St. Lawrence Area Poets

SLAP-HAPPY / John Berbrich: poetry stuff

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:10:00 +0000

Okay, I've read two poetry books lately, Logician of the Wind by Lee Slonimsky & What Focus Is by Matthew J. Spireng. Slonimsky's is written in mostly sonnets & pretty much follows the imagined intellectual life of Pythagoras, the Greek 6th century B.C. philosopher. Slonimsky is intoxicated by the natural world, the amazing varieties of shapes fashioned by unimaginable forces. Spireng writes little nature vignettes focused on various animals like eagles, shore-birds, toads, & crows. He shows the picture, then tosses in a few observations that sting. Both books are worth reading. They were actually given to me by the editor of Blueline Magazine at Potsdam State for review purposes. I'm nearly finished w/ Slonimsky's but need to get started on Spireng's review. Blueline usually is published in the spring.

I've started submitting my poetry again, & have placed two poems w/ Abbey magazine in Maryland, due to appear in September, possibly sooner. I'm submitting to only paper magazines right now. I've been published on several online sites & find it unsatisfying. Different generations. I go w/ paper. It can be recycled. Trees grow back. Trust me, it's not poetry cutting down forests--it's bureaucratic paperwork & junk mail.

Anyway, the next meeting is scheduled for February the 22nd, I believe. The Challenge is to read (to the SLAP group) three poems from different authors. Sounds pretty simple. Haven't heard when the Poetry for Peace readings will start at SLU. Soon, I bet. I'll announce it here.

Until next time, get some good work done. Bye.

soundtrack: television (the band, not the boring video device)

weather: snow

beverage: none

miscellaneous: nothing

for adventure & hot java: contact John at ataraxia1114@aim.com

SLAP-HAPPY / John Berbrich: locked out again

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:30:00 +0000

Excellent SLAP meeting last Tuesday. Apparently we haven't been paying the rent. The UU Church changed the locks on us, so we were forced to switch our meeting to the Blackbird Cafe, just a few doors down on Main Street in Canton. Six poets showed up--me & Nancy, JeanMarie, Dale, Rajiv, & the celebrity of the group Charlie Shene. We pulled two small tables together & enjoyed a marvelous 90-minute meeting. We all read our poems about COLD, frigid indeed. Dale read some poems from Sun Ra. I especially enjoyed "In Orbit," a far-out fantastic science-fiction poem featuring maniacal repetition & a spaced-out imagination. Very effective combo, I still remember the poem well. We even garnered a small audience--this guy named Kenny thanked us for the poems & asked questions about SLAP. Maybe we'll see him there next time.

The Challenge for the next meeting, the THIRD Tuesday in February, is to read three poems by three different poets, presumably poems you like. This sounds like fun. And I'm thinking about producing a SLAP Poetry Newsletter for February so send your work in now. Open to all residents of the North Country.

Until next time. Bye.

Soundtrack: the purr of a cat

weather: cold

beverage: none

for fun & spaced-out adventure, contact John at ataraxia1114@aim.com

SLAP-HAPPY / John Berbrich: another poetry book

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:10:00 +0000

Yeah, this time I read "Unexpected Shiny Things" by Bruce Dethlefsen, poet laureate of Wisconsin. Dethlefsen has an easy-going style. The only capital letter is used when he refers to himself: I. He uses no punctuation except for the occasional question mark. But the poems drive home philosophical points, despite their seeming simplicity. One section deals w/ the 2010 death of his son at the age of 26. These are heartbreaking poems, where the father's agony is presented. Being predeceased by a child is not something I want to contemplate.

On the lighter side, the next SLAP meeting is scheduled for Tuesday January 10th @ the usual UU Church in Canton @ 6:30. The December meeting was awesome. Nine poets showed up, which is close to the record. We enjoyed a variety of goodies as folks brought pie, crackers, hummus, cheese, et cetera. As usual the conversation veered off into multiple unexpected directions. So don't miss this next one.

weather: quiet w/ a beautiful full moon round as a poker chip

beverage: none

music: none

miscellaneous: used my new crockpot

for fun & adventure contact John at ataraxia1114@aim.com

SLAP-HAPPY / John Berbrich: sonnets

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:40:00 +0000

Just finished reading "After Shakespeare: Selected Sonnets" by George Held, published by Cervena Barva Press located in Somerville, Massachusetts. This is a beautiful collection of sonnets by Held, a veteran NYC poet who lives in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. Held constructs his poems w/ wit & intelligence, a good combo. I don't think that I've ever written an even halfway-decent sonnet, & I sometimes consider this a serious lack. I mean, sonnets are centuries old, & they've never gone out of style; I should try a bit harder to work on a rigidly rhymed & metered poem of 14 lines.

So, the next SLAP meeting will be held on Tuesday the 13th, 6:30 at the UU Church in Canton. And the turnout will be excellent, I guarantee it! A veritable throng will clamor for admission to the meeting.

So don't let me down. I've made up SLAP poetry Newsletters for December & have delivered them all around the Canton & Potsdam area. See if I get any response. Nothing yet.

