They ask what the sun said.

old news
blackbook scans
recent jams
read
dirtylist

upcoming shows
jan. 11, 2x05
flagslam

past covers
wood smoke
bikeverbs
los ríos
barf bag
flagslam kickoff
gender & number
paperwinddot
governor
goodbye suzan

27octubre2004
Snow falls like packing peanuts, sending us clear into winter.

• Check out the dignified President of the United States of America being respectable and dignified. Dignified. Classy. Intelligent.
  
  
  Should you vote for him?

• Check out eminem being more than bullshit. Bittorent file here.
  
  
  Should you vote for it? (heh)
  

Once again the FlagSlam last night was out of control. Adam Rubinstein gave an excellent feature & 15 poets, new and old faces alike, battled it out. Winners:

1. Chris Harbster
2. Aaron Johnson
3. Christopher Fox Graham

From the second I got the venue all I heard was "Where's Lilly?" "Boy, the host last week was far sexier!" and the like. I should have known. I recorded the entire slam last night, and the recording came out OK, there is a quiet buzzing sound behind the whole thing. Maybe the PA wasn't grounded... I dunno. It was the first time recording straight to the PowerBook, I'll get it down before next week. The audio will be posted on flagstaffpoetry.com by the end of this weekend.

The highlight of the night for me: The second round. Christohper Lane's poem, probably entitled "A Letter to You, the Audience from Me, Christopher Fox Graham." Hilarious. He disqualified himself 3/4 the way through the poem by pulling out photocopied flyers with CFG's photo on them and passing them out to the audience. The flyers read something like "Have you seen my Altar Ego" or something with CFG's actual cell phone number on them. The audience was dying.

It's moments like that I love. Fuck the scores. Let's have some fun.

25octubre2004
Comunidad.

KDOG and I put together a FlagSlam Events mailing list. I'll be sending out the poop on the lastest FlagSlams through this list, only a couple times a month. Head on over to Flagstaff Poetry to sign up. My moms already did, and so should you!

Oh, and this.

17octubre2004

Because I am a nerd fascinated with the interweb, I give you "online culture." Never before has such access been afforded to such a wide number of works of art. A highspeed connection would be a good idea. Let me know which of these you like.

• John Kerry 1971 testimony before US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
  Testifying on behalf of US Vietnam war veterans, ladies and gentlemen, the next president of the United States.

• The Kleptones "A Night at the Hip Hopera"
  An amazing album of music that will never be able to be released under current copyright law. You'll be hearing about this in the newspapers eventually.

• The Nortec Collective "The Tijuana Sessions Vol. 1"
  Música norteña + techno.

• Alex Rivera "Papapapá"
  A short film following one papá and millions of papas from Perú to Nueva York. Hilarious.

• DJ Spooky "Rebirth of a Nation"
  Film remix of D.W. Griffith's "Birth of a Nation."

• Saul Williams "The Pledge of Resistance."
  Saul optimism.

14octubre2004
Lilly White, bombshell.

Last night's FlagSlam was quite a bit of fun. Our usual house band Screaming Blue Viking took the week off and had Al Gore Action Figure fill in, a killer trio of acoustic rawkin. Mandolin & shit. And the winners...

1. Aaron Johnson
2. Lloyd Alquist
3. Sandi Lyman

I recorded the last half of the slam with Eric Larson's MiniDisc, the recording turned out great. We should have been recording every slam... I think we will be from here on out. So next FlagSlam will be $2 admission, all of which will go to keep the thing happenin'.

13octubre2004
FlagSlam tonight! Long Days Cafe, 8pm!

07octubre2x04
Do you want reality? This is reality.This is where we live.
I put up some links to other artists taking part in the Decolonize Your Mind benefit next Monday, 11 Oct.

Oh, and pinche Cheney was almost right about one thing: factcheck.org is essential this fall.

03octubre20x4
CONGRATULATIONS TO CHRISTOPHER LANE AND AKASHA (and Oren)!

I'm heading down to Sedona with kdog in a few hours for the wedding. I'm excited.

This entire site and everything on it is now protected under a Creative Commons licence. I've wondered for a long time about copyright and how it is largely ignored by poetry slam and websites. Creative Commons is a non-profit project that adds more flexibility and openness than a traditional copyright, however it still protects the artist.

The best part? It encourages "remixing culture" aka sampling poems to create something new.

It doesn't replace copyright, it supplements it by providing legally-sound licenses to whoever would like to use them. Check it out.

27septiembre2004
The flyer for the October 11 benefit is up. Jeff designed it, and it's hott. Notice the background image. I spent all morning studying the Spanish Inquisition. Qué triste, aun no puedo creer las cosas que hacen, aunque ejemplos de esas cosas están por todos lados diario.

