenik
Featured poet and playwright Elise Geither
Featured poet C. Allen Rearick
I highly recommend Elise Geither's Horse Latitudes: Poetic Monologues for Women (from deep cleveland press) and C. Allen Rearick's collection Through These Eyes (from Tainted Coffee Press). I'm very happy they agreed to be featured readers for Lix and Kix IV. Both were very good! But If you missed 'em you can see C. Allen Rearick (and several other fine poets, including Dianne Borsenik) at the March 14th As We Speak event he's organized. For more information on plays and readings by Elise Geither, contact her at egeither@bw.edu. For more on the poetic doings of C.Allen Rearick, contact him at www.myspace.com/c_allen.
Future Lix and Kix features you won't want to miss include:
17 February 2009 - Steve Goldberg & Nick Traenkner
17 March 2009 (St. Patrick's Day) - Gina Tabasso, Carmen Tracey & T.M. Göttl (with Zach)
21 April 2009 - Zachary Moll, Michael Grover & C.B. "Blue" Crane
19 May 2008 - Steven B. Smith & Kathy Ireland Smith
See us every third Tuesday (7 p.m.) at the 806 Wine & Martini Bar, 806 Literary Rd. in Tremont (the artistic heart of Cleveland).
P.S. Since someone's sure to ask what I read... I performed three songs: Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush," my "The Picture of Dorian Blue" (from a 2000 Christmas musical I wrote/produced behind bars), and John Lennon's "Imagine" (good songs, I hope, for the day Barack Obama became President of the United States - since I couldn't learn David Bowie's "Changes" in time). I also followed my new "tradition" of reading three poems: one of my own, one by a favorite dead poet, and one by a favorite living poet. For mine I chose Karma Souptra, since that's one I didn't read during my feature at Mac's Backs earlier this month. I also read Sitting Outside by W.D. Snodgrass, who died earlier this month, and an untitled poem about Johnny Depp and Jesus from Alex Gildzen's excellent Outlaw Dreams collection [Green Panda Press, 2008]. Alex has lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for many years now, but will be returning to the Cleveland area in May for the Tres Versing the Panda poetry and music festival.
See you next month at Lix and Kix! Thank you all!
Peace and poetry,
John
you guys are popping down there. I put up blues part 2 think you'll dig it. actually have the set of 5 complete and am working on #6. also have short video of me practicing singing billie. My entire life I was told I am tone deaf so I never tried to sing before except when alone. My dad and his entire family were musicians.
Anyway check it - you haven't been there in a while.
http://joyleftowsblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/blues-part-ii.html
http://joyleftowsblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/singing-billies-blues.html
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Cool... thanks, Joy! I look forward to stopping by your blog this afternoon.
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Great writeup, partner! There are no photos of you performing here, so I must direct your readers to the Lix and Kix site (www.myspace.com/lixandkix) for more pix of the night, including ones of you at your keyboard. I can't wait to see what happens next month, can you?
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Thanks, Dianne! I was trying to be careful not to miss any links - and then I forgot the Lix and Kix MySpace.
I should also mention that Chris Brooks is writing a blog about Lix and Kix IV for the ClevelandPoetics blog - www.clevelandpoetics.blogspot.com - which will likely be online by tomorrow. I hope folks will go there and share their impressions as well.
And there's no way I could fit all my best photos from that evening into one blog - so sometime in the next week, I will upload these and all the rest (maybe 100 in all) to my MySpace and Facebook accounts for public viewing. For those who don't know, Jen, Sue, Dianne, and Chris took a lot of great photos that night as well - a lot of them are floating around online. Thank you!
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I love your photos! I almost forgot the that one you got of me fluffing my hair. LOL I'm so glad Lix and Kix keeps getting better and better. You and Dianne know how to have some fun!
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Thank you, Jen! I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as we did. Fun friends and fine poets like you are a big part of what makes Lix and Kix so cool. Dianne and I couldn't do it without you.
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Sorry I haven't been over here earlier.. but I was sort of waiting on some news I was hoping to share. But I haven't heard anything yet so have finally broken down and am commenting.
This particular Lix& Kix was an awful lot of fun. And anyone that hasn't been there is really missing something.. my own unvarnish thoughts.
I sent a review in to CP.. but it's not been posted yet.. I hope it will be soon if at all..... that's what I was waiting to share.. but so far nothing.
I wish I lived closer.. because I know I will be driving down at least the next four times. Each of the events you have lined up have people I want to hear. So you will see a lot of me unfortunately.
You and Dianne are a dynamic duo ..
And your singing ain't bad either.. I'm looking forward to you showing off your guitar skills next time..
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Thanks, Chris! I was just practicing my guitar again (which, as you know, I only acquired last week), but I had to stop because my fingertips are bruised and sore. I will definitely play something on it at next month's Lix and Kix. Be prepared - bring earplugs, just in case... lol.
We also have poets David Smith (from Los Angeles) and Angel Uriel Perales featuring sometime this year. But I didn't include them on the list yet because we're still not sure which month it will be (maybe September, but it depends on when David's new book comes out).
I appreciate you writing a review for Cleveland Poetics - and I look forward to checking it out.
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"dynamic duo..."
Ya know, I've got a CRAZY evil idea that you can use for your October show... You as Batman and Dianne as Robin. But only if you can talk her into wearing the classic Burt Ward style Robin costume, no cheating and getting a Stephanie Brown / Spoiler - Robin costume.
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LOL.... actually I think doing a Sonny and Cher routine would be much more in keeping with their show.
But Batman and Robin.... hmm.. interesting...LOL..
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I love it!
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Oh.. and thanks for posting a photo of me.. it confirms I was actually there not dreaming I was. Because with all the late driving I've been doing to poetry events lately.. I am so groggy I often wonder.
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You're welcome!
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