6 questions with Bernadette Geyer

6 questions with Bernadette Geyer:

1) You are going to be featured at the Sept. 3 Poetry Lab event at the Soundry in Vienna, VA along with stevenallenmay. The fact that each of you has a 4 year old daughter has led to the evening being dubbed “Kidsanity”. How does the creative process “work” with a 4 year old in the house?

Mostly, the creative process works when she’s not actually in the house or when she’s asleep. This age is a very interactive age, so I spend a lot of time doing activities with her or taking her to various places like art galleries, nature centers, playgrounds, kids concerts, etc. I try to find a wide variety of activities because I, myself, get bored going to the same places all the time. But all of these various exposures do frequently work their way into my own writing. I get a lot of inspiration for poems or individual lines of poetry when we are at, say, the farm or a nature center. She also loves books and reading, so I’ve been able to introduce her to poets John Ciardi and Gertrude Stein thanks to their own books for children. Certainly my sonnet sequence in the voice of Thumbelina’s mother would never have been written if I hadn’t read that story to her. Even if I’m not writing “about” being a parent, so much of my writing is informed by these activities and stories – and emotions – I would not have been otherwise exposed to if I didn’t have a child.


2) Do you appreciate the lyrics to John Lennon’s song “Watching the Wheels” now that you are on a different path than before the birth of your daughter, Frida?

When I graduated from college, I couldn’t wait to get into the workforce. And for the first ten years of my career I was completely driven and achieved a level of responsibility that I thought I always wanted. Fortunately, I came to realize that what I really wanted to do was to work as a freelance writer and editor from home. And I was also fortunate enough to be accruing the experience I would need once I left a 9-to-5 office job. At the point my husband & I decided we were ready to have a child, it seemed like a natural time to make the official career shift. Sometimes, I do wonder what my life would be like if I’d stayed in the full-time workforce. But, it really has been great to see the world through new eyes for the past four years. It has helped me tremendously by increasing the amount of attention I pay to my environment. There’s a tendency for adults to shut out the unnecessary because there are so many more important things to focus on. But for children, everything is so new, even the iridescence of a beetle is fascinating. I’m not only watching the wheels, I’m seeing and hearing and experiencing much more.

3) You have been a fixture at the Poetry Lab since it began at the Soundry in December 2009. Does it surprise you that there is a developing poetry community in Northern VA?

I’m not surprised at all. This is a highly populous area and there’s been very little out here for the literary community. George Mason University has its Fall for the Book Festival but, for the rest of the year, there’s not much for us beyond-the-Beltway poets.

4) I wanted to follow-up with a question that was asked of you in another interview you did; do you find that as you go along through parenting your child that your themes or subject matter has changed? Does your approach toward your work involve the overlapping of poet and mothering roles?

I wouldn’t necessarily say my “themes” and “subject matter” have changed, but that the amount of subject matter available to me has expanded. I don’t think there are any subjects I now consider off-limits that I previously wrote about, but the number I want to address has certainly grown.

5) What was the first book of poetry you bought for yourself?

I remember loving Dorothy Parker in high school and borrowing books of her poems from the library. In college, I took a class on Women’s Literature and was introduced to Adrienne Rich, whose books from that class I still have. I remember buying an old copy of a collection by Yeats, but it’s now on permanent loan to my youngest sister. It wasn’t until I took a poetry workshop led by Naomi Ayala at a local bookstore in 1997 or 1998 that I realized how much I loved poetry, and so I bought her book, Wild Animals on the Moon. That is probably the first book of poetry I bought specifically for myself and not just because I was required to read it for class.

6) As we collectively move into a more technologically driven future, how do you see the Internet affecting one’s sense of “community”?

Being a stay-at-home mother living in the suburbs has really curtailed the number of literary events I am able to attend, so having a virtual literary community – via Facebook and blogs – has helped me stay connected to the local literary scene and to connect to the broader national and international scene. I have a group of poet-friends with whom I exchange poems via email. We are scattered across the United States, but I still feel a real sense of community with them. I would not have the poetry community I do have if not for the Internet.