It's going to be a good month. Christopher Lane and Akasha are tyin' the knot next weekend, what a celebration that will be. It looks like I'm also going to be part of a exhibition slam at Sedona Red Rock High School on the 29th. Ha! ¡Qué chido! If only the journal scribbling high school logan could see me now...

26septiembre2004
The last day to register to vote in the November presidential election is October 4 (midnight.)

25septiembre2004
One block from the mission that saves the south side/one block from the mission that brings chaos to the south side

I'm busy. Movement moves. Last night I saw the Minibosses play with Ponies and Phil. At a rec center. Good god, air hockey and and full court basketball with my man Oveous, who is master of the seated 3-point shot. And a messah.

There's some info on the last FlagSlam on the past dates page. It went amazingly well, although it was packed and in the money department we're not doing so well. Which is part of is what making me think. What if we charged $2 at the door, with all the money going to support the featured national-quality poet, the winning local poet and the FlagSlam? I'm interested to hear how this sounds to people. Would you still come? Would you still buy coffee and poetry merchandise? No matter what, there will be no charge on October 13, but there may be on the 27th. I'm open to suggestion.

In other thoughts: free access to open space == creativity.
Permanent Recreation Fee Bill, HR 3283, Passes Resources Committee Markup

             HR 3283, which would enact permanent fees for the recreational use of America’s public lands, passed House Resources Committee markup with only one Congressman  speaking in dissent this morning. The sole voice of opposition came from Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV), minority chair of the House Resources Committee, and a strong no-fee supporter.  He referred to recreation fees as a new tax and supported full tax-dollar funding of our world-class public lands.  He also stated that summer visitors to America's public lands would need a certified public accountant to calculate the total of various fees they would incur from a trip, say, around the west.

             Authored by Rep. Ralph Regula (R-OH), who created the controversial Recreation Fee Demo Program in the Interior Appropriations subcommittee in 1996,

HR 3283 was amended by Resources Committee Chair Richard Pombo (R-CA) to prohibit the charging of fees simply for parking your car at the side of the road.  But it grew from 17 to 42 pages and leaves wide open “basic fees” for trailheads and dispersed camping and “expanded fees” for sites such as car campgrounds and boat launches.

“It is disappointing that western Congressmen and other members of both parties, who have voted before to oppose forest recreation fees, raised not a word of protest against a permanent, multi-agency recreation fee bill,” says Jon Orlando, Statewide Coordinator of the Arizona NoFee Coalition.

“Apparently Committee members did not wish to cross Rep. Regula, who will next year chair the House Appropriations Committee, controlling the purse strings of Congress,” continued Orlando

Mr. Regula conspicuously sat in the front row of today's hearing watching carefully to see who would support him and who would dare to oppose him. He sat where he did, so that everyone on the Resources Committee could get a good look at him and so that he could keep an attentive ear upon everything said by each committee member.

Reports are that not one Committee member raised their voice to vote against the bill.

Fee opponents with the Arizona NoFee Coalition and Colorado’s Western Slope No Fee Coalition had worked with Resources Committee staff to craft a bill limiting fees to developed sites.  But no headway was made against Administration pressure for multiple layers of recreation fees.

Looking ahead, this close to the year’s end, there is insufficient time for the Senate to hold hearings to vote on HR 3283.  Earlier in the year, the Senate unanimously passed S. 1107, which makes permanent only Park Service fees, leaving fees for the other public lands agencies to lapse at the end of 2005.  This means that Congress will have to revisit this topic early in 2005 and reach a timely compromise between House and Senate recreation fee bills.

According to Orlando, “Clearly Congressman Regula, who has no public lands in his district, was able to scare our Representatives, even those in the west, into approving this new tax on public land access. These are One Man’s Lands, Regula’s, not Public Lands. So much for being represented in Washington.” 

The current text of HR 3283 at markup is not available to the public for the next few days.

The following is the text of Ranking Member Congressman’s Rahall’s comments.

Opening Statement of U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall, II
Ranking Democrat - Resources Committee
H.R. 3283: Recreational Fee Program
September 22, 2004

 Mr. Chairman, I commend you and Representative Regula for taking the time to address the recreational fee demonstration program.  Both H.R. 3283 and the substitute I understand you intend to offer, Mr. Chairman, are serious, comprehensive attempts to develop a workable program.

 However, when these proposals are boiled down, one fact remains: recreational fees are tax increases.   And these increases reach into the wallet of middle class families who are already being pinched and squeezed at every opportunity by misguided economic policies.

 Sadly, even with recreational fees in place, our system of National Parks and Public Lands teeters on the verge of bankruptcy.  Backlogged maintenance and visitor needs are ignored as the gap between what the system has, and what it needs, grows wider.

