It started with a tweet from Guy Kawasaki. I checked out the link and responded:
@guykawasaki too fun! fellow poets, have you seen this? twitter refrig magnet poetry http://adjix.com/59g9
The site allows you to create 120 character poems using words which look like the familiar ones on your fridge from your box of Magnetic Poetry. You simply drag the words of your choice into the box, arrange them in the order you desire, check how it’s looks in the left bottom corner, and submit to their twitter account OR to yours. If you don’t have a twitter account, you should still be able to access the live feed to read what people are writing and posting.
If you don’t like the words that you’re supplied, you can click “swap words” and new ones show up. The words and the process are accompanied with music which at first I liked but then found distracting.
That day I created a few twitter magnet poems choosing the “haiku” format of 5-7-5 and found time evaporating so I had to de-magnetize myself.
Really, it’s fun! If you are on twitter, you should check it out. If you’re a poet who doesn’t see any purpose for twitter, this might be it. If you want to save the poem, figure out a good method for you (and tell me!)
In any case, here are a few of my twitter magnet poems for this week’s Poetry Train: Read more…
May Day Prom Ride Success! Good time had by all!
I always loved May Day. In my neighborhood, all the kids would make flower baskets (usually using empty green plastic strawberry containers) and play “ding dong ditch” — setting the basket on the front porch, ringing the doorbell, hiding, and spying until the recipient opened the door, and puzzedly looked around, eventually discovering the flowers on the porch. We’d burst out giggling, yell “Happy May Day” and run off to the next house.
This May Day, we sprung a surprise on citizens of Ventura as we rode through town on our bikes in formal prom attire, and, to those puzzled in their cars and on the sidewalks, we yelled “Happy May Day” and waved happily.
Growing up, I remember the weather as warm and mild. Last night, it was wild!
Eight of us (including two 5 year olds!) shoved off about 5:20pm from the corner of Victoria and Telephone, site of the Ventura County government center where there is a monthly anti-war vigil on the First Fridays. This way, as we gathered there, we were able to support them also.
Riding up Victoria and turning left on Telegraph proved to be the most difficult part of our ride as there are no bike lanes; bicyclists are expected to ride on the sidewalk and to share the road. There’s a freeway overpass to climb and freeway on ramps to navigate. At the intersection, we took the lane crossing from the right side of the street all the way through through three lanes of heavy commuter traffic to get into the left turn lane. We arrived as it turned yellow so we massed up. I admit, as a mom, this part of the journey was very scary, and our adrenaline was pumping as we headed toward downtown on Telegraph.
We cruised by Buena High about 530pm; no one joined us but at Ventura College (pictured) Doug and Dorian found us. Dorian famously rode all the way on the ride on his one speed bike! He took the sidewalks as much as possible and we stayed on the streets.
The weather (which had been threatening to rain all day) was getting cold, especially for those of us in prom formals like Karen, Rachel 
and myself. As we rounded the corner at Five Points onto Main, those of us with bare skin started feeling more and more rain drops. We paused at Ventura High for a few minutes and were joined by Katie, Elzbet, Joe, Mike’s brother, and Tobias who got off of work at 6pm at nearby Open Air bikes. We were also joined by a woman who lives in the neighborhood and loves May Day, and wanted to celebrate it, so even though she doesn’t have a bike or a car, she came to see us, wish us a happy May Day, and send us on our way again–this time in a steady rain.
We powered up the hill at Main where Benecia found us heading in to the wind and the rain, and rolled on down to regroup at Kalorama and Passion Flowers. Six of us already had our corsages and bouteneers so I just picked up the rest of my blinky bikes and we headed on Main into downtown proper. Somewhere around there, Winston joined us.
The street was getting wet–and so were we. Even though it was cold and windy, we were all exhilerated and excited. People on the streets did double takes as we gaily waved and sang out “Happy May Day!”
A right on Ventura Avenue soon brought us to the shelter of Stoneworks where we added two more families including a nine month old baby and two more 5 year olds. Michele Chapin had fresh hot chai ready for us and a fire going (even though she was at work waitressing). Up the street two blocks we rode to Bell Arts Factory where we wan
dered the expansive premises, visiting artists in their studios and checking out the opening at Vita. We acquired two more riders from the local roller derby team as well as a young man who had seen a posting about the ride on Craigs List. This brought our group to about 30 riders–with many of us dressed to the 9s, plus a family without bikes met us there too.
