Home
Dave
13 May 2008 @ 08:54 pm
Poetry fragment  
 

This is what hovers between:

the blossoming of green stone and the breaking of cotton cords.



 
 
Dave
11 May 2008 @ 10:36 am
Tonight at the Poets Asylum  

we will hold our regular open mic followed by a cash slam. Poets will perform poems of their own creation in 2 rounds scored by randomly chosen judges. The winner will receive a percentage of the bucket based on the luck of the draw from a deck of cards. Come join in the fun.

Come on down to the The Q Cafe (362 Chandler Street, Worcester). The open mic sign-up list goes out around 7:00 p.m. and the reading starts closer to 7:30 p.m. No cover; please throw some money in the bucket to support the reading.



Also, there will be a surprise. Some may already know what it is, but shhhhhhh!






 
 
Dave
07 May 2008 @ 08:48 pm
This morning  

while lying in bed with him, I realized that no one ever mentioned how precious and beautiful the moments of tenderness are. How an arm across the torso or hands finding common space would become just as valuable as anything else.

 
 
Current Mood: content
 
 
Dave
04 May 2008 @ 11:51 pm
Worcester Semi- Finals *EDIT*  
So, um...yeah. I've made it to the finals stage for the Worcester Poetry Slam Team!
We had a fine semi-final tonight. Everyone did poems they should be proud of.

Now is the time to prepare.
& pray certain people to death
or just minor injuries :)

Okay, I just need to breathe and have fun at finals, right?



EDIT: If I'm correct I'm also the only poet in finals who has never competed in a finals and never been to an NPS! Bring it on mother fuckers, bring it on!
 
 
Dave
29 April 2008 @ 07:38 pm
Vote or be prayed to death!  

The hour is soon when the people will decide who is the next Poet Laureate of The Blogosphere! If you have not voted for TONY BROWN
you will be prayed to death by an angry Hawaiian...or you may suffer poetic malaise!

 

Either way now is when we need that final push. Mr. Brown needs the margin of victory over the neo-fascist poetic form that his closest rival, Mr. Rob McLennan.

 

Vote for someone you can trust in, someone who will not usher in a Francoesque restriction on the poetic blogosphere.

 
Vote Often!

Vote against despotic poetry!

Vote for Freeedom!

Vote Tony Brown Poet Laureate of The Blogosphere!!!

vote at: http://bloggingpoet.squarespace.com/bloggingpoetcom/category/poet-laureate-of-the-blogosphere

Tony Brown, Poetically Stronger Than A Bull-Moose!
 
 
 
Dave
24 April 2008 @ 10:28 am
VOTE BROWN!!!!  
That's right! This spring don't go green, go Brown! As in Mr. Tony Brown the next Poet Laureate Of The Blogosphere!
Mr. Brown has the campaign platform that speaks to the heart of who we are as poets, artists, and all around muckrakers!!!

It is crucial that you vote for Tony Brown as our next Poet Laureate of the Blogosphere. He is  the poet whose words pierce you where it hurts the most.

Tony has the endorsements of such poets as [info]theryk , [info]myainsel[info]javabill, [info]ocvictor, [info]caoilinnshouse and other fantastic poets we all know and love including myself!

The competition is fierce, but we will prevail with your help.

Your vote counts!
Together We Can!
He will give us a Stronger Poetry Blogosphere!

Remember, This spring: GO BROWN!
A vote for Tony Brown is a vote that isn't for someone else.






 
 
Dave
23 April 2008 @ 07:49 pm
Publications (or poet stuff)  
 

I was rejected again from Strange Horizons, an excellent speculative fiction genre on-line publication. This had to be one of the nicer notices I’ve gotten:

 

“We are afraid we are saying no on this submission. This was a close call. Your poem is very good and we held it back for several weeks to give it serious consideration.”

 

Not too bad either. I was also rejected from another publication, but again a very nice note. In general I don’t take this too personally. After all each person/publication has their needs for a particular issue and all that.