 This Administration and this Congress have cheated our Parks and Public Lands year after year and the band aid provided by user fees cannot stop the bleeding.  The bill before us is an attempt to remedy this failure by applying an even larger band aid to a fractured budget policy, and I do not need a medical degree to know that approach will fail.

 Before this hemorrhaging permanently stains our natural resources heritage, we should reexamine our priorities and begin to provide the funding needed to support a world class system of National Parks and Public Lands without resorting to an unjust and unjustified tax increase on our citizens.

 During my years of service on the Transportation Committee, I have refused to support charging tolls on our Interstate Highways.  That is what people pay gas taxes at the pump for, to build and maintain highways.  Tolling is double taxation.  In my view, the recreational fee program is no different.

 Since 1996, we have been conducting what was supposed to be a brief experiment to determine whether a recreational fee program is feasible.  And what have we seen in this experiment gone awry - visitors are frustrated, confused and angered over being charged to use resources they already own.

 Reading this legislation is just like reading the tax code: five agencies, four different types of fees, twenty different classes of exemptions, three different types of passes, and more than 50 resource councils to help sort it all out.

 When the average American family sits down to plan their summer vacation to the National Parks, in addition to their maps and guidebooks, they will need a CPA and a loan officer to determine what they will owe in fees.

 As it stands, it costs the average American more to spend a day in many of our National Parks than it costs a mining company to pick up several acres of federal land under the Mining Law of 1872.  That is just flat wrong.

 Mr. Chairman, both the underlying bill and your substitute authorize the expenditure of fee revenues to enhance things like visitor enjoyment, habitat restoration, hunting, fishing and visitor health and safety on public lands.   To me that sounds like the job of this Committee, this Congress and this Administration, not the seniors, parents and kids who
visit our public lands.

 Thank you Mr. Chairman.

21septiembre2004
FlagSlam tomorrow! Long Days Café!

And now a random picture of Deer Creek Falls in the bottom of el gran cañon. Estoy medio dormidito en el frente, y Conor está cerca de la cascada.

16septiembre2004
The day that white boys find their hips will be the day that the world spins the other way.

Well hay! Goodies!

• Estimado kdog takes beautiful pictures! Here are some shots from the score table at the first Flagslam. I might even have more later.
• New recent jams list! ...ok not really that exciting.
• Yo! 12 Cosas Necesitas Saber Acerca de México translated into beautiful spanish by my good friend Memo Márquez Guevara from Querétaro. He has done a much better job than I could ever have done, just as he did for all of Sun Said Shine. Orále. Email Memo and tell him he's sexy (he is).

15septiembre2004
My father has a beautiful chainring heart that turns his linked veins. Chainguard ribs run parallel & handle bar eyes looking forward, following his pedal turned soul.

Go rent this movie: Goodbye Lenin! Tell me what you think.

I have more information on the Purple Ribbon benefit show I'll be performing at tomorrow. I can hardly think of a better cause to come out and support. It's only $5 and I'll be wearing women's pants.

09septiembre2004
I hope that Mike McGee would barf in that bag and give it to Mr. Bush himself. I hope that Bush would smell it.

While riding my bike home from work today I was surrounded on three sides by cars, each with a Bush/Cheney bumper sticker. Each car also had other stickers. The Cadillac in front had a "Boycott France... no spin zone" sticker on it. The Dually truck to my left had a Marines sticker, and after the car behind me passed me, I was urged to "Try Jesus!"

Yo, I tried Jesus. Then I gave him up for lent.

But why talk of anything else when I could be talking of the FLAGSLAM that went off last night without a hitch. I sent this off after getting home drunk last night...

I am extremely happy to be able to tell all of you that the first FlagSlam in our new venue went amazingly well. We had a crowd estimated at some 120 people who stayed throughout the night. Mike McGee, as you might expect, brought down the house and received not one but two standing ovations. He sold more merch than I thought possible in this college town. And he is a beautiful person.

And the slam you might ask? We had 18 people sign up to slam, 10 were randomly drawn. And the results?

1. Christopher Lane
2. Dom Flemons
3. Aaron Johnson

Yep, Chris takes the $100 and pledges that he will use it to buy Oren some shoes.

Poets from all over NORthern AriZona were in attendance & lending support. Unfortunately we weren't graced with the presence of any valley-type poets (like, OMG!), but hopefully some will make the drive next time.

My personal thanks be to Long Days Cafe, Christopher Fox Graham for working the merch table, John R Kofonow for being my spine, Mike McGee for being Mike McGee, Dan Seaman for lending us the score paddles and the girl who gave me the rose. Ahem. And the 120 people.