Two flats threatened to slow us down if not halt us in our tracks, and we recalled that last month, it was Jason who got a flat at Stoneworks and headed home, so we’re going to bypass that stop on future rides. The burley trailer that had sheltered one 5 year old was out of commission even though Rachel and others valiantly tried to fix the flat. A second bike was left behind as Jenessa rode on Jason’s handlebars.
The weather was now warm and muggy with a few sprinkles here and there. Enough of us on the ride are Burners so it all felt very familiar and we were grateful that the infamous playa winds weren’t likely to strike up and cover us in dust!
Our next stop was Gallery 642. Delicate yet strong glossy gorgeous ceramic mostly abstract wall pieces with carefully embossed edges hung there. Our warm welcome convinced us we should always make time to venture a little farther up the Avenue to this gem of a simple gallery.
We wanted to stop at Architexture near the corner of Ventura Avenue and Main to see Jessica Lindley Emerson’s photos, but by this point, with so many hungry kids, and the dark coming on, we needed to finish the ride and eat. We turned left back onto Main and did a Critical Mass style ride through downtown, whooping it up and getting lots of attention especially as we rode past the various bars and restaurants which have outdoor patios filled with patrons.
We turned off Main at Kalorama and headed for ArtnSoul ceramic studios, Laurel Gallery and Seabreeze Gallery. Sonia of ArtnSoul had emailed me with a special invitation for us to come over to her studio and several ceramicists were there, thrilled at our party clothes and evident excitement with life and art. It was clear we were wanted by the lit tiki lights, the refreshments, and the special “Bike Prom Parking” sign she had made.
By now, the sun was set, and it was dark and colder by the ocean. Still, we trekked on toward the sea, crossing the 101 on the pedestrian bridge. We massed up to make a showing on the promenade for the pleasure of the homeless that hang out there, the diners at Aloha and C Street, the visitors at the Artists Union Gallery, and anyone in the hotel there who might glance out the window.
Off we went again, up California street to our final destination: Anacapa Brewery for beer, fries, and other sources of sustenance not achievable by a bike!
As you can tell, we had a lot of fun on this ride! We made lots of new friends, grew closer together, and shared our message of fun bike activism. Thanks for the great photos goes to Claudia, Katie, and Karen who got them up on facebook lickety-split!
June 5 we ride next on a Summer Solstice SantaCon: a convention of Santas, Mrs. Claus, elves, and good boys and girls! We meet around 530pm at the Promenade between the parking garage, Aloha, and the hotel, and ride off around 6pm. Follow me on twitter and join us! To prepare, go here to read about the Winter Solstice SantaCon:
Pictures of Santa: Ventura Santacon 08
Ventucky Santacon 2008: it’s a RIDE not a RACE!
Santacon 12/21 TODAY: Last Minute Santa Suit Tips
Santa’s Code of Conduct
What’s up in May? The May Day Prom Ride tomorrow kicks off the month for me. Here you’ll find all the details. In a day or two, I will post about literary, green, and other cool events coming up during May, including Anne Waldman performing May 4 at the LA Central Library. And I’d like to know: what would YOU like to see more of here on Art Predator?
In the meantime, here’s what’s up astronomically, astrologically, and readerwise on this here blog!
Astronomically, the month starts out with the Eta Aquarid meteor shower in the pre-dawn hours with especially good viewing Weds May 6 after the waxing moon has set but before the sun has risen. Those who wake around 4am will be rewarded with a moonset to the west and “earth grazing” meteors to the east skimming across the horizon. I may have to get up and soak in the hot tub that morning if the skies are clear!
On the west coast of North America, the moon is full at 9pm Friday May 8 to light the sky for a fine Mother’s Day weekend, which means the moon will be new Sunday May 24 and dark skies for campers out over Memorial Day weekend.
