Veteran’s Day 2010 Adventure at Tony’s Tavern. Tony’s Tavern pulsed with poetry not song last night when David Cooke stood in as guest MC. Guttery members featured here all took a turn.
Veteran’s Day 2010 Adventure at Tony’s Tavern. Tony’s Tavern pulsed with poetry not song last night when David Cooke stood in as guest MC. Guttery members featured here all took a turn.
I’m not sure if I should let out our secret. Bottles in NE’s Beaumont area has a fabulously private room for writers to meet, write, and create in a cave-like room. We got lot’s done on our site. Check out our new look.
Come see some Guttery members make their debut at Tony’s Tavern. Starts at 8:00. Come see us there!!! If for no other reason, come to see Portland’s original bacchanalian Open Mic.
I bumbled into a gem of a blog tonight. While moderating my own personal blog, I accidentally clicked on the “Next Blog” button. Just like Alice, I fell into a fantastic world, one just right for book lovers: www.bookfutures.com. The site is a manifesto on the future of books. Affiliated with If:book London, the site’s director, Chris Meade, states that Bookfutures.com is “a think and do tank exploring the future of the book as our culture moves from printed page to networked screen, and the potential of new media for creative readers and writers.” Though I shudder at the thought of our culture as moving from printed page, the website’s positive energy drew me in. A piece in particular is taken from the introduction of Bob Stein’s Taxonomy of Social Reading. Bob’s predictions the about social potential of collaborative reading are persuasive and intriguing. To him the social aspects of Kindles and Blackberries are just the beginning. He describes experiments with “networked books” as having exciting social potential. Following this entry is a lyrical, reflective letter written to the Chris Meade from the poet David Hart. The poet’s words reminded me again of why I love books and why they
It is a whole new world of virtual networking.
Some interesting discussion about “copying” and “emulating” has found its way into these pages. And important discussion it is. Finding one’s voice is difficult enough without also finding that you’ve been using someone else’s along the way as well. When I think back to a time when I knew I’d found my voice, I also think of what made it authentic. Sure, I was writing about what I knew, but I was also writing from deep inside. I was eager to tell a tale. So sure of myself because I believed that what I was saying was important and that anyone who read my writing was certain to agree. “If you would write well, read good writing.” William Least Heat Moon made that observation when discussing the relationship between what and who we choose to read and how it impacts our own writing voice. Copying is one thing, but emulating is quite another. Like Moon, I believe we unconsciously absorb some of the style, tone and voice of writers we love. Stands to reason. If we take time to marvel at a turn of phrase, a well-formed paragraph, a particularly engaging opening line, or that final phrase, hammered into place
Saturday 10/2/10 (5-8pm) at Beach Books in Seaside, OR: A poetry and musical experience featuring five local artists. The Portland poets will weave their work into a tapestry with full musical accompaniment. A. Molotkov is a writer, composer, filmmaker and visual artist. Although he has been writing fiction and poetry for over 25 years, his more recent involvement with other art forms allows him to approach the creative process from various angles, with individual parts contributing to a greater whole. Molotkov is the author of several novels, short story and poetry collections and the winner of the 2008 E. M. Koeppel Short Fiction Award for his short story “Round Trip”, which was nominated for a Pushcart. His fiction and poetry has appeared in or accepted by the Hawaii Pacific Review, Peralta Press, Acquillrelle, Gival Press, Epicenter, Suger Mule and elsewhere. His debut CD “Can You Stay Forever”, an ambitious project utilizing 15 musicians, has received glowing reviews. A. Molotkov is quickly becoming known in the Portland poetry community for his exceptional skills at oral presentation. In February 2010, Molotkov spearheaded a one-hour performance “Love Outlives Us” presented by the Show and Tell Gallery and repeated on KBOO in June. www.amolotkov.com
A year and a half ago I barely left my house. I shared my time between my work and my art. No one in Portland knew me, and I didn’t know anyone. Laurie, my partner, gets the credit for pushing me out into the world. In September 2008, she stated that my life didn’t have enough context, that there was nothing to discuss. I was offended at first, but after thinking about it, I saw that she was right. I applied with the Guttery and joined Portland’s Poems and Coffee group. Being accepted by the Guttery took over 3 months. By contrast, Poems and Coffee are open to anyone. They are a wonderful free-flowing group for poets and those interested in poetry. This is where I ran into Shawn Austin, a local poet whose work immediately appealed to me. Eventually, Shawn and I decided to form a new group, The Moonlit Poetry Caravan, with a narrower focus and operating by acceptance only, to ensure a responsible participation. In a matter of three or four months, I had made a dozen new friends, all wonderful writers and thinkers. I couldn’t believe I had been missing this experience for most of my
My hang-gliding instructor introduced me to the ominous term I’ve hijacked for the title of this post; ‘DCF’. Not good. There are many ways to get there; trying too hard, not trying hard enough…equipment failure…Many ways to get to DCF. I think the same of writing. In fact, considering how much there is to go wrong in writing, it’s a wonder it ever works at all.
“How will I know what I think until I see what I write?” I’ve always loved this quote because it makes the link between writing and thinking rather explicit. That’s important when working with students or developing writers. Because we write, we think. When we don’t write, our thinking suffers. Writers are different from most people because they take the time to write. That act of will is a necessity not a luxury. But just imagine how difficult life must be for someone who continually says, “I don’t know what to write?” Writing teachers deal with that daily so they learn to view writing as a process. That process begins with some form of prewriting that stimulates some deeper connection. It begins with the heart…the pure, authentic self. For reluctant writers, the process is aided by talk. I’ve seen young writers go from having nothing to say to joyful focus because of a 10 minute conversation that elicited something buried deep inside. OK, no more stories about the writing process. Just one important reminder for those of us who write professionally. The last step of the process is to put it out there. You’ve got to put it out there.