Don't forget (not as though we'd let you) that the next FlagSlam is on the 22nd of September and will feature Oveous from NYC.

Until then, andale pues

logan

 

01septiembre2x04
Oh Mike McGee you are the most handsome baby in all the land...

Last night's Thin Air gig at the Mogollon was a lot of fun, I thought it went really well. It was a bar gig, so of course people talking and mild heckling was all expected. I did kind of a "greatest hits" set, which I haven't ever done & probably won't do again for awhile.

School is fun in that I actually see really good things coming out of my classes very soon. And shit.

Pondré más muy pronto.

31agosto2004
If you're in Flagstaff, don't forget to come out to Mogollon Brewing Co. tonight at 7pm. It should be, um, interesting. Also:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FlagSlam Poetry to Kickoff Fourth Year in New Venue

            On September 8, 2004 at 8:00pm, “spontaneously combustible poetry” returns to Flagstaff as the original Flagstaff poetry slam kicks off its fourth year in a brand new venue, Long Days’ Café.  Hosted by local slam veteran Logan Phillips, the night’s featured reader will be the 2003 National Poetry Slam Champion, San Jose’s Mike McGee. A poetry slam will follow, 10 local poets battling it out for the first prize of $100. Judges will be selected at random from the audience.

            Admission is free and as always the FlagSlam is an all-ages event, although there will be adult language and themes.

            It will happen at Long Days’ Café, 113 S. San Francisco St. in downtown Flagstaff. Competition in the poetry slam is open to all. Poets should bring three poems of their own original composition. Sign-up is at 7:30. The event starts at 8:00pm and will run until 10:30pm approximately.

            The FlagSlam happens every second and fourth Wednesday at Long Days’ Café. Every slam features a nationally recognized poet on tour. For the last three years the Flagstaff Poetry Slam has been held at the Campus Coffee Bean. After drawing an audience that consistently exceeded the Coffee Bean’s maximum occupancy limits, the slam has been officially moved to the larger Long Days Café and renamed the FlagSlam.

The FlagSlam is supported in part by NORAZpoets™, a group dedicated to supporting all types of poetry and spoken word throughout NORthern AriZona. Founded in 2003 by Sedona’s Christopher Lane, NORAZ connects the three thriving NORthern AriZona poetry communities of Prescott, Sedona and Flagstaff through a website and toll-free events hotline. NORAZ also organizes and hosts events, such as the FlagSlam. This fall NORAZ is seeking 501(c)3 not-for-profit status as it continues to expand and support local art.

Flagstaff has sent a team of competing poets to the National Poetry Slam for the last four years. This year, the National Poetry Slam was held August 3-8 in St. Louis, MO. Flagstaff was represented as part of Team NORAZ 2004, which included poets Christopher Fox Graham (Sedona), Brent Heffron (Flagstaff), Eric Larson (Prescott) and Logan Phillips (Flagstaff). Coached by Christopher Lane, John R. Kofonow and Mary Guaraldi, Team NORAZ took 24th out of 69 teams competing from the United States and Canada. Additionally, Flagstaff poet Logan Phillips took 20th out of over 350 poets in the individual competition.

            More information on the FlagSlam and NORAZpoets can be found at http://www.flagstaffpoetry.com, http://www.norazpoets.org or by calling 1-866-698-8790. Information on featured poet Mike McGee can be found at http://www.mikemcgee.net.

28agosto2xx4
Flagstaff changes on a dime,
begs for change
Basements bullshit,
sweat like pirates
curse like professors
Ass of 40 bottles
shorts of paper bag
I'm not sketchy,
I'm done.
•

new blackbook scans
flagstaff youth project
Graphic shortstories coming...

25agosto2004
This may be a little belated, but I realize I never posted much about the nationals & st. louis. There isn't too much I want to say, but there are some people that need to be pointed out, in no particular order:

• toussaint morrison (minneapolis)
  This man had the most beautiful poem of the night on 8/5, our second preliminary bout. I can't find much info about him online, but he took 15th in the nation.

• joaquín zijuatanejo (dallas)
  Barrio street poet. During the Team Finals, joaquín performed an amazing poem about the garden of his grandfather, while two of his teammates backed him up singing.

• ken arkind (denver)
  Ken's new CD "Belly Bustin' Cleatus and the Inadequates present: The Irresponsible EP" is great.

• andrea gibson (denver)
  finally made it to the indy finals stage. In my mind she took it.

• adriana ramirez
  una mujer linda y brillante

And now, I'm home. There ain't too much going on. I'll be hosting the first flagslam on september 8, which is exciting.

I'l be designing Suzy La Follete's new chapbook in the next month or so.

I'm writing a ton. It's a pain to carry around.

