Tebot Bach and Dibakar Barua invite you to a special event May 25 at Golden West College in Community Room 102.
The event starts at 4 p.m. with a meet-and-greet, followed by a poetry reading at 4:15 with Paul Tayyar, Mifanwy Kaiser, Barua and an open mic. At 6 is a vegetarian supper provided by Rupa and Dibakar Barua, then a musical concert at 7 by two enormously gifted young musicians from India — violinist Indradeep Ghosh and percussionist Mrinal Bhattacharya.
Please come, enjoy, and bring a friend or loved one. To express our appreciation to the musicians for their generous and joyful gift of music, we suggest a voluntary donation of whatever amount is comfortable for you.
RSVP please to Rupa and Dibakar Barua at (949) 361-8761 or dibakarbarua@gmail.com.
May 16, 2013 : Posted by Mifanwy Kaiser
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When Lee Mallory announced his intention last year to move out of Orange County, it seemed like a remarkably quiet goodbye for a man who has made so much poetic noise over the last 25 years. Thankfully, this Tuesday, one of his longtime haunts — the Gypsy Den in Santa Ana's Artists Village — will see him off with a proper finale. With Jaimes Palacio hosting and Courtney Montgomery and I offering support, Lee will regale the Orange County crowd one last time.
At least, that's how they're billing the show. Knowing Lee, I'm sure he'll be back again, maybe multiple times. But it's true that he has stepped down as a reading host, and anybody who has taken part in his shows over the years (well, how many Orange County poets haven't at some point?) ought to at least show up Tuesday to pay their respects.
In the meantime, the OC Weekly has done just that, courtesy of a fine piece by Victor Infante in the latest issue. As Victor writes at one point:
While OC was at its most soulless in the late '80s, as the corporate Reagan Youth movement all but obliterated the county's counterculture, Mallory—the author of eight poetry collections—helped to found the Factory Readings in Santa Ana and, later, Poetry At Alta in Newport Beach, readings that long remained part of the county's intellectual fabric.
Click here to read the full story. And Lee, thanks for everything.
May 4, 2013 : Posted by Michael Miller
We've all had that experience of sitting bemused at an open mic, watching the poet onstage and wondering what planet they're from. But according to a story in today's Los Angeles Times, a lucky few of us can traverse the Milky Way in the opposite direction. In the words of reporter Carolyn Kellogg:
The MAVEN spacecraft is leaving for Mars in November. Along with scientific gear and advanced communication technologies, it will be bringing along some poetry. It could be yours.
NASA launched — or, rather, opened — the poetry contest on Wednesday. Anyone 18 or over can enter — or, as the entry form puts it, "Anybody on planet Earth." No Martians allowed.
To enter, write a haiku that is a message to Mars. Haikus, of course, are three-line poems with a specific syllable count — five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second, and five again in the third. Entries must be submitted by July 1.
Read the rest of the story here. Of course, if you want to enter the contest, there is the question of what language Martians speak. But assuming that they're familiar with our tongue, go ahead and submit! You're just representing the entire human race and possibly discouraging an intergalactic attack, that's all.
May 2, 2013 : Posted by Michael Miller
Moon Tide is proud to present Gabriella Miotto as its May Poet of the Month. Those who bought Pop Art: An Anthology of Southern California Poetry three years ago must remember Gabriella, who was selected for the collection by Kate Buckley and contributed five poems. Since then, Gabriella has stayed prolific and even lectured about the use of poetic imagery in medicine, which is more than enough reason to honor her this month.
Two of Gabriella's recent works, "Homage to Watts Towers" and "Prayer for Twelfth Night," can be viewed by clicking here. There's more excitement to come in May, so keep checking our blog for the latest news.
May 1, 2013 : Posted by Michael Miller