 

I still need to hear back from 3 other publications, one is `Oiwi: A Native Hawaiian Journal. That one I want to get into more than most. I’ve been waiting 2-3 years for them to come out with the next volume. There is a strong chance they will take my stuff thanks to a friend mentioning me while at an indigenous peoples conference.

 

I will send out my work to more places, too.

 

I know that when I’ve slammed I usually get a bigger audience than I can in a journal or small publication. I get that. And of course I’ve only made it as far as semi-finals for Worcester. There have been the slam workshops that involved 200 or more children

and for some folks the question is “Why bother?”

 

I want to be the best poet I can. All around. Period.

For me that means both performance and publication. It means getting out into the world as much as possible.

Two of my favorite poets from slam are doing just that: Patricia Smith and Reggie Gibson. While neither one may be active in slam any more, they got there start there. It’s how they rose to prominence.

 

This is the reason I keep writing and performing in open mics and slams.

It’s also why I keep LISTENING TO AND READING OTHER POETS

 

Just saying.

 
 
Dave
22 April 2008 @ 11:47 am
Good things  
My Auntie Melody will be visiting from Hawaii for my cousin Lucas' graduation from Pratt in Brooklyn. She'll be staying with my parents and siblings. She arrives May 6th and will leave May 11th. What is amazing is that the last time she was in the North East was 26 years ago, when I was born. This is also the first time that we will all be together since 1987 (?).
Yeah, good things. Already trying to find a way to visit the day after she arrives before I go to work.
 
 
Current Mood: cheerful
 
 
Dave
19 April 2008 @ 08:53 am
Overly Sweet Moment  

 Thursday was Brian's birthday. We went to dinner at the Buddha Hut, the new Chinese restaurant in Worcester. Nice meal, great service and such.

On our way to the Hotel Vernon for the slam, I asked him if he had heard Israel Kamakawiwo`ole’s version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What A Wonderful World. 
He had heard the opening, it's used in so many commercials and movies. Iz' version is by far my favorite for both songs. 

We held hands while listening to the song, both of us singing at certain parts. 
Yeah.
This is good :)

 

 






 

 

 

Tags: , ,
 
 
Dave
14 April 2008 @ 09:38 am
Letter Meme  

This is a meme of 10 Things You Love that begin with a certain letter. My letter is "L" given to me by

liz_o_fashiz_o
 
if you want a letter, leave me a comment and I'll give you one. 

1. Limes: my favorite citrus fruit. Limeade was a fantastic treat in the summer and since I'v been eating more Vietnamese food I've come to appreciate how great they are. 

2. Lavender: I love the smell and color. Faggy much? Yes. I don't apologize.

3. Llama call: something done only by my friend Atom, it harkens back to our days in High School.

4. Lettuce: NOT iceberg. But other lettuce: bib or romaine or anything with flavor that is not the bland crunchy water in most salads. 

5. Light: so obvious, but it's how we see things. AND it's so cool: wave? particle? BOTH!!!!

6. Lunalilo: one of the Hawaiian Kings, he was the first elected Hawaiian Monarch. Not directly elected, but by the legislature after a plebcite vote went overwhelmingly in his favor. He reign last only one year, but his songs are some of my favorite.

7. Lilikoi juice: aka passion fruit. 

8. Letters: we don't write them as often as we used to, but the ones I have from my grandmother from when I was in college, my ex-girlfriend when she was in college, and with a man in Poland who used to work with me at Six Flags are all very treasured.

9. Language: yeah, this should be a no-brainer.

10. Liliuokalani: Last reigning Hawaiian Monarch. Stood up for her nation & people. Many of you may know her songs better, such as Aloha Oe or The Queens Prayer. She is still beloved by Hawaiians.

 



 



Tags:
 
 
Dave
14 April 2008 @ 09:11 am
Last night at the Asylum  
 Poet Jack McCarthy reminded me of why I love this. Why I love poetry, slam the crazy community; all of it!!

If you can find a way to see him please do. Tonight he will be at Community Voices Poetry Open Mic in Westfield, MA. They start at 7 pm and are located at 124 Elm Street, Westfield MA. 
If I didn't work on Monday nights I would be there myself. 


