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MUSELETTER #48

9/10/2000

This harvest-moon-week Museletter brings you:

  • Leonardo Della Rocca's Florida poetry news, plus a gathering of links on our new Poet Laureate, Stanley Kunitz
  • Orange County poetic doings from Victor Infante
  • An update on the legal wranglings over coffeehouses & other poetry venues in San Diego from Larry Jaffe
Enjoy!
Margy Snyder & Bob Holman
Poetry Guides

POETRY IS EVERYWHERE AT ABOUT

 Volleyball Poems
To leaven the Volleyball Clubhouse atmosphere with humor & poetry, Guide Scott Hammon is collecting volleyball poems from his readers -- & he began the collection with one of his own. Serve, set, leap & spike!


MIAMI/FLORIDA

 Greetings from Florida. Things slow down during the sweltering month of August, but there's plenty of poetry to go around.
Jacksonville: Nokturnal Escape
To begin with, I heard from Tiffany in Jacksonville:
Hello,
This is Tiffany from Jacksonville (Nokturnal Escape Entertainment). I saw your name in the Museletter. We currently host a monthly reading called “Poetry Is Our Second Language.” I'm emailing everyone because I wanted to pass some helpful info along: there's a discussion group for poetry hosts, being moderated by Larry Jaffe [Editor's note: Larry is our LA Museletter correspondent). To subscribe, send an email to poetryhosts-subscribe@egroups.com. So far there are over 100 hosts from around the country on this list.
Tiffany has an interesting Web page, too (Nokturnal Escape Entertainment, listed above).
Miami: Denise Duhamel & Maureen Seaton
Poet Denise Duhamel has finally returned to SoFlo as Assistant Professor in FIU's Creative Writing Program. Her latest book is Queen for a Day: Selected and New Poems, to be published by University of Pittsburgh Press in April 2001. Duhamel was down last year as Poet-in-Residence at FIU. And she's already hard at work -- at 8 pm on Thursday, September 14, she will present poet Maureen Seaton at FIU's Writers on the Bay series. Seaton is the author of four books of poetry: Furious Cooking (1996, winner of the Iowa Prize), Miss Molly Rockin' (Thorngate Road), Fear of Subways (1991, winner of the Eighth Mountain Poetry Prize), and Sea Among the Cupboards (New Rivers Press, 1992). She also has a forthcoming book called Little Ice Age to be published by Invisible Cities Press. Her work has been anthologized in The Best American Poetry 1997 and has received a Pushcart Prize. She teaches at Columbia College in Chicago.
I plan to be there. I'll let you know about Maureen's reading and the hi-jinx afterward in my next Museletter.
Coral Gables: Seethe!
The Hannah Kahn Poetry Foundation presents Seethe!, a unique poetry reading in which two poets take the stage at the same time and read in tandem, sometimes complementing each other, often vying for applause. It begins at 8 pm, on Monday, September 11 at Meza Fine Art Gallery Café, 275 Giralda Avenue. Featured poets: Cara Nusinov Leibowitz & Antoinette Herrera. Meza has a fine menu of dinners, beverages and desserts, should you wish to eat or drink. Call 305.461.2723 for info. Attendance at the reading is FREE.
Fort Lauderdale: Upcoming Events at Florida Center for the Book
The Florida Center for the Book is bubbling with literary activity. Among the poetry stuff:
Hollywood: Wild Horse Poetry Series
In August, Miami-based poet Andrew Glaze read at the Hannah Kahn Poetry Foundation's Wild Horse Poetry Series at Warehaus 57 (“Best Place for Literary Readings” according to Broward/Palm Beach Citylinkonline) in Hollywood. WHPS pays $50 to local poets to read, making it the only local regularly scheduled public poetry reading in which poets are paid.
