Sorry to report, this, from James Melvin:
Sadly, Roberto Valenza passed away yesterday afternoon (Jan 19th) in Spring Hill, FL. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to see him just two weeks before on New Years Eve and to have been able to say goodbye to him. I want everyone to know the clarity and courage he faced his death with.
Roberto taught me more about living and dying with dignity than I can
ever express.
But I will let his own words speak for him:
And I say in a thousand ways I long
to have a word beyond me.
I love you all and want you and what it is
that is wanting is love letting go and
loving almost unconditionally all that is in this circle.
LOVE is beyond us.
It cannot be owned, impossible to hold, not made
for only flesh.
-I will miss him, as we all will.
—
—
James Melvin
Amalio Madueño comes to the NW!
One of my favorite poets whose use of Spanglish is unparalleled in North American Poetry, Amalio brings his keen wit, living poetics and sharp perception to Tacoma, Doe Bay and Elliott Bay Books.
- Amalio will read from Lost in the Chamiso on Friday, Feb 5 at Elliott Bay Books at 7P (along with your wily SPLABman.)
- He does the Artsmith Series at Doe Bay on Orcas Island, Monday, Feb 8 at 7P.
- He’ll appear in the SPLAB Living Room, Tuesday, Feb 9 at 7PM, at the Columbia City Cinema, 4816 Rainier AV S, in the 2nd floor lounge.
- He’ll do a reading as part of the Distinguished Writer’s Series at King’s Books at 7PM, Friday, Feb 12 at 7PM, with open mic.
- A workshop, the following day at 10:30, also at King’s Books, is only $15. (He ran the Mexican Bob’s Poetics Camp at the Taos Poetry Circus for many years.
I hope you’ll turn out to one of these events.
Cheap Beer and Prose Returns
From Brian McGuigan:
By now you’ve recovered from your New Year’s hangover—just in time for
another “Cheap Beer and Prose,” next Thursday, January 28, 7 p.m. at
Richard Hugo House.
The featured readers are former “Arrested Development” writer and author
of “This One Is Mine,” Maria Semple, Matthew Simmons, author of “A Jello
Horse,” Midge Raymond, author of “Forgetting English,” and McSweeney’s
martial arts writer Rory Douglas.
Thursday Night, January 28,2010 Auntmama’s Storycorner Returns to Madison Park Starbucks
Readings from 7 PM to 8 PM by:
Kathya Alexander, Playwright, actress, manager of Rainier Valley Cultural Center
Paul Nelson, Teacher, Poet, founder Global Voices Radio and author of “A Time Before Slaughter” (a poem re-enacting the history of Auburn, WA)
Mary Anne Moorman, Storyteller, Consultant, KBCS.FM’s Auntmama
Three writer’s look back to move forward into a new decade.
Madison Park Starbucks, 4000 E Madison, Seattle, WA.
(North side of Madison just before the little village) Need more? Check out Auntmama.com or call 206 473 9522)
Interesting interview on a Duncan Poem
From Al Filreis: Today we release episode 27 of the PoemTalk series. Jeffrey Robinson, Charles Bernstein, Jerome Rothenberg and I discuss Robert Duncan’s poem, “Often I Am Permitted to Return to a Meadow,” which served as the prologue-poem to Duncan’s 1960 book, The Opening of the Field.
http://www.poemtalk.org
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/journal/audio.html?show=Poem%20Talk
Hope to see you at Open Books, 3PM Sunday, Jan 24, as I read from A Time Before Slaughter. It will be one of the most important readings I’ll give in a good, long while.
Your Wily Splabman