August 6, 2010 Poetry Lab

it's summer, it's hot - meltingly so. This Poetry Lab will feature "the Dans" (Dan Vera of Washington DC & Dan Maguire of Baltimore, MD)

here's bios of each poet :


Dan Vera lives in Washington, DC. He's the author of The Space Between Our Danger and Delight (Beothuk Books, 2008), editor of the Gay culture journal White Crane, publisher of VRZHU Press and Souvenir Spoon Books. He is the founder of Brookland Area Writers & Artists, and a member of DC Poets Against War, and the Triangle Artists Group. His poetry has appeared in Delaware Poetry Review, DC Poets Against The War, Konch, Gargoyle, Full Moon on K Street: Poems of Washington, D.C., and Pacifica Radio's nationally broadcast Peace Watch program.

"The poetry of Dan Vera is clear, strong, honest and funny. He’s the sharp-eyed observer in the corner who doesn’t say much, but makes every word count. He handles the political and the personal with equal grace, even as the lines blur. Whether he's ruminating on the perils of bilingualism, giving voice to the bewilderment of his Cuban immigrant family, cursing the censors who tried to repress gay writers over the years, waiting for the late great poet Sterling Brown to turn the next corner in Washington, D.C., or taking delight in all things delightful, Dan Vera is damn good company. You’ll see." — Martín Espada

"To read Dan Vera is to believe the world is actually a good place after all – a place where the reputation of poetry is redeemed with humor and kindness. I read this book first to know it; then I read it again for all the reasons poetry brings us closer. This is what we first understood poetry to be, miraculous and humble. In the deepest part of the heart where we truly reside, there is always a wish that poetry will rinse off artifice. This is it. When reading Dan Vera, we are married to the 3 hearts of poetry: intelligence, style, and honor. This is the most satisfying book of poems we can read if we want to witness language with a real poet as its servant."— Grace Cavalieri

"Ranging through landscape and history, family legacy and gay life, Dan Vera’s poems are melodic, lucid, and concise examinations of “the limits of earthly loving.” They remind us of what blessings the world possesses and what flesh-hating forces endanger those delights." Jeff Mann

"Dan Vera's debut collection...is just like the cover image -- full of sparks. And also like the sparkler, the poems crackle and burn...reminded me of Ted Kooser, but also the whimsy often found in the work of our poetry grandfather, Walt Whitman."
— Collin Kelley

"Dan's work 'delights' with its humor and irony. And his love poems are understated in the best way." — Francisco Aragon

Dan Vera
Author of The Space Between Our Danger & Delight
beothukbooks


Bio: Dan Maguire

Dan Maguire is a native Philadelphian who now lives in Baltimore. His work has won several prizes and awards and has appeared in The Mad Poets Review, The Schuylkill Valley Journal, The Comstock Review, The Paterson Literary Review, Big City Lit, the Philadelphia Inquirer and others.

In May of 2000, the editors of The American Poetry Review selected him for a special workshop with the poet Robert Bly. He was awarded first prize for poetry at the Philadelphia Writer's Conference in 2000, and again in 2001. He has been nominated for three Pushcart Prizes.

In February of 2004, he was invited to read at the Library of Congress of the United States. He has led poetry workshops through the Gloucester City (NJ) Adult Education Program, and the 2 Rivers Writers group. In 2005, he led one of the sessions at the first joint-workshop for disabled and non-disabled poets, held at Inglis House in Philadelphia.

Also in 2005, he was selected by poet Gerald Stern as a prize-winner in The Mad Poets Society’s national contest. He led one of the workshops at the National Convention of State Poetry Societies, and in 2006 presided over one of the two poetry groups at the Philadelphia Writers Conference.

In 2009, he won the Almeda Boulton Memorial Award from the National Federation of State Poetry Societies, and in 2010, coming full circle, he judged the poetry competition at the Philadelphia Writers Conference.

His most recent publication, Finding the Words, was published by Plan B Press in the fall of 2008. It's now on its 5th printing

July 2, 2010 Poetry Lab

(reb livingston, stevenallenmay, natalie lyalin)

6 questions with Natalie Lyalin

1) Like a number of poets who have participated in the Poetry Lab, I notice that you are also an editor. What led you to the role of editor, and is there a bit of DIY in that decision? Taking control of the "means of production"?

I really wanted to create spaces for the poems and poets that I loved. That is the inspiration for both of my editing projects - GlitterPony Magazine and Agnes Fox Press.