18agosto2004
One hour, seven minutes.
The lynx tries all morning to hitch-hike up I-17 to Flagstaff but noone moving movement seems to understand. The lynx smiles while trying to hold lips over incisors, turning in such a way so tattoos don't show too much. It would be easier if the lynx was bunny. But less interesting.

22 minutes.

A shotgun semi stops, quite confident in his faith of trigger, his hands dance in shakes, has driven from El Paso today. Takes a chance on lynx. Both meet, unsure of the others' intentions. Both meat, both highway predators. Lynx, one jump from roadside to jumpseat. Gears shift, black smoke lifts in grunt, his dirty hands stick-shift lovers. Small talk. Where from. Where going. Not asking why. Uphill. Truck heading to Verde Valley Casino. Uphill before down. Trucks keep right. Should have asked why.

20 minutes.

His jitters are more than sleeplessness. Crystal amonia haze, truckstop donut glaze, dirty quarters, video juke box, condom dispensers in restrooms, knockoff cologne behind ears with hitchhiker hopes, Texas dirt under index nail, New Mexico BO, Phoenix phix, crystal broken lightbulb haze, gas station lighters romancing chemicals, the burning drip running down back of throat, eyes swim in cave of skull, stops for lynx.

15 minutes.

The lynx moves for more than restlessness. Voodoo green mexican machete cut through haze of day-to-day, lives on absynthe of daydreams, innocence & incisors, guilt & smile, foxfire eyes on Flagstaff, picked up by semi-truck.

7 minutes.

August noon. Thunderheads tunneling into blue. The hours about to break open.

2 minutes.
His tongue misspelled green. Speaks mostly in vowels over engine brake. The long downhill into the Verde Valley. Everyone driving too fast, overestimating themselves & everything else. Steep sides. Dark skies. Lynx is worried about his swerves. Mad at his loose innuendo, pickup line. Poison pickup mainlining macho. Dumb. Lynx machete word master, doesn't take it, cuts him down to scared stoned little boy. His calloused soul reacts with calloused right hand, grabbing lynx knee. Incisors open, quick reaction to his throat, curses shouting, engine brake blaring breaking open clouds, cab chaos, a dance of only one ending.

13 seconds.

Grill of truck explodes through cement side of freeway. Wheel one through eighteen looses grip on ground, one after other. Who knew it would be like this. Lynx and trucker, now allies about to fight ground.

Zero.

Back of truck hits ground first, ripping open like tinfoil. The entire two ton cargo of playing cards flies up into air, not bound by boxes, caught by monsoon wind, the sky thick with spades, gigantic gotas, rain begins to fall as diamonds fly, clubs in dark twirl. Lynx: ejected through windshield, lifted by half-ton of hearts, away from crumpled toy truck higher, her eyes gently shut, hair flying, lips barely open higher, raindrops finding her throat higher, cards all around her in flight.

Depués.

Her eyes open to sky, her spine on endless bed of playing cards, all lined up in royal flushes and straights. Her lips rise with the momentum of a slow deep breath and there is not one place she would rather be.
• • •

12agosto2x04
One day when Carlitos had 12 años, the monsoon rained nopalitos.

Here are the stats from nationals that everyone is quoting.

11agosto2004
Finally home after NPS2004 St. Louis...

It was, as I knew it would be, pretty amazing. My Team NORAZ took 23rd out of the 69 competing teams, which is much better than either Team Flagstaff I was a part of the last two years. It was nice to notice people standing up and taking notice of what we've been working on. Full info is on the noraz site as usual.

Also, rumor has it that in individual rankings, I took 20th out of the more than 350 poets competing from all over North America! I think I'm more surprised than anyone, but yeah, I'm pretty happy. I still can't find where the final scores are online, I'll post them when I do. Both of our bouts were extremely low-scoring, with some breath taking poetry ending up with 4's and 6's, but that's the way things go. For the record, there is no way I could have gotten anywhere near 20th without the fine work of my teammates, Eric Larson, Brent Heffron, Christpher Fox Graham and especially the seasoned stratigery of Christopher Lane. Thank you dudes. It's been an honor.

Organization on the St.Louis side was a bit sloppy, but the poetry was better than I've heard at any Nationals. There's not a buzz for NPS2005 in Albuquerque, there's a rumble.

1agosto2004
This will be the last update until after nationals, moving movement away and to. There will be big changes to this site in late august. And dirtylist. I'll see y'all soon...