The well attended event was filmed by James Goodson (as usual) of Nova Southeastern University. Glaze was well received and sold his books: Reality Street and his latest (1998), Someone Will Go On Owing (winner of the SEBA Award).
The bio: Glaze was born in Tennessee, raised in Birmingham, Alabama and educated at Web School, Harvard College and Stanford University. After WWII, Glaze entered the newspaper business as a reporter in Birmingham. In 1957 he moved to New York City where he wrote 11 plays and two novels in addition to seven books of poems.
The blurbs: Robert Mazocco of the New York Review of Books said of Glaze's work, “Wit, pictorial luminosity, energy.” Poet and part-time SoFlo resident/professor Maxine Kumin said in Shenandoah, “It's baffling why Andew Glaze has not received the attention he deserves.” Hear, hear.
Speaking of the Unrecognized. . .
Miami poet and Miami Dade Community College English professor Michael Hettich sent me a copy of his latest book, Sleeping With the Lights On (Pudding House Publications). I plan to write a review of it for the January 2001 Poetrybay (where I am an assistant editor). But let me give everyone a sneak preview of the review -- simply put, Hettich is one of Florida's finest poets.
Hettich's work is at once surreal and grounded. He uses everyday circumstances and overlays them with a fantastic weave of images and sometimes bizarre scenes. Still, they congeal into a sensical story that the reader feels or intuits. There is true emotion, though the scenario may be odd. As poet John Haag would say, “it has authenticity.” Here's an excerpt from his prose poem “Waking to Rain”:
When I was a child, my hands would sometimes fall off and get lost in the grass or in my house somewhere -- and I would have to search for them, sometimes late at night, when everyone else was sleeping. I'd be lying in bed, starting to drift off, when I'd need to touch my own body, and I'd realize my hands were missing. So I'd lie there trying to remember back when I'd used them last. After awhile I'd get up, get dressed as best I could without hands, and I'd walk around the dark house, out into the yard and street, looking for my hands, calling out -- until at last I found them. Once I lost my hands for a whole winter afternoon when I hadn't worn gloves.
The bizarre image of losing one's hands is juxtaposed against familiar, everyday situations that somehow make it work -- “when I'd need to touch my own body (the real), and I'd realize my hands were missing” (the surreal). That invokes very real ideas that Hettich may or may not have entertained -- such as sexual guilt. Again the surreal act of losing one's hands “for a whole winter afternoon” is made to make sense “when I hadn't worn gloves” -- because it is coupled in the same line with the real experience of not wearing gloves on a cold day causing the hands to go numb. Hettich does that throughout Sleeping with the Lights On.
The blurb: It's an amazing work.
The bio: Born and raised in the NYC area, Hettich has lived in various places in the U.S. and came to Miami years ago. He holds a Ph.D. in English and American literature from the University of Miami and an M.A. from the University of Denver. Author of two full-length books of poetry and three chapbooks, Hettich's work has appeared in a variety of journals over the years, including Poetry East, The Literary Review, The Beloit Poetry Journal & Indiana Review. He edited the South Florida anthology Write in Our Midst and was co-editor of Having A Wonderful Time: An Anthology of South Florida Writers (Simon & Schuster).
Coral Springs: Speaking of the Spoken Word
