foto 10abril2006

Border lights. Naco, Sonora / Arizona. The lights of the border wall on the outskirts of Naco, Sonora / Arizona as seen from Arizona State Route 92.

Albuquerque, NM: Poetry 'N Beer

The District115 4th St. NW Downtown Albuquerque (On the 4th St. Mall)

First Wednesday of Every Month Sign-up @ 7pm, Show @ 8:00pm

Adults 21 and over.

Host: Don McIver & Eric B.

Poetry & Beer, the longest running poetry series in Albuquerque, consists of an open mike, qualifying slam, and poetry feature.

Started at Downtown's legendary Dingo Bar in 1993, the reading brought poetry slamming to Albuquerque in 1994 and has helped make Albuquerque a player on the national poetry slam scene. Poetry & Beer moved into its new home, Club Rhythm & Blues, in May, 2001, to a sold-out room.

Since its inception, Poetry & Beer has consistently drawn an audience in excess of 100 people monthly. The reading has attracted standing room only crowds to witness the sport of competitive poetry and spoken word. Poetry & Beer is still one of the strongest spoken word events in New Mexico, attracting wild audiences and some of the best up-and-coming poets in the nation. It is also the home of some of the best wordsmiths in central and northern New Mexico.

The old man rides an old bicycle

The old man rides an old bicycle in slow rhythm along the bay, on his way home to his wife after watching the technicolor sunset on the old dock. "¿De qué año es su bicicleta?" I ask him as he peddles by me. "Tiene 50 años," he says, smiling as he stops the bike next to me.

"¿Es un tipo Schwinn?" I ask, being into this type of thing.

"No, se llama Super Rex," he tells me, and pulls out of the breast pocket of his half-open cotton shirt the ancient registration card, which is paperclipped to his carné de identidad. "El gobierno me dio este papel pero como no saben escribir bien pusieron 'suder res.'" We laugh.

He asks me where I'm from. "Oh!," his eyes flush with emotion as he folds up his thick glasses. "I lived for five years there! In New York! Nineteen Fifty Five until Nineteen Sixty. But I think, not because I'm Cuban, that here, Cienfuegos, has the most beautiful sunsets in the world."

"Looked pretty good to me," I tell him.

"How do you like Cuba?"

"Me facina," I say, smiling.

"The same for me in New York," he smiles too. "I love my country," he says the words slowly, as if describing an ache, "but this situation here... it's not good. I stay against my will because I love my country. But this system doesn't work."

"I agree with you," I tell him. I realize he only has the courage to say these things because we are speaking in broken English. By this time we've stopped walking and we're leaning close to each other. He starts laughing.

"I must go," he says, "my wife is waiting for me. It was a pleasure to talk to you and practice my broken English."

"For me too. Tell your wife I say hello and take care."

"Ok, goodbye."

•

San Antonio, TX: Spokenword Circus

Make San Anto Weird: a Spokenword Circus. Featured reader.

$3, 8:00 107 E. Martin 78205 Ruta Maya San Antonio Host: Rich Perin and Amanda Flores

AIPF: Slam

6:30 - 9:30 p.m. AIPF Slam Ruta Maya, 3601 S. Congress Mike Henry, Slam Master Joaquin Zihuatanejo Rock Baby, Robin Blackburn, Christopher Brown, Ricardo Garza, Michael Guinn, David Johnson, Suzy LaFollette, Chris Lee, Agnes Meadows, Melanie Marcee, Tito Perez, Logan Phillips, Sonya Renee, Emily Shafer, Danny Strack, Kimberley Taylor, Tracy Townsend, Megan Volpert

un momento de brecht

El peor analfabeto es el analfabeto político. No oye, no habla, no participa de los acontecimientos políticos. No sabe que el costo de la vida, el precio del poroto, del pan, de la harina, del vestido, del zapato y de los remedios, dependen de decisiones políticas. El analfabeto político es tan burro que se enorgullece y ensancha el pecho diciendo que odia la política. No sabe que de su ignorancia política nace la prostituta, el menor abandonado y el peor de todos los bandidos que es el político corrupto, mequetrefe y lacayo de las empresas nacionales y multinacionales. --Bertolt Brecht

