Mulberry Poets Contest/Reading

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There’s a lot of great stuff happening with the Mulberry Poets and Writers Association, an organization based in Scranton, PA that hosts workshops and readings a few times a year.  I’ve been part of this organization for almost two years now and currently serve as a board member. I especially like being part of this group not only for its ability to put on solid, well-attended events, but also for its history. The organization has been around for over 30 years and is one of the oldest writing organizations in all of PA.

A reading we did at the Bowery Poetry Club in NYC about two weeks ago can now be seen online by clicking here. I can’t stress enough how much fun I had reading at this venue and how receptive the audience was to our work. I’ll again say that everyone from MWPA did a fantastic job reading.

Also, the poetry contest the organization runs is now open for submissions. Cash prizes are awarded to the top winners.  The contest is open to current and former residents of Northeastern Pennsylvania. MWPA board members  and previous first place winners are not allowed to enter. More details/submission guidelines can be found by clicking here.

There are some other events coming up, and the best way to find out when we have readings/workshops is to keep checking the website here.

ZineFest

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Through Scranton may not be Manhattan, Baltimore, Philly, Boston, or any of the other big cities along the East Coast, I’ve always been surprised how strong of an art community this area has. If you don’t believe me, come to downtown Scranton during First Friday when the weather is warm, and you’ll see the art galleries packed.

Furthermore, this area has a pretty rich literary scene. I first discovered it when I moved back from the Philly area to attend graduate school at Wilkes University. I kept hearing about the monthly readings at Test Pattern, a venue that used to be on Adams Avenue, near the Bog. During the first reading I attended, I was impressed by the amount of poets who read, and how receptive the audience was. Once the venue closed, the reading series moved to Anthology New and Used Books. And I’m sure the poets who were part of that scene will find somewhere else to hold readings, now that Anthology is in different hands and restructuring its purpose somewhat.

One of the artists/writers I’ve met over the last few years is Jessica Meoni, a student at Marywood Univeristy. She runs a DIY publication called Ruthless Zine, which features a mix of political/social commentary, art, photography, and sometimes poetry.  Months ago, she told me about an event she’s launching called ZineFest, which will be held in downtown Scranton on Saturday, June 11, along Center Street.

She’s managed to book some editors/writers from zines along the East Coast to showcase their work at the all-day festival. I’m stoked about this festival for several reasons. First, as a former punk rock kid, I grew up going to shows where zines were as much a part of the subculture as the music.  In addition, I wrote for WonkaVision Magazine for a number of years, a music magazine based out of Philly. It started out as a small zine, but then grew into a large publication found in several different states. Zines always served as a great way to spread music, to support the indie/punk rock subculture, and to offer alternative, progressive viewpoints on a number of social/political issues. In the age of the Internet, it’s also nice to know that there are still people out there creating DIY print publications.

So, kudos to Jess Meoni for putting this together. I hope it enriches the  literary scene in this area, and I hope it becomes an annual event.

I’ll be hosting the reading portion of this event from 4-6 pm on June 11th at Pages and Places at Anthology, 515 Center Street. When the event is closer, I’m going to share some more info about the readers. Trust me, it’s a solid, entertaining mix! The rest of the festival will feature different tables along Center Street, right in front of Pages and Places at Anthology. The tables will feature different zines, arts, and crafts.

 To learn more about ZineFest, click here, and return to my blog for more updates about the event as it gets closer to the date! The website has more info about zome of the zines that will be at the event.

Vintage Theater Poetry Workshop

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Over the summer, I will again teach a 5-week intensive poetry workshop at the Vintage Theater, located at 119 Penn Ave. in downtown Scranton. I wanted to cap the workshop at 5 students again, and I have that many down already, but I’ve decided to bump the number up a little bit. The workshop will again focus on the key elements of poetry, such as crafting an extended metaphor, developing voice/persona, and strengthening the rhythm of the line. The workshop will again conclude with a public reading of student work at the Vintage Theater.

I think there’s a few benefits to joining a community workshop. First, it forces one to write each week, to bring two poems, one that gets critiqued by the group, and one that goes home with me for thorough written comments. Second, I teach a variety of contemporary American poets whose work ties into the units we focus on week to week. Third, it’s simply nice to be part of a writing community, to get solid feedback on your work.

The cost of the workshop is again $75. The dates are Thursday, May 26, Thursday, June 2, Thursday,  June 9, Thursday, June 16, and Thursday, June 30 from 7-9 pm each week. If you’re interested, email me at bfanelli84@gmail.com to reserve a spot.