Okay then. See EVERYONE on Tuesday night. Bring a couple of poems to share. Bye.

Soundtrack: my wife's dance music upstairs

beverage: dark ale

weather: cold

miscellaneous: reading essays & criticisms by John Updike

for conversation & adventure, contact John at ataraxia1114@aim.com

SLAP-HAPPY / John Berbrich: a gentle reminder

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 23:55:00 +0000

Indeed. There is a poetry reading on Monday November 14th @ the Brush Art Gallery @ 4:30 on the campus of St. Lawrence University. This is an open reading, so come along & bring a poem or two. And this Tuesday, the 8th, Election Day, SLAP celebrates our right to vote w/ a meeting @ 6:30 at the UU Church in Canton. We're not really celebrating our right to vote, although we should celebrate our right to Freedom of Speech, a benefit some people take for granted & others push to extremes. The Challenge for this month is to write a Rant. Some poets will find this less challenging than others.

Right now I'm reading "Memories Have Tongue" by Afua Cooper, published in Toronto 1992 by Sister Vision Press. Cooper grew up in Jamaica (not the one in Queens, the other one) & here writes about her experiences as a young girl. She writes about her relatives, telling pretty stories about aunts & uncles & grandparents, et cetera. She also writes about the local history, going back to the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1494. She wonders why they've erected a statue of the famous explorer. The poetry is pleasant, telling simple stories for the most part, in a straightforward, affectionate way. Still almost 40 pages to go.

So, I hope to see everyone on Tuesday evening. Hope also that voting does not seriously affect the turnout.

weather: nice for stacking firewood

no soundtrack

no beverage

miscellaneous: the weekend went by way too fast

for fun & adventure, contact John at ataraxia1114@aim.com

SLAP-HAPPY / John Berbrich: recent forgeries

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 22:10:00 +0000

Been reading another poetry book lately, Recent Forgeries by Viggo Mortensen. Now, everybody remembers Viggo--he's the rugged-looking fellow who played Aragorn in Peter Jackson's marvelous Lord of the Rings trilogy of fims. Well, it turns out that Viggo is also quite a multi-media artist. Recent Forgeries is softcover, nearly square, 106 pages, originally published in 1998 by Smart Art Press. I have the fourth edition, 2003, printed & bound in Spain. It's a lovely book, filled w/ poetry & scores of photos & drawings--both full color & black-&-white--by the author. He uses glue, old wallpaper, broken toys, anything he finds--to fashion a scuplture or a 3-D collage. The poetry relies on great detail--just what a scene looks like, or a person's face. Some of the poems veer off into sheer fantasy, yet they retain that sharp sense of reality. And Viggo is sort of a local boy. Although he was born down in Manhattan, the family moved a lot, & he graduated high school in Watertown in 1976. The book is accompanied by a CD containing 16 poems, spoken by Mortensen w/ his casual actor's voice. These poems are often accompanied by eerie music & sound-effects, very atmospheric. This is a book that is worth checking out.

And that's it for tonight. The next SLAP meeting is scheduled for Tuesday November 8th, 6:30 at the UU Church in Canton. The Challenge is to write a Rant, any subject. I've started mine. Now I've got to crank it up. Bye.

weather: chilly

miscellaneous: delicious spaghetti

for edification & amusement, contact John at ataraxia1114@aim.com

SLAP-HAPPY / John Berbrich: grains of sand & 3 books

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:45:00 +0000

Well, we are back from our week-long trip to the sandy shores of Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. The type of weather was...unexpected, over the first few days--violent wind & heavy rain. We took advantage of the meteorological dampness & made our annual pilgimmage to Books-A-Million. We spent $185 dollars on books, about $10 less than last year. We were even cashed-out by the same guy, a black fellow named Darwin w/ lengthy dreadlocks & a friendly manner. He's originally from Saginaw, Michigan. Got that?

Anyway, two of the books I picked up were "Ballistics" by Billy Collins & "When I Was A Poet" by David Meltzer. Collins was Poet Laureate of the USA from 2001 to 2003 & Poet Laureate of New York State from 2004 to 2006. I generally like his work & was quite floored by "Ballistics," published in 2008 by Random House. It's a great book, filled w/ excellent poems, funny, sad, casual, surprising. Simply marvelous work. He makes it all look so easy. In the late 1950s, David Meltzer was a member of the San Francisco Beat scene & hung around w/ people like Allen Ginsberg, Jack Spicer, & Robert Duncan. He was also a member of the 60s weird folk-rock-poetry band The Serpent Power. I have their record, a 33 LP, carefully preserved over the years. "When I Was A Poet" (2011, City Lights) is a very effective collection of autobiographical poetry. Meltzer's work is direct & actually friendly; it's more obviously gritty than Collins's, less cerebral, more visceral. I like the attitudes of both poets.

Then when we arrived home I read "Horoscopes For The Dead," Collins's 2011 collection, published in hardcover by Random House. I bought this one back in August, at the Borders in Watertown as they were going under. I found this book to be on a much lower level than "Ballistics." The poems had a weary tone, trudging word after word from beginning to end, offering no surprises & not much strong emotion. Generally an uninspired book, sad to say.

