Fist In the air: a celebration of social activism through poetry, McAllen, Texas 14th June 2013

A showcase of selected poets who use their work as a tool for social change including

• Isaac Chavarria
• Chuck Taylor
• Jose Chapa V
• Erika Garza-Johnson
• Mary Ann Escamilla
• Cesar de Leon

Celebrate of the role of social activists in changing the world. Hear hear. Since poets are usually at the forefront of revolutions in most Latin American countries (Roque Dalton, Pablo Neruda, Susana Chavez) and around the world, poets should take on that role here in the United States today. Again - go poets!

You can find this event at the wonderful Hinovations Art Studio, 1009 Laurel from 7.30pm and find out more about it here https://www.facebook.com/events/445310865562648/

Le Festival de Fès des Musiques Sacrées du Monde, Fes, Morocco June 2013

Go to Fes in Morocco and attend the Sacred Music Festival with poet and singer Patti Smith. The theme is Andalusia and other acts include: Amina Alaoui, Morocco’s famous interpreter of Andalusian music, Paco de Lucia, flamenco singer Carmen Linares; and Portugal’s Ana Moura; experience Arabic verse and song in an authentic setting and hear its modern interpretations. This sounds very appealing right now...

Events start from 7th June until 15th June. Find out more here http://www.fesfestival.com/2013/

Supermarket poetry

Why do people turn to poetry? The most curious recent example must come from Tesco's. In attempt to deflect intense criticism over a horsemeat burger scandal, they phrased their apology in free verse in store and in adverts.

Dr Christopher Burlinson, English professor at Jesus College, Cambridge, labelled the text as clearly “a piece of concrete poetry, as well as a clever piece of advertising."  And it does make us wonder here at p&g about what the current state of poetry would be if advertising had not become such a lucrative job from the fifties onward. See what you make of their attempt:

More on this story here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21687776.

poetandgeek.com issue 6 now available

Yes. Yes. Yes. poetandgeek.com issue 6 is here and it is good.

You will find new work from Alistair Noon, John Quinn, Phil Isherwood, Andrew McCallum, Felino A. Soriano, Richie McCaffery, Anne Pia, Sarah Flint, Jennifer Martin, Allan-Alexander Lawson, Sy Roth, Frank C. Praeger, DIY taxidermy, Brownsbank gravy stains, pollsters, pelicans, Troy and the hall of the mouth...

Enjoy it all here http://www.poetandgeek.com/issue6/issue06.html.

...we crawled along the aisles.

Musical supermarket interludes interrupted by fish sale announcements,

endless rows of food to nourish creeping, slouching seconds to inevitability.

Sy Roth

World Goth Day party 2013 San Francisco USA

WGD is actually celebrated on the 22nd May every year but that has not stopped the good folks at Dancing Ghosts planning an evening celebrating gothic music, fashion, and community on the 31st May this year. And why not?

Goths have the unique merit of combining poet and geek without even trying...

Good value I would say at $3 before 10 pm,but  $7 after. The event runs 9:30 PM to 2:30 AM at The Cat Club 1190 Folsom @ 8th St. San Francisco.

More information on World Goth Day here http://www.worldgothday.com/ and party invites here https://www.facebook.com/events/168361163323258/.

Talking to birds

Sometimes it is worth stopping. And listening.

Even on a Monday AM.

See what you hear.

The cowboy with his oaten straw,
Although he hardly heard or saw
No more of music than he made,
Twas sweet; and when I pluckt the blade
Of grass upon the woodland hill
To mock the birds with artless skill,
No music in the world beside
Seemed half so sweet, till mine was tried.
So my boy- worship poesy
Made e'en the muses pleased with me,
Until I even danced for joy,
A happy and a lonely boy,
Each object to my ear and eye
Made paradise of poesy.

Extract from The progress of poetry by John Clare

You can read the full poem here http://www.archive.org/stream/poemsbyjohnclare00clariala/poemsbyjohnclare00clariala_djvu.txt.

Spoke n Slurred - Adelaide, Australia May 26th 2013

Adelaide gets hot and cool..

The main reader for the night is Lacole Foots described as "a great poet and a slick-as-shit performer". That'll do for us.

It is all kicking off from 7pm at The Squatters Arms, Port Road, Adelaide, South Australia 503 and other delights promised include: it sounds so good we are sticking with (I AM SHOUTING upper case).

• OPEN MIC
• FREE ENTRY
• 'BLOODY MARY' DRINKS SPECIAL ALL NIGHT
• GOLD COIN BBQ - VEGO FRIENDLY - Food served at 7.00

Review of the Squatter's Arms says the following "Who needs to be trendy when you have all the poets in Adelaide massing in the back room and waxing lyrical every few weeks - that says it all. Ever met a poet in a pub who didn't have a full glass and an eye for another?"