AIPF: Opening Ceremony

Austin International Poetry Festival 5 - 7 p.m. Opening Ceremonies and Buffet

Mercury Hall, 615 Cardinal Lane (off S. First) A Sampler of Featured Poets and Anthology Prizewinners Vicki Goldsberry, host Marian Haddad, Ron Koertge, Ed Madden, Rosemary Nissen-Wade, Logan Phillips, Sonya Renee, Eddie Tay, Sam Taylor, Zhang Er

Albuquerque, NM: Central Ave

RB Winnings Coffee Co111 Harvard SE, Albuquerque 1/2 block so. of Central in the University area

Free, all-ages open mic. Sign up before 7pm.

Host: Dale Harris

tour 2006

TOUR 2006

After being gone so long, it's time to see what this country of mine has been up to.

The 2006 Poetry Tour: 1 April 2006 — 6 June 2006. I’ll be coming through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Colorado and California and performing at poetry slams, schools, retirement homes, radio stations and other venues. The main event of the tour will be the 2006 Austin International Poetry Festival, where I'm a featured poet. I'll be participating in readings, a slam and an interesting forum. The full schedule can be found on the tour page.

The shows on this tour are going to be a bit different from what I've done in the past. Fewer 3-minute slam poems and more of the unexpected. There's a lot of new work, there's been a lot of life lived since the last time I performed a poem.

Mainstream America Suddenly Notices Immigration

Southeastern Arizona This is an exciting and scary time. Finally, the largely ignored working underclass of this country has been provoked into organizing and demanding that their voices be heard. It's like my neighborhood is suddenly at the center of a debate that has caused some of the largest protests in American history. You can bet I'll be writing on this, I'll also be posting some of the articles I've been reading as all of this is unfolding. Hit this, let's talk about this:

First, a round up from the Mexico Solidarity Network, current as of 26marzo:

MASSIVE DEMONSTRATIONS HERALD CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE

More than 500,000 demonstrators (according to police - organizers claim a million) clogged downtown Los Angeles on Saturday demanding immigration reform favorable to 12 million undocumented workers currently living in the US. The largest demonstration in the history of Los Angeles came on the heals of similarly historic mobilizations in Chicago (200,000), Milwaukee (30,000), Atlanta (80,000 immigrants participated in a day-long strike), Phoenix (officially 20,000, though probably many more as the march closed the downtown area), Denver (50,000), Washington, DC (30,000), and dozens of other cities. Late last year, the House passed the Sensenbrenner Bill, which would criminalize undocumented workers, fine employers and build a 700-mile wall along the border. President Bush endorsed the bill, but has been less clear recently as he promotes an ill-defined guest worker program that would accompany the more draconian measures. Republicans are divided. Big business (particularly corporate farmers, meat-packers, hotel and restaurant owners, and construction companies) is demanding access to cheap labor, while overtly racist conservatives want to preserve the predominant culture. Democrats are also divided. Sen. Ted Kennedy (joined by Republican John McCain) supports a path to citizenship for undocumented workers who pay a fine, settle back taxes, and learn English, while Sen. Dianne Feinstein supports more limited reforms that would allow agricultural workers to harvest fruits and vegetables in California?s central valley. On Monday, the debate will be centered in the Senate Judiciary Committee, where there seems to be little chance for compromise among widely divergent opinions. President Fox claims the Bush administration is on the verge of breakthrough immigration reform, but Fox is playing to a domestic audience in the midst of a presidential campaign in which the PAN candidate trails badly. As Congressional elections approach in the US, comprehensive reform is unlikely. It may take more time for the burgeoning immigrant rights movement to make its weight felt in the halls of Congress.

Missing so far from the debate is a clear understanding of immigration dynamics. More than 500,000 undocumented workers enter the US each year from Mexico, a direct result of neoliberal policies promoted by the Bush administration via the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and NAFTA. Nearly one percent of the Mexican workforce leaves for the US each year because Mexico?s export-oriented economy provides no alternatives for millions of workers. Until the US ends its insistence on neoliberal policies that result in an upward concentration of national resources, immigration will be the only option for millions of poor families.