Bowery Poetry Club

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Last weekend, I joined other members of the Mulberry Poets and Writers Association for a reading at the Bowery Poetry Club, located in New York City’s Lower East Side. Members of our group and a few other poets, including John Amen, editor of Pedestal Magazine, were the featured readers. A short open mic followed. Amen was interesting in the sense that he sang a few verses from his poems in a gruff, bluesy voice. I liked the combo of the reading and the singing.  Some of the other poets had mostly a left-wing, performance, slam style.

Then it came time for our group to take the stage of a poetry venue fairly well-known in the city. I was wondering how we would do, how we would be recieved. One by one, eight of us took the stage. After each of us finished a poem, we drew applause from the crowd, as well as laughter and mmmhmms. They loved David Elliott’s found poem using Donald Rumsfeld’s language. They laughed at Karen Blomain’s poem about being an “old broad.” We certainly held our own with the other featured readers that came from various part of the country to share their work. I even sold a few copies of Front Man afterwards to audience members that came up to me to chat.

In fact, I think we proved that Scranton, PA does have a vibrant art and writing community.  Furthermore, it was great to  be part of an audience so recpetive and attentive to poetry. You don’t aways get that at readings. And the venue also has one of the best hosts I’ve encountered-George Wallace.

If you are in NYC, check out the Bowery Poetry Club. The featured readings run every Sunday from 4-6 pm.

Writing Process/Writing Life

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Yesterday, the weather was mild and warm, and for the first time in at least days, the sun was actually out for extended periods. I made the most of the pleasant weather and took my reading materials and a notebook to a local park to sit outside and write. Without any way to use my laptop, I actually got a lot of writing done and I felt more focused than I had in a while, probably just from being outside.

This whole experience caused me to seriously consider how I structure my time to write. Most of the time, I write in the morning, at my kitchen table, for at least 30 minutes. And then I try to pour in another 30 minutes or longer after work, again, at my kitchen table. But a lot of times, in the comfort of my own apartment, I feel like I’m rushing the work because I’m thinking about emails I have to respond to on my laptop only a few feet away.

But yesterday, I didn’t have any of those distractions. It made me realize that when I leave the house in hopes of writing, I should leave the laptop home or not connect to the web. I find that too often when I go to Borders, Starbucks, or a local cafe, I spend far more time mindlessly surfing the web as opposed to getting much work done.

I’m even considering going to the park more and more, like I did last summer, to get serious writing done. No internet connection there. I’m curious as to what the writing process/space is like for other people. I suppose it varies from person to person.

Pushing Forward to Summer

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I LOVE the time of year when the NBA playoffs start, which is officially today. You’ll find me at home today, watching the Pacers face the Bulls, the Sixers face the Heat, and the Hawks face my favorite team, the Magic. Besides staying glued to my tv to watch playoff basketball, I enjoy this time of year because I know the spring semester is winding down, that I only have a few more papers to grade before I get a little break before I teach a few summer classes. My favorite season is only a mere few weeks away, and the lessened workload allows me to plan adventures, readings, and projects.

So far, I’m working on a poetry course I’ll be teaching at Keystone College second summer session, and my poetry workshop is also going to run at the Vintage Theater again. I’m also scheduling a lot more poetry readings.

Tomorrow, I’ll be reading at the Bowery Poetry Club in NYC with members of the Mulberry Poets and Writers Association. The reading starts at 4 pm, and if you’re in the city, you should come! The venue is located between Bleeker and Houston Streets.

I’ve also booked a few other readings. On Saturday, June 4 at 3 p.m., I’ll be reading at RiverRead books in Binghamton, NY  with fellow Big Table Publishing poet Alexis Czencz Belluzi. After that reading, I have to book it to Allentown to see one of my favorite bands, Against Me!, play the Croc Rock.

On Saturday, June 11 from 4-6 p.m., I’m hosting a reading at Pages and Places at Anthology for ZineFest.   This will include readings by Amye Archer, Charlotte Lewis, Dale Wilsey Jr, Alexis Czencz Belluzi, Rachael Goetzke, and I.

I have some other readings in the works. I believe I’ll also be reading at the Honesdale Arts Festival the weekend of May 21-22, but I have to finalize the details Monday, and I’m also working on putting together a Big Table Publishing showcase/reading at the Vintage Theater on June 24. More details to come soon!

I also want to announce that my poetry chapbook, Front Man, is now for sale on Etsy.com. Check it out here!