The Hot & Bothered slam was incredible. And yes, NORAZ took Mesa... for the first time ever in the state. I'm sure there will be more info on the noraz site soon.

nationals info
Find Team NORAZ at the National Poetry Slam in St. Louis, MO:

Bout I
Wednesday, August 4, 8pm The Moragan St. Brewery, 721 N. 2nd St.
Austin
Palo Alto
Winston-Salem
NORAZ
Denver

Bout II
Thursday, August 5, 10pm The Royal Dumpe, 807 N. 2nd St.
Cleveland
NORAZ
Minneapolis
Boise
Ft. Lauderdale

27julio2xx4
We set our clocks by the monsoon. The garden is unstoppable. The power went out during this update. The National Poetry Slam looms close.

But first: the Hot & Bothered Head to Head. That's right. Team NORAZ's last performance in the state, this will be one to see. This friday the 30th in Sedona, AZ. $15 Get tickets here.

But first: this week's flaglam.Word on the street: this is the last slam at the Campus Coffee Bean. After 3 years, we're moving to Long Days' Café in September. Much more info about that soon, but mark your calanders: September 8, the new flagslam featuring none other than Mighty Mike McGee. Until then, come for some low key summer fun at the Coffee Bean & czechity czech kdog's hot flyer:

22julio20x4
Holy Crap! Sun Said Shine for sale online NOW!

I'm going to be interviewed on the radio this Sunday night 7-10pm (MST) on Dan Seaman's Two Lane Blues on 89.5FM KJZA (Prescott NPR affiliate). Christopher Lane is going to be there as well, it should be a good few hours of poetry & blues. I was pretty sure that KJZA streamed their station live over the internet, but looking at the site now, I can't find the link. I guess unless you're going to be in NORthern AriZona on Sunday night you'll have to miss out.

Now with more links!
My undying love for Suzan can now be found here.

19julio2004
I just got back from Supersize Me! yet another hip documentry, followed closely by The Corporation, which.will also be showing at Movies at the Mall here in flagstaff. This is a wierd thing that is happening here in Amurica, we seem to actually be examining our way of life in a pop-culture medium. By the way, apathy is not sexy.

Speaking of democracy, kdog found this in the New Yorker. He peed in his pants a little when he read it.

Goddamnit. Oprah. She's selected Gabriel Garcia Márquez's 100 Years of Solitude as her Oprah Book Club book for the month. I guess it gets more people reading realismo mágico... but it's still a little wierd.

17julio2xx4
That's right. Undying love.

Como un río, así andamos...
"Back to the house" after San Diego surfing street poetry daze.
The summer is running quickly and descalzo.
I have copies of Sun Said Shine. They will be available on the NORAZPoets store next week.
Team NORAZ in Tempe 7/18 show cancelled.
Instead, tonight come drink 90 $3 martinis at a bar slam by Aaron Johnson.
Word on the street. I'm going to redesign this whole damn site very soon.

New stickers are coming...

Suzy's "Rooftop Poetry" was last night's blast. It was worth the flight home early from San Diego. Suzy is leaving for Austin. My undying love. Leaving. Here's a picture of Suzy on the roof from a different Rooftop Poetry.

07julio2004
Arrive only to leave again...

The book release/kdog birthday bash was muy chido, I drank more coronas in a few hours than I had for weeks. I also sold a ton of books. Speaking of which, they aren't on sale online just quite yet. I'm saying the 20th at this point, I'm just running around too damn much.

I'm leaving to la frontera today... la casa del sol, where I grew up. Then all next week I'll be in San Diego. Drop me a line if you know of any good poetry events.

I've decided to come home early in order to feature at Rooftop Poetry, which is on the 16th. I've heard a ton about this thing... poetry & beer in the open air, can't get much better. It is also Suzy's going away party, as she leaves the next day to Austin. I'm heartbroken...

06julio20x4
Mile high in the city...

Denver's "40oz Poetry Slam" was incredible. I drove straight through, 12 hours from Flagstaff. I featured with Mike McGee (who took 1st in the nation at the last National Poetry Slam) and Daphne Gottlieb (whose new book is rated one of America's top ten books by Village Voice). Pretty incredible.

I competed in the slam as part of Team Walla-Walla Washington, which was a pick-up team made up of Akua (Mesa), Luke Warm Water (South Dakota) and Daniel Flores (Albuquerque). And the results of the slam? We took second in the whole thing! Denver beat us on their home turf, but it was hard-fought as we relied on our near-unbeatable stratigery of paper-rock-scissors to determine our performance order.

Oh and there was the Latin American Showcase... pude leer todas mis poemas, no importa cual idioma. Trinidad Sanchez, Jr. was also a highlight.

Parties in the warehouse district with Ken Arkind... placticando con Ken Rodriguez... much love from Burque & Team Omaha.

Word on the street....

