Wow, thank you to Michael McAllister, curator of the Barbershop Reading Series, and Joe Gallagher, the owner of Joe’s Barbershop, for welcoming us into their community space.
Yesterday evening was a wonderful reading and performance, and blending of communities and family. Oscar has posted photos and video.
Oscar opened the evening with an arson set of poems from his chapbook Heaven Below, and if an urban arson set of poems can indeed be cool, that is what it was, well-measured tempo, and a good grip what could otherwise fall into frenzied and irrational in another poet’s hands.
Brent Fluty, a first time creative writing class student of the Barbershop Writing Group, read an excerpt of a short story whose first person narrator was a very convincing, honest in its political incorrectness as a fetishist of Latino men. Oscar and I were talking this morning about a memorable scene in this story, in which the narrator tell us of rape fantasy, as he relishes the prison rape scene in the film, American Me, for which his beautiful, accented Mexican boyfriend chastises this vileness. So I think props to Brent for going there, however off-color or off-putting.
Musician Terese Taylor rocked out with a set alternately lovely and fierce, ending on a screechy, foot stomping (in awesome pink high-heels!) instrumental.
As for my set, I had a set list, which I promptly mentally amended once I saw my aunt and her husband walk through the door. I opened with Jaime Jacinto’s poem, “Just Before Waking” which he dedicated to Al Robles, and then read a few pages of Poeta en SF, including the opening “consider this procession, and “a fiery archangel brings this message,” then “galleon prayer,” and “assumption.” And from Diwata:
- “The Bamboo’s Insomnia”
- “Dragonflies”
- “Garden”
- “Estuary”
- “Juneau”
- “A Little Bit About Lola Ilang”
- “Pananaghoy”
- “how i no longer believe in pious women”
- “Killer of Ferdinand Magellan”
Good God, I am a microphone hog; I am accustomed to such long sets and have to get better at trimming down. Still, I am glad folks there didn’t mind my going long, appreciated and appeared engrossed in the poems.
To top off a wonderful evening full of performance and great conversations, we sold books! I love book buying audiences. And a very kind woman whose name escapes me, and who found out about this reading via the PAWA Inc. blog or listserv came out to volunteer to handle book sales. In addition to many friends and family who came out to support, it was also great to see fellow lit heads Edwin A. Lozada, Thy Tran, and Peter Maravelis.
Finally, let me say that the Barbershop Reading Series is a really good series. I’ve only been to two of their three events, but I love Michael McAllister’s vibe, as a human being and as a curator. I think Michael Mullen, the music curator, has a great ear, and it was great watching him possessed by Terese Taylor’s performance. The space has such open, welcoming energy, and wonderful acoustics.
Oscar’s blog post is here.
That series sounds dope. I think series like that will help change the general public’s perception of poetry and maybe make it easier for me to tell folks I’m a poet without getting the quizzical expression in return.
Barbara,
Thanks so much to you and Oscar for your wonderful readings that night. It was a total pleasure having you join our event. And thanks for the kind words on the series. Hope to see you soon.