My friend Richard Ryal loaned me an audio book called Poets' Night. It's a reading by “eleven leading poets” who “celebrate fifty years of poetry at Farrar Strauss & Giroux.” The poets gathered on September 18, 1996 in NYC to recite poems by others as well as poems of their own. John Berryman, Elizabeth Bishop, Louise Bogan, Joseph Brodsky, Ted Hughes, Randall Jarrell, Philip Larkin, Robert Lowell, Les Murray, James Schuyler and James Wright were represented. Readers were John Ashbery (who was terrible -- at least his own poem was; he read Schuyler), Frank Bidart, James Fenton, Thom Gunn, Seamus Heaney, Paul Muldoon, Robert Pinsky (who emphatically enunciates Every Single Syllable -- his style of reading because he believes the human body is a column of air in which words resonate like music, something like that, quite annoying after a while), Derek Walcott, C.K. Williams, Charles Wright and Adam Zagajewski. Over all, it's a great find (except for Ashbery's dullness and Pinsky's irritating vocal arrangement of his terrific poem, “Shirt,” in which he adds too much starch).
West Palm Beach: Play on Words
Palm Beach-based poet, co-leader of the Beachhouse Poetry Workshop, playwright and actor John Arndt will perform “ManChild,” a poetical theatrical, at Flamingo Park Studios opening at 8 pm, on Saturday, September 30 and continuing also at 8 pm, Saturday, October 7 and 14. It is a poetic exploration of the evolution of Man surrounded with primitive drumming. Patrick Wilkonson provides music on guitar & poet Donna Barrett has a role in the production that incorporates Arndt's poetry.
Underground Coffeeworks Makes Above Ground News
Here's an excerpt from a recent article about the first Florida team going to the National Poetry Slam competition. It's from one of our daily newspapers, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, by Margo Harakas:
The Red Seethe
Chris Deon, an in-your-face performance poet, makes no apologies for going for the shock. “I don't ever want you to forget that I was onstage,” he says, coolly awaiting his call to the spotlight. “I try to be as controversial as possible. I try to offend as many people as I can. Hopefully, I'll reach a few in the process.” It's Wednesday night in downtown West Palm Beach, and the Underground Coffeeworks is hosting its weekly poetry slam. The room is dark and smoky, and with the AC broken, it's 40 degrees hotter than hell. Still, the place is jammed with a crowd that hoots, claps, stamps its feet and calls for more. Swathed head-to-toe in black, Deon steps up to the mike into a red circle of light. His arms raise, his voice drops, and in clear, enunciated tones. . .
“Touched by the hand of God, I am born unto this world / Breaking down the doors of the womb, I am coming through / Bow down and give praise for it is He who brought me to you.”
Not the romanticism, lyricism or sensibility perhaps of Byron, Shelley or Coleridge, nor the complexity or ambiguity of Snyder, Pinsky or Dove, but definitely the stuff that gets you to the National Poetry Slam, pinnacle of this rambunctious, competitive performance art spawned in a Chicago jazz club 16 years ago. . .
“We're the first and only team from Florida selected to represent the state in national competition like this,” says Deon, an African American who often writes of the black experience. Earlier this summer, the team placed seventh in a field of 12 at the Southeast Regional Competition in Americus, Ga. Even big man Deon cried tears of joy. . .
So tonight they stand before the audience, trying out new pieces and reworking the tried and true to find the formula to wow the Providence judges. Deon gets the crowd cheering. There are four rounds and five judges, picked from the audience. “As long as you're not related or sleeping with a poet, you're eligible to be a judge,” says slammaster Richard Green, Jr., who organizes and emcees the weekly competition. At the Underground, first-place winner gets $10 cash and a $10 bar credit. Second place gets $10 and $5 credit, and third gets $5 and $5 credit. Twenty poets are competing this night, and the first place winner is The Acid Queen.