 
 
Dave
12 April 2008 @ 04:13 am
I say this, yet again  
Aas I get older I understand what a brilliant man Anton Chekhov was. He along with Eurpides (spell) understood human nature.



*****

In other news, Aunty Nona Beamer passed away. She was part of the Second Hawaiian Renaissance, a beautiful musician and woman. She is one of those musicians who left her mark on the Hawaiian music industry.
Check out: http://starbulletin.com/print/2005.php?fr=/2008/04/11/news/story01.html

She will be missed.
 
 
Dave
07 April 2008 @ 09:21 am
I think somewhere in there was a weekend:  
[info]javabill was fantastic with the 24 hour reading! He raised just over $700 for the poets asylum to send a slam team to Nationals this year. 8pm to 8pm is no easy task.

If you were in the greater Worcester area than you missed a great event. I was proud of Bill for doing a great set of Hawaiian poetry, from the anthology: "Let The Echo of Our Song Be Heard" & also "Whetu Moana: An Anthology Of Contemporary Polynesian Poetry in English." Good stuff. 

I think the over night people consisted of Me, Emily, Urban, Brian, Anthony, Chris & Ted Desmond, Bobby, Kate (I think???) Isaac, &&&&& other people that I can not remember right now. We all enjoyed the long hours into morning even if we did pass out at different times (or not at all as it may be). Who did I forget???
I'm glad that I was there from 11 pm to 11 am and then again from 545-8 pm. 




 
 
Dave
04 April 2008 @ 01:10 pm
24 hour Poetry Feature  
Bill MacMillan will undertake a 24-hour poetry feature starting Saturday, April 5th at 8:00 p.m. Bill will read poetry, his own work and covers, over the following 24 hours, wrapping up as the weekly Asylum open reading gets underway. The Q Cafe has generously agreed to stay open all night long so that Bill may undertake this endeavour.

Bill is taking part in a coordinated national movement to have 24-hour readings across the country happening at the same time. The Poets' Asylum will be using this as a fundraising opportunity. Visit our Fundraising page to make a donation.

Make plans to come down for an hour or two and keep Bill company as he makes his way through 24 hours of poetry.

from http://www.poetsasylum.org







 
 
Dave
02 April 2008 @ 09:38 pm
 
Currently reading: "In The Name Of Hawaiians: Native Identities & Cultural Politics" by Rona Tamiko Halualani.

Gods, this is an excellent book. Parts are a bit "academic language" dense, but she does a fine job of putting the pieces of her arguement together.
Also, she is a Prof. of Communication, which was my major at WSC.

Her writing on the racialization of Hawaiian blood & talking about the diaspora are amazing.
 
 
Dave
02 April 2008 @ 02:50 pm
Dear utter Ass Holes  
Every time I walk the dog, who is far cuter than any of you, we have to avoid the broken glass bottles you have shattered on the street and side walk.
Stop it.
Now, fuckers.
I will unleash the Yappy Hound Of Vernon Hill on your ass.
And, if you're lucky, you'll know what it meant for my ancestors to pray someone to death.
Only if you're lucky.


Sincerely,


Concerned dog walker.
 
 
Dave
31 March 2008 @ 10:37 am
 
No ke ano ahiahi ke aloha lâ
I ka hâli`ali`a `ana mai


"Evening is the time I love when
Fond memories come to me"


-No Ke Ano Ahiahi
 
 
Dave
28 March 2008 @ 04:43 pm
He  
 Roughly 15 minutes left to work. If anyone noticed the hickey they didn't say anything. 
Thank the Gods for collard shirts and vests :)
Tags:
 
 
Dave
28 March 2008 @ 01:08 pm
THIS is spring?!  
 It's 32-35 degrees, raining and just filled with yuck. Certainly one of those days where I wish I had stayed in bed. 


I even bought some Wendy's chili to warm up. 
Yes, it could be worse, but why tempt the Gods?
 
 
Dave
26 March 2008 @ 06:21 pm
A lovely case of douchebagerey  
Tags: