Raving Poets News
june 27, 2008
CAA Open Mic with The Raving Poets Band
The Canadian Authors Association is having their national Conference CanWrite in Edmonton July 3 -6, 2008. As part of the conference, we will be having an Open Mic with the Raving Poets in residence, sponsored by the CAA and Yiannis Taverna.
Let's show the National Writers what a good audience is!
We had a pre-register for 20 CAA readers and we expect to have some last minute spots... and depending on time.... we'll open it up first to CAA folk, then to anyone...
So if you are hungry for the Raving Poets band and some words to rave by, then come on out and applaud as loudly as you can! Most of the readers will be first time readers, so let's give them an RP first-time readers experience!WHERE: Dinwoodie Lounge, SUB, UofA campus
WHEN: July 3, 2008 8:00 p.m.
Raving Poets on Help!TV
|
Of all the wonders of nature, a tree in
summer is perhaps the most remarkable;
with the possible exception of a moose
singing "Embraceable You" in spats."
-Woody Allen
june 24, 2008
Poetea
Hosted by Adam Snider
the 1st Thursday of every month from 7-9pm
next reading is July 3nd, 2008
Bring your words.
Bring your friends.
Drink. Read. Listen.
Steeps Glenora (12411 Stony Plain Road)
Email adam.snider@gmail.com to get on the list.
june 20, 2008
|
june 6, 2008
Two treats for you today. We have a new guest poet on the site, Shona. Please welcome her with a read of her outstanding work. And the indefatigable Michael Appleby has sent in two new pieces for your perusal. Check 'em out!
And finally, a note from Mary Pinkoski:
Hi Everyone,
The CD of my winning CBC poem is now available for purchase online at the CBC website. Just what you always wanted, a little piece of my voice :) The CD also contains the other regional winners. Teachers, apparently I have been told that the CD is good for use in schools because all our poems had to meet the community standards...
Buy one for yourself,
Buy one for your mom,
Buy one for the man at the bottom of your street
who never mows his lawn.
Here is the link if anyone is interested.
Thanks again for all your support.
Mary
An artist is a dreamer consenting
to dream of the actual world
-George Santayana
may 30, 2008
If you weren't at the Kasbar last Wednesday, you missed one of the best Raving Poets nights EVER. Mike's brilliant theme idea turned the night into what felt like a concentrated "Best Of". The theme was, write your "last poem", a piece that would be your last words to this world. And man... one after another, twenty poets knocked it out the park.
A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the fundraiser for the Alberta Heart and Stroke Foundation! Those who bought buttons or tossed cash into the hat. We raised $455! (In no small part thanks to the über-salesmanship of Rosemary Wilson and Michael Appleby.) And you can tell your friends that the buttons are still available at Greenwoods and Blackbyrd Music. But they're going fast, so get'em soon!
A few quick thanks:
- to Tammy and Jamie at the Kasbar for hosting our rag-tag crew of poets and musicians.
- to Randy for getting those sweeeet buttons designed, built and packaged.
- to Mike, for being the Host with Most. Dude, you were melting the ice in everyone's drinks with those warm-hearted, endlessly inventive intros.
- to the band for 13 weeks of Whyte Ave parking-angst, and hauling gear up and down those stairs.
- and of course, to the poets. Writing is a solitary activity. Most poets are introverts who find it a challenge to get up in front of microphone. And yet, week after week, you popped open your ribs and showed us into your hearts. You are what Heart Beat was all about. Thank you.
I was reading the dictionary.
I thought it was a poem about everything.
-Steven Wright
may 23, 2008
All good things must come to an end. Tequila benders, Christmas mornings, the moment the last Algemarin bubble pops in the tepid bath. So too must the Raving Poets series Heart Beat strum its last bar and go to that great big R40 double-wide in the sky.
Be there. The Kasbar. This Wednesday, May 28th. Be there, 'cause Thomas says so. Bring your words - especially the ones for Mike's challenge. Bring a pocketful of coin for the bar and for our fundraiser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. (Everyone who donates will be eligible for big fat prizes, like an original painting by Laurie MacFayden!). And of course, be there for the magic.
And if you're already feeling like you're missing the Raving Poets, head on over to Live At the Kasbar, and check out Randy's raft of brand-fresh-new podcasts.
The Raving Poets: Heart Beat -The Finale
This Wednesday, May 28
The Kasbar Lounge below Yianni's Taverna
10444 - Whyte Ave. Edmonton
Goodbye, Gerome.
Bye, Rusty.
'Tis late.
This little chair will be waiting for one of you
A rocking chair for another who likes to rock
And a big armchair for two more to curl up in
when you come again to our castle
-The Friendly Giant
may 16, 2008
Only two weeks remaining of the Raving Poets series. Aahh... It seems like yesterday that Mark suggested the brilliant title, Heart Beat, and we all jumped at it like David Beckham at a flubbed dribble. It was partly to honor our MC, Mike Gravel, and the traumatic event of his hospitalization early this year. But it was also to do our bit to thank, with our support, the Heart and Stroke Foundation for all the good work they do.
To raise cold cash for the HSF, we're selling sets for the niftiest little buttons you've ever seen. Five bucks (five bucks) for a four-pack. All proceeds will go to the Foundation.
Plus, on the final night, we'll be doing a big pass-the-hat for the cause. All who donate will be eligible for prizes so cool you'll be spritzing in your jammies all night. Watch for a big announcement next week!
Oh, yes, and we have some hot new words for you, courtesy of of the illustrious Don Schaeffer!
Like a piece of ice on a hot stove
the poem must ride on its own melting
-
Robert Frost
may 9, 2008
We have two new guest poets for you today, sml'amour and Keisha Grant. Check out their brave new words!!!
And in case you've been living under a slab of anthracite for the past week, our own Thomas Trofimuk has landed a big honking deal for his third novel, "Columbus at 4 a.m." You can read all about it here and here. Huge Congrats Thomas!
Oh, yeah, and to plug my own scribbling a bit, I (Gord) am the featured poet on Daily Haiku this week. Give my little 17 syllable tidbits a gander here.
|
The Raving Poets: Heart Beat
Every Wednesday till the end of May
The Kasbar Lounge below Yianni's Taverna
10444 - Whyte Ave. Edmonton
The first man to compare
the cheeks of a
young woman to a rose was obviously a poet;
the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot.
-Salvador Dali
\
may 2, 2008
We have a whole glorious heap of new words for you from Ryan Baier, Christine Comeau, Corine Demas, and new to the Raving site, guest poet Michelle L Hart.
And be sure and check this out: Patrick Pilarski and Nicole Pakan both have works in the latest edition of Other Voices. See the poster below for details.
You know how it is in the kid's book world:
It's just bunny eat bunny.
-Anonymous
april 30, 2008
The Uptown Browns
|
Raving Poets, you have reason to be proud. Check out the following message from Alan Boss, the Entertainment & Drama Producer at CBC.
Hello all,
In case you haven't heard, Alberta had two poets in the top three in the audience voting for the Poetry Face Off. Top spot was taken by Edmonton poet Mary Pinkoski and third place was taken by Calgary's Dale Lee Kwong. So a big congratulations to Mary and Dale!
This accomplishment is not only testament to the excellent performance poets we have in the province, but to the process. Both Sheri-D's Poetry Slams in Calgary and The Raving Poets events in Edmonton are perfect places for poets to develop their poetry and performance skills.
Of course, these elements are perfect for the CBC Poetry Face Off. So thank you Sheri-D and Thomas (et al) for your help in developing the province's poets and assisting me in finding the poets for the PFO's.
Your help is essential. (I'm confident that last year's winners would have done equally well, had the PFO not canceled the voting.)That being said, the judges -- Sheri-D, John Spittal, Moe Clark in Calgary and E.D. Blodgett, Kerry Mullholland, Joe Fingerote in Edmonton
-- also play a huge role. Thank you judges for volunteering your time and for your using your ears to choose the best poetry for the radio.
