Hapy Birthday Hannah Brown

From the usual gang of oddballs.

First Friday Open Mic Tonight

Better a Week Late Than Never.

First Friday THIS FRIDAY

Happy Birthday, Hannah Brown

Happy Belated Birtthday, Hannah Brown

 Hope it was as good as your work's been thus far.

Stone Soup Croutons, 12-7-15, Pawned

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 afterwards. I used to try and get this out by Tuesday morning, but Wednesdays are somewhat easier now.

Thanks to Neiel Israel for an amazing feature this past Monday. I am happy that we were able to present her such a diverse and robust open mic. You can view it here and try to figure out where some of my lines come from.

One last thing. I'm starting to realize that in writing these poems, I've created a new character. The "you" in these poems, if you will, who I'm putting through their paces. It's not really me, but it's not not me. That's all I'll say at this point.


Pawned

Wake up to your broken watch
permanently set to 5 a.m.
always missing the witching party.

Window open in case a siren
invites you to drown
or smash your head against a rock.

Stone Soup Croutons, 10-19-15, Un

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 the next morning. Or evening, in this case.

I am late this week and lacking confidence, having not posted anything for a couple of weeks. It's been a busy month, and I've started setting up live streams of Stone Soup Poetry nights, open mic and all. When I did the first one for the SOUPed Up Beat Poetry Festival, I was too busy to take notes. That was enough to get me out of practice, and I skipped writing anything for Jeannie Nunes's feature. At least they are recorded and accessible now, so I might watch them and write something later.

This week, we had the return of Hannah Brown! Though I was far from refreshed from the weekend or the work day, I was able to pick up the pen again. I was tired enough that I ended up writing a line or two that didn't make sense to me (that commas and parentheses one? Yeah...), but I did my best to keep them in. Here is the poem.


Un

Our lives never have a title.
We believe we can slap it
on at the end.
 No one wants to see their
draft in progress.

Hannah Brown at Stone Soup, 10-19-15

I have a lot to learn.

The first livestream for the Beat Poetry Festival I basically figured out how my program worked with YouTube minutes before the show stared.

Last week with Jeannie Nunes, I had the mic off when I introduced her and got it back on just in time.
This week, I got reminded that I have to get to get a better camera, not the one I have now that suffers from spontaneous shaky cam syndrome (also, I need to move it back for when the perform walks out form behind the podium).

Thanks to all for supporting my efforts to document Stone Soup.

Time to Go

Off to Hannah's reading. I hope to see you there.

October 19: Hannah Brown Comes Back to Stone Soup

Hannah Brown's first ever feature at Stone Soup had a lot of obstacles, thanks to the blizzard of 2015. He's had a lot of great moments, some of which were shared with us at the Stone Soup Poetry Slams. It's only natural that we have have her back on the nineteenth during better weather (though a few hours before I started writing this, my girlfriend reported snowflakes outside). Hannah is another member of the Society of Urban Poets, who we are glad to be featuring this month. If you've ever seen Hannah deliver her words, you know Stone Soup is continuing to make Mondays more exciting.

Hannah Brown is Featuring Monday Night at Stone Soup

Read her poem in Stone Soup Servings today at Oddball Magazine.

Last Night at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery

"This dog is home."

--Hannah Brown, July 6, 2015.

Stone Soup Croutons, 7/6/15, What's On

Welcome to the one month anniversary of Stone Soup Croutons. What follows is a poem taken from lines and words overheard during Stone Soup Poetry's open mic this past Monday.

On July 6, we had Colin Killick feature. A perfect night with a lively open mic, with a couple of people performing at Stone Soup for the first time ever. There were only two obstacles to the night. One was I ended up getting to Stone Soup late. Jason Wright assumed the hosting duties, but I had missed a couple of people who read. The other obstacle was that I had to leave a little early to help out my girlfriend before she took off for vacation (I'm joining her tomorrow). I stayed as long as I could and listened to the open mic as much as I could. Even if my actions might have disappointed, the people who read last night did not, and I think I got some good material for this week's piece, which I read before I had to go. Special nod to Colin's poem on eugenics, even if it made the poem get away from me.

As always the poets I borrow from are to be thanked for their contributions, not blamed for the final results.


Stone Soup Croutons, 7/6/15

Everywhere the priests
switch themselves with mirrors
in the confessionals.