Another poet? Anyway p&g encourages you to attend as it sounds fun.

More information is available here https://www.facebook.com/events/396171103823386/ and about Lacole Foots here http://australianpoetryslam.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/lacole-foots-sa-national-finalist-2012/ (and credit to them for this photo of Foots)

Gaithersburg Book Festival Maryland USA 18th May 2013

This book festival looks like a nice thing to do this weekend if the wind is not too cold. Of interest to poetandgeek who has been reading about John Tradescant the younger's visit to this neck of the woods and its flora in about 1630.

On offer are poetry readings by Sally Keith, Joseph Ross, Yvette Neisser Moreno, Eric Pankey, Jason Mott, Sarah Arvio, used books sales, lots of authors and it is all free and in a park and the the city hall in Gaithersburg.

More information can be found here http://gaithersburgbookfestival.org/.

Pnina Shinebourne Radioactive

Wolfgang Görtschacher tell us that number 7 in the excellent PSPS (Poetry Salzburg Pamphlet Series) Pnina Shinebourne's Radioactive, is available now.

"Shinebourne tells the human story behind the discovery of radioactivity. She explores the interior thoughts, the intellectual conflicts and the joys of scientific revelation. The style is clipped, heady, energised and supple in its response to the hectic demands of the protagonists, and the language is simple and immediate in the way it handles complex scientific ideas. Shinebourne captivates us by revealing the psychological pressures that give birth to the creative process and for this alone the pamphlet is a compelling read from start to end!"

Daljit Nagra

More on Radioactive and how to get it on Poetry Salzburg here http://www.poetrysalzburg.com/.

Submit Poetry

A little shout out for the open submissions policy for the prestigious US Poetry magazine.

It is very easy to send your stuff in and you can do it online. You set up an account and you can check progress and resubmit using the same details.

Good stuff.

Why can't all international magazines be this easy...no hoo-hah about reply coupons and the like. Nice site too plus resources.

Find out more here http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/submissions

Itinerant poetry librarian and friends Edinburgh, Scotland 15th May 2013

All hail to the magnificent itinerant poetry librarian who will be in the Bongo Club as part of a night of European literature...glad to say that my hair passed muster last time we met. But would imagine that it was a close call.

Martin Reiner and Kapka Kassabova will be also be in the building with their special brand of respective literary magic.

No ticket required. Part of  the European Literature nights programme of which more later...

Full details are here http://www.cityofliterature.com/whats-on.aspx?sec=5&pid=20&item=4387

Aníbal Núñez tweet poetry

Aníbal Núñez (1944-1987) was a Spanish poet, painter and translator.

Núñez was born in Salamanca and studied Literature. Modern Languages and Fine Arts there. He translated the work of Propertius, Catullus and Rimbaud - nice choices. He died young but left a large body of poetry and extensive visual work. This tweet poem is taken from the poem No solamente en broadway (Not only in Broadway) written in 1972 but first published in 2008.

"Recognition was slow to come, as his poetry stood outside the major critical currents of his time in Spain. The situation has been changing since his death, and re-evaluation of his work has seen him recognised as a major, if independent, figure." Tony Frazer.

"El día que descubrí que el gran poeta salmantino figura en todas las antologías poéticas que se precien ; que su Antología Poética completa ( dos volúmenes ) figura en el catálogo de la prestigiosa Editorial Hiperión ; que no tiene estatua, no , en ningún rincón de la ciudad ; que era nada amigo de la ostentación y la mediocridade e hijo del insigne PEPE NUÑEZ LARRAZ." Ismael Marcos

Find his work here http://www.amazon.com/palabras-Hispanicas-Hispanic-Literature-Spanish/dp/8437625823/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367821424&sr=1-2 and in English for arguably the first time here http://www.shearsman.com/pages/books/authors/nunezA.html; full text of the poem here http://www.poesiaspoemas.com/anibal-nunez/no-solamente-en-broadway.

Amongst all the monotony of all these activities fix yourself in the wind that sweeps clean these tombs chapped by snow

Geek competition

• Poetry
• Science
• Medicine
• Oxford
• 30 lines
• Free entry

All the above checked?

Find out more here http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/science/poetry-competition-2013

Creative qualifications

poetandgeek.com being of an age before creative writing courses (apart from UAE and the ones in the States) has no qualifications to attest to being a writer.

As a result, we are always interested in those who have and how they are working out for them.

• What modules have been useful?
• How have you used your new skills?
• Best courses?
• What was missing?
• When have you been brandishing the new letters after your name?
• And anything else that will tickle our interest...

Let us know at the usual address.