Beyond National Poetry Monh

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I want to share an article I wrote regarding National Poetry Month and Oprah’s attempt to mainstream poetry through her magazine O. The article, “Beyond National Poetry Month,” was posted yesterday on The Write Life, the blog of the Wilkes University Graduate Creative Writing Program.

Basically, I wrote the article to continue the discussions about how to get poetry into communities and schools beyond one month out of the year. You can read the article here. Please, feel free to comment on it here or on the Wilkes blog.

Poetry and Politics: The Struggle to Be Heard

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I came across a CNN interview with one of my favorite poets, Terrance Hayes,  a National Book Award winner for his latest collection, Lighthead.

Though some of the questions asked may have been a little soft, I do find the interview interesting and unique in the sense that Hayes draws some connections between poetry and politics, meaning that poets, like politicians, deal with the issue of being heard, of shaping a message, even if the message is not necessarily about the war in Iraq or Hurricane Katrina.  Both groups focus on manipulating language to be heard, to reach an audience.

Hayes was also asked if there are any contemporary politicians whose speeches were poetic, and the answer he gave was Abe Lincoln. He was pressed further and asked if any of Obama’s speeches could be considered poetic. Hayes answered by saying there was a greater shapliness to the language and speeches Obama gave leading up to the presidency, and less so now. But now that Obama is gearing up for re-election, do you think he will recapture some of that magic, some of the “shapliness to the language” and control his message better? He’ll have to if he wants to reside in the White House for another four years, especially as he deals with the situation in Libya, the economic recovery, and further looming budget battles with the GOP. He’s going to have to craft language that leads to action, that makes voters trust him to run the country for four more years.

Anyways, Hayes makes a lot of other great points in this short interview, and reads a poem from Lighthead regarding the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Check out the full interview below.

another call for submissions

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As I had mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been tapped as a first-round editor/judge for a poetry contest run by East Meets West, American Writers Review, a journal of fiction and poetry.

We just finished developing our guidelines for submissions. There is a $15 fee to enter the poetry contest, which is standard for poetry contests. The top three winners will be awarded cash prizes, and each finalist will be published in the journal.  Writers can submit up to three poems in any form or style.

You can read the submission guidelines here.  Be sure to follow the guidelines completely so you aren’t disqualified.

If you chose to submit to the contest, good luck!

The Kinda Faith That Doesn’t Fade Away

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This was a jam-packed weekend, and the highlight was seeing The Menzingers and the Bouncing Souls at a tiny bar/club in Jermyn, PA called Eleanor Rigby’s on Friday night. First, I want to say how happy I am that The Menzingers are getting as big as they are. They hail from Scranton, PA and have been a staple of this music scene for a while. They’re also some of my old friends, dating back to the days when all the punk rock kids around here used to hang out at Cafe Del Soul on Mulberry Street, which is now a parking lot. The Menzingers ripped through song after song from their debut album,  A Lesson in the Abuse of Information Technology, its follow-up EP, Hold On, Dodge, and the newer album, Chamberlain Waits.  Tom May and Greg Barnett’s vocals sounded as raspy and powerful as ever, backed by the crunch of power chords and the impressive drum skills of Joe Gadino. Though the guys have moved to Philly and have spent the last few months playing shows with Against Me!, the Bouncing Souls, and other bigger punk bands, they said several times how happy they were to be home, and how their music formed out of the local music community.

Especially impressive about their set was the reaction by the crowd. The circle pit widened as soon as The Menzingers’ hammered the first chord, and it didn’t let up at all. Tattooed youth bounced against each other, threw their fists in the air, and sang along to every song.

After The Menzingers exited the stage, the Bouncing Souls came on, blasting through some of their most popular songs early, including “Hopeless Romantics,” “Say Anything,” and their cover of “Lean on Sheena.” The set covered most of the band’s career and even featured a few songs they barely play anymore, including “Fight to Live,” “I Like Your Mom,” and “Argyle.” One of the highlights for me was seeing the band perform their acoustic version of the Misfits’ “Hybrid Moments,” which will be released soon on an EP they recently did for SideOneDummy records. Like usual, the band’s banter was kept to a fair minimum throughout the set, and front man Greg Attonito leapt into the crowd a few times for some of the crowd favorites, including the band’s most popular anthem, “True Believers.” The band also fooled the crowd by playing the opening bars to “Ole!,” which is always chanted before they come on stage. But then they suddenly stopped and yelled “April Fools!”

This marked the 8th, 9th, or maybe even the 10th time I’ve seen the Souls live, and their positive energy and catchy choruses never wear off on me. I hope they come back, and I hope this little music club in NEPA keeps booking these bands.