Report by Alberto. Pictures by Sabine Dundure. Shuffle the whole album here.
It was a dark and stormy night, in Paris everyone one was wearing long sleeves striped shirt, smoking in cafès with a baguette under the armpit. The theme was clichès. Only the bravest performers showed up. They were Charles Patterson, Kajsa & Sara, David Barnes, David Jaggard, David Lewis. Enough with the Davids. Dareka. Pallavi Kidambi. Haniffa, Max, Kristina, The Good Slamaritan, David Leo Sirois, Troy, Sam, Anna, Amel&Alberto&Britney, Lucy Gelman, Evan, Bruce, Victor and our featured poet: Claire Trévien launching her new book “The Shipwrecked House.”
Clichès Moments. David Sirois: “Many people think writing poems about flowers is cheesy.” Anna dedicating an “Ode to the average Joe”, Dareka: “For French Kissing we say turning a shovel.” Pallavi Kidambi’s questions to an Indian girl: “Are you Indian? Are you full Indian? Are you married? Did your parents arranged your marriage? What’s that dot mean? Do you worship cows? Why do you worship cows?
Can you trust a poet with his hand on his heart?
Yes, we can.
Half -in Suppository.
(If you want to learn how to drive in France with David Jaggard read the full article here.)
If you want to learn Spanish and many other things…
See you next Monday, fools! (It’s April 1st).
We start at 8.30 now, sign up in person at the bar from 7.30pm. Photos by Sabine, report by David.
Amel sang Rocketman, David Sirois navigated the magnetic clouds. Tyrannosaurus Rex spoke to the hairless monkeys, and Yann. Melinda was on a junior highway to Hell. Max went missing in Danemark. Christelle knows of island where we long to be marooned. Kristina read from Eugene Onegin in Russian. Carmen navigated Eros [insert agony here].
Mathew
Alberto: “This poem sucks,” not his own poem but a translation of Neruda’s. Actually translation is a strange beast. For years I’ve loved the melancholy and angst of Neruda’s “Walking Around” only to discover that in Spanish its not like this at all but is a laugh a minute.
Gabriel promised to buy everyone a beer. “One beer. For everyone.” He was a spoken animal, scattering sound. Lisa Passold told of an eye operation that stranded her narrator in Paris. “Sure, you’re stranded in Paris.”
Brandon met an old woman eating her clothes. Zachary saw subatomic humming birds and then “you are crawling up the Eiffel Tower, your eyes small and vengeful.” Joshua was the saint among the stragglers. Dot Devota drew conclusions in the protocol. While Jen K Dick dreamt the world began in a jar of orange neon. She presented some of her CERN poems and almost collapsed into giggles as she discussed the discovery of the Higgs-Bosom.
And lots of other stuff happened. More will certainly tonight. We have a Featured Reader – Claire Trévien, an anglo-Breton. From the blurb about her book The Shipwrecked House:
Anchors, shipwrecks, whales and islands abound in this first collection by Anglo-Breton poet Claire Trévien. These poems are sketches, lyrics, dreams, and experiments in language as sound.
Trévien’s is a surreal vision, steeped in myth and music, in which everything is alive and – like the sea itself – constantly shifting form. Fishermen become owls; one woman turns into a snake, another gives birth to a tree; a glow-worm might be a wasp or ‘a toy on standby’. Struck through with brilliant and sometimes sinister imagery reminiscent of Pan’s Labyrinth or an Angela Carter novel, The Shipwrecked House is a unique and hallucinatory debut from a poet-to-watch.
Tonight’s theme: clichés.
Sign up from 7.30 in the bar.
First round starts at 8.30pm
Cheers,
David
Dot Devota
Zachary Schomburg
Helene
By Alberto. Pictures by Sabine Dundure. Full Album Here.
Theme: Secrecy
Cristelle as Pastry-Chef, The two following poets decided to pay tribute to our special guest: Pansy Maurer Alvarez’s wrote a sonnet, a response to “This Plot” by Alice Notley from her collection In The Pines (Penguin, 2007). Amy Hollowell re-upholstered “1992.” Thomas was able to make it in 22.5 seconds. Cristina Vezzaro’s love story (telling). Alberto’s moles and coins and fountains. Gabriel’s duo. Moe’s took us back in the good old days when he first met Alice Notley, our Featured Poet Tonight:
Alice Notley, a protagonist of the second generation of the New York school, has published over thirty books of poetry. She has received the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award, the Poetry Society of America’s Shelley Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Award for Poetry and she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Alice writes: “The first poem was Jack Would Speak Through The Imperfect Medium Of Alice. I read it from my book Grave of Light: New and Selected Poems 1976-2005. The other is the first half of a poem called I Went Down There, which is available in an online journal called Trickhouse.” (Click here)
Dareka goes multilingual before running back to the Downtown slam. Maryan Abdi is Isabella, Claudio’s sister in Measure for Measure:
Maryan Isabella
Just to remind you how it always ends up in Shakespeare’s: Full Article Here.
