December 1st: Scott DeKatch is Waiting 4 the Bus (an open mic)

Join us at Powell's
Powells Bookstores, Chicago
1218 S Halsted
7-9pm
in the poetry bunker
It's the amazing return of a W4tB friend and favorite, The Coolest Cat in the City, Scott De Katch.
be there or be some kind of multi-sided figure that has no real application in life.

the show is free
we do ask a donation to pay the featured performer.

Buy books, they offer unconditional love, unconditional surrender, unconditional somethin'

nov 3-Waiting 4 the Bus has got THE GOODS

Joining us for this Open Mic poetry festival of love is the fabulous masters of hip hop infused wordplay and reality checks THE GOODS will be our featured performers

showtime is from 7-9pm
show up early to sign up for the open mic
all readers get 5 minutes or 3 poems whichever comes first

Powell' bookstore
1218 S Halsted St
Chicago, IL

The show is free, we do ask for a donation to provide a stipend for the featured performers.

Buy books, books are already paper trained

new stuff in 2015...Rhyme the vote? (not about politics)

Hey kids, W4tB is going through some changes, and we want you to know that we're still gonna be around hosting the Open Mic and trying our best to bring you special projects.

One of the changes is that we're only going to be doing the open mic once a month.  we need your help on this one. 

Would it be easier for you to attend The Open Mic on 
the 1st Monday of the month or 
the 3rd Monday of the month.

just leave an answer in the comments.

We know the world is full of conflict and we at W4tB have tried not to go head to head with too many other Poetry shows.  Some things have been unavoidable. Your votes for a preferred Monday and continued patronage will be much appreciated.

Where the Weird Things Are!!-we got us new digs, kids!!!

Waiting 4 the Bus has a new home, a new time, and a new clock.
We are taking over the Poetry Bunker at Powells Books at 1218 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60607
7-9 pm
show up early to guarantee a spot in the open mic
Our first feature is
Jenene Ravesloot, Tom Roby IV and Lem Roby. That sounds like Omniphonic and that is super cool.

We do ask for a donation to pay our feature performers. Pay what you can.

Lem Roby, might be persuaded to accompany any reader who asks politely and has an Omniphonic decoder ring

Shameless self promotion

Say Aloha to poetry and performance art with "the Cafe Gallery" at Gallery Cabaret! See us at 2020 N. Oakley Ave. on Wednesday, September 24th from 9:00 - 11:00 P.M. for poetry, music and performance art. Come out on Wednesday, September 24th 2014 for our open mic with the Buddha 309 feature!!!

"read the fucking poem" A guide to poetry readings

J.J. Jameson (amazing Chicago Poet) used to yell "READ THE FUCKIN' POEM" from his seat in the audience.  It was the most honest thing ever yelled in a cafe/bar/bookstore ever.  The message of that one phrase can be broken down into parts, analyzed, refined and made more palatable, but nothing is ever gonna replace the power of "READ THE FUCKIN' POEM"

poetry etiquette 101

1-Kill the introductions.  There are exceptions to this rule, but we all can't be Will Rogers, Andy Griffith, or Bill Cosby.  Most folks do not have a flair for the amusing anecdote.  Most amusing anecdotes that end in the writing of a poem, are only amusing to the author of the poem. CUT THE INTRO!!!  Poems that need to be explained are, probably,  not very good poems.  A poem should speak for itself.  The audience is filled with writers, just like you, they understand the language of poetry, give them some credit.

2-Name Dropping.  Don't do it.  Don't mention who inspired what, or who your influences are.  No one cares who you carried to get here.  Poets are not stupid and can pick up on who influences your style.  Name dropping just makes you sound like a pretentious git who has no respect for the audience.(Name Dropping also includes listing every journal/magazine/website you have been published in)

3-Stay within your allotted time slot.  Going longer than your spot makes you look greedy and self important.  Your poetry IS NOT more important than the next guy's. and you would have had enough time for your poetry if you followed rule 1 and 2.

4-Plugs.  It is fine to plug an upcoming gig, but keep it short.  Remember plugs come out of your time slot.  If you are gonna plug long and loud, cut your set appropriately.  Sticking to the basics is best.  Place, date, time and end with "If you want more details, talk to me later"

5-Shut your face.  If you are not on stage, you should be quieter than a whisper.  Have respect for the poet on stage.  It is called an Open Mic for a reason.  anyone can participate, and whether you care for what they say or not, have some respect for the speaker.  Someone else may want to hear.