2) You are on a "book tour" currently - how did that come about?

On the suggestion of my friend Heather Christle, I contacted Mike Young and Rachel B Glaser. Their books are coming out from Publishing Genius this fall, and we all decided to do this tour/road trip together. Mike and Rachel and amazing, so I knew that going on the road with them would be super great. And it has been!

3) Recently you spent time in Jerusalem, how did that affect your writing? Is PLACE important in your work?

Place is definitely important to my work, but not in a geographical sense. I mean that I don't necessarily want to write about a location, but more so my impression of the location. I make things up a lot and superimpose my own sense on geography. Jerusalem allowed me a lot of time to write, but I did not write about Jerusalem. I did write about Moses, so maybe Jerusalem did have some influence on me.


4) I saw an altered Gucci ad - (text provided by you?) Are you drawn to ad copy as an inspiration or as a reaction? Or was the specific image that led to the piece?

The text is mine. That piece was a reaction and a bit of inspiration. I like the absurdity of fashion advertisement. The bigger the brand, the more insane the add -- like the Marc Jacobs ads with Victoria Beckham. But the add you are asking about, in that case I felt like the image was so odd that something had to be said other than "buy these clothes."

5) We left the Philly for DC area in 2004. My understanding is that there has been a great deal of poetic prowess happening in Philadelphia since, What has your experience been like living in Philadelphia?

I love philadelphia. There are some supremely exciting poets living there -- CA Conrad, Michelle Taransky, Sueyeun Juliette Lee, Ish Klein, and many many others. I think it is a special poetry place. There are new venues and reading series popping up. You should come visit!

6) When did you start writing and what was the first book of poetry you bought for yourself?

I would say that college, my junior and senior year, was when the "real" poems started surfacing. And my first book? I can't recall. But I remember being fascinated by Edna St.Vincent Millay's "Not In A Silver Casket." I think that's on

6 questions with Reb Livingston

1) How long have you been writing poetry? When did you realize it was something you "couldn't avoid"?

Since college, so almost 20 years. I could avoid writing poems, but I'd have to find something else to make in its place. I become depressed when I'm not creating something.



2) Have dreams always been central to your writing? Is it the imagery or the surrealist nature of dreams that most affect you?

I only occasionally incorporate dreams into my poetry. In my most recent book, God Damsel, I think there are two phrases that come directly from dreams and there's only one poem in Your Ten Favorite Words, "No Bra Required," that's influenced by a dream. I'm trying to incorporate more dream material into my current project, but I'm not so sure how well that's working. Perhaps it's because dreams are much more than "writing material." I get a lot of advice and guidance from my dreams, in writing and in everyday life. Dreams are our connection with our oracle. I take them very seriously.



3) What was your motivation in starting No Tell Motel?

I always wanted to edit a magazine. Seven years ago I noticed poets my age or younger launching their own publications and I felt both jealous and smug (because I thought they were "doing it wrong.") Finally it occurred to me that I didn't have to be jealous or smug, I could start my own magazine and show everyone how it's done.




4) Who have been your influences along the way?

Anne Sexton was my first major influence as an undergrad. Later Nicholas Christopher, Amy Gerstler, Federico Garcia Lorca. Now, I don't know, I feel lost. Maybe there's some influence from Alice Notely and Fanny Howe? I'm influenced by C.G. Jung, Marie-Louise von Franz, fairy tales, tarot and certainly dreams.




5) How has parenthood affected your writing?

Time. What happened to it? I also find that I tend to repeat things in my poems like I repeat myself in daily life. "What did I just say?!?"




6) What was the first book of poetry you bought for yourself?

The first poetry books I purchased were for an introductory poetry course, Cornelius Eady's The Gathering of My Name and The Best American Poetry 1990 (edited by Jorie Graham). Eady's poems were probably the first that I ever felt any connection. The first book of poetry I purchased for myself voluntarily was The Complete Poems: Anne Sexton.

