Announcing my reading with VERSAL n° 7 in AMSTERDAM

A Special Invitation to the launch of Versal 7: Way More than Wordsinhere!

Produced by the crew at wordsinhere and hosted by the Sugar Factory, the launch party will include live readings from contributors including Jennifer K. Dick and Rufo Quintavalle, as well as live music from Amsterdam-based Zorita and DJ Iron Melon. Berlin’s Fergus Rougier will perform his stunning reinvention of cabaret.

Date: Friday, 15 May
Place: Nachttheater Sugar Factory; Lijnbaansgracht 238, Amsterdam
Time: 20.00; doors open 19:00
Language: English
Please RSVP to press@wordsinhere.com by May 13 to secure free entrance for you +1 on our guest list!
Info: http://versal.wordsinhere.com

As in previous editions, the writing and art in Versal 7 is resolutely international, and above all distinctive for its lack of defined borders. Its contributors hail from around the world, and many of them identify with multiple cultures and aesthetics. Numerous countries are represented, but what stands out is that Versal as whole continues to represent translocal intersections and cross-cultural artistic dialogues.

Versal 7 Contributors include

Agustina Bazterrica,

Emily Carr,

Jennifer K. Dick,

Joel Fishbane,

Albane Gellé,

Elizabeth Gross,

Alex Kanevsky,

Desmond Kon Zhicheng-Mingdé,

Yeni Mao,

Trey Moody,

rob mclennan,

Rob McClure Smith,

Mary Miller,

Sawako Nakayasu,

Rufo Quintavalle,

Peter Shippy,

Nicole Walker

and

Mark Wisniewski.

Versal 7 will be on sale throughout the night for a special price, courtesy of The English Bookshop. Thereafter it will be available at select bookstores in major cities around the world, as well as online at http://www.wordsinhere.com/.

Self Reworded

from Rewords Musings2 post by me, followed by new reword:

**
“The writer withholds
the possibility of touching”
she says, means
“smelling/feeling/imagining/”
Think “language, far from me.”
Scamper away into a woods.
Withhold a space
where I can engage with
this:
death.
(Murdered?)
Which culprit is author?
I refuse to be. Mean.

**
Withhold the touching
possibility
of meaning
saying
“language, far from dreaming.”
Smells scamper woods = raccoon.
Withholding space
to where I engage
this death.
(Murdered?)
To track us back.
Towards which author?
I refuse to. Learn.

Concerts & Readings...

Paris Vacation: as I have yet to actually get out of the city, I am rather getting into it, enjoying its sites and scenes. Visits from friends, visiting friends, concerts and readings, as well as afternoons and evenings writing poems and articles at home.

In that order. But here, in reverse chronology--to start with the excitement of seeing a CONCERT for the first time in AGES! Loved discovering the space(s) of La Bellevilloise and, with Marielle Anselmo, went to see Kaluun + 4 other groups competing in a city-wide multi-concert affair (calld Clack! ). Discovered a group, writing their songs in English, but splendidly, who was the official JURY choice (and mine as well) for the night--You & You (Félix, the lead singer, is pictured at top, left). Perhaps not the most brilliant band name ever, but click on their name here to be transported to their MySpace site to hear some samples (they have 6 tracks up), perhaps watch some videos as well. These guys who formed their group in Feb 2008 were riveting, and a pleasant departure from the majority of French bands singing in English. As it is, you should check them out: YOU and YOU at Café de la Danse May 26th 2009 when they open for a group called Gush!!!

Preceding concert night, the IVY Reading for this month with a small, vacationtime audience, but all listeners totally tuned into the fabulous duo we had read: ADEENA KARASICK & GWENAELLE STUBBE (pictured at right). Both performers in their own ways, with word and sound play, or image and positioning of the voice on the other side. A few fun pics of the poets in action can be found at IVY's site, under the post for the event. Also, check out Adeena's video online (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_m6CkdkbUY ) at Youtube: "I got a crush on Osama"

After the reading, ran into Jennifer Huxta (pictured at left with Frederic Benhaim looking so bank-serious!) and the crowd from her Live Poets reading (which was the same night as Ivy!). We sat on a terrasse on rue Montorgueil while the last of the sunny spring days this week began to spit and turn into the rainy cool muck we have had ever since. But it was pleasant to just have those first sunny days, to drink with everyone, to listen to the post-PhD stresslessness of it all! Pictured here: Elizabeth Spackman who was visiting from NYC; wine glass & pack of matches with spoon; Bart(?) with Carolyn Heinze in glasses behind him.

To end with: Three Pictures from my neighborhood: Bassin de la Villette at night. Walking with Elizabeth Spackman, catching up on her life in NYC and mine here, we enjoyed the array of lights on the bassin, some from Stalingrad, others closer to La Villette.

April Showers...

This is a blog post to share some pics with all the poets and nonpoets present at American author in Paris, Michelle Noteboom's, baby shower.

