Nonsense




I was sick so Conor ran the night. Apparently Maxime heckled a lot before quietening down into drunken bouts of muttering darkly. More info soon. Next week's theme - Lost/Found.


Telerama article on Spoken Word

This week's Telerama has an article on our Spoken Word nights! (page 11 in Telerama Sortir) I would copy and paste it here, but (1) I can't find it on their website and (2) it describes me as "Hugh Grant version grunge" and I haven't decided how I feel about that. Will this mean 1,000s of people descend on the Ogre next week for Spoken Word "Lost/Found?" Does it really reflect how what we're doing here appears to French people? Am I really that much like an actor that makes me cringe? Answers on a postcard please.

I will copy this bit out by hand though:
"Le grand soir arrive. David Barnes orchestre cette battle poétique avec la verve d'un Monsieur Loyal qui aurait remplacé sa cravache par une chope de bière.''

I don't know who this Mr Loyal bloke is, but I like that I orchestrate things with a pint of beer and not a riding crop. Fame at last.
Check it out in newsagents everywhere all this week.

EDIT: Mr Loyal is the name for the ringmaster in a circus.

Melted Rubber Humans looking for mp3 submissions of spoken word etc

Jen K Dick of fragment78 says:
"this call is specifically for the kind of work you are promoting, spoken word, sound poems, and etc.so please let people know about the opportunity to be part of Dee's program, and if you have been or decide to record any of your sessions you can send her MP3s. Best!"

Call for Submissions.

The Melted Rubber Humans are looking for mp3 files of spoken word/ poetry readings (either live or studio) to be incorporated in a series of albums of ambient/ experimental music.

They are looking for poetry which deals with the following topics:
1. God/ the Goddess/ spirituality;
2. sex/ gender/ sexuality;
3. power/ politics/ corruption;
4. love/ want/ need;
5. fear/ despair/ greed.

They are looking for poetry with a rich, interesting and/or experimental approach to the use of language and especially those read with voices that reflect the feeling of the poem.

The plan is to select lines or verses from poems and to blend them into a sound-collage; a musical equivalent to the art of the Dadaists. The finished albums will be posted at http://www.virb.com/melted_rubber_humans and will, like their previous three albums, be available for free download.

Poems can either be submitted by email or snail mail.

Email submissions are limited to one mp3 file with a 2Mb maximum file size and should be sent to shooglemail@googlemail.com with "FAO: Captain Melted" in the subject line.

There are no file size limitations for snail mail submissions. These should be sent on CD to Dee Sunshine, 35 Falkland Street (0/1), Glasgow, G12 9QZ, United Kingdom.

There is no deadline as this will be an ongoing project.

Further information about The Melted Rubber Humans can be found at www.myspace.com/captainmelted

Call for submissions/Platform - Paris Literary Magazine

Our new literary magazine, Platform, seeks short prose, poetry & poetic prose submissions.

Guidelines:
  • Something that is emotive, engaging and intelligent. That uses the music of language for a definite objective.
  • that touches on depth of human feeling, relationships, moments lived… with insight and sensitivity. That doesn’t wrap things up neatly, but leaves the reader with something to think about.
  • that is creative, original, interesting. That grabs the attention of the reader and comes to life on the page. Something that is captivating.

Length:

  • Prose: maximum length 3,500 words. Short and flash fiction welcome.
  • Poetry: submit 4 poems or 4 pages of poetry, whichever is shorter.
  • Art: that will look good in black & white; minimum A4 300 dpi (at actual size), jpeg.

Deadline: April 30th

How to submit?
Email text in Word document form (jpeg for art) to:
submissions.paris@gmail.com

This message brought to you by
Word Association.
An offspring of Spoken Word
And The Other Writers’ Group at Shakespeare & Company

The Highlander

How's that for atmosphere - The Highlander, a dark and dungeon-like Scottish pub with a stage at one end and pistols, pikes and swords on the walls. Maxx began, oddly, with Terminus/Closure. Heidi and Travis did a cycle of her poems to the backing of his double bass. Antonia sang and spoke about Heart Shaped Rooms and how everyone in Paris lives on the sixth floor (Sergio - you are missed!) Elena Meister gave us a heartfelt elegie to her grandmother "you see, she IS me" and Maguy told us her dreams.

Erica sang, backed by Conrad on cello newly returned from England. We had not 2 but 4 musical acts - the other two being Alixandra & Stefanie, and The Alice Tree thealicetree@yahoo.com who gave us The Lost Poem, Just Be A Man & He's My Brother among others.
Arlene told us about giving birth to an egg. And Miranda and Neil also read before Maxx gave a reprise of poems by Loury and Joyce.
Finally Alixandra sang on the steps of the stage when we thought it was all over.

Verdict: great night, very atmospheric setting, but expensive beer (6euro80 a pint!) Should we go back?

Alixandra sings 'Mouse' and 'Star' with Stefanie...




Maxx reads Terminus/Closure & The Alice Tree perform House of Loneliness



La Foule au Highlander




Upcoming themes

Themes for next Spoken Words:
  • 26th March - Nonsense (absurdités, idiotes, sans sens, dire de n'importe quoi)
  • 2nd April - Lost/Found (perdu/trouvé)
  • 23rd April - The City (la cité/la ville)

All 3 dates are at 9pm on Wednesdays at L'Ogre à Plumes, 49/51 rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, Métro Parmentier.

Tous les dates sont les mercredis, commençant à 21h, à L'Ogre à Plumes.

It's on! 9pm Wednesday/mercredi 12 March at The Highlander Pub

Halelujah brothers and sisters, we have a venue!

Downstairs in the cellar at
The Highlander Pub
8 rue de nevers
(a very small street on the left bank starting opposite the Pont Neuf bridge that crosses the western tip of the Isle de la Cite.)

Metro Pont Neuf/Odeon/St Michel
(e.g. walk 5 mins along the quai from St Michel towards the Eiffel Tower)
75006

When? 9pm. (Happy hour? 6 till 8)

Theme: Revival? Dislocation? Oh, bugger having a theme, there's no time - just come!

What to bring? Your poems, stories, essays, spoken words of all forms. Also your favourite stuff by other people.There will be no mic so be warned you'll have to project your voice.

Singers & musicians? Please come! Unamplified singing and acoustic guitar etc welcome, all others - sorry, not at this venue (they have neighbour problems).

It's a big venue with a stage and it's own bar, downstairs from the main pub. It's where the Live Poets Society do their poetry gigs.

Warning: I will probably pass a hat for the time, effort and money I'm putting into organising these nights.

Cheers all and I really hope to see you there!

David