Happy Birthday, Bil Lewis

 

Happy Birthday, Bil Lewis

 

Happy Birthday, Bil Lewis

 

Stone Soup Poetry Presents C.C. Arshagra

Filmed by Bill Perrault on May 1, 2011. C.C. performed for Stone Soup Poetry's fortieth anniversary at the International Community Church. It also served as a wake for Stone Soup's founder Jack Powers, who passed away on October 14, 2010.


 

Happy Birthday Bil Lewis

Stone Soup Croutons, 10-2-19, Self-Critique

Stone Soup Croutons is a weekly poem I write using lines and impressions picked up from poems overheard from Stone Soup's open mic readers and features. I figure out a title (and sometimes the rest of the poem) later. You can read the other ones I've done since 2015 here. To paraphrase Lorne Michaels, this poem doesn't go up because it's ready, it goes up because it's Friday morning.

Sophia Marshal featured and presented this year's Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize to Bil Lewis.  This week's turnout was...uniquely low for a September  (scroll down to the last photo to see how low).

I was very happy for Sophia and Bil, and they were happy to be there. Still, what follows is one of those poems I write when I start questioning why there are slow nights after so much promotional legwork. Or ask why after updating over a half-dozen web pages and uploading flyers to almost twice as many groups, someone still asks you what day and time Stone Soup meets.

Thanks to Bil and Sophia, I was able to add a little humor and end with cat imagery, so that means by default it's happy.

For such low attendance, this poem threatened to go  all over the place. More so than poems inspired by longer open mics. Hopefully, I was able to reign it in. Thanks for reading.


 Self-Critique

You trip a booby trap
as fifty wild boars
spring out with shotguns.

Coming Soon Tonight

Sophia Marshal presents the  Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize to Bil Lewis.

Flyer for Tomorrow's Stone Soup Poetry

Congratulations Bil Lewis

Bil Lewis is the 2019 recipient of the 2019 Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize. We will be savoring an open mic spot from him (and perhaps an honorable mention or two) at this week's Stone Soup Poetry with feature and prize presenter Sophia Marshall.

Painful Reminder

No Stone Soup Tonight! We return next week to Sophia Marshall and the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize.

October 2: Sophia Marshall and the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize

Sophia Marshall helped found our annual award alongside the late Jack Powers and Maragaret Nairn. On October 2, she presents the Poetry Prize to an open micer who distinguished themselves this past year. Come to celebrate the winner (to be announced later) and hear Sophia feature as well.

March 7: Laurel Lambert at Stone Soup Poetry (We're Doing This!)

Laurel Lambert has been a Stone Soup attendee and open mic regular for years. In that time, she has become a published author and the recipient of the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize. This week, Laurel gets her due with her first full-length feature. I hope anyone who has enjoyed Laurel's evolution as a writer and performer will come to see her this Thursday evening.

People I'm Grateful for in 2018: Jan Rowe and James Van Looy

While Lo and Skoot helped me to expand Stone Soup's sphere of influence, it was power couple, James and Jan who helped secure our new home at St. Paul's Cathedral. I was unable to take on that task by myself. I gave them both the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize for their efforts and continuing contributions. It still doesn't seem like it's enough. I plan to show my appreciation for them even more as Stone Soup continues.

Stone Soup Croutons, 12-6-18, It's Up to Your Knees

Stone Soup Croutons is a weekly poem I write using lines and impressions picked up from poems overheard from Stone Soup's open mic readers and features. I figure out a title (and sometimes the rest of the poem) later. You can read the other ones I've done since 2015 here. To paraphrase Lorne Michaels, this poem doesn't go up because it's ready, it goes up because it's Friday morning.

We had a great night of poetry with Gordon Marshall, who presented the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize to Jan Rowe and James Van Looy. This week's poem started with reference to a certain controversial holiday song, but hearing Gordon's stream of consciousness poetry really helped me write in a similar vein, which gave me some lines I couldn't have thought up otherwise. I appreciate when that happens. Thanks for reading.


It's Up to Your Knees

Ray Charles and Betty Carter
have thoughts about #metoo.
It's just too cold out here
for them to rise.

I'm Off!

See you at Gordon's feature. Congratulations again to Jan Rowe and James Van Looy, winners of the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize.

Jan Rowe and James Van Looy to Receive the 2018 Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize

The Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize was created in 2009 by Gordon Marshall in conjunction with Jack Powers and Margaret Nairn.

For 2018 we have selected Jan Roe and James Van Looy, without whom Stone Soup may have been further delayed (if not indefinitely) in finding a new home. We are grateful for their ongoing contributions.

We hope you will be able to attend the full night of celebration at Stone Soup this Thursday on December 6, when they'll be presented their prize by Gordon Marshall, who is also that night's featured poet.

December 6: Gordon Marshall and the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize

Gordon Marshall joins us on December 6. In addition to being a prolific poet, Gordon is also founder of the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize. Named after Stone Soup's founder, this is an award given to a poet on Stone Soup's open mic who has made themselves distinguished over the last year. Gordon will be presenting the award prior to his feature. The winner (or winners) will be announced this Monday December 3. Join me in this wonderful reading and the opportunity to shine a light on the people who make up Stone Soup's weekly open mic.

Congratulations Lee Varon!

One of my regrets from 2017 is not being able to give out the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize before the year ended.

Today, I announce the winner for 2017 as Lee Varon, and we'll be giving out the award before Melissa Castillo-Garsow's feature this Thursday night. That means Gordon Marshall will be on hand to present the award.

I hope you are able to make it for all the festivities on the eighteenth. I hope every week following this Thursday will be just as action packed to the benefit of everyone who starts coming weekly again.

People I Want to See Tonight at Stone Soup

Gordon Marshall

We last saw Gordon last month when he presented the Jack Powers Stone Soup Savor Poetry Prize. He said he wanted to start coming back to Stone Soup. I hope he makes good on it soon.

Dexter Garcia

I haven't heard her read since her book release this past summer. Hopefully, she'll stop by again before the  snow blocks off any north shore invaders. 

Jack by David

Last night David Agee unveiled one of the many photos he has taken over the years as an audience member at Stone Soup.

This picture of Jack Powers was taken some time after his stroke in 2006, which eventually led to his loss of speech. David caught Jack standing at the podium and using his body to emote the poem his companion, Margaret Nairn, was reading.

It would be a perfect picture, if not for the a-hole on the left photobombing it.