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Chicago Poetry Scene Top 135
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 Topic: Chicago Poetry Reviews: Click Headlines
The new items published under this topic are as follows.
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ACM's Chicago Issue Is Finally Here!
Posted by : cj on Wednesday, December 15, 2010 - 06:17 PM
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4150 Reads
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Another Chicago Magazine #50 v.1
The Chicago Issue
Left Field Press
Reviewed by CJ Laity
 I first heard the call for submissions for ACM’s Chicago Issue over a year ago. It promised to deliver a “playful jab” at Granta, a journal that was first published in 1889 at Cambridge and that was reinvented in 1979 as a magazine of new writing. Months before the ACM open call, Granta had come out with its own “Chicago issue” that was released locally with a lot of hoopla, hoopla that was quickly drowned out by critics who complained of its “lack of Chicago writers.” Throughout 2010, ACM 50 became less of a playful jab and more of a labor of love for Editor-In-Chief Jacob Knabb and for the other ACM staff, as they set out to create something that showcased the local lit scene as it really exists, not as some publication located in London imagined it exists, so I think it is rather fitting that I picked up my copy of ACM at the recent Indie Lit Road Show, which was sort of a mini-bookfair held at Green Lantern Gallery, where several reps from our lit scene showcased their publications as a blizzard raged outdoors.
Note: Click Here to read the full review.
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In Defense Of The Guild Complex's Tour Guides
Posted by : cj on Saturday, December 11, 2010 - 12:07 AM
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1745 Reads
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 I just got back from the Guild Complex’s presentation of Tour Guides, a wonderful hybrid performance of poetry and theater, and I simply feel the need to defend it from a lazy, damaging and might I say completely bitchy review of it, written by some rookie Chicago Tribune staff reporter named Nina Metz. I don’t know much about this person who has only been fulltime on the staff of the Trib since mid-September, but judging by the quality of the writing in her article, she shouldn’t be allowed to review anything even vaguely related to literature. That the respectable Tribune would send such a closed minded reporter to express her biased, borderline racist opinions about such a gutsy, provocative and socially conscious performance, a performance that was presented by a struggling non-profit that certainly could have used the ten warm bodies that her dim-witted article sent away--well, that is quite frankly inexcusable. The Guild Complex exists to fill in what is missing in Chicago’s literary scene, not to examine “what neighborhood economic shifts mean” (wow, that would make for an exciting play, yawn), and since there is no shortage of gentrification in Chicago, I’d say what is missing are the voices from the victims of that gentrification. Furthermore, I found no clichés at all in Tour Guides (I dare her to name one cliché in all the poetry presented), and the Tribune ought to be utterly ashamed of itself for publishing such a misleading blurb that unfairly cuts down months of hard work by nearly a dozen of Chicago’s most talented poets. Reading Nina Metz’s smug review, one would think Tour Guides is nothing but “gratuitous snickering at Lincoln Park” when in actuality, out of the entire hour of spoken word performances, there were perhaps four measly lines on that particular subject.
 So here’s the real scoop on Tour Guides. Seven poets use nothing but their words, facial expressions, and body language (with minimal props and lighting) to tell the true stories of various Chicago neighborhoods. Their stories are relentlessly honest, unapologetic, and if you’ve lived in Chicago for any length of time, they are your stories as well. You will recognize them. You will say, I was there and I have seen that. The strongest aspect of this presentation is by far the writing. The brilliant writing is not only filled with vivid metaphors but it is also very daring. It’s not pc to write about how “you can’t take your white folks everywhere” but let's face it, that hits the nail on the head. And when you include lines about a neighborhood going from “Jewville to Jamba Juice” you are taking a huge risk, but let's be honest, these are brutal truths about Chicago. Tour Guides is one of the most gutsy plays I have ever seen. The topics in Tour Guides range from drive-by shootings, to permit parking, to the double meaning of the cost of living, to pizza, to churches, to the blues, to sports, to parades, to the ghost bike at Western and Augusta and to everything else Chicago. Tour Guides is a powerful and emotional experience. It’s an eye opener and I give it two really, really big quills up.
--CJ Laity
Tour Guides Director Coya Paz has pointed out: "Nina Metz has been reviewing for the Trib for years, and was/is the head critic at New City as well."
I admit, I don't read New City (don't know too many who do), but that really surprises me based upon the poor quality of the writing in Metz's review of Tour Guides. If you click here you will see a note dated September 27, 2010, welcoming Metz as a full time staff member of the Trib, and that makes her a rookie in my book, regardless of how much freelancing she's done. When it says "Tribune reporter" next to her name, she is actually speaking for that publication, and more than a lazy snipe of a review is expected of her.
