tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765720094859722055.post8477207034142353640..comments2024-03-17T20:11:21.445-05:00Comments on DWx: Caffe Lena Open Mic, November 6DWxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12398265012182104454noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765720094859722055.post-21597422587325170312013-11-18T09:35:45.355-05:002013-11-18T09:35:45.355-05:00Let's give your surprise unrequested "rev...Let's give your surprise unrequested "review" of my Caffe Lena set some perspective, Dan. I had driven 3 hours to Caffe Lena, not only to find my name incorrect on the promotional flyer, but to find myself paired off with a poet who self-proclaimed that she makes no effort at craft but essentially "just writes poems," a fact that initially did not thrill me at all. It surprises me that the host of a series at the Social Justice Center would find my elegy about Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers student who committed suicide from the GW Bridge, to be "tedious," not to mention the other poems I included about some of the unwritten histories of women, gay men, and others. That "tome" (which, as I recall, you didn't really take a moment to even peruse) has sold at recent readings in Nevada, Alaska, Thailand, and Australia, and those audiences clearly enjoyed the fact I'm travelling with unusual poems about American history. One difference is that those audiences were prepped well in advance with flyers that emphasized that point. I usually chat with my cofeatures after my readings, but when I complimented this one on her presentation afterward, she offered a quick "thank you" and briskly walked away. Several other audience members were frankly cold and unwelcoming to this "outsider." (I thank the few who were a bit warmer and offered sincere compliments on my set.) I stayed for the full open mic and enjoyed much of what I had heard. We recorded the poems I presented on video, and will gradually put those clips up on youtube, where wider audiences can decide for themselves if they like the poems. I appreciated the opportunity to feature in this series, and am sorry you didn't like my presentation that evening, Dan. It would have been more appropriate to say that to my face, rather than have me find it as an "Internet surprise" afterward. For those who would like to read a poetry book that sweeps through 500 years of American and pre-American history - opening with 1-2 poems per decade from the 1500s to the 2010s, please go to www.blurb.com and type Historiopticon in the Search box for a free book preview.David Messineohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02537871814013900641noreply@blogger.com