6-Try to stay for the whole show.  I know life is busy and people have "promises to keep and miles to go before they sleep", but ducking out on an open mic makes you look like a jackass.  The "read and run" is the most annoying thing someone can do at any open mic.  If people can stick around to hear you, you can stick around to hear them.

Sandy Marchetti/Marc Frazier (host Kristin LaTour) are Waiting 4 the Bus

Monday, September 15
FINAL SHOW AT JAKS
LOOKING FOR NEW DIGS

Welcome back to the Bus Stop kids,
Tonight we have a special double bill for you all
Sandy Marchetti and Marc Frazier take the stage for a super night of poetry
Our super guest host for the night is one of the Original W4tB Weirdos,Kristin LaTour

open Mic sign up is at 7:30pm
showtime is from 8-10pm
3 poems or 5 minutes

The rendezvous room at Jaks Tap 901 W Jackson, Chicago Il
the show is free
we do ask a donation for the feature performers
the beer is cold and varied
the food is exceptionally good
and the love, as always, is a weird & complicated mess

Rain Check...still wet

It is with heavy and rain soaked heart that we announce the cancellation of the Omniphonic fusion fest. We have been called on account of rain, loss of electricity, not wanting to mix electricity with flash floods and of course the hazards of driving in the rain. We want you all to know that we still love all y'all and you should stay tuned for announcements revealing our regrouping and, against the laws of nature and flying in the face of Karma,the return of the Omniphonic Fusion Festival.

Peace, Love, & an Infinite number of monkeys,

BDA309

W4tB stuff we like in August

Molly Malone's Literary Open Mic and Reading Series featuring  Angela Narciso Torres    Monday, August 11 7:30-9:30  7:00 open mic sign-up  $5 if you can  $3 if you can't Molly Malone's 7652 W. Madison Forest Park, IL (five blocks north of the Blue Line / DesPlaines Ave) Molly's Reading second Monday of every month mark your calendars,  September 8. "Like" us  Molly's Facebook Page  Great Food & Drink! About This Month's Featured Reader: Angela Narciso Torres's first book of poetry, Blood Orange, won the 2013 Willow Books Literature Award for Poetry. Her most recent work is available or forthcoming in Pirene's Fountain, Cimarron Review, Colorado Review, and Cream City Review. A graduate of Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Angela has received fellowships from the Illinois Arts Council, Ragdale Foundation, and Midwest Writing Center. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Manila, she currently resides in Chicago, where she teaches poetry workshops and serves as a senior poetry editor for RHINO. Hosts Nina Corwin and Albert DeGenova invite you to theMolly Malone's Open Mic and Reading Series. Be part of one of the longest running and most highly respected open mics in the Chicago area. It also has the reputation for being one of the most welcoming venues in the city. The reading series was launched by River Oak Arts and Charlie Rossiter in 1998; Nina and Al have co-hosted since 2002. Each month's featured reader boasts a long list of publishing, editing, and/or teaching credits. And the "regulars" are all serious, accomplished writers as well. A night at Molly's Reading Series is to experience some of the best poetry being written in the Chicago area today.

Monday, August 18
at 7:30pm - 10:00pm

Wrapping up the Summer of Love at the Open Mic is our super special guest Kristin LaTour reading her cool ass poetry. Even cooler is that our guest host is none other than Este Stevie Colon


If you miss this show you are just plain foolish
Live from the rendezvous room at Jaks Tap 901 W Jackson
40 beers on tap
great food
free poetry*
sign up-7:30
showtime 8-10pm
*we request donations for the features

Omniphonic poetry music fusion fest at Bucktown Arts fest

Saturday, August 23

at 5:00pm - 7:00pm

W4tB presents the poetry and music fusion fest that sets the city on its ear. This year we are live from the Bucktown Arts Fest. 

This year we will continue to entertain and enlighten with the coolest acts in the city.

Primo Fine

Billy Tuggle

The Charlie Rossiter Experience

The Goods

The incredible Bob and Andy Bob Lawrence

and of course the founders of the feast...Omniphonic

Poetry Pentathlon 2014

This ain't your Daddy's Poetry War. This is how the ancient poets intended it. A battle of performance and writing skil

.