We had a very very American day in Paris last Sunday when I threw a baby shower for her--having never attended one myself, I tried to do it up all-American with games and treats and very large amounts of estrogen present. All the women gathered round for brunch (LOTS of food!) and faux mimosas (San Pelligrino + OJ). PICTURED: Michelle Noteboom looking down at her balloon, & Zoé Chantre with hers!; Augustin & Safira Playing with more balloons; Sarah Riggs (on ground) Hilary (on chair w/Augustin) & Michelle, Angela & the edge of Sionnon on couch) ; Hilary, Me, Bonny Finberg with camera; Carole Perreira & Jennifer Huxta w/camera; Virginie Poitrasson, Michelle & Zoé Chantre w/camera on couch.

We gave presents for the future little one, and laughed passing them round. PICTURED: Michelle & blue book, Michelle + Cool Jonny Cash Bb outfit, Michelle & Angela Newman (the two pregnant women!), Michelle showing off a maroon outfit then an orange toy, finally Michelle as if reading to us from the 1930's book Sionnan found at an antiques shop (and which the image at the top of this blog post comes from--it's a book full of fun images, horoscopes which are a bit closer to horrorscopes, tips for the mom to be & ads for savings accts with 6% interest rates: those days are long gone!!!!)

Then I arranged some games (notice how intense these "gals" are when they are playing word games for prizes). PICTURED: Virginie Poitrasson & Margo Berdeshevsky; Zoé Chantre & Jennifer Huxta; Bonny Finberg & Carole Perreira; Sarah Riggs & Marielle Anselmo; Michelle Noteboom w/Sionnan & Hilary.

It was fun, and amusing, and very very non-French (one of the first things that one of the French guests said was "where are all the men"--we informed her this was a women-only activity (+kids, for Sarah Riggs & Hilary with their little Safira and Augustin). PICTURED: Carole Perreira & Michelle checking out the future BB's movements; Carole & Zoé; Hilary and Augustin with his T-shirt which reads "Gas Grass or Ass no one rides for free"; Virginie Poitrasson and her series of 3 coccinelles (ladybugs) on her chest; Sarah Riggs feeding Safira & Hilary in background.

That said, Fred could be found playing board games out on the terrasse with his friend, and later came in to visit a bit and share in all the laugher). PICTURED: Augustin & Bubbles; Fred & his friend on balcony playing board games; Augustin playing with Safira x2; Fred snuggling Michelle on the couch as everyone talks about the afternoon.

I lingered along with Sionnan (pictured), late into the night chatting with Michelle and Fred (also pictured!) about the world and nothing... all in all, a great Easter Sunday!

Art / Scene: The object objectified

It is with pleasure that I announce to you the publication online in two places (The Paris Blog and EyePreferParis) of my recent, and fairly long-winded, ramble on art in Paris.

Unlike the past months, this month I focused on a thematic issue pervading Paris' artscene: the object. I see this in part as a preamble or contextualization for the mid-May article I am planning with interview of Parisian Boris Achour (his work pictured above here, from "Actions Few" a project in 1993-97, photo taken from his site). So, having had the pleasure of being invited to the new Jacques Tati show at the cinémathèque for its charming opening last week, I make mention of that, the two Andy Warhol shows in Paris, one of my favorite artists who tends to focus on objects in various ways, Sophie Calle, and then I take a closer look at two contemporary artists working with "things" in a variety of ways, Olivier Babin and Boris Achour.

For my article:
Direct Links: http://theparisblog.com/thoughts-on-the-paris-art-scene/
Or: http://www.ipreferparis.net/2009/04/paris-art-seen-the-object-objectified.html

Note: Boris Achour has 2 shows opening this month in Paris!!!! :

AT : Galerie Georges-Philippe & Nathalie Vallois, 36 rue de Seine, 75006 Paris. Expo: “Boris Achour, Conatus: celui dans la grotte” from 22 April-23 May 2009 (http://www.galerie-vallois.com/fr/artiste.html)

At : Le Grand Palais, Avenue Winston Churchill 75008 Paris. Expo as part of “La Force de l’art 2009” from 24 April thru 1 June 2009 (not Tues.) (http://www.grandpalais.fr/fr/Accueil/p-93-Accueil.htm)

Achour also has a new website: http://www.borisachour.net/ as well as an older, out of date one but where other works are still visible: http://borisachour.free.fr/index.html

Lecture-Launch for "Ondulations"

Announcing:
The launch date for

Ondulations

livre d'artiste in 3 languages:
French, English & Argentinian Spanish.

This book of original artwork

by French-Sicilian artist Giorgio Fidone
on beautiful offwhite paper divides the art with 3 poems by three authors under one title:

Jennifer K. Dick in English,
Jacques de Longeville in French,
and
Susana Sulic in Spanish.

The cover of each book also includes an original painting by Fidone:

Come celebrate this collaborative creation, admire the varied books and their works, with a reading by the authors in Paris on
MAY 20th 2009
at 7pm
at
la Galerie Pixi-Marie Victoire Poliakoff
95 rue de Seine
75006 Paris
m° Odéon.