And I know it's tough, especially being that the products are strong.This year the poets were backed by fab. improvised music. The music added to the final product by supporting, and lifting, the words; the musicians were all amazing. In Edmonton music was provided by The Raving Poets: Thomas Trofimuk, Gordon McRae, and Randy Edwards. In Calgary the musicians were Kodi Hutchinson, Aaron Young, and Sheldon Zanboer.
These pieces would have never gotten to the air were it not for a crack team at the CBC, from Sandy, Del, Melanie, Andrew and Kate in the communications dept. to the recording engineers Eric, Corey, and Tory.
And i also appreciate support and promotion from the afternoon and morning shows.And finally, and perhaps most importantly, thanks to Katherine Duncan who tied both the events together by providing tone, focus, and for airing two PFO specials provincially on The Key Of A.
So hat's off to all of you for your work on the Poetry Face Off.
Here's to next year and an equally successful process!allan . . .
Allan Boss
Entertainment & Drama Producer
CBC Radio Alberta
1724 Westmount Blvd. NW
P.O.Box 2640
Calgary, Alberta T2P2M7
phn. 403.521.6247
cell. 403.585.4841
http://www.cbc.ca/albertaanthology/
april 25, 2008
UPDATE
Huge Congratulations to Mary Pinkoski!!
She has won the CBC Poetry Faceoff at the National level.
See: http://www.cbc.ca/poetryfaceoff/
You Have Homework. Have you started it?
This past Wednesday at the Raving Poets reading down at the Kasbar Lounge, emcee Mike Gravel issued a "homework assignment" to the poets in attendance. He challenged everyone to write their "last poem", a piece that would be their last words to this world.
The assignment is due on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - the last gig of the Raving Poets' latest reading series, Heart Beat.
"It's kind of an earnest idea, but I hope the poets take it seriously," says Gravel. "I take it seriously. I hope people go deep and chisel off all the bullshit. I hope they write the poem that they can't help but write,
the one that surfaces every time they press a pen to paper."
On May 28, the Raving Poets will end their latest reading series with a night of final words. It's all about raising the bar, Gravel says. "We get five weeks to write the piece and five minutes to read it. Ask yourself what you really want to say. Thanks, goodbye, whatever. We're getting the chance to say something true. So do it."
- Rudy Rubinski
april 23, 2008
Happy news from Patrick Pilarski!
Hi Guys,I have some good news, and it involves you! I've had my experimental haibun "Subway" (from the Raving Poets --- Remixed CD, and my chapbook Five Weeks) accepted for audio and text publication by the new international online haibun journal Haibun Today. This could be the first instance of the journal publication of an "audio haibun"!
Jeffrey Woodward (the editor of HT) has just put the poem MP3 and accompanying text online, along with a short article I wrote about its creation (and you, the fabulous band). He's got a link to the RP site, and hopefully my little blurb does you guys the justice you deserve; I had a couple other raving poets edit it to make sure I wasn't spouting heresy :)
Anyway, if you feel like seeing the article (full of glowing words about your collective brilliance) in "print", it is now online at:
Thanks again for being a fantastic source of artistic awesomeness; we may have made haibun history here :)
All the best (and see you tomorrow night),
Patrick
p.s. A HUGE thanks to Gord for the last-minute audio tweaks---it sounds awesome!
Greetings haiku fans!
New contributors! A new look! DailyHaiku is very pleased to announce the launch of our new contributor cycle, online at:
http://www.dailyhaiku.org/
Over the next six months you will see the work of these six skillful haiku purveyors (in order of publication): Beverly A. Tift, Lanie Shanzyra P. Rebancos, Gord McRae, Rita Odeh, Sheila E. Murphy, and Susan Sanchez-Barnett. We guarantee it will be a terrifically Zen-like and surprising Spring. A huge thank you as well to our outgoing contributor team for all their work in making a very exciting Fall/Winter Cycle, and to everyone who submitted for the new cycle!