Friday, August 29
7:00pm - 9:00pm

Uncharted Books2620 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, Illinois 6064

The rant--self explanatory (we hope)

the Reverse Sonnet--(Shakespearean)The meter and line breaks are the same, the rhyming words are at the beginning of the line

Pot Luck--each contestant will present a poem of their own creation to the judges. This poem will be in a sealed envelope. This poem will be given to an opposing contestant to perform.the scoring for this round is different 1-5 points will be awarded to the performer1-5 points will be awarded to the author

Letter Poem--each contestant will present a poem of their own creation to the judges. This poem will be in a sealed envelope. This poem will be given to an opposing contestant to perform.the scoring for this round is different 1-5 points will be awarded to the performer1-5 points will be awarded to the author

On the spot Prompt---all contestants will be presented with a poetry prompt upon arriving at the Pentathlon Arena . A poem will be written based upon the prompt during the course of the evening and will be presented to the judges as the final event of the evening

Our contestants are
Bill Tarlin
Clara Berman
Gary Ketchum
Dina Stuart
Nora Leon
Peyton Stewart
Suzanne Sosnowski

Omniphonic poetry music fusion fest at Bucktown Arts fest

Saturday, August 23

at 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Next Week

W4tB presents the poetry and music fusion fest that sets the city on its ear. This year we are live from the Bucktown Arts Fest. 

This year we will continue to entertain and enlighten with the coolest acts in the city.

Primo Fine

Billy Tuggle

The Charlie Rossiter Experience

The Goods

The incredible Bob and Andy Bob Lawrence

and of course the founders of the feast...Omniphonic

MEMORIES LIKE WALLPAPER

Poetry Pentathlon 2014

This ain't your Daddy's Poetry War. This is how the ancient poets intended it. A battle of performance and writing skil

.

Friday, August 29
7:00pm - 9:00pm

Uncharted Books2620 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, Illinois 6064

The rant--self explanatory (we hope)

the Reverse Sonnet--(Shakespearean)The meter and line breaks are the same, the rhyming words are at the beginning of the line
Pot Luck--each contestant will present a poem of their own creation to the judges. This poem will be in a sealed envelope. This poem will be given to an opposing contestant to perform.the scoring for this round is different 1-5 points will be awarded to the performer1-5 points will be awarded to the author
Letter Poem--each contestant will present a poem of their own creation to the judges. This poem will be in a sealed envelope. This poem will be given to an opposing contestant to perform.the scoring for this round is different 1-5 points will be awarded to the performer1-5 points will be awarded to the author
On the spot Prompt---all contestants will be presented with a poetry prompt upon arriving at the Pentathlon Arena . A poem will be written based upon the prompt during the course of the evening and will be presented to the judges as the final event of the evening

Our contestants are

Bill Tarlin

Clara Berman

Gary Ketchum

Dina Stuart

Nora Leon

Peyton Stewart

Suzanne Sosnowski

link to Facebook event  https://www.facebook.com/events/323175671184381/?context=create&source=49

Kristin LaTour is Waiting 4 the Bus and Esteban Colón is Totally Driving

Monday, August 18
at 7:30pm - 10:00pm


Wrapping up the Summer of Love at the Open Mic is our super special guest Kristin LaTour reading her cool ass poetry. Even cooler is that our guest host is none other than Este Stevie Colon
If you miss this show you are just plain foolish

Live from the rendezvous room at Jaks Tap 901 W Jackson
40 beers on tap
great food
free poetry*
sign up-7:30
showtime 8-10pm
*we request donations for the features

John Goode and Bill Yarrow are W4tB and Al DeGenova is Driving

Aug4Mon

Poetry Reading: John Goode and Bill Y... When Mon Aug 4, 2014 7:30pm – 10pm  Where Jaks Tap Restaurant Bar