The New Poetry Pope
As you all know, Stanley Kunitz is the new Poet Laureate. I saw Kunitz 10 or 15 years ago. He's an amazing poet. I have Next-to-Last Things: New Poems and Essays (1986), which in retrospect wasn't so “next-to-last,” given his longevity. In the book is an interview from The Paris Review circa 1977, in which I found these Kunitz quotes worthy of highlighting:
  • “A poem has secrets that the poet knows nothing of.”
  • “From the beginning I was a subjective poet in contradiction to the dogma propounded by Eliot and his disciples that objectivity, impersonality, was the goal of art.”
  • “I want the energy to be concentrated in my nouns and verbs...”
  • “The poem in the head is always perfect. Resistance starts when you try to convert it to language.”
  • “Unless craft is second nature, it means nothing. Craft can point the way... but it's not to be confused with an art of transformation, the magical performance.”
  • “Bob Dylan couldn't have existed if Dylan Thomas hadn't existed before him.”
  • “Often a poem is a dream, but I don't necessarily say it is.”
  • “I've tried to squeeze the water out of my poems.”
  • “I like to use a word in a poem with its whole history dragging like a chain behind it. And then we go over the sound.”
And here are Kunitz links:
The Ireland Sojourn
The poetry excursion to Ireland led by poet Campbell McGrath, who heads Florida International University's Creative Writing Program, has returned. Here is a brief account from Miami-based poet, immigration attorney and calypso dancer Jonathan Rose:
I have promised to regale the folks with more wonderful tales of the Emerald Isle: I'll tell you of one of those “wanderin' around and about” times when I hopped a sightseeing bus. Well, it was one of those wonderful (double-deck) buses that allows its passengers to “hop on and off.” It seems that one of the first stops was Dublin Castle. I got to meanderin' on that beautiful sunny afternoon. Out in back of Dublin Castle was a grand garden, ample and green, with benches all around the perimeter. I lay on a bench for about an hour with the sun on my face, restin' from an exhaustin' mornin' full of eatin' breakfast and walkin' around. When I had enough of restin', I did some exploring -- and what do I come upon but a Museum. Well it seems this museum/library is named after this fellow Chester Beatty, who is quite a personage, he is. Among other things, he was born in New York, married a NY socialite in 1913 (after going West to the Klondike, making his fortune in mining, enjoying the support of President Diaz of Mexico by age 27. He visited London in 1914, promptly offering his house there to the Red Cross during WWI (he'd moved there in 1911). He traveled to Japan and Egypt, where he bought a home near the Pyramids (and began collecting). By the 1950s, he had a network of agents around the world. He was knighted in 1954 for his service to Britain. Then (get this) he was made the first honorary citizen of Ireland in 1957 (after having moved his collection to Dublin in 1950). What kind of collection? An amazing collection of the written words of all of the great religions of the world. Quite impressive. And not that many Irish know that the collection has been moved to Dublin Castle. I was informed by the gracious information personage at the museum/library.
Jonathan Rose writes Miami's Cultural Newsletter Online. If you'd like to keep a finger on the Miami pulse email him at PROSEGUY@aol.com, & he'll add you to his extensive email list.