Anyway, the next Poetry For Peace reading will be held on Monday, November 14th @ 4:30, at the Brush Art Gallery on the SLU campus. No theme that I know of. Bring a poem & a friend, & share. I'll be there.

That's it. Bye until next time.

beverage: none

soundtrack: none

weather: dark & chilly

for fun & metaphysical profit contact John at ataraxia1114@aim.com

SLAP-HAPPY / John Berbrich: a piece of poetry

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 00:30:00 +0000

Yes, I've just received the schedule for this semester's Poetry For Peace series @ St. Lawrence University. Please disregard the original notification date; the first date is not September 12th but rather September 19th @ 4:30 in the Brush Art Gallery on campus. The theme for this one is the10th anniversary of 9/11. The remaining dates are 10/10, 11/14, & 12/5. These are all at the Brush Art Gallery except the reading on the 5th, which will be held @ Herring Cole. All times are 4:30. Professor Marina Llorente is back in town & will organize this semester's readings along w/ Professor Sarah Barber who did such an excellent job last year during Marina's absence.

That's it for today. I'm looking to assemble a SLAP Poetry Newsletter for October so anyone who wishes to get involved, send me a couple of poems at my e-mail address below. These newsletters are distributed for free throughout the Canton-Potsdam area so plenty of people will see your work.

Don't forget the SLAP meeting on the 13th.

Bye.

beverage: none

soundtrack: nada

miscellaneous: finished Desert Solitaire

weather: hot & humid, but the air smells like autumn

for thrills & obscurantism, contact John at ataraxia1114@aim.com

SLAP-HAPPY / John Berbrich: post-Irene poetry

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:25:00 +0000

Has anyone written an Irene poem? I have not. I enjoyed the day of the storm building an 8-foot long bookcase. We received roughly two inches of rain. The wind gusted at 30-35 mph. Temp in the low 60s, lovely weather to stay indoors. Although I was required to walk the dogs periodically, an effort they disliked more than I did.

Has anyone heard anything about the Poetry For Peace series @ SLU? Generally it would begin next week, but at this point I've heard nothing.

Has anyone read the most recent Arts News, published by the St. Lawrence County Arts Council in Potsdam, the August-October issue? On page 4 you'll find a handsome write-up (w/ photos) of two recent readings: Maurice Kenny w/ Tim Strong @ one & Dale Hobson @ the other. If you look closely you can see Nancy & me in the first row, over to the right. Nancy has the short light hair; mine is longer & darker. We're in the same spot in both photos. I think I can spot JeanMarie Martello in row 3 of the Hobson photo. These readings were fun, & I encourage our members to try to attend future events.

Anyone interested in publishing their poetry locally? Fourth Coast Entertainment Magazine is published in Canton & delivered free all over northern New York. My poem "Self-Elegy" can be found in the September issue, available at many local sites. I found mine at the Brewer Bookstore on the SLU campus. "Self-Elegy" was a SLAP Challenge. If you'd like your poem included in the October issue, e-mail it to Mike at fourthcoast@twcny.rr.com. Literally thousands of readers will see it.

That's it for now. Next SLAP meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 13th at the UU Church in Canton, 6:30. You can find the homework Challenge on the SLAP Facebook page. Drop by & leave a mesage. Poetry can be a pretty lonely place.

soundtrack: sporadic dog barking

beverage: none

miscellaneous: reading Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire to Nancy

for fun & adventure: contact John at ataraxia1114@aim.com

Bye

SLAP-HAPPY / John Berbrich: end of summer?

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 23:05:00 +0000

Not quite, but the termination of August is nearly upon us. Weather is still lovely, warm & sunny, w/ occasional cooling rain. Hard to top that, & no frost yet.

Well, what's up w/ SLAP? Nancy & I missed the most recent meeting due to a variety of unfriendly events. But the meeting was held, w/ I believe four Slappers in attendance. Thanks for the info, JeanMarie! Although I have no written verification, I expect the next meeting will be held on the second Tuesday of September @ 6:30 in the UU Church in Canton. Yes, we are actively seeking poetry converts! I believe the date would be the 13th, but I haven't checked.

The assignment can be found on SLAP's Facebook page. Something about an old English puzzle poem that looks pretty Challenging. I haven't started on mine yet. I haven't been writing much, just so you know. Summer gets clogged w/ fun, barbecues, & projects. Plus we spent a week in Utah & Wyoming, driving through the wastelands & looking up at snow-capped mountains in sunshine & 90-degree heat. Quite an experience.

I shall print another SLAP Poetry Newsletter, in either September or October. So send your poems in now!

And welcome back to all college students. We enjoyed plenty of interest from St. Lawrence last year, & I hope it continues.

Bye until next time.

soundtrack: Joe Satriani

beverage: H2O

weather: drizzling rain

Contact John for fun & conversation at ataraxia1114@aim.com. Also send your poems there. See what happens.