Astrologically, Saturn, which has been in retrograde since New Year’s Eve, finally goes direct May 16. But according to Astrology.com, the biggest astrology story for May is Read more…
As I’m preparing my monthly Wrap Up :: What’s Up, I’m amazed there’s so much going on next month–and tonight! How about wine and a movie? How about wine and some recommended reads for National Poetry Month? Read more…
May Day Prom Ride: Get a Blinky Bike Corsage!
Get a blinky bike corsage or boutaineer from Michele at Passion Flowers: 920 E Main St Ventura, CA 9300(805) 641-1076 and join the “Prom Ride to the Promenade” May Day Prom May 1 2009 any time from 5-9pm in your prom dress & dance with us at our portable prom! All Prom Ride Times Approximate; follow ArtPredator on twitter for updates!
5pm Gov Center, Victoria & Telephone
515 BHS, Wakeforest & Telegraph
530 VC, Day & Telegraph
545 St Bonnie, Dunning & Telegraph
6pm VHS, Catalina & Main
PASSION FLOWERS for corsage pick-up
615 TBA midtown/downtown Main
630 Stoneworks, Park Row & VTA Ave
645 Bell Arts, Prospect & VTA Ave
7pm TBA downtown
715 TBA downtown
730 SeaBreeze, Laurel & Thompson
745 Artists Union, C St & the sea
8pm Prom on the Promenade!
In honor of the group bike rides that have long played a part in celebrating bicycle culture all over the world, the after-work and early-evening prelude to the Bike Prom on the Promenade is the Prom Ride from the Ventura County Government Center to the Prom scheduled from 5-9pm on Friday May 1, 2009.
The route of this “portable” prom follows Telegraph, Main, and Ventura Avenue stopping near high schools and Ventura College to pick up participants as well as selected First Friday galleries.
At 5pm, riders will meet at the corner of Victoria and Telegraph dressed in Prom-appropriate apparel. Read more…
The day after the Prom Ride May 1, you are cordially invited to get up early to arrive at City Hall by 9am Saturday to attend Ventura’s Economic Summit: Opening Up Opportunities and Overcoming Obstacles hosted by the City of Ventura and the Ventura Chamber of Commerce.
OR–head up to Ojai’s Oak Grove School (founded by none other than Krishnamurti) for the green activist invigoration Cultivating Change In Our Own Backyard. Details follow.
Either way, register NOW!
If getting to Ventura County May 2 is a stretch, consider organizing similar events in your hometown!
Saturday May 2, 2009 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Ventura City Hall, 501 Poli Street Council Chambers
Join businesses, community leaders, economic experts, and Ventura City Council members as we work together to chart a new course for growth and prosperity. Your participation is valuable in mapping a vibrant and sustainable economy for Ventura’s future.
Please come prepared to join one of five concurrent breakout sessions:
1. Improving the City’s Bottom Line and Fiscal Health
2. Fostering Smart Growth
3. Greening Ventura’s Economy
4. Retaining/Expanding Jobs and Businesses
5. Enhancing Our Business Climate
Immediately following the breakout sessions, each group will report their recommendations to the City Council, who will direct staff and assign action items for a 90-day, 1-year and 5-year workplan.
Refreshments provided. Register online at www.venturachamber.org. For questions, contact 805/676-7500 or e-mail info@ventura-chamber.org.
–OR–
On Saturday May 2nd an unusual one day conference for progressive organizations and individuals will take place on the campus of the Oak Grove School in Ojai California. The subject is how to achieve grassroots change in our communities in this dire economic climate. Read more…
About the same time W.S. Merwin was announced as the winner of this year’s Pulitzer Prize, I wondered if something had happened to another of my favorite writers, novelist and essayist Jim Houston. Searches for him and “cancer” brought people to my blog almost two weeks ago, then my former husband sent me an email which confirmed the sad news. Today I went to Al Young’s blog and read REMEMBERING JAMES D. HOUSTON.
I was a student of Jim’s at UC Santa Cruz; I had my first class with Jim sandwiched between my first quarter there with Al Young and the following quarter with Page Stegner.
The class focused on fiction. I was working on a novel about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, and Jim was very encouraging. He knew a lot about the state and its natural history.