Check out my new Web page. I'm asking poets to send me candidates to be added to the streaming names of poets on page 3. Also, send me great poetry links at dellarocca@earthlink.net. Adios--

--Leonardo Della Rocca

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA/ORANGE COUNTY
Happy Birthday OC Weekly
If the County’s premier alt. weekly newspaper (which I write for) was a small child, it could reach out its right hand, extend all its fingers and its thumb, and proudly announce, “I’m this many years old!” That’s right, the OC Weekly has turned five, and in its anniversary exploration of its role in the County, poetry figures prominently. Although the Village Voice-owned Socialist rag listed poetry events from the get-go in its calendar, the paper’s relationship with the poetry community really began on April 5, 1996, when editor Will Swaim ran a controversial story entitled “Poetry, Schmoetry.” The story, which centered on Swaim’s attempt to come to understand OC’s diverse and sometimes fragmented poetry scene, annoyed so many poets that he went ahead and added regular poetry coverage to the paper, provided first by Next... editor G. Murray Thomas, then by poet Daniel McGinn and finally, by myself. At least, that’s how I remember it. Amongst the poetry-related memorabilia in the anniversary issue are: a kind of incomprehensible essay by poet Lee “the Love Poet” Mallory, an update on OC’s nicest Republican poet, Bruce Sievers, and a write up of yours truly’s wedding in the OC Weekly newsroom. To top it off, poets were well represented at the paper's mammoth September 7th, birthday party. Sighted were myself, Mallory, Lea Deschenes, Hope Alvarado and Derrick Brown. A good time was had by all.
Rumors
I can neither confirm nor deny rumors that a new, weekly poetry slam will be starting up in Long Beach, California soon. Nor can I confirm or deny that four prominent local poets are going on a citywide pub crawl this very night in order to “hunt for a venue,” (evidently a euphemism for “getting sloppy drunk”). I can, however, confirm that Derrick Brown is a heck of a kisser. Guess you’ll just have to keep your eyes posted to this column for the word on the rest. Heee. Heee. Heee.
As to other prominent rumors, yes, the North Orange County Poetry Continuum has moved from Brea to its new home at the Ugly Mug in Orange. Check them out at their new venue every Wednesday at 8 pm.
Ugly Mug Caffé
261 North Glassell
(1.5 blocks north of Chapman Circle)
Orange, California
714.997.5610
And yes, the Laguna Beach Slam Team ranked a stellar 49th this year at Nationals. They’ve been properly flogged. Problem is, they liked it.
Hot Shows
Boston poet Jack McCarthy returns! Catch his OC show at Gypsy Den Grand-Central with LA diva Robin Gwynne! Monday, September 11, 7:30 pm, 125 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, 714.835.8840.
Also returning is Georgia Popoff of Syracuse, New York! Catch her Tuesday, September 12, 7:30 pm, at Claire de Lune, 2906 University Avenue, San Diego, 619.688.9845; Wednesday, September 13, 8 pm, at the aforementioned Ugly Mug; and Thursday, September 14, at the Laguna Beach Brewing Co., 422 S. PCH, Laguna Beach, 949.499.2337.
Also visiting from New York State is Brett Axel, reading Tuesday, September 19, 7:30 pm, at Claire de Lune; and Wednesday, September 27, 10 pm, at Club Mesa, 843 W. 19th Street, Costa Mesa, 949.642.8448.
Happy Birthday Ardinger!
Huntington Beach poet Charles Ardinger -- known for his snappy waistcoat, acerbic wit and harsh, modernistic imagery -- has been busy, and not just writing poetry. In an effort to push the boundaries of art, he’s been experimenting with a project called Fraud. “The point of Fraud,” says Ardinger, “is that as a performer, I’m setting myself up as something exemplary, but the joke is that literally anybody can do this.” The project has taken many odd manifestations. At points, it’s consisted of himself reading poetry to an odd “noise machine” background. At a show in Las Vegas, it consisted of him simply turning on the machine and leaving. Other times, it’s been more interactive. A show at the Artists Resource Center in Santa Ana had the poet’s voice split between himself, artist Phish Blackler and two tape recorders. At the Word Rave, in San Diego, it consisted of passing out dialog from a sex chat to every member of the audience, and having everybody chime in at will. “It was great fun,” says the eccentric writer. While it’s uncertain what will ultimately emerge from this dadaist path, aside from a forthcoming CD, it’s likely that Ardinger will continue to define the fringe of performance poetry in Orange County today. That’s a good thing.
In celebration of his birthday, Ardinger will be appearing Wednesday, September 13, 10 pm, at Club Mesa, and Monday, September 18, 7:30 pm, at Gypsy Den Grand Central.

And that’s my deer story. Lots of things are in the works countywide, but I can’t talk about ‘em yet. Keep your eyes peeled (ouch) and remember, only you can prevent forest fires. Peace,