Also, if you haven't yet, be sure to visit our special features page as we have recently posted an exciting new experimental senryu set by the fabulous Mary Pinkoski---Special Feature 2—Even when we were crazy with love...
We hope you enjoy the new haiku, the new website look and our second special feature. You can also subscribe to DailyHaiku on your favourite feedreader at: http://www.dailyhaiku.org/rss/ .
new haiku---
hoping warm words
melt the spring snow
May the Zen be with you,
Patrick and Nicole
Editors --- DailyHaiku
april 11, 2008
april 4, 2008
Edmonton [ Alberta ]
Current Conditions
Observed at: Edmonton City Centre Airport, 8:00 AM MDT, Friday, 4 April 2008
Condition: Cloudy as a beer full of lipstick Winston butts.
Temperature: Brubeck groove cool, cat's paw cool, Corine Demas cool.
Pressure / Tendency: Inclined to rise like a pickle to the occasion of a warm grill cheese sandwich.
Visibility: Farther than a speck of sleeping-bag down cast aloft in a baked bean zephyr.
Humidity: Moist, baby, moist.
Wind Speed: Two knots shy of a Hillary Clinton blurt clarification.
Forecast
Issued: 5.00 AM MDT Friday 4 April 2008
Today: A dauntless firmament sires a purposeful mistral by mid day.
Tonight: Dark as MILF chocolate. (I'll say no more.)
Saturday: Snow, maybe, like, and sunny and stuff.
Sunday: Giddy sacks of numinous light giving way to the gelid breath of twilight.
Monday: Sucks not to be Michael Appleby.
Tuesday: Day breaks like a B-Boy on bennies and goes down in alt.religion-sized flames.
Wednesday:
The Raving Poets: Heart Beat
Every Wednesday till the end of May
The Kasbar Lounge below Yianni's Taverna
10444 - Whyte Ave. Edmonton
In the end we're all Jerry Springer Show guests,
really, we just haven't been on the show.
-Marilyn Manson
march 28, 2008
E.L. Doctorow interviews the Raving Poets
Named for Edgar Allan Poe, Edgar Lieghton Doctorow occupies a central position in the history of American literature. He currently holds the Glucksman Chair in American Letters at Brandeis University and over the years has taught at several institutions, including New York University Drama School, Princeton University, Sarah Lawrence College, and the University of California, Irvine.
Dr. Doctorow: What was it like to be at the center of that hurricane of publicity that surrounded the Raving Poets in the late-1990s?
RP: It meant very little to us at the time. Our whole world view came from local talk shows and newspapers, which were prone to exaggerate and trivialize everything. It seemed obvious they were writing a load of rubbish that had nothing to do with us.
Dr.D: But didn't that media frenzy contribute to the band's problems?
RP: Oh, it helped us for a bit, but it's a very unsafe tool to play with. After a while, it seemed that all our effort got sucked into that. I remember Phillip Uppet (the RP's manager) at the time saying let the press have free rein, and that we shouldn't care. I don't like to suffer hindsight, but I remember thinking that was a bad decision. Look what happened to Mary Pinkoski. Brilliant gal. But it became impossible to tell when they were writing the truth and when they weren't.
Dr.D: What did you think of the movie Mark of Caïn, which purported to tell the story of your bassist, Mark Kozub?
RP: It was so typical, so completely taken away from reality. A film like that is to be expected. When I raised a protest, Mimi Cox, the filmmaker, said, "Well, this is my version."
Dr.D: Did the movie get anything right?
RP: Maybe the name Mark. I liked Paul Giamatti's acting, but he was presented with a Polaroid version and that's how he acted--like a Polaroid. On the other hand, nobody could have been bang-on as Thomas. It was impossible to be too over-the-top as Thomas.
Dr.D: Could you see what heroin was doing to Mark?
RP: Not at first. It crept up. But it was amazing how quickly everything came along. You can't help these people. Nothing matters to them. Heroin is the ultimate artist's drug. Look at Lenny Breau. Where would he have been without heroin?
Dr.D: What did you think when Scooter released that song, "I'm Raving"?