June 2010 Poetry Lab

(from left: stevenallenmay, Lauren Bender, Allison Clapp, Mike Maggio, Graham Pilato)


I knew what I was getting with Lauren Bender. I have seen her perform/present 3 times previously and each time was completely different from the time before. I say "perform/present" instead of "read" since that's what she does. Reading my interview with her is instructive. Her background in visual arts helped to create her aesthetics as well. Twice I took in Lauren's performance at DCAC in Washington and at that time I had merely a glimpse of an idea to find a space similar where I could also present artists like Ms. Bender. My lucky break was finding The Soundry. The primary difference between DCAC and The Soundry is that The Soundry is an arts incubator while DCAC is a gallery and performance space.

When I started The Poetry Lab, Lauren Bender was one of the first people I contacted. I was put in touch with Mike Maggio through a posting on the George Mason English Dept. listserv. When I contacted him, he readily accepted my invitation. Only afterwards did he mention cloudism which never was clearly defined, nor actually should it have been. What I gleamed from his work I got again from my interview with him and some postings of his work online.

But he said "Happening" and I knew what that was. Not that I ever attended a Happening, but I was very aware of them. Also, Mike Maggio stated that one of his influences is Yoko Ono. 'Okay', I said to myself, 'Fluxus as well.'

When the event itself began, my cohort and myself discovered the perimeters of where a performance at The Soundry could begin; The Front Door! A white cord ran from the edge of the counter in the front of the building and wove its way to the room where the event took place. Past painters working on their canvasses, down hallways, around corners.

We were led to the performance of "cloudism" by a mime in a bowler (hints of "Ghosts Before Breakfast"?), holding onto the cord as we proceeded. Once we entered the room, we found a TV set on white noise. A cellist. A mannequin's torso. A ladder leading into the clouds. Pens dangling from the ceiling. A human sized shadow wearing a T-shirt which would, in short order, be written on (the shadow turned out to be Mike Maggio). The mime pulled members of the "audience", actually witnesses more than audience members as there were no seats. People climbed the ladder to see a large blue eye gazing down on them. People used the dangling pens to write on the shadow and the torso. The cellist began to play, the white noise on the TV rose to annoyance.

Nothing like this had taken place before at the Poetry Lab (all of 5 months old), and it led to some awkward moments as people coming to attend a "poetry reading" found themselves in a much difference space. Some time later the shadow fled the scene, and confused members of the audience followed - outside, into the parking lot and back through the front door. The performance was over, although no one was certain. Unlike a movie, there were no "end credits".

Allow me to offer some here : cloudism is Mike Maggio, Allison Clapp, and Graham Pilato. The cellist is Tina Hughes.

After a brief intermission, Lauren Bender took the stage and presented a new text/video piece called "Epic Ochre
Subverts Other", which was about fear, travel, the desert, and telepathy. While a film was shown on a large screen, Bender read a prepared text. It was completely different from the preceding event yet equally engaging and challenging. Overall, the evening was nearly exactly what I had imagined the Poetry Lab would become back in November 2009 as I dreamt this all into being.

Bravos all around.


stevenallenmay

dirty laundry

Curating a series is not for the faint of heart. Neither is hosting the series. Any number of things can happen to change one's plans; 2 foot blizzards can cancel events, for example. Features might fail to show up. Sociopaths might come and pretend to be poets in order to slime an audience with their filth - wait, I just had to deal with this one.

When an audience goes from over a dozen women one month to ZERO women the following month, you know there's a problem. I identified the problem right away : a "poet" in the open reading segment of the series was sleazing the audience with his, um, "art". I knew I had to do something. Don't get me wrong : I am a strong believer in freedom of speech. However, one's right to offend doesn't have blanket protection when as a host it drives people out the door. A "poet" screaming about being censored is not protected when he assaults the audience. There are limits. People who attend events at least ought to be warned that they MIGHT be abused - no, actually, no they ought not be subjected to abuse. There is no component within the Poetry Lab FOR abuse. And to heap abuse on women specifically is totally unacceptable.

I have written provocative and sexual material but I would never read these pieces in a room with small children in it. Some people seem to believe that their right to write obscene material trumps a person's right not to be exposed to said material. I have a wife and a daughter, I am sensitive to these sort of woman hating poisonous barbs.

And as host, I won't stand for it. The very nature of the Poetry Lab is to be slightly off-kilter. Granted. But don't attend with your venom towards women, or gays, or afro-americans, or arabs - leave it at home or leave yourself at home. You won't get your 5 minutes here.


stevenallenmay
curator and host
The Poetry Lab
Vienna, VA