--Victor Infante

LOS ANGELES & AROUND
San Diego Coffeehouse Legal Scene Update
Chris Klich wrote to me today with the full scoop on the San Diego scene I described in a recent Museletter. Chris is a musician in SD and has been heavily involved in protesting the reclassification of coffeehouses as entertainment establishments much like bars, including topless bars, etc. Here is his report directly:
Well, I said I’d explain the “entertainment” replacement for “coffeehouse.” The vice squad had no intention of really regulating coffeehouses; they just needed to put them under some code, so when they decided it was time for an overhaul of the various entertainment ordinances that they already had, some of which date back to the 50’s, they lumped “coffeehouses” in with all other entertainment establishments, under an omnibus entertainment ordinance called Division 15. This lumped coffeehouses together with bars, restaurants, massage parlors, holistic health practitioners, and raves. So you can see where some of the problems immediately sprang up. The crowd at yesterday’s meeting was much smaller than I had anticipated: about 40 of us. I’m not sure if I should name actual names, but I want to give you an idea of what interests were represented, so forgive me if you have to fill in the blanks with various names. Some of these folks have a pretty high profile. They were: the head of a powerful San Diego restaurant and bars organization; the owner of a popular nightclub in the Gaslamp; an attorney representing the North Park Business community; the representative for the Gaslamp vendors association; the owner of a coffee roasting company; several jazz musicians, a singer/songwriter, and a couple of musicians representing the Folk Heritage society; the booking agent for a popular coffeehouse, and the Web master for that venue; the host of a popular poetry reading; two reporters from the print media, one of whom has been instrumental in leading the charge on this issue (a Fox news reporter also showed up, later); a handful of concerned coffeehouse patrons; a couple of people who I would describe as free-speech advocates, defending constitutional rights; and several members of the vice squad, including Lt. Chris Ball, Lauri Davis, and Mary Nuesca. Surprisingly, there was not a single coffeehouse owner in the group! (The booking agent for one of the venues was, however, very capable of representing their interests, and did so eloquently).
The meeting began with Ms. Davis pointing out the changes that had been made since the August 15th meeting. Some of these changes were quite significant, and put many of us at ease. There were changes to the definition of admission charges, to exclude voluntary contributions or tips from being regulated. (This change was due in large part to the realization on the part of the vice squad that most venues do not, in fact, charge a cover fee.) Many new exemptions to the regulations were added, most significantly in the area of what kind of musical performances would be exempted. Before, the regulation only exempted “ambient music,” such as a piano player over in the corner, or a strolling violinist or accordionist. Now the regulation exempts “acoustical band” performances, as well. I questioned whether that meant that a band that needs to use a P.A. system (nearly all of us) are not covered. Lt. Ball assured me that non-amplified, as well as amplified “acoustical” bands would be exempt. Specifically, my wife’s electronic keyboard, which must be plugged in to work, would be allowed, as would the amplification of other acoustic instruments and voices. I failed to ask about guitar and bass amplifiers, but I get the feeling they’ll be allowed, as well. Existing sound-abatement ordinances would still be enforced, of course.
The issue of the fees came up. The vice squad stated that the maximum fee would now be $172 for a non-alcohol venue that holds 49 people or less. For larger venues, the fee could range into the $300 range. These costs reflect the recoupment of costs to have police department officials come out and meet with venue owners, as well as the estimated costs for enforcement. I asked if the 49-person cap was arbitrary, since some nights a club might have 20 or so audience members in attendance, and other nights perhaps 70 or 80, depending on how popular the band was. Ms. Davis stressed that the 49-person figure was based on the capacity in square feet of a venue, and was determined by the fire department. So this means that it’ll be more fairly determined, based on the footprint of the club. Smaller venues will, of course, have an advantage in terms of how much money they’ll have to pay for their permit, and the larger establishments will have to pay more, but I figure that if a small place becomes more popular, they’d probably move to larger space or buy adjacent properties and knock down some walls, thus becoming a larger venue. If they’re that successful, they can probably pay the larger fees, in most cases, so this strikes me as fair. Of course, there may still be a few venues that are already suffering due to the energy costs of cooling such large spaces, and adding a higher regulatory fee might be the figurative “straw that breaks the camel’s back,” but I would hope that wouldn’t happen. If it did, I’m sure there are creative ways for a club to raise the money to stay in business. I have a few ideas.
