6/30/06

Urban Fairy by D.L. Polonsky

Last year, D.L. Polonsky, a Stone Soup regular and author of "The Letter Bandits," created this short film. Its credits include many Stone Soup alum. There's even a quick cameo by poet and past feature Coleen Houlihan.
Stone Soup Features for July

Below is a list of features for July. More information will be added next week.

July 3rd: Celebrated local poet Richard Cambridge celebrates the Fourth of July in a less common fashion.

July 10th: Welcome poet and teacher David R. Surette.

July 17h: Ryan “Rat” Travis returns to Stone Soup.

July 24th: Sue Savoy has her first Stone Soup feature.

July 31st: Friends of Poetry member Prabakar T. Rajan also features at Stone Soup Poetry for the first time.
July 24th: Sue Savoy Features

Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery (located on 106 Prospect Street in Cambridge) with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. On July 24th, Stone Soup invites Sue Savoy to feature.

Sue Savoy always hated poetry and is not sure what she writes actually is poetry. She can't bring herself to refer to herself as a poet, but she's been a regular at the Cantab venue for years and has read and featured at numerous venues including the Cantab and Tapestry of Voices. She most recently featured as a competitor in the Head to Head Haiku Slam at Poetribe hosted by Samantha Jane Scolamiero.
July 17th: Ryan "Rat" Travis Features



Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery (located on 106 Prospect Street in Cambridge) with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. On the 17th, Ryan "Rat" Travis returns to Stone Soup with a "Haloween in July" show, where he will release the sequel to his Haiku of Horror chapbook.



Ryan Travis has been performing for about 9 years as a poet, actor, singer, performance artist and clown. He’s toured with 2 infamous poetry groups, The Collective and The Barnum and Buddah Circus, all over New England as well as, NYC, NJ, PA and KY. Known for his upfront and revealing style, his work ranges from children’s poetry to the outright offensive, so much so that he was once asked to leave the stage by a long distance phone call by the venue owner.

Nominated for an Irene Ryan Award for Acting Excellence and a Cambridge Poetry Award for best love poem, he’s also been published in many online and print magazines, most recently in England.


Not a love poem

This is not a love poem
by any stretch of the imagination

Even though I feel like my chest is going to explode
and an incredible sense of joy radiates from within me

This is not a love poem

Even though I think that you're the most beautiful
and phenomenal woman I've ever met
and I can't get you out of my head

This is not a love poem

and when I think about the way you look at me sometimes
and how I feel when I stare into your captivating eyes,
I feel higher than I've ever been
and my muse forces me to put pen to paper to express these feelings
compelling me to write

So just don't think of this as a love poem
cause if it was, I might just scare you away
cause love is a terrifying word
and I haven't even begun to truly know you yet
but I feel so very lucky to know who you are right now.

So lets just say this is a poem
to let you know how incredible you are
and leave it at that

cause this is not a love poem
even though it sure seems like it.
July 10th: David R. Surette Features



Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery (located on 106 Prospect Street in Cambridge) with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. On July 10th, Stone Soup welcomes Poetribe co-host David R. Surette, whose body of work covers a great range of topics, from family to personal heritage to the beauty of the American landscape and its various inhabitants.

David R. Surette's first book of poetry is Young Gentlemen's School (Koenisha, 2004). He co-hosts Poetribe, a poetry series in southeastern Massachusetts.

Click here for a sample poem by Surette.

The author's website.

Poetribe.

6/24/06

July 3rd: Richard Cambridge Reads at Stone Soup



Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery at 106 Prospect Street with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. On July 3rd, Stone Soup welcomes back poet Richard Cambridge for a special performance that recognizes the Fourth of July holiday in a less common fashion, as is indicative in the sample poem below.

Richard Cambridge's poetry and theater productions address controversial themes on the American political landscape. His poetry has appeared in The Paterson Literary Review, Heartland Journal, Asheville Poetry Review and others. His awards include The Allen Ginsberg Poetry Prize and he was a finalist for a residency at the Fine Arts Work Shop in Provincetown, MA. He is a long-time resident of Cambridge, MA where he curates the Poets’ Theater at Club Passim, and helps run Squawk! a weekly open mic coffeehouse in Harvard Square. He was a member of the Boston Slam team that won the championship in 1992, and in 1997 won the individual Master’s Slam at the National Poetry Slam. In 2003 he received the Cambridge Peace and Justice Award for the contributions of his art and activism.


After the London bombings, an NPR commentator asked the question:
Is this what the future holds? Will we have to endure this like bad weather?

Bad Weather

Our language comes from Arabic

There’s a bin-Laden
For every letter of the alphabet

The forecast today
Is Bad Weather

A cluster bomb
in Copley Square

A suicide bomber
At Downtown Crossing

What doesn’t rain from above
Can’t be protected from with an umbrella

It’s going to be a Nuclear Day
Mushrooms exploding in the corners of Everywhere

Lunch appointments completely ruined
A whole life’s work blown to bits

My parents no longer exist
In Rochester

There’s a fingernail left
Of a friend from Montana

What we need is
HOMELAND SECURITY

A T-Shirt says
Fighting Terrorism since 1492

Depicting four Native American warriors
Rifles cocked

What goes around
Becomes a tornado

Two-fifty for a coffee and donut
Two-fifty for a gallon of gas

The president grins
With a moustache of oil

Got Democracy
Wasn’t it Sadaam who took down the towers

The forecast today is Bad Weather
It’s always easier to believe a lie

--Richard Cambridge


Click here for the Squawk! website.


Click here for Club Passim's website.

6/19/06

June 26th: Edward J. Carvallho Features



Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery at 106 Prospect Street with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. Unable to make his scheduled feature in May due to personal obligations, Edward J. Carvalho has been rescheduled to close off June.

Edward J. Carvalho is a twice-nominated Pushcart Prize writer (2004-2005) who has been writing poetry for over 20 years. He is the author of several self-published chapbooks and unpublished full-length collections of poetry, including the latest manuscript, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short, scheduled to be published later this year. His poetry - lauded by Nobel laureate, Elie Wiesel and poet, Martin Espada - has appeared in various national journals around the country. Mr. Carvalho holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from Goddard College with future academic plans that include the pursuit of a doctorate in literature and criticism focusing on Walt Whitman.

Click here for Edward J. Carvalho's webite.

Click here for a preview of Carvalho's recent contribution for The Heat City Review.
June 19th: David "Doc" Cote Features

Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery at 106 Prospect Street with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. Featuring tonight will be venue host and longtime friend of Jack Powers and Stone Soup, David "Doc" Cote.

Cote has been hosting multiple venues in various locations, from book stores, to his current reading located at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Downtown Nashua, which meets ever second Friday every month and includes a feature and an open mike. He also taught English for 33 years in both college in high school. For the last fifty years, he has worked on one book, A Primer for Souls, which will be released by the end of this year.

(photo not obtainable)

Click here for information on the Unitarian Universalist Church in Nashua, New Hampshire.