The Poet, The Performances and the People (NorthEast, U.S.A.)

so left nYc yesterday afternoon for DC and my BFFL (best friend for life), karen finneyfrock met me at my feature last night! she looked amazingly energized, and this is why: about two days ago she finished her first full length novel with a working title of, "the girls, the witch, and the dumbwaiter"....i've only read the first couple of pages but the shit is brilliant...imagine finneyfrock writing for children! the main character's name is "dickory-elle"...good stuff...she's converted her parents garage into a writing studio and, since leaving seattle to help care for her sister, she has been extraordinarily productive...tired as i was, we stayed up talking until 2 or 3 in the morning, and i, apparently, continued our conversation in my sleep...we figured out a formula for extreme productivity:
1) extreme emotional duress
2) complete isolation from all friends and support system other than family
3) a rent free space to create in and all financial worries taken care of
4) time

haven't written in a few days because the whole northeast experience is taking a minute to process...reconnecting with imani uzuri, my best friend for years...since way back in the bay area days...seeing how we've grown both as artists (Imani's show, Her Holy Water: A Black Girls Rock Opera was playing at Joes Pub the same night as my Urbanna feature) and as women...reconnecting with friends (sienna horton, my alaskan sunflower! and mo browne-too busy and popular for me as usual,but i love her anyways--) and lovers, old and new...comparing the then to the now, and processing what reflection i am casting in the world based on who is in my life now...seeing some of the most amazing artists in my craft perform;

roger bonair-agard with whom i can never spend enough time, or talk to long enough...even when he's making WHACK ASS aguments in defense of hitting another human being at bar 13 the other night...more on that later...but the bottom line is, YOU CAN NOT HIT PEOPLE ROGER!!...but still, i must admit...it's pretty sexy, in a primal sort of way, that he did...

rives--who'll be representing bar 13 at IWPS this year, and who also is the creator of 5 of the 8 mcdonalds happy meals narnia series pop up books! with 100,000,000 in circulation, i call him happy mealionaire now...

ainsley burroughs--astounding...the best writing about race and the african experience in america i've ever heard...and his love poems...wow...

rachel mcKibben--writes from her coochie...and like a black woman besides

tailor mali-- urbanna slam master, who was the first of new yorks big three to officially invite me to feature, and who officially has boasting rights to my new york performance cherry...

blair--acoustic, operatic, spoken word phenomenon

karen finneyfrock

sonya renee

oh! and C.R. AVERY!! vancouver, bc homie who collaborated with me twice while in new york. first at my urbanna show (check for word medicine - on the best of urbanna 2005) and then again at the nuyorican, who is so humble and supportive to be so fly! i haven't seen him perform in about four months and, i tell you, this man is on some other ish...he did this freak'n AMAZING 10 minute love poem at the nuyoricanon friday that somehow had as its center, nelson mandela's son dying from aids...how he centered a love poem around this is beyond me, but it was crafted so beautifully and puctuated with beatbox noise and a harmonica on the side...after last seeing him perform, i actually bought a harmonica which i, unfortuantely, had no room to pack (i know it's tiny, but you'd have to see my bag, half the contents of which i had to leave in nYc because it was just too much!)...i was honored by CR's contribution to my performances...

my feature at the nuyorican was filmed by the always supportive, since my VERY FIRST POEM, gabrielle boulaine who came all the way from buffalo, ny to do it! that's love...and she's hooking up the dvd as well...i love this woman...sometimes i feel like she's my mama...always brag'n on me to everybody!

the northeast has also been so much about making new friends and remembering my capacity for deep connection (thanks nathan p, thai freedom ford, and marie-elizabeth)...

new york, especially, has energized me creatively...i am anxious to get to florida where i'll be spending time with spiritualist, philosopher and poet, dr. jennifer lisa vest, who always encourages the writer in me...i need to write so badly...more later...christa...p.s.-the above photograph taken by inti st. claire, was shot in seattle at bumberslam 2004...