Selah, the Bamberger Ranch, that will explore the various ways that nature can
be a connection to the spiritual. The works of poets and writers who used their
art to express the connection between nature and the sacred will be examined.
Activities include group discussion, time for shared and silent reflection, a
walking meditation, and a tour of the ranch. Fri & Sat, Mar 14 & 15.
Kathleen Holland or Patricia Speier, 708-1710 or e-mail:
KHolland20@aol.com
Reviews
ALBERT HUFFSTICKLER’S latest chapbook, Hindsight, Or How I Survivedthe Depression is published by Liquid Paper Press, with all copies signed
by the author. This is a guy who lost a Grammy to Hillary Clinton just last
week. See why the Grammys are bullshit. Make yer $3 check payable to Nerve
Cowboy and send it to: Liquid Paper Press, PO Box 4973, Austin, TX
78765
Call for Entries
ROBERT BLY ANTHOLOGY The Austin International Poetry Festival (AIPF)seeks poems about/influenced by Robert Bly for a local anthology edited by
Dorothy Ellis Barnett. Bly is the honored guest at the AIPF sponsored by Book
People. Deadline: March 15. E-mail to: AIPF97@aol.com or mail to:
AIPF, PO Box 160403, Austin, TX 78716-0403.
CONVERSATIONS WITH JOHN HERNDON is a new talk radio program airing on
Sundays, noon-2pm on KJFK-FM 98.9. Poet, journalist, and teacher, John will
focus on books and authors, the arts, ideas, and culture on his show. John
promises lots of poetry and readings and interviews from and with authors,
artists, scholars, and thinkers. Poets, authors, musicians, artists, and arts
organizations are encouraged to send books, CDs, schedules, and other material
to: John Herndon, 3616 Far West Blvd. #101-145, Austin, TX 78731-3074.
ART-CORE is now accepting submissions of photos, drawings, paintings,
video, et cetera. They support uncensored anarchistic art – and have been doing so for quite some time now, kiddies. PO Box 49324,
Austin, TX 78765. 323-0774.
NERVE COWBOY is accepting submissions of poetry, short fiction (up to
five pages), and black-and-white artwork for issue #3. They would especially
like subs from Texas. So torpedo yo’ hoagie-burritoed schtuff along with a SASE
to: Joseph Shields and Jerry Hagins, PO Box 4973, Austin, TX 78765.
LITERALLY, Austin Monthly Journal of the Liberal Arts, is accepting
submissions of art, cartoons, photography, fiction, and poetry, etc. Send to:
Terry R.W. Whisenant, 1700 Burton, #423, Austin, TX 78741.
PATCHWORK POEMS Submissions must be received by the full moon each month
(next full moon is Mar 24). Send to: New Moon Publishing, 1528 W. Contour,
Suite 103, San Antonio, TX 78212. Fax: 210/684-3050.
Ongoing Readings & Misc.
UTTER is a reading series of original fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.Come listen to local writers on the second Thursday of every month at 7pm in
the Reception Room of the Austin History Center, 810 Guadalupe.
SHORT FICTION WRITERS’ GROUP welcomes beginning to professional writers
for critique. First Sun each month at the Austin History Center, 810
Guadalupe. 1-3pm. 467-2588 or e-mail jomiya@aol.com
BOOK PEOPLE, 603 N. Lamar, reading group meets every other
Wednesday, 6:30-8pm on a new topic every two months. Call for a schedule and/or
to get on mailing list. 472-5050 or 459-8081.
*Book People’s Book Group meets 6:30-8pm in the Community Room, third floor.
The current session of the group features Granta magazine’s best young
American novelists. (Mar 26 Iona Moon; April 16 Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner; April 30 Little Altars Everywhere by Rebecca Wells;
May 14 Wildlife by Richard Ford; May 28 Liar’s Club by Mary Karr;
June 11 All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy; June 25 A Lesson
Before Dying by Ernest Gaines.) For the schedule/to reserve a spot call
472-5050. 603 N. Lamar. 459-8081.
