[New-Poetry] Rogue panel at AWP conference

[James Cervantes]

Ah, David.  I KNEW it looked familiar!
- Jim

On Mon, Feb 16, 2009 at 10:50 AM, Graham, David <GrahamD at ripon.edu> wrote:

> Always a mistake not to read ALL of my posts, Jim!
>
> David GrahamGrahamd at Ripon.edu
>
>
> On Feb 16, 2009, at 11:28 AM, "James Cervantes" <cervantes.james at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> There's an article concerning this at
>
> <http://chicagopoetry.com/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1221>
> http://chicagopoetry.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1221
>
> Several years ago at the AWP conference in Palm Springs, I was the only
> panelist to show up for a panel on poetry & dreams.  The others had
> legitimate reasons or mishaps that prevented them from coming, though I had
> not been notified until the last minute.  I went to the appointed room at
> the appointed time and discovered, to my horror, that the room was packed.
>  Luckily, an official AWP person showed up at the same time and did the
> dirty work of informing the audience that the panel had been cancelled.
>  Friends and wags commented that the whole thing had been a dream.
>
> - Jim
>
>
> On Sun, Feb 15, 2009 at 8:45 PM, David Graham < <grahamd at ripon.edu>
> grahamd at ripon.edu> wrote:
>
>> I am just back from Chicago, where I ingested millions of new words by
>> many poets at the AWP annual conference.
>> Thought I would report on the most interesting panel I've ever attended.
>>  It was billed as Chicago Poetry Slam, and was to have featured the inventor
>> of the slam, Marc Smith, along with several others.
>>
>> None of the promised panelists showed up.  I don't know why, though I
>> heard a number of rumors later.
>>
>> The room was packed, and everyone stayed for 10, 15, 20 minutes into the
>> nonexistent event.  Finally a gentleman named C. J. Laity stood up and asked
>> if anyone wanted to read a poem.  As it happens, several did.  Pretty soon
>> there was an absolutely unplanned poetry slam occurring.  Mr. Laity
>> performed as M.C., ushered readers up and led the applause after they read,
>> etc.  He began calling it the Illegal Panel, the Anti-Slam, etc.  Things got
>> more and more riotous.  Almost nobody left the room, and there were many
>> readers, in a wide range of styles.
>>
>> At one point someone from the next room came over and complained that our
>> room was too raucous, which it was.
>>
>> As at any open mic, the quality of the offerings and performances varied,
>> but I can't say it was any more uneven than the average sponsored event I've
>> attended over many years.
>>
>> It was easily the most interesting AWP event I've ever seen, and I walked
>> out feeling just great.
>>
>> No, I did not read anything myself--which is what everyone asks me when I
>> tell the story.  I just relished it.
>>
>>  Read more about this event and see some photos here:
>>
>>
>> <http://chicagopoetry.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1221>
>> http://chicagopoetry.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1221
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ========================
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> New-Poetry mailing list
> New-Poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu
> http://wiz.cath.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/new-poetry
>
>


-- 
"Polish doesn't change quartz into a diamond."
                               -Wilma Askinas

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Salt River Review: http://www.poetserv.org
http://www.hamiltonstone.org/catalog.html#temporarymeaning
http://www.fieralingue.it/documenti/mr_bondo.pdf
http://www.poetserv.org/jvc/home/index.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamescervantes/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://wiz.cath.vt.edu/pipermail/new-poetry/attachments/20090216/33133b8a/attachment.html