RP: Yeah, yeah. How's it go again?
Dr.D: "I'm raving, I'm raving
I'm raving 'till the sweat has fallen down off me
I'm raving, I'm raving
But do I really feel the way I feel"
RP: I was confused by it and I still am. I have no idea what on earth he meant. I tried to get him to come on the RP trip to Tokyo and he said no. It's very curious that he would write a song about me but not want to talk to me. It was very nice to be told Scooter will only talk to people he already knows. That should make for a very lonely existence for him.
Dr.D: What's the band listening to these days?
RP: Well, still too much Tom Waits, of course. And Thomas, well, he still keeps up that Jane Siberry Web site. Master Eds is all about the quality. Amon Tobin, Chopin, that sort of thing. And Gord, god knows what the hell he's listening to. Some circus jungle shit, I expect.
Dr.D: What about hip-hop?
RP: No, it's way, way, way too typical. It's just sampling and more sampling and there's nothing new going on. The RP band has a very do-it-yourself attitude. Hip-hop wants to wait for somebody else to do it so they can yap like a dog over the song. That's way too easy.
Dr.D: How does it feel to be historical figures?
RP: We're not an icon—we're icon-busters. Just because we get all this press and stuff doesn't mean we have to wallow in it. Take Pilarski, or Pruden, you'd never see them in your typical grocery store. They have to order in or they just get mobbed. And they're not into that. They just want to get on with their lives.
The Raving Poets: Heart Beat
Every Wednesday till the end of May
The Kasbar Lounge below Yianni's Taverna
10444 - Whyte Ave. Edmonton
To have great poets there must be great audiences too.
-Walt Whitman
Submissions now open...
for Contributor Cycle 5
(Spring/Summer 2008)
of DailyHaiku!
DailyHaiku exists to promote and preserve the gentle written art of haiku. It serves as "a daily shot of Zen", a small island of simplicity and calm within the frantic pace of modern life.
We're looking for a new roster of 6 talented haiku poets for our upcoming DailyHaiku contributor cycle. If selected as a contributor, you will be responsible for providing a total of 28 haiku over a six-month period.
Deadline: March 31, 2008 (11:59 pm Mountain Standard Time)
What to Submit: a sample of seven haiku---no more, no less---and a 75 word bio.
How to Submit: Email submissions to: desk[at]dailyhaiku.org
Contributors and Submissions: DailyHaiku features the work of six authors presented over a six month time frame. Each week, the work of a different author from the current contributing team is featured on this website. The contributing team at DailyHaiku changes twice per year---once in April and once in October. All submitted and contributed work will also be considered for our annual print journal.
Published once a year, the print journal features the work of the previous two contributor teams. One exemplary week of contributed haiku each year will also be awarded the DailyHaiku Editors' Choice Award and featured prominently in the print edition.
For specific submission guidelines and more information about this publication, please visit the website http://www.dailyhaiku.org.
Previous contributors: to keep the site dynamic, we ask that you wait at least one or two cycles before re-submitting to DailyHaiku. Please feel free to pass this note on to any other interested individuals. We look forward to reading your work!
Nicole Pakan and Patrick M. Pilarski
Editors --- DailyHaiku
march 14, 2008
The final results from our "Most Raving" Facebook poll:
Most Raving Geniuses:
Albert Einstein
Sharon Stone
Baruch Spinoza
Michelangelo Buonarroti
Most Raving Microphone Expert:
Janice Joplin
Tom Jones
Corine Demas
Robert Plant
Most Raving Fast Foods:
Big Mac
Poutine with squeaky cheese
Funky Pickle's Pig Kahuna
Wendy's Spicy Baconator
Most Raving Movie Quotes:
"We'll always have Paris."
"I'll have what she's having."
"Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!"
"Why don't you go outside and jerk yourself a soda?"
Most Raving Cutenesses:
Baby Hamsters
Baby Chimps
Baby Babies
Baby Kozubs
Most Raving Dirty Jokes:
The one about the coffee can.