AIR SALON is the current poetry and theatre radio show from KVRX-FM with
hosts Caitlin Wood and Phil West. Tuesdays, 7-7:30pm. Send submissions: Air
Salon c/o KVRX-FM, UT, PO Box D, Austin, TX 78713.
WRITING FROM THE HEART, North Village Branch Library, 2139 W.
Anderson, writing group, every other Sat, 11am-1pm. 445-6573.
* Weekly *
BORDERS hosts literary discussion groups every Wednesday at 7:30pm. The
Literary Discussion Group meets the first Wed of each month; the Mystery Group
meets the second Wed; the SF folks meet the third Wed: Mar 19 features Tim
Powers’ Anubis Gates; and Horror meets the fourth Wed: Mar 26 is Muriel
Grey’s Trickster. Wednesdays, 7:30pm, Borders, 10225 Research.
Sat, March 15, 5:15pm featues a booksigning by Max Cannon,
author/artist of the Red Meat comics series. 795-8410.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE POETS! Different musical, dramatic, and poetic
guests each week. Free admission, tip jar passed for the artists. Saturdays,
7pm, Quackenbush’s on Guadalupe.
BONGO NIGHT WITH MAX NOFZIGER AND THOM the World Poet. Or is Larry
Cordle the other host? You be the judge. Every other Wednesday. Next up Mar
19. Special guests each time with many fabulous surprises! Free, tip jar
accessible. Wednesdays, 8:30-11pm, Flipnotics on Barton Springs.
THE AUSTIN INTERNATIONAL POETRY FESTIVAL is set for April 4-6. Planning
meetings are held every Mon at 6:30pm at Sharri’s Sidewalk Cafe (formerly
Cafezino), 5416 Parkcrest Dr. Open mike follows at 7:30pm. Festival volunteers
are needed and anyone interested is welcome to come and participate. 335-8599 or e-mail: AIPF97@aol.com
RUTA MAYA presents APAL open readings every Tuesday from 6:30 to
7:30pm. Located at 218 W. Fourth. John Hawk, 371-1254.
STORYTELLERS OF AUSTIN performs traditional and original stories at
Koffee `n Ice Cream, 6700 Middle Fiskville Rd. Guest tellers welcome.
Mondays, 6:30-8pm. 453-0665.
HYDE PARK UNPLUGGED features hosts Glen Alyn and Steve Brooks.
Thursdays, 7-9pm. Joel T’s Cafe, 41st & Guadalupe. 453-8482.
JUDGE ROY’S BEAN EMPORIUM, 604 Brazos, presents Langtry’s
Poetry Open Mike, Tuesdays, 8-10pm. Surprise guests. 928-0619 or
837-8693.
MOJO’S DAILY GRIND, 2714 Guadalupe, features gibberish @ 10pm
every Fri. Sign up before 9:30. Bring some, make some up, or just listen.
Poets, storytellers, ranters, r�vers. They’re flexible. Hosted by Naomi
Frye. 477-6656.
WORDSNIGHT The Blue Pearl, 129 E. Hopkins, San Marcos is a
new open-mike poetry reading, held every other Sunday, 7-9pm. Storytellers are
also welcome; limit three poems or stories per person. Hosted by Bob Clark.
369-1689.
SPIDER HOUSE welcomes poets on DRY nights to the outdoor stage on
Wed nights at 7pm. The Austin Poets at Large meet before the reading at 6pm to
plan various and sundry poetrying deviltry, and all are welcome to the meeting
and reading. Call John Hawk. 2908 Fruth, just east of Guadalupe between 29th
and 30th (behind Antone’s). 371-1254.
* Monthly *
* THE GAY, LESBIAN AND BISEXUAL READING GROUP welcomes new members. The
next book is Dorothy Allison’s Skin: Talking About Sex, Class and
Literature. The April meeting is Wed, Apr 2 (American Studies, a
novel by Mark Merlis). They meet the first Wed of the month at 7:30 in
the Community Room of BookPeople, Sixth & Lamar. 708-8119.