Devon’s crisis of roses upon us, David Barnes’s story about Jacko (He managed to eat an entire packet of Fisherman’s Friends!). David Sirois leads us through the land of Porcupines, sorry, through the great mystery of all time. And Sam, maybe inspired by Maryan, on his first attempt to write a Shakespearian Sonnet:
A Sonnet about Chimps by Sam Rossi-Harries
“Of all the animals in the zoo,
I know a cheeky little imp,
Who beats the others, through and through,
I’m talking, of course, of the glorious chimp.
You can keep your zebras, keep your snakes,
Your boring hippos and giraffes,
Even the lion? Gimme a break,
The noble Chimp looks on laughs.
But keep one as a pet? No way.
The partnership just wouldn’t fit,
Imagine him in my kitchen, wanking away,
Or in my bedroom, flinging shit.
Oh chimp! I bow before your grace,
but you come near my house and I’ll kick you in the face.”
Dan’s Mountain song closing part two. Victor leaving the French Music History for Calipso. But don’t worry he’ll be doing a resume (one hour long!) here at the Chat Noir on Wednesday March 20! Carmen enters tonight’s sonnets competition. Wanda O’ Connor from Montreal: “Is struggle less honorable? Soon I’ll drink tea.” Pallavi crossing the border, will she be able to get back to the States? Evan after reading Moby Dick. Diego: “Armstrong is gone” (Neil or Lance). The accappella quartet Sara, Rebecka, Elsa and Kajsa introducing one of the most challenging themes of Spoken Word in April: Swedish Girls. Alex read two poems from the magazine Two Words For (He’s the editor in chief). Check it out. Jilann’s secret song and Helen’s sleep well Impro. It’s Over. For this Monday. Next Monday we’ll start earlier! Sign up from 7.30 pm! See you there! Theme: Navigation.
Dear Spokenworders,
There is a lot going on next week:
See below, but full details are at:
http://parisreadingsmonthlylisting.blogspot.fr/
Monday – Lisa Passold & Jen Dick both launching books
19.00 at Chez Grace (46 rue des Abesses, 75018 Paris, 3rd floor, email Jen for door code at fragment78 AT gmail.com)
then they’re running across town to be featured readers in Round 2 at:
20.30 SPOKENWORD au Chat Noir Note we’re starting earlier!!!!Also, we’re ONLY gonna sign up people when they arrive in the bar.This is because it seems harsh on people who turn up early & find the list already full.Me or Alberto will be there taking names from 7.30pm
Tuesday – IVY WRITERS
19.30 at DELAVILLE cafe (Au salon au 1er étage–qui est enfin ouvert! 34 blvd Bonne Nouvelle, M° Bonne Nouvelle) Joshua Marie Wilkinson, Dot Devota, Brandon Shimoda et Zachary Schomburg qui liront des extraits de leurs ouvrages ainsi que des inédits. Une lecture des nouvelles traductions par des écrivains et traducteurs français se feront par Jacques Rebotier, Virginie Poitrasson, et Paul Laborde.
Friday 22nd – POETS LIVE
8:30 pm. at le BAL (in the gallery space, 6, impasse de la Défence , 75018 Paris, Métro: Place de Clichy) After a short winter break Poets Live is back for the Printemps des Poètes with an evening of poetry and song, featuring guest Kerry Featherstone from the UK and the two Paris based poets, Pansy Maurer-Alvarez and Rufo Quintavalle. There will be a book/CD table as well as a drinks table.
Cheers all, David
It’s almost victory day here in town, to mis-quote James Jewell who was here for the European launch of his chapbook, Ships Made of Fake Fur. The night began with Rachel singing – our youngest ever Spokenworder. Huge numbers of people. Come early if you want to be on the list. Usual crappy bar service.
Some stuff folks did: Alex dug from the general hunch of him. Translated into Italian and French. Christelle has a response for tous qui n’aiment pas les Parisiens. Melinda was on a junior highway to Hell. Paul Salamone ranted about Germans:
“Germans don’t smile ‘cos the German language destroys the smile muscles… French sounds like trombones discussing restaurants.”
Catch him doing stand up and learning German in Berlin.
Alberto told a story about learning to read and being confused by his grandfather when the last Pope died.
“It’s written everywhere Dad is dead. Is Dad dead?” – Little Alberto
“Well then it must be true…” – mean grandfather
Katie: communion is a priest with greasy fingers, sharing chips through his chapped lips. Gabriel emitted his baritone mating call. James Jewell read various things from his chapbook and not from his chapbook. Melissa did Chaplin’s speech from The Great Dictator. Kirk advised filming airport security when they try to grope your mother. Victor merely mentioned Gainsbourg and a beer glass spontaneously exploded. Yann Icus chose a bulletproof breakfast. “Plants are people too!” said David Sirois before embarking on some poems to plants, principally ones outside his window and on his fire escape. Chelsea: I am a grotesque watching beautiful people on the metro. The best things are both clumsy and passionate.
