Oh, Ohio.
Last night, Marc and I headed to the Urban Word Cafe for Writing Wrongs, charmedscorpion's show in downtown Columbus. We took the bus from Marc's neighborhood near the OSU campus, then walked a few blocks to the venue. My upper back was bothering me, right between my shoulder blades (because I've been sleeping on a bad mattress, I think), so I was not only nervous as usual, but worried the pain would ruin my focus.
The show was awesome. I was very impressed with the community charmedscorpion and co. have cultivated in so short a time in the space. The room was packed shortly after the open mic got going, and the audience was super-loving and responsive. I found myself having a really great time, even before I hit the mic. Highlights were definitely charmedscorpion's work and impeccable, attentive hosting, Barbara Fant's intricate poem/performance that spread chills throughout my body, Spike Cowell's bold amalgamation of old napkin scribblings, Vernell Bristow's composed hilarity, and Dave Nichols' poem, that was simply masterful. The Columbus poets are formidable. This strikes me as a scene I'd be honored to call home, one that's rooted in love and a deep attention to poetry.
Happily, as soon as I began to perform, the pain in my back disappeared. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or my neural pathways focusing on the more important task at hand. Whatever it was, I couldn't argue. I did a short-ish set, my first ever without performing either "The Body Beautiful" or "The Miscegenator", and no one minded. I even asked charmedscorpion if he had a request, and he asked to hear "The Maneater Manifesto", my new favorite 3-minute poem. This is a good sign, I think, that I'm growing as a poet - and a good sign that I'm in a place that favors craft over gimmicks.
The crowd loved me, and I loved them. They bought the last of my books (Kisha Nicole Foster has ten in Cleveland that she's sending to DC, so I'll still have a few for my Baltimore feature April 4th), and swarmed me afterwards with compliments and congratulations. Marc got the whole thing on video. I don't have room on my hard drive right now, but I'll get that and the Oberlin performance online soon.
When the show was done, charmedscorpion, Vernell, Spike, Barbara, Dave, Marc and I grabbed some food and libations. We talked WoWPS, poetry, Columbus, parenthood, and everything else. It was wonderful. At the night's end, Vernell gave Marc and I a ride home. The pain was back, and the exhaustion from trying to hold it in, so I didn't stay up long. I feel a bit better this morning, though there's still some tightness.
And I hate to gush, but I want to say that charmedscorpion is my new hero. He has integrity, real love, respect and support for his poets, and he strikes me as a very honest, upright man. That in itself is worth celebrating, I think.
Tonight I slam at Writer's Block. News from the front later.
The show was awesome. I was very impressed with the community charmedscorpion and co. have cultivated in so short a time in the space. The room was packed shortly after the open mic got going, and the audience was super-loving and responsive. I found myself having a really great time, even before I hit the mic. Highlights were definitely charmedscorpion's work and impeccable, attentive hosting, Barbara Fant's intricate poem/performance that spread chills throughout my body, Spike Cowell's bold amalgamation of old napkin scribblings, Vernell Bristow's composed hilarity, and Dave Nichols' poem, that was simply masterful. The Columbus poets are formidable. This strikes me as a scene I'd be honored to call home, one that's rooted in love and a deep attention to poetry.
Happily, as soon as I began to perform, the pain in my back disappeared. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or my neural pathways focusing on the more important task at hand. Whatever it was, I couldn't argue. I did a short-ish set, my first ever without performing either "The Body Beautiful" or "The Miscegenator", and no one minded. I even asked charmedscorpion if he had a request, and he asked to hear "The Maneater Manifesto", my new favorite 3-minute poem. This is a good sign, I think, that I'm growing as a poet - and a good sign that I'm in a place that favors craft over gimmicks.
The crowd loved me, and I loved them. They bought the last of my books (Kisha Nicole Foster has ten in Cleveland that she's sending to DC, so I'll still have a few for my Baltimore feature April 4th), and swarmed me afterwards with compliments and congratulations. Marc got the whole thing on video. I don't have room on my hard drive right now, but I'll get that and the Oberlin performance online soon.
When the show was done, charmedscorpion, Vernell, Spike, Barbara, Dave, Marc and I grabbed some food and libations. We talked WoWPS, poetry, Columbus, parenthood, and everything else. It was wonderful. At the night's end, Vernell gave Marc and I a ride home. The pain was back, and the exhaustion from trying to hold it in, so I didn't stay up long. I feel a bit better this morning, though there's still some tightness.
And I hate to gush, but I want to say that charmedscorpion is my new hero. He has integrity, real love, respect and support for his poets, and he strikes me as a very honest, upright man. That in itself is worth celebrating, I think.
Tonight I slam at Writer's Block. News from the front later.