9/17: R.A. Washington and company at Mac's Backs

September 17th at Mac's Backs Books on Coventry:

New Unhoused Clevelanders Poetry Anthology

For more about this new anthology, These Words are Not My Home: Poems, Stories and Essays from The Unhoused (edited by R.A. Washington), please read: 

Unseen voices: How a shelter program, new poetry anthology channel thoughts of unhoused Clevelanders by Collin Cunningham in The Land.

Copies of the book are available from Mac's Backs Books on Coventry.  

Guide to Kulchur Reopening

RA Washington's bookstore and 'zine-making co-op, Guide to Kulchur, closed last October.  But it is scheduled to rise again, at a new location: Lorain Avenue and W. 52nd Street.

Horray for Guide to Kulchur!

• See the article by Sam Allard in the June 14 Scene.
• GTK Press

R.A. Washington Featured

photo Joshua Gunter/ The Plain Dealer

Poet and bookstore entrepreneur R.A. Washington was interviewed by Minister of Culture Michael Heaton in today's Plain Dealer, talking about the first anniversary of the founding of the Guide to Kulchur bookstore, in the Gordon Square Arts district.

The Guide to Kulchur, a text, art and news store on Cleveland's West Side, will turn a year old in June -- something of an achievement in itself in this era of shrinking independent bookstores. R A Washington, a poet and musician, runs the bookstore, which is just north of the Capitol Theatre on W. 65^th St. R A talked about the Guide to Kulchur with the Plain Dealer's Michael Heaton -- our Minister of Culture.

•  Interview
• ...and is featured in the Cleveland Scene
• "Here's Cleveland's New Independent Bookstore in Gordon Square" (Sam Allard, Cleveland Scene)
• Guide to Kulchur facebook page
• Guide to Kulchur web page

Snoetry is back!

60 poets in 11 hours-- plus you!  Yes, Snoetry is back, this time at Guide to Kulchur bookstore, in the Gordon Square district near the Capitol Theatre and Cleveland Public Theatre.

Courtesy of The Tao of Jesus Crisis:

FIRST TIME IN CLEVELAND!

Featuring writers from several states! Lix & Kix, clevelandpoetry.com and friends present the 4th almost annual Snoetry winter wordfest, Sunday 16 March from noon to 11 pm at Guide To Kulchur: Text, Art, and News in the Gordon Square arts district of Cleveland, Ohio.

Open mic from noon to 1 p.m. 60 featured poets from 1 to 11 p.m.

Potluck and BYOB. If you have any questions, please contact John on Facebook or at jc at crisischronicles.com.

Full [perhaps still evolving] schedule:

Noon: Open Mic
1pm: John Burroughs (Cleveland)
1:10 Mark Sebastian Jordan (Mansfield)
1:20 Heather Ann Schmidt with Marc Shepard (Michigan/Oberlin)
1:30 Clarissa Jakobsons (Aurora)
1:40 Barton D. Smock (Columbus)
1:50 Helen Shepard (Oberlin)
2 pm: Kathy Smith (Cleveland)
2:10 Steve Brightman (Kent)
2:20 Blaire Bommer (Cleveland)
2:30 Juliet Cook (Medina)
2:40 Steven Smith (Cleveland)
2:50 Suzanne Savickas (Cleveland)
3 pm: Marisa Moks-Unger (Erie)
3:10 Jeffrey Bowen (Cleveland)
3:20 Bree [a.k.a. Zlee Zlee] (Cleveland)
3:30 Marissa Hyde (Cleveland)
3:40 Chuck Joy (Erie)
3:50 James E. Stanley (Cleveland)
4 pm: Jennifer Hambrick (Columbus)
4:10 Rose M Smith (Columbus)
4:20 Dianne Borsenik (Elyria)
4:30 Eric Anderson (Elyria)
4:40 Claire McMahon (Cleveland)
4:50 Tracie Morell (Erie)
5 pm: Bradley K Meyer (Dayton)
5:10 Ellis E-matic Crockett (Erie)
5:20 Alex Nielsen (Cleveland)
5:30 Dan Smith (Cleveland)
5:40 Bridget Kriner (Cleveland)
5:50 Megan Collins (Erie)
6 pm: Gork (Cleveland)
6:10 Josh Romig (Ravenna)
6:20 Amanda Oaks (Pennsylvania)
6:30 Mary O'Malley (Cleveland)
6:40 elliot smith (Erie)
6:50 Adam Sagert (Lorain)
7 pm: Christine Howey (Cleveland)
7:10 Kelly Boyer Sagert (Lorain)
7:20 Andy Roberts (Columbus)
7:30 Ryan Sagert (Lorain)
7:40 Brian Fugett (Dayton)
7:50 Theresa Göttl (Cleveland)
8 pm: Steve Thomas (Cleveland)
8:10 Cee Williams (Erie)
8:20 Lennart Lundh (Illinois)
8:30 Mistress Rosie [a.k.a. Lisa Dabrowski] (Lorain)
8:40 mark s. kuhar [a.k.a. Mark Cueball] (Medina)
8:50 Catherine Criswell (Cleveland)
9 pm: Shelly Ann (Cleveland)
9:10 Jim Lang (Cleveland)
9:20 Christina M. Brooks (Detroit)
9:30 Gavin Corey (Boston)
9:40 Shelley Chernin (Cleveland)
9:50 Vladimir Swirynsky (Cleveland)
10 pm Christopher Franke (Cleveland)
10:10 Mark Cronin (Cleveland)
10:20 Cavana Faithwalker (Cleveland)
10:30 Steve Goldberg (Cleveland)
10:40 Julie Ursem Marchand (Elyria)
10:50 Ra Washington (Cleveland)