In your petri dish,
the specimens wear tiny lab coats
and look up at you.

What a Difference Less Than A Year Makes

I found this while cleaning out one of my folders. Not a big list of people. Some old friends, some new.

In fact, it's the set list from Gordon Marshall's recent reading, which was also Stone Soup's first night at the Out of The Blue Gallery's new location.

Perhaps an insignificant scrap to some, but to me it's indicative of the changes that have happened at Stone Soup and in my life.

Changes I'm very thankful for.

And I think we're only getting started.

Thanks, everyone.

Oddball Show 6 5: Poets With Disabilities

In lieu of a livestream show (we'll be back next week), Chad Parenteau offers a recording from the recent Massachusetts Poetry Festival. Recorded on May 2, 2015, the panel was hosted by Colin Killick of the Disability Policy Consortium and featured poets SOUP member Hannah Brown, Ryk McIntyre, Flatline Poetry member Lewis Reginald Morris and The Oddball Show's own Jason Wright.

The event description.

Visit the SOUP website.

Visit Flatline Poetry.

Visit Oddball Magazine.

Thanks to the show's host, JP LIme Productions.

Happy Birthday Hannah Brown

Seen here at the Stone Soup open mic.

Read some work of hers today, won't  you?

Coming Up Later

I forgot I had taken this picture. Seated left to write are activist for the disabled Colin Killick, Oddball Magazine's Jason Wright, Flatline Poetry's Lewis Reginald Morris, and Hannah Brown of SOUP. I took this just moments before they started the "Capable Massachusetts: Poets with Disabilities" panel at this year's Massachusetts Poetry Festival earlier this month.

I recorded that panel and finally got around to getting the footage ready for YouTube this morning. Want to hear it today? You just might.

After The Poets With Disabilities Panel

I only attended one day of the Massachusetts Poetry Festival, but I made it count. My friend, Oddball Magazine's Jason Wright was part of Saturday's Poets With Disabilities, a panel and reading moderated by Colin Kilick and featuring, Jason, Ryk McIntyre, SOUP poet Hannah Brown and Flatline Poetry's Lewis M. I attempted to record the entire session and believe I was successful. I will be revisiting the footage and hopefully turning it into a special episode of The Oddball Show. After the show, it led to an impromptu photo session of the entire group.

I'm known to take a lot of pictures. By the time I altered my settings and tried to take a black and white "band picture," the poses in the beginning began to alter into wonderful silliness.

Come back to this blog for an update on the footage from the panel or subscribe to JP Lime's YouTube page for regular updates.

This Saturday at the Massachusetts Poetry Festival

Featuring Collin Killick, Hannah Brown, Ryk McIntyre, Lewis Reginald Morris, and Oddball Magazine's own Jason Wright!

Capable Massachusetts: Poets with Disabilities

Saturday, May 2 • 12:15pm - 1:15pm

Most of the time, people with disabilities are spoken about. At Capable Massachusetts, they will be speaking out. Slam poetry legend Ryk McIntrye and Oddball Magazine founder Jason Wright will be joined by rising stars Hannah Brown and Lewis Morris (a member of Flatline Poetry, winners of Best Poetry Group at the 2013 Mass Poetry Awards) for a generational artistic dialog on disabilities visible and invisible, and the ongoing struggle, 25 years after the ADA, to build a future where they are not barriers to opportunity. Moderated by poet and organizer Colin Killick of the Disability Policy Consortium.

Click here for more information, including how to reserve a seat. 

New Chapbook by Hannah Brown from Freak Machine Press

Apparently I do this sort of thing now.  Release other people's chapbooks through my poor man's publishing imprint.  Hannah Brown's feature was rescheduled amidst January's blizzard madness.  I told her I wanted to try and put out a chapbook to help drum up the excitement up for the rescheduled date.  I didn't announce it ahead of time because I wasn't sure I could pull it off.  I couldn't make Microsoft Publisher work for me, so at the last minute I worked with Microsoft word and just put out a 8 1/2 x 11 chapbook much like Stone's Throw.  The chapbook, I Don't Know What to Say to You But Here's a Poem, with wonderful cover art by TJ Edson, sold out most of its print run last night, but there are still several copies left in Hannah's possession.  In the distant future, I may--may--put the whole book online as part of the whole Freak Machine Press Ouevre.  Until then, I recommend you contact Hannah herself and negotiate a price.