For class each week we’d workshop one or two people’s stories, discuss literature, and talk about writing process. Often we held class in his house near the beach in Santa Cruz, and he showed us his studio where he wrote standing up because his back hurt. When I stand to write, I always think of him. At his house, we drank wine–he was a big fan of Ridge wines and was amazed that I had worked there. For class, we read the collection Best American Short Stories which had been edited by Ray Carver and had recently been released. Jim had arranged for Ray to visit our class, but that was changed with the news of Ray’s serious illness from cancer. Most of us in the class traveled to Stanford to hear Ray read.
As a teacher, he was gentle, generous, and honest. He had a great laugh, and he really had eyes which twinkled when he smiled. His deep love and respect for his wife was inspiring. I was fortunate to have him as a teacher, a mentor, a friend.
In late August 2006, I saw he was giving a workshop and I wrote to the organizers to say I’d love to attend and to tell Jim a former student says hi. In September 2006, Jim emailed me, asked me about my life, and how my writing was going. We kicked around the idea of having him come read at the college where I teach but it didn’t come to pass. I wish now I’d tried harder to make that happen.
I did send him this poem which I’d written during the 3:15 experiment a few weeks before we reconnected:
Tuesday August 8, 2006 315am
The train cars crash
into each other on the tracks
It’s unnerving tonight
like it is on my head
sweeping past my cheek
through my ears
out my mouth
across my eyes
until the
house & I
stop shaking
faint rumble of
engines now
try horn of train
now horn now whistle
what do they call
this electronic noise
the engineer makes
any more?
Now steady beep beep beep
something somewhere
warns as it
backs up
breath alternates
first the child’s drawing in then
the father’s blowing out
I was dreaming of James and Jeanne Houston
of their writing of her writing
I was hearing it read in my dream
It was so beautiful elegiac
I wanted to possess these words
I was going to
there was snow
words held fire
they were solid like rocks
I was going to be able
to hold them the words like
stones in my hand
I can feel the weight
of them in my palms
soft grey stones not
unlike dove a soap
a chocolate the words
from one mouth into
anothers you can
suck on a stone
when you need to
for sustenance
for comfort
moth walks up the wall
Its wings flutter a tutu
the baby’s breath
the ocean
this night at 315
the ocean
the ocean
So enough about me and Jim Houston. For more poetry, check out Read Write Poem. For more about James Houston, continue! Read more…
Poetry News: W.S. Merwin wins Pulitzer Prize
“With no punctuation and a solitary launching capital letter, Merwin’s elegant poems are built to the measure of breath and sweep the page like palm fronds. Yet each word is old, lustrous, and solid. Only a poet as seasoned as Merwin can wrest so much meaning from dark, moon, wake, river, and song.”
—Booklist
For a distinguished volume of original verse by an American author, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to “The Shadow of Sirius,” by W. S. Merwin (Copper Canyon Press), a collection of luminous, often tender poems that focus on the profound power of memory.
So states the Pulitzer Prize citation for W.S. Merwin, a pacifist well-known for his anti-war poetry. Merwin has published over 20 books of poetry and almost 20 books of translation. He won his first Pulitzer Prize in 1971 for The Carrier Of Ladders. Known in the 1960s as an anti-war poet, Merwin is now an environmental activist who speaks out about restoring the rain forests of Hawaii.
One of my favorite living American authors, Merwin won his second Pulitzer Prize on Monday April 20–the man who Ezra Pound said had nothing to write about! That was back when he was 18; Pound suggested that he translate other poets to develop his craft and write 75 lines every day. He tells that story here and reads a poem for his wife, Paula:
For a distinguished volume of original verse by an American author, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to “The Shadow of Sirius,” by W. S. Merwin (Copper Canyon Press), a collection of luminous, often tender poems that focus on the profound power of memory.
So states the Pulitzer Prize citation for W.S. Merwin, a pacifist well-known for his anti-war poetry. Merwin has published over 20 books of poetry and almost 20 books of translation. He won his first Pulitzer Prize in 1971 for The Carrier Of Ladders. Known in the 1960s as an anti-war poet, Merwin is now an environmental activist who speaks out about restoring the rain forests of Hawaii.
