A really terrific reading last night at The Nightlight in Chapel Hill. Some of the DC poets braved the highways and read some fascinating poetry. First up was Kathy Eisenhower. I was not familiar with her work so it was a very nice surprise (like going to a movie you've never seen the previews for and it turns out to be a real cracker!) Then Tom Orange with a nice selection and range of poems spanning eight years. A split between particle-based poetics and saturation-based poetics. Scattered atoms looking to hook up with other atoms or/and a nice thick porridge (not in taste but consistency etc.) Then Adam Good read from some really fascinating projects. One was a collab with his brother Patrick. They each had a recent issue of the New Yorker mag and performed some cut-ups. Then collab'ed on their cutups and made a mini epic novel called With All My Bones. I really enjoyed listening to how the language negotiated familiar waters and made them strange (worn metaphors etc.) I mean it suggests so much. Yes cutups have been done quite a bit, but the process is still very vital because the language is always shifting. There is an endless supply of mags, newspapers etc. to cutup and I think the results can vary widely. There is a tremendous amount of skill. The poet is very much a part of the process of selection and editing. A good ear and eye. A real attentiveness to the language. Adam and Patrick did a terrific job. After the Goods, Buck Downs read some poems from marijuana Softdrink and some newer and older work that haven't make it to book form. A real interesting selection. Funny and witty and performed with real gusto and strangeness. If you haven't read Buck Downs, check him out.
So I was well energies from the DC folks and after the reading Randall (a Lucifer Poetics original) opened up his 100 acre farm for a huge party. Mike Snider played some wonderful folk music (great Bob Dylan covers with the original voice of Mike Snider so it really became Dylan/Snider) Then a hip hop duo called The Living Dead who did a lot of freestyle. Really cool stuff. There was also a nice fire, lots of cardboard and paint for political signs (quite a few people did some interesting paintings/signs), really strong weed (Not from Randall. He doesn't do it). A large crowd showed up. It was really was in the middle of the woods. All those political activists and people that seemed to care about forging various alternative communities.
There's always a bit of hope aeh?
A really great night. If only this headache would skeedaddle.