Also largely missing from the debate is the extreme exploitation of undocumented workers. Many immigrants work in factories and restaurants using false identification. Employers deduct social security from their paychecks, but the workers never have the possibility of enjoying retirement benefits. The Social Security Administration has over US$30 billion in its coffers that cannot be linked to registered recipients. In effect, millions of undocumented workers are subsidizing the US budget deficit with these uncollectible contributions. In addition, undocumented workers pay sales taxes and real estate taxes (via rent payments), and often pay payroll taxes, without any possibility of participating in welfare programs or other social services. Many undocumented workers earn the minimum wage or less, making fruits and vegetables, hotel rooms and restaurant meals cheaper for the rest of the public. And 12 million undocumented workers generate their own economic dynamics that provide increased jobs and wealth for the country.

Does this country really think it can deal with 12 million felons created overnight by a congressional bill? Law enforcement couldn't handle it, some cities have vowed not to enforce it and I'm sure that the immigrants in this country wouldn't tolerate it. Even these people--who tolarate so much in this country everyday--will only stand for so much. Immigration laws must be enforced, sure, but not without a viable guest worker program and real opportunity for citizenship.

Tonight on Newshour with Jim Lehrer I heard Ira Mehlman, media director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform actually say that the American middle class does not benefit from the presence of illegal immigrants in this country. I wonder if Mr. Mehlman thinks it would impact the middle class if we could only buy oranges at $5.oo a pound instead of .20. I wonder if Mr. Mehlman ever goes out to eat, sends his dirty dishes into the kitchen. I wonder if Mr. Mehlman or any of his friends have built a house in the last ten years.

These people are here because we have no choice. Our economy completely depends on them--from their contributions to Social Security and taxes to their muscle powering our most basic and necessary industries.

These people are here because they have no choice. It's like a man told me one rainy morning, waiting for a collectivo bus in Chicamán, Guatemala: "Aquí no se gana." You don't earn anything here.

He then asked me for advice on how to arrive here, on how much the coyotes would charge to smuggle him across. I didn't know what to say, didn't know how to explain to him that life here would be hard too, a different kind of hard. I didn't want to tell him that it could cost almost $7,000 to arrive here. That morning I felt as I do tonight: as though there are no good answers, only hard questions we must continue to ask. There's no going back now, the cat is out of the bag. This country will no longer be allowed to ignore illegal immigrants while eating of their hard labor. In the coming weeks, this situation will either begin to be fixed or begin to spiral toward disaster.

More to come.

radio habana

Recorded in early marzo in la Ciudad de la Habana, Cuba as part of the Ambient Mixtape Project, I give you the Cuban airwaves.

Most of these sounds can't be found anywhere off the island. What you'll find here may or may not interest you. If you're into linguistics you'll dig the accents, if you like music there's a good variety here, if you're into politics you'll get a chance to hear some first-rate propaganda, if you're curious I hope you won't be disappointed.

I'm still working on importing all of the audio I recorded, though I'm finished with the radio sections now and thought they deserved to be heard. If you're curious but not patient, wait for the mixtape, as most of the good stuff will also appear on there. Enjoy and let me know what you like.

These files are large. All are available as 96kbs mp3 files.

  • A.M. 1 15.1mb 21:59 By nature of it being AM radio, some of this is a little sketchy as far as quality. But remember, perfection ain't the goal. I run more or less through the dial on this one. A couple full songs, some better than others depending on what you like. A long and somewhat strange discussion about the importance of the horse in the history of people. A very misplaced American country rock song.
  • A.M. 2 12.2mb 17:41 Information on people willing to swap casas (as selling or buying them is illegal in Cuba). Some cuts from a few different songs. Radio Rebelde. Los titulares, news of the day. An errant ESPN signal. About five minutes of novela. A weak Radio Reloj signal broadcasting news of the Iraq war. Ending with some good propaganda.
  • Canciones 19.5mb 28:22 We begin with some more novela. Sometimes iffy quality. Trova, salsa, free jazz, disco. Radio Progreso. "La Onda de la Alegria, Cadena Nacional." The last few minutes are the best, if you ask me. Yes, including the shitty disco.
  • La Voz de Fidel 1.1mb 1:33 What can only be Fidel speaking over the airwaves. Listen to this man's voice and then decide for yourself how much longer you think he'll be around...
  • Radio Reloj 1 9.3mb 13:34 My favorite station, Radio Reloj, Clock Radio, with news and info thrown in as the seconds tick by in the background. Discussion of linguistics. International day of the Woman. Sports. The illegal base of Guantanamo.
  • Radio Reloj 2 5.4mb 7:51 Venezuela. Música Cubana. And a lot more. Enjoy.