Peace, love and poetry....
John

Or check the Snoetry-4 facebook page.
...and, if you're suffering from withdrawal from not enough Snoetry: join the Snoetry Withdrawal support group.

Turn On. SPIT.

Legendary Cleveland poet RA Washington tonight!

Arts in Stark and The Poet's Haven present Canton's First Friday Poetry Spectacular! May 6th's featured poet is RA Washington.

RA Washington is a writer, multi-media artist, and musician living in the historic North Collinwood neighborhood of Cleveland. He is the author of a dozen books, most recently the novellas Open and HUEbris. Washington was awarded a Wexner Center for the Arts Fellowship in 2001. His paintings, photography, and mixed media installations have been exhibited in numerous galleries and art centers, including ARTbizzarre in Montreal, FACT.CO in London, and as part of SPACES Art Gallery’s Afrofuturism Exhibition in 2006. Washington's free jazz opera, Along the Eastern Shore: A Tribute to Albert Ayler, was premiered as part of the 2006 Cleveland Ingenuity Festival. A member of the performance ensemble Black Poetic, Washington is currently working on a play and film project based on the life of James Baldwin.

This show includes an open-mic, feature performance, and poetry slam. First place in the slam wins $50. Second place wins $30. Third place wins $20. Prize money provided by Arts in Stark.

This is an ALL-AGES/UNMODERATED event, meaning that all-ages are welcome to attend and participate, but parents should be aware that there are no restrictions on language and some performances may contain adult language and content.

NEO Poet Field Guide

Full name: ra washington

Age: 34

Habitat: tremont

Diet: Ezra Pound, James Baldwin, Grace Paley, bell hooks, Kate Sopko- as for movies- my fav is Blade Runner, Dune, and sixteen candles

Range: you may find me lurking at the Lit Cafe, perhaps B Side, TOUCH SUPPER CLUB

Distinguishing Markings:  HUEbris, ...OPEN. got a new novella about to hit called THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF GENTLEMAN RICHARDS

Predators: boyfriends. alot of hate from boyfriends

Prey: women who can read french, and landlords

Call:

Brando

Take this wine jimmy

I want your eyelids showing

Take this money jimmy

I made this shit for twenty minutes

The picture show

Take this love jimmy

I want your cock in my mouth

Take this color jimmy

And show the world

What its not.

 

Tell them marlon.

Why fake when your heart sings true.

Make love to me marlon

Passion is the white man’s game

What’s it like marlon

To have the women call your name

Even as the men, hide their mouths

When doing the same.

Contact info: clevelandtapes.com

Bertram Woods Reading 12-10-08

R.A. Washington and Terry Provost
Poetry Back in The Woods
Shaker Heights Public Library
12-10-08

It was like a surreal newscast - in a good way.