One of my favorite living American authors, Merwin won his second Pulitzer Prize on Monday April 20–the man who Ezra Pound said had nothing to write about! That was back when he was 18; Pound suggested that he translate other poets to develop his craft and write 75 lines every day. He tells that story here and reads a poem for his wife, Paula:
In the early 90s, I stumbled across his collection The Lice (1973) in a small musty used book store in downtown Los Altos near Stanford. I wish I knew the woman who owned the book before me; I suspect it was a woman’s book, her miniscule carefully penciled notes illuminating the manuscript and her life and mine. I hold in my hands remnants of her life as well, remnants she left stuck in the book: a youthful picture of Merwin, cut to follow the intricate border from its newsprint magazine home. It rests between the poems “”Whenever I Go There” and “Wish.” Tucked between the leaves I also marvel at a request for a book by Tu-fu Yu, Chinese characters penciled in, information on the text typed in triplicate charcoal. I traveled with that slim volume in my van for years, there along with Marianne Moore’s O to Be a Dragon, grounding me and comforting me in my restlessness and homelessness, with my struggles with memory.
Here’s “The Waves,” one of my favorite poems by W.S. Merwin from The Lice:
I inhabited the wake of a long wave
As we sank it continued to rush past me
I knew where it had been
The light was full of salt and the air
Was heavy with crying for where the wave had come from
And why Read more…
Friday August 25, 2007
3:15am Ventura CA
Memembering
Memember he says
I memember it
Did you memember?
That’s a lot to memember!
I never correct him.
I hope no one tells
him he’s wrong
memember is a much
better word
than remember
Poem from the 3:15 Experiment. For more poetry, ride the train.
“Giant Mystery Blob Discovered Near Dawn of Time,” screams the yahoo headline, reminding me of the movie The Blob which I watched too much of when I was 5.
I memember that blob all too well; I was sure I too would be consumed. Just revisiting the trailer makes my heart pound:
This blob consumes my imagination. For me, the idea that this light traveled for 12.9 billion years and thus allows us to look back that far in time excites me–like looking at baby pictures of the universe. The picture shown even looks like an ultrasound. Baby Himiko. One day I’ll write a poem about you.
According to a recent article by Jeremy Hsu Staff Writer for SPACE.com :
A newly found primordial blob may represent the most massive object ever discovered in the early universe, researchers announced today.
The gas cloud, spotted from 12.9 billion light-years away, could signal the earliest stages of galaxy formation back when the universe was just 800 million years old. Read more…
Does Twitter’s Exponential Growth Equal Significant Value?
Even Hitler is on Twitter…at least in this kind of neo-benshi video! (Read more about neo-benshi here).
According to TechCrunch, worldwide visitors to Twitter.com increased 95 percent in the month of March from 9.8 million to 19.1 million. If Twitter can keep this rate of growth up, it should cross 50 million visitors by summer. Read the original article and the many comments here which my friend Jordan Lederer emailed me: http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/24/twitter-eats-world-global-visitors-shoot-up-to-19-million/
To me this kind of growth signifies the increasing value of twitter as a tool for communication–or at least a willingness among more and more people to explore what it is and what it does.
However, Facebook may yet overcome Twitter to be the go-to tool for real time communication. Following the link from a tweet from Jason Calacanis (who I follow on Twitter), I found this report by Steve Gilmor on TechCrunchIT:
The Wall Street Journal is reporting Facebook will open up most if not all of their user-contributed data to developers at a developer event tomorrow. This has been long expected and will likely trigger a wave of third-party integration of Facebook streams with other popular feeds, most notably that of Twitter.
He also writes:
Twitter will continue to own the celebrity growth, but those who look to harness this realtime platform for business and personal networking will quickly adopt the more powerful tools now available at FriendFeed and coming online from Facebook and perhaps Google.
I’ve been on Twitter for two months, and Facebook a little less. I continue to find them both powerful but different tools for communication. When I posted about the Springsteen concerts last week, I tweeted the links and posted them on Facebook. Both methods helped readers find my blog and the posts of interest. At this point, I have 250 Facebook “friends” and most of them are friends, people I have met and know, and most of them are local, while very few of my friends are on Twitter so I don’t know and have never met most of my 150 followers.
Can you see me shaking my head as I try to figure this all out?
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