Bruce collected junk. David Jaggard tried to persuade us to steal. Devon shared his own lunatic dreams. Troy’s frogs barked in the distance. Dan loves physics. Sam had a poem to The Shard in London and an ode to cricket. While you were sleeping, Carmen drank your pomegranate wine. HLn improvised with squelettes and cacahouètes.
Tomorrow, Monday 11th, we have Alice Notley as featured reader in the first round – one of the big names in poetry. The theme is SECRECY. Shhh! And all the usual chaos. Get there early if you want to sign up.
Thanks to Sabine for the photos. And Allison for the drawing of the Black Cat.
Cheers all,
David
Alice Notley has published over thirty books of poetry, including (most recently) Culture of One and Songs and Stories of the Ghouls. With her sons Anselm and Edmund Berrigan, she edited both The Collected Poems of Ted Berrigan and The Selected Poems of Ted Berrigan. Notley has received many prizes and awards including the Academy of American Poets’ Lenore Marshall Prize, the Poetry Society of America’s Shelley Award, the Griffin Prize, two NEA Grants, and the Los Angeles Times Book Award for Poetry. She lives and writes in Paris, France.
For more, see:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Notley or http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/767 and listen to extracts of her reading at Pennsound at: http://writing.upenn.edu/pennsound/x/Notley.php
Other featured poets this month are:
Jen Dick & Lisa Passold (March 18th)
Claire Trevien (March 25th)
More on them later!
Cheers,
David
Follow us on instagram at spokenword_paris for up-to-date info, photos and more, or check our Facebook page.
Open mic/scène ouverte: Performance poetry. Lire vivant. Poésie sonore. Stand up. Monologue. Stories. Beat poetry. Spoken word. English. Français. Your own original texts. Old texts from Rimbaud to Dr Seuss, Beowulf to Gil Scott-Heron. Chacun a son mot à dire. Make the words come alive. Acoustic songs also welcome.
Sous les pavés, les poètes… Jo’s bilingual poetry documentary about the Spoken Word Paris community, filmed in Spring 2022 at Au Chat Noir bar.
© Jo Black 2023
SpokenWord Sounds
A taste of Monday nights at the Chat Noir, by Victor. Listen or download here.
SpokenWord
Every Monday except August. Come to the Chat Noir, 76 rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud 75011. Métro Parmentier/Couronnes. Sign up at 8pm downstairs. Poetics start 8.45pm underground. More info here. Paris’ biggest and longest-running English open mic night, started in 2006. All languages welcome.
Themes
Check next week’s theme here. Themes are a suggestion to inspire you but you don’t have to follow them. Indeed, many people don’t.
AWOL writers’ workshop
AWOL normally takes place every Sunday evening, 5.15pm – 7.15pm at the Chat Noir (76 rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011). AWOL’s facebook page. Free. Bring your writing or just come and listen and join in the discussion. Hosted by Bruce Sherfield, Simon Millward, Thibaut Narme and Camille Adnot. Friendly and insightful and afterwards you’re welcome to come for a drink. In a previous incarnation this ran for 10 years as The Other Writers Group and AWOL continues that group’s ethos of giving invaluable insightful feedback and providing a supportive space to hone your writing craft. Plus community among writers. Click here for a more detailed description.
Report by Alberto. Pictures by Sabine Dundure. Full Album Here.
Huge crowd and incredible First Round! How: “Allons enfants de la Patisserie” by Thomas and Bibi remarking she’s got clones everywhere. One is an Italian Singer. Giorgia? Helene thinking Heavy Hearted. And Yann Icus:
“Do not feed the octoshark, nor the sharktopus.
I’ve yet to decide which to cull, which will thrive.
What would Darwin do? Hand me that blunderbuss.” From “The Moreau Zoo”
Bibi Yann
I hate the spiky David Sirois, a poet coming from the Land of Porcupines. Melinda found out that the famous commercial song “Hello Calgary” was written for many other cities all around the world. Gabriel bleeding cloying maudlin sticky maple syrup for his favourite hockey team: The Toronto Maple Leafs (They won their last Stanley Cup in 1967). More Stats here. David Jaggard ranted for three minutes beating the XXXX out of a little round table.
How can we keep a pace like that for round II? Amel’s opening song, Victor just named Serge Gainsbourg and a glass of Beer exploded! David born on Agatha’s Christie’s grave, Melissa reading from her forbidden diary, Pearlann leaving Paris with a new tattoo: “Je Suis.”
Sandra’s incomparable voice, sweet home AlaParis. Alberto’s grandmother in a nursing home. James Jewell’s from his freshly made new book!
And the Sofia Lorenians’ showcase. Put your arms around me. Gus (supported by Carmen&Alba) wants to be number one in America! (Well, why not? It’s his birthday after all). Francesca’s first time (At Spoken Word Paris of course). The french slam poet La Clameur performing in English. Devon read so fast that I didn’t even realize and Annie closed our Hometown session with the Yorkshire Secret Code.
It’s midnight already and it’s over. But come back down here next Monday with the Launch Party for the (affordable but precious) James Jewell’s new book and the ambiguous theme of Persuasion!
SpokenWord Paris 