SpokenWord Paris

Report by Alberto, Pictures by Sabine Dundure (Full Album Here). Song to listen while reading this report: New Order – Blue Monday. Weekly poem: Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden, shared by Alex Manthei. Featured artists: Boutefeu. Theme: Strange. Even if many of us thought it was “Guilty Pleasures”.

“because people tell us not to wear short shorts.

because people tell us to get a car.

because people tell us to get a job.”

Why we run. By Evan Knight. (Long hair, left)

Crowd outside Au Chat Noir. A copy of OK among those pretentious intellectuals.

A crowd inside Au Chat Noir. Four Rounds. Three plus the whole waiting list! Round I: Claire, Melinda, Rebecca Larkin, Remi, Claire, Pearlann, Carissa. Round II: Brynn, Kristina, Jeff, Gabriel, Pallavi, Daniel, Boutefeu. Round III: Maryvonne. Liz, Alberto, Daniela, Alex, David Sirois, Ferdinand, Lauren. Round IV: Amel, Troy, Bill, Jennifer, James, Evan, Tom Sawyer, Bruce. Random Highlights:

After Pearlann says: David Says.                                I’m more concerned with the seeds                                                                                             of my orange than you.

I started my rapping career in the sixth grade.         I’m the Mmmmmm and the Ahhhhhh. (And it ended in the sixth grade)

My line will not wait.                                               It’s my first time here. But I’m not nervous. (Last metro or poetry urgency?)

Dinosaurs and Childhood.                                                              Liz lied. She doesn’t read OK. Aahahahahaha! (Creepy laugh with echo)                                   I bought it for her.

Revolt Revenge Reverse                                       Btch bzzz trsh trsh tdch tdch tbunz tbutbunz. are questioning the laws of our generation

Shining tasty given sacred Monday. See you next Monday. It will be a (guilty) pleasure.

Report by Alberto. Pictures by Sabine Dundure. Shuffle the full album here. Songs to listen while reading this report: Robyn – Call Your Girlfriend. Abba – Dancing Queen.

Wel-Com-Na til Spoken Word Paris! Finally a very controversial theme: Swedish Girls. Opened by a real Swedish chick, Helene Ericsson:

du är flera

de manifesterar sig i handen

som håller för munnen när du skrattar

klamrar sig fast på insidan av din bröstkorg

som inspirationsbilder på badrumsspegeln

de talar om vikten av en hud där

ingenting fäster

there are tiny girls inside of you

manifesting themselves in the hand

that covers the mouth as you laugh

fixed to the inside of your ribcage

like inspiration pictures

taped to your bathroom mirror

they speak of the importance of

non-stick skin

Then Amel sing-a-long “Dancin Queen”. Devon & Alexander The Great. Liz played chess while making love. (Or made love while playing chess)(I can’t remember) But she made up the rumour. James Bird’s bike got stolen. Diego explaining the meaning of Saudade. Pallavi Kidambi listens and sings Swedish Christmas songs all year round. Bibi’s scary Scandinavian jokerman.

Yann: “Why are you so late Mr.Anderson?” Max: 2 Swedish Girls and a wandering Jew. The Swedish girls: “I never met a Jewish guy before, what is this religion about?” The Wandering Jew: “Definitely I’m not in New York anymore.” Gabriel against Sweden: “They don’t even have enough bread to close their sandwiches. First line: I have food on my face.” Super Kajsa & Ellen & Rebecca & all the Swedish girls in the house sang “Call Your Girlfriend” proving they’ve really took over Spoken Word Paris. Alberto’s in the southernmost beach bar of Europe with a Swedishish waitress, Alex Manthei’s hometowns gathering: Amsterdam, L.A., Tucson, Paris. Melinda is the new street singer of Montmartre, Christina ‘s French & Russian melodic poem.

David Sirois: The sky is holding. Think about it. Ana Paz of Pandorica visiting us from London. “Who’s to blame.” Anna’s first time. Bruce loosening sphincters muscles, Fran’s Elephants and Bedrooms, Ferdinand’s love poem for his sweet Swedish Mermaid and Alias love poem for Lady Thatcher (That’s how we found out she’s dead!) Ben Norris: “We were having sex with earlier versions of ourselves”. Elisha Owen from Peckham SE15 to Stockholm. Kelly Joy missing her Hometown, singing a song from Kenya. Tough night,  if you want to deal with the Consequences, that’s the theme for Next Monday. David Barnes under the top hat. Special guest: Cralan Kelder. Performers irreplaceable: You all. Thanks.

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.