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aaaaaaaaaaalice by Jennifer Karmin; Reviewed by CJ Laity
Posted by : cj on Sunday, May 09, 2010 - 01:31 PM
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2825 Reads
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aaaaaaaaaaalice
by Jennifer Karmin
flim forum press
Reviewed by CJ Laity
 At the end of aaaaaaaaaaalice (that's eleven letter "a"s, the same number of "cantos" in this "travelogue"), Jennifer Karmin explains that the poems in her book (that are actually collages derived from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and a book called Beginning Japanese Part 2), are "word scores for polyvocal improvisation" that are "intended for reading, sound, and performance experiments." The author suggests, "every reading of this text-sound epic should produce new results."
Well, that may be the intention, but the bottom line is this is a book of poetry. Since it has two covers and is made out of paper, I am going to look at Karmin's book as a book, a book that will be read by its audience silently like any other book.
What we have here is something extremely experimental and completely anti-narrative. But just as it is within the chaos of subatomic particles that everything physical is formed, even within the randomness of these words a story develops. This story may be different for each reader, as the author seems to be suggesting, so I can only share with you the story that I get out of it.
Note: Click Here to read the full review.
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BIG HEART, WEAK VERSE: BILLY CORGAN AT POETRY CENTER
Posted by : cj on Sunday, December 05, 2004 - 10:26 PM
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1365 Reads
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 Billy Corgan's recent appearance for The Poetry Center of Chicago was undoubtedly the most hyped-up poetry event Chicago has ever seen, with write ups online at Rolling Stone, Billboard, MTV and in dozens of other mainstream media sources. And with word of his band Zwan's breakup originating on Chicago's "very own" WGN days prior to the reading, it is no surprise the Art Institute's Rubloff Auditorium was virtually sold out at $35 a pop, making this event probably the most successful benefit for Chicago's much deserving thirty year old poetry organization. And you just have to love Corgan, the former lead singer of the internationally acclaimed rock band Smashing Pumpkins, for coming back to his sweet home Chicago to present this intimate, multi-media presentation. That takes a big heart.
However, Corgan's big heart couldn't save his forced, sophomoric attempts at creating what he must have thought poetry is suppose to sound like. Corgan seemed utterly uncomfortable on the stage in starched slacks, sporting a long, gray mortician's tie, fumbling with and dropping his pages, pacing back and forth, his nasally speaking voice subtracting from work already lacking in inspiration. For the most part, his poetry was so bad it was comical, sounding like a pile of high-school assignments composed by the C-minus student in the class. His poetry contained no energy, no rage, no dazzling metaphor or impressive usage of language, no unique voice, no imagery, no passion: in short, no Billy Corgan. It was probably fitting that he included a psalm from the Bible in the show, because his work came off like a collection of parodies of psalms, complete with the words "Thy" and "Alas". At times, I thought I should feel guilty for not feeling privileged that Corgan was sharing something so private as these unpolished exercises in stiffness, these embarrassing journal entries. At other times, I thought, certainly he must be making fun of poetry. But, more often than not, I just thought: for heaven's sake, even Jim Morrison had his moments--when is Corgan's going to start! I wanted to sneeze out, "Throw that dusty manuscript in the can, Billy. It's a noble first attempt, but put it where it belongs. Now try it again, from the beginning--using your own voice this time." Corgan either decided to demonstrate what a brilliant lyricist he is by comparing his music to how god awful his poetry can be, or he truly believes that poetry in the Millennial Age has to be sucked dead, dry of rhythm, must be read with a style completely lacking in emotion, and is totally undeserving of an encore. If Corgan sincerely believes that what poets do on stage is that much different than what he normally does with a band backing him up, that's just plain insulting. He didn't break a single rule with his poetry, creating something so obnoxiously unnatural and lifeless that even traditionalists would cringe at it. And he's not making any Slam teams either, trust me.
But--"Alas!"--as soon as Corgan grabbed hold of his guitar and sang a few lines of his poetry, all the disappointment melted away instantaneously and his words took flight. He breathed new meaning into his words as he sang them. In a rare, unplugged performance using a steel guitar, Corgan showed what a genius he can be when he is honest with himself and when he remains true to his own style. Poetry can be sung. Go figure.
--C. J. Laity
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Poetry Publishing
Chicago Poetry Press publishes the highest quality poetry in beautiful, perfect bound editions. We rely on your continued support to operate, because we are not funded by any corporation, foundation, government agency or university. You can always contact
CJ Laity at Publisher@
ChicagoPoetry.com. |
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Poetry World Radio
CLICK HERE to listen to Poetry World Radio If you need a player, click. |
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The Blueing Hours
Attention Chicago Poets. The fate of this little ghost town called poetry has been saved. I have deputized seven poets. These seven have embarked on a journey into the most mountainous regions of the soul. Armed with their words, they hunted down the notorious outlaw allies of Yog Monster From Space and protected our land from the wretched clutches of that six-gun slingin' Dr. Goodverse. 