"Blonde vs Door Knob"
"One day there was this ferret who came into a bar."
The Mailman and the Crepe Nadia
Most Raving Obscure Words:
Squodyssey
Polyphiloprogenitive
Foetor
Pogonophobia
Most Raving Reality TV Shows:
Spelling Bee
What Not to Wear
Dr. Phil – Have You Had Your Phil Today?
Punk'd
Most Raving Beverages:
Box wine
Grande, quad, ristretto, skinny, dry, cappuccino.
Stella
Masala Chai
Most Raving Pant Sizes:
M
14
86/86cm
34"
Most Raving Ballroom Dances:
Schottische
Paso Doble
Collegiate Shag
Peabody
Most Raving Personal Adornments:
Monkey Socks
Tattoos
Nipple Rings
Side burns
Most Raving Writing Implements:
Fountain Pen
Blood
Mechanical Pencil
Sharpie
Most Raving Sleep Aids:
Ambien
Stella
Lunesta
Amomaxia
Most Raving Musical Effects:
Bass slide
Pete Townsend guitar windmill
Piano Chord Clusters
The Bench Jump
The Raving Poets: Heart Beat
Every Wednesday till the end of May
The Kasbar Lounge below Yianni's Taverna
10444 - Whyte Ave. Edmonton
Don't over-analyze your poem;
it's like yanking up a fragile indoor plant
every 20 minutes to see how its roots are growing.
- Gord's paraphrase of Ogden Nash
march 7, 2008
The frequency of the poetic metre supports numerous parallels with the cardiac cycle, both during the creation of the poem and the it's ultimate vocal delivery.
Much has been made of the binary ventilation sequence (inhalation/exhalation) with reference to the poetic metre. In this pneumatic model, rarely is there any reference made to what I shall call the hematopoetic pause (diastole) that creates tension in a piece.
Every single 'beat' of the heart involves three major stages: atrial systole, ventricular systole and complete cardiac diastole. These are equivalent to the three determining points in the arc of a poetic line: breath/anticipation, vocalization and pause/relaxation.
In "The Act of Creation", Arthur Koestler offers a theory to account for the "Ah Ha" reaction of scientific discovery, the "Ha Ha" reaction to jokes and the "Ah" reaction of poetic creation and mystical or religious insight. In each case the result is produced by a paradox he calls "bisociation of matrices" or the intersection of lines of thought which brings together hitherto unconnected ideas and fuses them into a creative synthesis.
In poetry, paradox is a key to express tension and thus become a central device to convey its meaning. One of the longstanding paradoxes of our anatomy has been the ability of individual heart cells to beat both independently and in unison, even after they have been extracted from a human body.
Not to belabor a point, but if one were so inclined, it would not be difficult to telescope the hematopoetic metaphor and compare the rhythmical beat of individual words to this beat of single heart cells, and indeed, to the reactions of individual audience members at a literary reading. As long as the beating heart cells do not touch one another, their beats are independent - some are faster, some are slower. But over time, the myocytes form interconnected sheets of cells (monolayers) that beat in unison.
The Raving Poets: Heart Beat
Every Wednesday till the end of May
The Kasbar Lounge below Yianni's Taverna
10444 - Whyte Ave. Edmonton
Love is like an hourglass, with the
heart filling up as the brain empties.
-Jules Renard
february 29, 2008
On this Leap Day in
1288 - Scotland established this day as one when a woman could propose marriage to a man. In the event that he refused the proposal he was required to pay a fine "of Sixpence, a double link of Arbroath smokies and a Crappit heid". (Don't ask.)
1860 - The first electric tabulating machine was invented by Herman Hollerith. And Mrs. Hollerith was shocked to discover it.
1904 - In Washington, DC, a seven-man commission was created to hasten the construction of the Panama Canal. As a result, 22,007 people died in the construction of it.
1940 - Hattie McDaniel won Best Supporting Actress award for her role as Mammy in "Gone with the Wind." Poopdeck Pappy is still waiting for his little gold man.
