[New-Poetry] Rogue panel at AWP conference

[James Cervantes]

Yeah, and we tried a couple of times afterward to get the same panel
accepted at other AWPs.  No go.  I guess they keep a scorecard.
- Jim

On Mon, Feb 16, 2009 at 10:29 AM, Millicent Accardi <millb at aol.com> wrote:

> I remember that! I was in the audience. The panel looked good--
>
> Cheers,
>
> Millicent
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: James Cervantes <cervantes.james at gmail.com>
> Sent: Mon, 16 Feb 2009 9:28 am
> Subject: Re: [New-Poetry] Rogue panel at AWP conference
>
>  There's an article concerning this at
>
> http://chicagopoetry.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1221<http://chicagopoetry.com/modules.phpop=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> 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
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ========================================
>> David Graham
>> grahamd at ripon.edu
>>
>>  Home Page:
>> http://web.mac.com/drjazz
>>
>>  Poetry Library:
>> http://web.mac.com/drjazz/iWeb/Site/DGPoLibrary.html
>> ==========================================
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> New-Poetry mailing list
>> New-Poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu
>> http://wiz.cath.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/new-poetry
>>
>>
>
>
>
>   _______________________________________________
> New-Poetry mailing listNew-Poetry at wiz.cath.vt.eduhttp://wiz.cath.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/new-poetry
>
>
> ------------------------------
> Access 350+ FREE radio stations anytime from anywhere on the web. Get the
> Radio Toolbar<http://toolbar.aol.com/aolradio/download.html?ncid=emlweusdown00000035>
> !
>
> _______________________________________________
> New-Poetry mailing list
> New-Poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu
> http://wiz.cath.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/new-poetry
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://wiz.cath.vt.edu/pipermail/new-poetry/attachments/20090216/6fb68afd/attachment.html