We discussed some of the language in the ordinance. The most egregious statement was in the declaration about why they wanted to impose the new regulations. There was a statement reading “Entertainment involving young adults have the demonstrated potential to attract gang activity, drug activity, and underage drinking.” (SEC. 33.1501). This language, of course, upset a great many of us coffeehouse advocates, and our message that these venues provide an alternative to the kinds of activities in the above quote had resonance. City attorney Mary Nuesca has stated that they will change the wording to reflect that the young adult entertainment in the quote will be more specifically in regard to raves and such. The vice squad realized (because of our ministrations) that a coffeehouse atmosphere really doesn’t encourage those kinds of activities. A suggestion was made that perhaps a civilian steering committee could be formed to be a liaison between the community and the police department. Many agreed that it would be a good idea, so perhaps one will be formed. I wouldn’t mind being on such a committee, as long as we don’t meet too often. I’ve already spent so much time on this issue, I’m glad it looks like it may be approaching an end. The only issue left hanging at the end of the meeting is the matter that, the way the ordinance is worded, the Chief of Police still has ultimate jurisdiction over all entertainment venues.
There were a couple of people particularly concerned that if the police department didn’t agree with a certain kind of event, this legislation could have the impact of giving them the opportunity to shut it down. The example of a poetry reading, held a few months back, was made. It was a celebration of African-American poetry, and the poets had agreed to dedicate their performance to Abu Mumia Jamal. In case you don’t know who this person is, he was a journalist who frequently contributed to National Public Radio, who was tried and convicted of murdering a police officer. There has been much made of trying to get him a new trial, and the poets were adding their voice to this appeal. Apparently, the venue where this poetry reading was to occur was threatened with losing their funding, as a result of being a host to this event. I wish I knew more details about the connection between the police department and the funding source. Absent that information, I must say that a legitimate concern is being raised here, of whether the police department will have too much influence on what kind of culture can be presented, but, on the other side of the coin, I also realize that a lot of legal and political careers have been made fighting against oppression. I’d think that if an evil police chief, bent on throwing his weight around, tried to impose his will on the populace, an F. Lee Bailey or Tom Hayden would eventually come to the forefront to battle this oppression, and win. Perhaps that’ll be the destiny of the young men, the afore-mentioned free-speech advocates in the room yesterday. I believe they probably have law careers in front of them, if not already as their occupation. I have faith that the citizenship will be well represented. So you could say that I feel this issue, while not completely addressed, will not be too onerous. Well, if I’m lucky, I won’t have to write too many more of these updates (and you won’t have to read them, either!). I wish I could write a personal thank-you to all of you who have written me with encouragement and thanks, but time precludes me from returning emails individually to all of you. But please accept my heartfelt thanks, and let me once again remind all of you that it was through our combined efforts that we made the police department realize how important our neighborhood coffeehouses are to culture. We did some great work together, preserving a forum for the open exchange of new creativity, and for that we can all be very proud!
The next step for the legislation is that the ordinance will go before the P.S.N.S. committee on October 4th, and will arrive at the city council chambers on October 23rd. I had previously been misinformed, and got the commission hearing mixed up with the City Council hearing. I left a message for Lauri Davis to fill me in on the details of the two meetings (time, location, what P.S.N.S. means -- I knew, but my addled brain has somehow lost that information), so when I hear back from her, I’ll let you know those details, as well.

--Larry Jaffe

READER-SUBMITTED POETRY NEWS BRIEFS
From Charlotte “Sista C” Ferrell:
Sista C & Co announce the release of a new WordBeat(tm) Poetry CD, Trackin' From Pillows to Pillars with 9 original poems by African American/Canadian poet Charlotte “Sista C” Ferrell, hailing from Redondo Beach, CA. Her WordBeat poetry is rhythmic, dramatic poetry blended with music composed by gospel, jazz & blues recording artists. The 9 poems on the CD are excerpts from Sista C's soon to be released poetry “WriteBook” book, From Pillows to Pillars. Sista C will be doing local performance/autograph events as well as participating in events in Canada, the Caribbean and Europe. To contact email prettywords@hotmail.com or phone 310.754.6016 ext 5995.

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