1944 - The invasion of the Admiralty Islands began with "Operation Brewer." U.S. General Douglas MacArthur led his forces onto Los Negros with his signature pipe and a little bag of yeast.
1944 - The Office of Defense Transportation, for the second year in a row, restricted attendance at the Kentucky Derby to residents of the Louisville area. As a result of a flurry of local complaints, only two nags were allowed to watch.
1952 - In New York City, four signs were installed at 44th Street and Broadway in Times Square that told pedestrians when to walk. The signs read, in sequence, "Walk", "Don't Walk", "I told you not to walk!" and, "Get out the spatula."
1964 - Dawn Fraser got her 36th world record. The Australian swimmer was timed at 58.9 seconds in the 100-meter freestyle in Sydney, Australia. Her other records are still played occasionally on WKBR in Canberra.
2008 – The Raving Poets announce their new series, Heart Beat, beginning Wednesday, March 5th. Signup: 7:30, Show at 8:00. The Kasbar Lounge below Yianni's Taverna, 10444 - Whyte Ave. Edmonton. And make sure you bring your Arbroath smokies.
The world needs dreamers
and the world needs doers. But above all,
the world needs dreamers who do.
-Sarah Ban Breathnach
february 15, 2008
Guess what's happening on March 5th? The Raving Poets are back at the Kasbar with a fresh new series and sparkling new words. Be there or be a four sided polygon.
Oh, yes, and a generous splash of Raving Poets tunage will be broadcast on Saturday, February 16th on CBC Radio One. From 5:00 to 6:00pm on the Key of A, they'll be airing the finale of Edmonton's 2008 Poetry Face Off! Here's some more info: Coming up on the Key of A
Ryan Baier has a couple new pieces for your reading pleasure. Check 'em out here.
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable one persists to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
- George Bernard Shaw
january 25, 2008
Congratulations to our own Mary Pinkoski on winning the CBC Poetry Face Off - Edmonton, at CBC's Center Stage yesterday! In an illustrious ceremony, last year's winner, Kerry Mulholland, handed over her crown and promptly signed a tour deal for the pro circuit. Congratulations, Mary! Check out the CBC Web site for more info.
Every fight is a food fight
when you’re a cannibal.
-Demetri Martin
january 18, 2008
CBC Poetry Face Off - Edmonton
January 24, 2008 - 12 noon
Come and cheer on your fellow poets! Laurie MacFayden, Mary Pinkoski, Jadon Rempel, Andy Michaelson and Joanne Osborne-Paulson will be performing for the CBC panel of judges this Thursday with the Raving Poets band backing them up! How much fun is that?
CBC Centre Stage
Suite 123, Edmonton City Centre
10062 - 102 Avenue
(South East corner of the mall)
Not to go to the theater is like
making one's toilet without a mirror.
- Schopenhauer
january 4, 2008
Here's a little AV treat for you all. I've posted a whole schwack of Raving Poets YouTube vids from various artists. Check 'em out here: Mike Gravel, Phil Jagger, Mark Kozub, Gary Lee, Mandie Lopatka, and Thomas Trofimuk.
Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot;
but make it hot by striking.
-William Butler Yeats
january 1, 2008
From everyone at Raving Poets headquarters,
(including that besotted monkey under the stairs)
we like to wish you all a very
december 7, 2007
Party On!
The Raving Poets Get Down with the Writers Guild!
Next Wednesday, December 12th is the final night of Space Monkey! The last Raving Poets night of AD Two Thousand and Seven! Come kiss the year goodbye in a special event we're hosting with the Writers Guild of Alberta.
Eight versifiers from the Raving Poets crew and eight from the Writers Guild will be chosen by random draw to edify and entertain us.
And if that's not enough, there will be yummy Yianni's food generously provided by the Guild.
Poetry, music, food, drink and good company. You couldn't ask for a better night!
The winner
of the Raving Poets/CBC Poetry Face Off
Laurie MacFayden!!!
Jadon Rempel, First Runner Up
Mary Pinkoski, Second Runner Up
CLICK for some pics of the evening