So...

[ocvictor]

When did I become the grumpy old man of American poetry?

Comments

[thegeekgoddess.livejournal.com]

Last Thursday. Didn't you get the memo?

[ocvictor.livejournal.com]

No, I think the memo may have just made it official ...

[thegeekgoddess.livejournal.com]

I keep telling Dottie to switch to email for these things, but she's such a technophobe.... *sighs*

[kickasphalt.livejournal.com]

i dunno. i think there are a few that've got you beat. but get your curmudge on if you feel like it. (haw! get it? curmudge...ON! hee)

[ocvictor.livejournal.com]

I swear, I'm getting into "kids these days ... back in my day, we got sixes in slams, and we liked 'em" territory lately.

[chicating.livejournal.com]

Try to work on your above-it-all face. Maybe you'll get upgraded to elder statesman.

[ocvictor.livejournal.com]

My wife points out that the difference between a politician and a statesman is that the statesman's been dead for twenty years.

Maybe I should pass the "grumpy" mantle over to her...

[myainsel.livejournal.com]

I'm not grumpy, I'm batshit crazy. It says so on my icon.

[ocvictor.livejournal.com]

I'd like some convenience please!

[chicating.livejournal.com]

You know, I thought that? But then what's a legend?(And if she's that grumpy, wouldn't she just take it?!)
And, ok, in the spirit of one of those kids stomping on your lawn...though we're of an age, give or take a few years, I think...I'm just kind of a poetry virgin.
What modern poets should I read if there was a "New Poems For Dummies?" Because I have been in a situation recently that exposes my ignorance and that is one thing I do not like to expose. People that don't like me might say it's the only thing, but who asked them, right?

[ocvictor.livejournal.com]

That's right. I meant to get back to you on this.

The "Best American Poetry" series actually has a lot to recommend it. Mostly the big contemporary names, but the editor is different each year, so you get a different take on contemporary poetry each year. Anthologies like "Aloud: Poems from the Nuyorican Poets Acafe" and "Poetry Slam: The Conmpetitive Art of Performance Poetry" are pretty good for the more "street level" side of things. Pretty much all of that is available at Borders or through your local library.

[chicating.livejournal.com]

Cool. I suppose I could have thought of that, you know, but I have to tell you I've bagged "Best American Short Stories" cause mostly it's too "ritersNIowaforevah1!1" and I've bailed on being Brain-Damaged Ann Beattie and trying to sound like I went there too. My obsession with grit and(whispers) genre will forever mark me as not that kind of girl, as of course, inside jokes like ritersNIowaforevah1!
I plan never to write about a family around a table again unless one has a chest wound.
I'm kidding.
Mostly.

This is a list i made for "whoisthespirit" yesterday on LJ.

[bucky-sinister.livejournal.com]

check out paul beatty if you can. you may be able to find joker joker deuce. Basically he's the cat who's been ripped off more in slam than anyone else. Saul Williams basically went through his trash. but PB won the Nats the first two years it existed, because there was no time penalties back then. If you rocked it hard enough no one cared if you went over. there was no actual penalty. today he would get smeared on that end.

Michelle T Clinton ran shit in the late 80's then disappeared. She has two awesome books.

Ellyn Maybe is another 80's 90's poet who had one book come out on 2 13 61, you may be able to find it online used.

Michelle Tea's The Beautiful is an awesome book of poetry.

Jimmy s. Baca's C-train and Thirteen Mexicans, among many others.

Sherman Alexie's The First Indian on the Moon or anything for that matter.

There's the ALOUD anthology you should definitely check out.
Also Revival! antho on Manic D, it's the anthology of the Lollapalooza year that a lot of us got to know each other. That's where I met Shappy.

Sapphire's American Dreams

As far as bukowski goes, if you haven't read his poetry between 65-78 give it another chance.

Wanda Coleman, she has a ton of books and she kicks ass.

Pinero if you can find it.

Etheridge Knight, the Essential Etheridge Knight.

Man, that's just a sample. that's just a starting point.
there's a whole world out there waiting for you.

Let me know when you need more.

Re: This is a list i made for "whoisthespirit" yesterday on LJ.

[chicating.livejournal.com]

Not to worry...that's a lot. Thanks Bucky.

Re: This is a list i made for "whoisthespirit" yesterday on LJ.

[babbott.livejournal.com]

That's a great list...Agreed on Paul Beatty and Etheridge Knight, and now I've got a reading list...

[deborahb.livejournal.com]

'When did ocvictor jump the shark?' ;))

Maybe what you need is a poll ...

[ocvictor.livejournal.com]

What frightens me is I am terribly in favor of this idea...

[mstegosaurus.livejournal.com]

Wait a minute-- did something happen to Michael Brown, then?

[ocvictor.livejournal.com]

Well, he has been cheerier since he moved toward the shore...

[bajatierra.livejournal.com]

Man, I thought that was me!

[ocvictor.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but you still go out and glare at people. I sit on my porch and shout, "Hey you slammers! Get off of my lawn!"

[asthecrowflies.livejournal.com]

...1997. it had to be 1997.

[(Anonymous)]

Ahem. I AM older.

[radioactiveart.livejournal.com]

That was me. I repeat it for your benefit:

Ahem. I AM older.

[ocvictor.livejournal.com]

Many are older. But my grumpiness is growing at an alarming rate.

[ocvictor.livejournal.com]

Of course, now we'll have to have a grump-off...

you don't know grumpy!

[bucky-sinister.livejournal.com]

I'll represent Bay Area Grump.