Bisbee, AZ: Central School Project

7:30pm. All-ages. Donation.I'll be performing a full feature set, I believe with an open mic to follow. First show in the States in over four months!

Directions: Hwy 80 thru Tombstone to Bisbee. Come down hill after the tunnel to 2nd exit. This will put you at stop sign on Main St (aka Tombstone Canyon). Turn left, go approx. 1 block. There will be a parking lot on your left, Mining and Historic Museum on the right (a large red brick building with wrought iron fence around it and mining equipment in the yard ). Turn right on street (Brewery Gulch) just before the museum, then immediate left behind the museum. This will run you between museum and Copper Queen hotel. Continue on that street, keep curving to the right; 2 buildings past the hotel you will be facing the gate in a 10' tall chain link fence -- that is Central School Project parking lot.

Doorbell directory is on wall to left of main door. Ring Michael Gregory.

Cuba 2006

[nggallery id=5] La Voz de Fidel by dirtyverbs

The second castle of the "New World," second statue of Columbus, the chalices of kings, gilded thrown that's never seen a holy ass, marble rooms where governments change with the swipe of pens, gold embossed caverns, build of marble shaped into a scale replica of the ambition of man.

A drowning Paris. A humid human maze. A history book written of towering words. The broken windows on the backsides of the monuments. Semitrucks hauling hundreds of humans, a sun actually built of fire, bodies built of naked flesh and sweat. Ay, compadre.

All fotos by logan phillips, 2006.

Santa Fe, NM: Paul White Party

In the village of Chupadero, a rural setting on the river about 20 minutes north of Santa Fe and close to the village of Tesuque: a feature at the house of Paul White for one of his infamous parties. Directions From Santa Fe * -Head north on Highway 285 (Saint Francis drive turns into route 285 after last stop light in Santa Fe). -About 5-7 miles north of the last stop light in Santa Fe take the Tesuque exit to the right, go about 2 1/2 miles (2.5 miles) (halfway is the Tesuque Village Market, go straight past it). -Turn right on route 592. Follow twists and turns on route 592 for four and one half miles (note; at 3 1/2 miles there is a stop sign, do not go straight on the dirt road at this juncture, 592 continues to left). -When you have gone 4 1/2 miles (4.5 miles) on Route 592 turn left at the street sign "Camino Chupadero", (also known as County road 78) go nine tenths mile (0.9 mile), there is an old plank wood fence on left (not a coyote fence), then four white mailboxes at end of fence marked 92ABC (note; there is a big metal electric pole on right side of road across from driveway, new plank wood fence on left is too far, dead end is way too far) slow down, the driveway is hidden. ** -Go left immediately after the mailboxes down paved driveway, take a sharp right at bottom to dirt driveway.

Directions from North (Espanola and Pojoaque); -Heading south on Highway 285 take the north exit to Tesuque, (CR 73 south). This is before the Opera and Flea Market exit. -When you are on CR 73 go about 1 mile and take Route 592 to the left, follow directions above for RT. 592. *Alternate route from Santa Fe; Instead of taking the first Tesuque exit continue north on Highway 285 (past the flea market exit) to the north Tesuque exit which says South CR 73, take extremely sharp right at bottom of ramp, go 3/10 mile then left on RT. 592, this exit is faster by about 2 minutes but longer. **If your odometer measures tenths of mile it is helpful to use it. **Route 592 and Camino Chupadero are paved roads all the way. Phone; 505-988-1082