Living Room, Tuesday Nov 23 w/ Greg Bem

Greg has a fascinating short presentation to kick off the next Living Room, details below, but due to popular demand, Living Room will be extended into January, cutting our tradition holiday break down considerably. We hope to see you & get a taste of your recent best.

Greg says:

C.A. Conrad & Anne Tardos

“The reason why some poets delight in making poems in other ways—otherwise—than others do could be that they feel a need for other pleasures than those they’ve experienced from poems hitherto .  . . It isn’t even that some people just delight in novelty. Some writers (and other artists) often delight in being surprised by what they make.” – Jackson Mac Low

As the facilitator for the upcoming Living Room I will be drawing upon the energies of two poets who have greatly influenced me: CAConrad and Anne Tardos. The former is a poetic champion of Philadelphia and also a dear friend that was, and still is, of immense help in learning about poets as well as the ins and outs of various poetry communities in various cities. Conrad’s Somatic Exercises remain an important part of insight into just how far a poet can take their work, leaving established traditions aside and branching out into new kinds of interactive approaches to writing. Anne Tardos, on the other hand, is a new discovery. Her work with late husband Jackson Mac Low, her contributions to Fluxus projects, and the work that really establishes her individual poetic authority have inspired my synapses to fire and given me a refreshed look at the process of concocting poems for performance. During the Living Room I will share one to two poems of each poet, either through text or recording.

In addition, I will read a Somatic Exercise of Conrad’s and a statement on poetics by Tardos. I will then lead discussions on breaking traditions and standards in poetry, and what it means for a poet to go beyond their individual boundaries. Throughout the critique portion of the Living Room there will be an emphasis on applying what was learned from the discussion to all of the writers’ work-shopped pieces.

Tuesday, Nov 23, 7P @ SPLAB, in the Cultural Corner of the former Columbia School, Edmunds, west of Rainier near 36th AV S. Free parking and three blocks from the Link Light Rail.