02julio2004
It's 3:50am... I am about to head to Denver. Info about the gig is still sketchy... I go with good intention. All I know is that I'll be at a place called the Mercury Café (on the corner of 22nd and california) friday night around 7pm, I imagine the event probably starts about 8 or so. I wish I could say more.

The first 30 or so copies of Sun Said Shine are finished, hand assembled & individually numbered by yours truely. It will be for sale online next Wednesday as part of a big website update.

OK. Me voy. Go write a poem.

25junio2xx4

New gigs. Sneak preview of Pedro Día illustrations for Sun Said Shine.... translating poems back & forth... talking to the printer... getting the second round of illustrations today...

22junio2004

John R. Kofonow

The new book "Sun Said Shine" is consuming my life. Half of the illustrations are finished, Pedro Día aka "Hermes Twi-st" is going to blow your metaphore if he hasn't already. The sun will say shine in two languages: July 7, 2004. It's the best design I've ever done. Memo from Querétaro is backing me up on the translations, será muy chido.

If anyone has any contacts for booking in San Diego, please drop a line. I'll be in the area July 11-17 looking to perform & hear the city.

You speak linguistics.

18junio2004
HEAPED UP HER SECRETS IN A SMELLY PILE

One time she heaped up her secrets in a smelly pile
and sold them to me for a nickle
I did the math... that’s cincuenta centavos
which I figured was worth it

So I took them & packed them & tried to cross the border
back to Arizona, United States of Amexica
I got bien nervious just before U.S. Customs
I figured that all my bags would be searched
and John Ashcroft would be sniffin my panties
for signs of el terrorismo, pues

I took the secrets, which I had in a black trash bag
and hid them on the other side of Nogales
in the shade of Mesquite thorns

I drew a map to find them again
repleat with equis X
It was a detailed map
a great map
I made it look like a pirate map for giggles
and I hid this map
so it wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands

But well, I’ll tell you
I lost the map

So when she got her visa
came across & asked me
I had to tell her
she was going to have to start over
without all the things she was used to keeping to herself

Cause they’re in the Mexican desert
and maybe I can’t convince her
that they were worthless anyway
But they’re still in the Mexican desierto
waiting for some starving & thirsty
immigrante to find
That immigrante might be able to convince her
of the value of secrets
as they stale in that imigrante's mouth

• • • • •

17junio2004
It's late. I want to go read in bed. Here's the dish:

The third annual Arizona All-Star Poetry Slam is Friday the 18th. This will be the best night of poetry competition of the year. And I'm in it.

There is more information about last weekend's slam in Albuquerque on the NORAZ site.

Work on the new book is coming along well....

Today on the east coast the federal govenment released an official report that shows another of George W. Bush's pretexts for taking our country to war against Iraq was falso. There never were any weapons of mass destruction to find. And now we learn there never was any link between Iraq and Al Qaeda. Inform yourself. Register to vote.

14junio2004
CONGRATULATIONS TO MY FRIENDS NICK FOX AND LUCY ANDERTON, BLISSFULLY WEDDED DINOSAUR-STYLE IN BERKELEY, CALIFAS!

Returning triumphant from Albuquerque...
My Team NORthern AriZona took 3rd out of 15 teams from all over the southwest at the Southwest Shootout Slam this past weekend. It feels pretty good, I don't think anyone saw that coming. I gave my best performances yet of ¿Sin Voz? and 12 Things You Need to Know About Mexico. Además, the finals on Saturday night was broadcast live on Albuquerque's NPR affiliate, flirting 'fuck' with the FCC.Fuck.

The new cover photo was taken by KDOG at Arcosanti on memorial day weekend.

Lots of gigs all over these days...

10junio2x04

Time flies like an arrow
Fruit flies like a banana

Yeah. The regular Flagslam was last night at the Coffee Bean... not too many people, but a really fun time. Ryan "GUTS" Guide took it, as well he should have. I freestyled and made up a story, there was no stopwatch in the house.

We're headed to Albuquerque tomorrow early & bright. From what I hear, Team Mesa isn't going, which really is too bad. I-40 is an endless strip of goodbye that feels like you're driving west no matter which direction you think you are going in. Gringo tipis stand on the state line just down the long road from the fiberglass dinosaurs chuckling at their roadside fate. At the end of this road is the Sandias glowing mountain red at sundown, Azatlán stands.

On Tuesday I'll be in Prescott.

güelcome to amexica

6junio2004
Czech it. Here it is. What we've been waiting for.

The DVD is for sale on the interweb here. It's $10, 100% of which goes to NORthern AriZona word speak. $10 for a professional DVD with an hour of slam footage (not to mention three of mine) and the poems' text as subtitles? Yeah, that's a deal. Secure online ordering!