* THE AUSTIN POETRY ENSEMBLE (APE) features Mike Henry, Peter Manriquez,
Susan Somers-Willett, Hilary Thomas, Genevieve Van Cleve, and Phil West. These
sorted (sordid?) circus runaways from Blue Plates and environs will perform
their no-net, high-wire poetics on a monthly basis in costuming yet to be
determined. (It’s too scary for the children in the audience for the APE to
attempt weekly derring-do of such a volatile nature and Slam-seamytresses Van
West is still wrestling in the basement with the fish hook thong prototype.)
The last Friday of each month at 8:30pm in the Electric Lounge.
*THE ELECTRIC LOUNGE POETRY SLAM is hosted by Slamistress
Genevieve Van Cleve on the first Tuesday of each month at 8pm. Monthly winners
will qualify for the slamoff to determine next year’s Austin Poetry Slam Team
competing in the National poetry Slam. And each monthly winner gets 50 green
slims for their winning ways. 302 Bowie. 476-FUSE.
*AUSTIN POETRY SOCIETY meets 10am on the third Saturday of each month,
through May. North Loop Library, 2210 Hancock Dr. 276-7858.
*BORDERS BOOKS & MUSIC, 10225 Research. The fourth Wed of
each month at 7:30 features free poetry readings with special guests
each month. Hosted by Barbara Carr. 795-9553.
*AUSTIN HISTORY SHORT FICTION GROUP meets in the O. Henry Room, first
Sunday of each month, 1-3pm. 467-2588.
*BARNES & NOBLE, Arboretum Poetry the second Thursday each
month, 7:30-10pm. Hosted by John Berry. Round-robin open-mike follows. 928-0619 or 837-8693.
Third Thursday of each month (Mar 20), AWL and the Texas Commission on the
Arts sponsors a Poetry Workshop at the B&N shop led by Jill Timmons,
7:30-10pm. Bring 10 or more copies of any one-page, original poem. 335-7078.
Women’s Book Discussion Group meets at the Arboretum store at 7pm every fourth
Wed.
The Fiction Book Group at the Arboretum meets at 7:30 on the last Monday of
the month. 502-8468 or 418-8985.
*AND AT WESTLAKE Barnes & Noble at 2757 Bee Caves:
Herman Nelson hosts poetry sponsored by the Texas Commission on the Arts and
the Austin Writers’ League the last Thursday of each month from 7:30-10pm. Open
mike follows featured poets. 928-0619 or 837-8693.
A Poetry Workshop sponsored by the Texas Commission on the Arts and the
Austin Writers’ League is held on the first Thursday of each month from
7:30-10pm. Hosted by Barbara Carr. Bring 10 or more copies of any one page
original poem. 343-7940.
Other events at the Westlake location: two children’s story times, Wed and
Sat, 11am.
Book Discussion Group idea? Seminar idea? Call Amy at Barnes & Noble:
418-8985.
* Women’s Book Discussion Group every fourth Wed, 7:30pm (call
477-6318). More poetry! There are men and women suited behind steel and glass
buildings, Xian, rationalist sons o’ bitches who are eating the planet out from
under us and we really ought to think about doing something real about it. End
the cultural ideas of nationalism, racism, sexism, age-ism, and consumerism,
the true obscenities of the culture. Their greed and fear and callow
selfishness, sheer irresponsibility are killing us as the planet is ravaged to
its very core. Save the children. Save our planet. Change the culture now. Vaya
con alteraci�n.
Poem of the Issue
walking with the taste of your coffee and your lover
on your tongue
swinging and a-smiling and a-swaying
are your buns
if you don’t have a spoon handy
the best way to swirl your cream in your coffee
is to tongue it gently . . . .
– John
Cutaia, “Coffee” (an excerpt) track 3 on Glosso Babel’s CD, Swinging
Jazz
This article appears in March 14 • 1997 and March 14 • 1997 (Cover).