After posting a baby picture of myself last night I was asked to Prom by Suzy. And I went. In full drag. Long black dress & cowboy hat. Word on the street is that my ass was like sha-bam. Or, in the words of a drunk frat boy "I don't know what you are!" No pictures were taken the entire evening and I have no idea why not. A girl shouldn't have to worry about such things.

Oh, and

From: Judy Phillips
Subject: <no subject>
Date: June 6, 2004 8:50:46 PM MST
To: loganphillips@mac.com

By the way- nice website- but who said you could put my baby on the
internet????

 

5junio2xx4
Back when the world was dirty nouns and the noun was diaper.

1junio20x4
The heat begins. The garden grows. The DVD is in replication, for sale online very soon.      

Camino hacia mí mismo / hacia la plazuela / El espacio está adento / no es un edén subvertido / es un latido de tiempo / Los lugares son confluencias / aleteo de presencias / en un especio instantáneo / Silba el viento / entre los fresnos / surtidores / luz y sombra casi líquidas / voces de agua / brillan fluyen se pierden / me dejan en las manos / un manojo de reflejos / Camino sin avanzar / Nunca llegamos / Nunca estamos en donde estamos / No el pasado / el presente es intocable.

–Octavio Paz via Jewel Blackfeather

30mayo2004
bikinis & veterans. y leer! 12 things you need to know about Mexico!

that which we ignore
defines us
corner of history
abboration
border corner
on the edge of everything
regain ourselves

The 2004 Arcosanti Slam City Slam was this past Saturday, my Team NORAZ came in 2nd place by 2.2 points to Mesa. Just for the record, I have never seen a Team Mesa like this one. They're great, every single one of them. And as for us? Well we're father-suckin' incredible and haven't even brought the heat yet.

"Vibrantly Verbal: The 2004 NORAZ Poetry Grand Slam" DVD is finished. Once the copies are burned, it will be for sale on the NORAZ site and from any of us in person. We're only making 50 copies, and they're only $10 each. At that rate, these things are gonna go like profane Tickle-me-Elmos filled with cocaine. They'll almost be that fun to have, too. Buy one & send us to St. Louis. Now that the DVD is finished, it's back to hourwage work & new design projects: this website and SUN SAID SHINE, ¿qué no?

New on the reading list: The New World Border by Guillermo Gomez-Peña. I read one of his poems as a "Toast to a Borderless Future" at the Bonifire of the Insanities at Arcosanti on saturday night fright. After talking to Jewel Blackfeather, I'm wanting to interview Gomez-Peña and ask him about los "Inverse Chicanos...."

22mayo20x4

tú eres mi luz del sol,
mi unica luz del sol,
me pones feliz,
cuando el cielo esta oscura,
nunca sabras querido,
cuanto te quiero,
por favor, no me quites mi luz del sol!

21mayo2xx4
blackbook! photoshop tennis!

Finally finished reading The Tipping Point yesterday, started today on Reefer Madness by Eric Schlosser, "the man who wiped the smile off of the happy meal." I definitely have a massive non-sexual crush on this man. First fast food, next the gu weeh, and I hear his next book is on Amurrica's obscene prison system. Reefer Madness is a better-written and exampled version of many other books already around, like The Fix by Michael Massing. But Reefer Madness is the one to read; Schlosser has a way of coming up with people who perfectly illustrate the large systems they're a part of.

The book also has a section on the exploitation of Mexicans in the strawberry fields of Cali and a section on porn. I guess that about covers it, huh?

Tonight? Why a good ol fashioned flagstaff house show with Wall of Death, Whiskey Decision, I Hate You When You're Pregnant & others. Tomorrow night? Jetomi, the Narrows, and the debut of none other than the Young Princes of Darkness. How much fun can one boy have? How much 30-year-old canadian whiskey can he drink?

20mayo2004

15mayo2004

It rains. The clouds discharge their moisture in torrents, and we make for ourselves shelters of boughs, only to be soon abandoned, and we stand shivering by a great fire of pine logs and boughs, which the pelting storm half extinguishes.

One, two, three, four hours of the storm, and at last in partially abates. During this time our animals, which we have turned loose, have sought for themselves shelter under the trees, and two of them have wandered away beyond our sight. I go out to follow their tracks, and come near to the brink of a ledge of rocks, which, in the fog and mist, I suppose to be a little ridge, and I look for a way by which I can go down. Standing just here, there is a rift made in the fog below by some current or blast of wind, which reveals an almost bottomless abyss. I look from the brink of a great precipice of more than 2,000 feet; but through the mist the forms are half obscured and all reckoning of distance is lost, and it seems 10,000 feet, ten miles-- any distance the imagination desires to make it.

--John Wesley Powell, Gran Cañon 1870