Agenda Mon Aug 4, 2014

Live from the rendezvous room at Jaks Tap 901 W Jackson

40 beers on tap

great food

free poetry*

sign up-7:30

showtime 8-10pm

*we request donations for the features 

the last few days in untitled poetry

hey
do you have the keys to the kingdom
the brick that can tumble the fourth wall
the light at the end of the tunnel
stop staring
put all the pennies in the old milk bottle
on the windowsill
next to the wind up alarm clock
and that drinking bird
that bobs it's head in unison
with the beating of a drunken heart
tap your foot
tap your spine
tap your mind
for another imaginary friend
and I am sooooo tired
what does it mean anyway?
I found a quarter in a broken payphone
made a collect call to god
we had a silent conversation
became immobile
and doubted our personal realities




tomorrow
I will peel the snake skin off the world
bleed like an angry orange
close my eyes and count to 100,000
speaking ever 3rd number aloud
I know it's against the rules
I realize I'm driving
with my eyes closed
I said so
I'm breathing rays of light
I'm making no apologies
If I reach my hand unto the dark
I can tell you the textures of space
the temperature of passing time
but it doesn't matter
not according to the laws of physics
and the beasts that govern the fine art of surfing procrastination
I will open my eyes and watch the stars
vanish like a thousand silver doves
I may smile or laugh
but it only matters
tomorrow
and it never arrives




This broom ain't no substitute for a beat up guitar, this lake is not the ocean, this neon, a poor substitute for sunlight. I am awake or will be, in a moment when this song is finished. I'm remembering that lost look in your eyes, the smell of your disillusion, and I want to scoop you up in these arms, I want to make it all better, but I'm a poor substitute for a guardian angel, my wings are all but broken, and you are a sad substitute for flying.




Sometimes we dance for bad musical interludes and gratuities, to travel from scene to scene. I'm counting interactions, I'm drinking old wine, I'm stopping to smell this blue rose. Have you forgotten your favorite song, are you choking on a barbed wire lifestyle, are you too broken to raise the semaphore flags, to shine a light ? Call, and I will answer, dance and I will hold your hand. If you close your eyes, we can jump together, into the silence between the songs.




You ever have one of those days when one particular band seems to performing the soundtrack of your life. There are songs for looking in the mirror, songs for falling in and out of love. Musical backgrounds for lighting a match, smoking a cigarette. A first awkward kiss in the moonlight. None of it is planned, unless fate intervenes, and coincidence drives the bus. Maybe it's my imagination, maybe I'm just another dreamer, but does it matter, if the conspiracy is true




Sometimes
I wish I had a disciplined mind
Talented fingers
A touch that makes beauty from
Nothing
I am too restless
Too angry
In possession of a scattered logic process
In the world where imagination kisses
Science
I am an idiot screaming in the wind
A student
Wanting to be the master of
An incomprehensible language
My ears a broken
But my soul is constantly dancing














In the morning, I can smell the stale remnants of sex and imagination, clock on the wall makes me feel a hundred feet older and I can't stand this Ken Kesey afternoon. All the superman accolades, I'm a faded golden boy and my eyes are a little numb. It's so easy to be stupid, so easy not to care

extended pentathlon registration

Poetry Pentathlon registration extended to 7/28/14 we have 4 contestants. are you up for the challenge http://www.waiting4thebus.com/pentathlon.html 

Andy Karol is Waiting 4 the Bus and Lennart Lundh is driving

Come on out and join us once again in the Rendezvous room for a fantastic night of poetry
Andy Karol will be our feature
Len Lundh will be our guest host
open mic sign up is at 7:30 pm
showtime is from 8-10 pm

Jaks tap
901 W Jackson
40 beers on Tap
great food

the show is free.
We do collect a donation for the feature
because that's how we roll

This night is going to kick some serious ass

Last Call for Pentathlon Registration

Last Call for Pentathlon Registration

This dynamic competition is a means of testing ALL a poet's skills.  Something that challenges them as both a writer and a performer as well as something that proves their ability with classic poetic forms and spontaneous inspiration.   Waiting 4 the Bus has developed a genius system for finding the exceptionally talented and creative.  The Poetry Pentathlon stands alone as a proper means for testing thepoet/performer.  This is not a Poetry Slam – this is the glorious throw down known as the Poetry Pentathlon, a judged poetry reading where contestants compete in 5 events with points awarded on both writing ability and performance style.  Warning: the only prizes awarded for the evening are pride and bragging rights; any trophies are gravy and should be considered as such.
details here http://www.waiting4thebus.com/pentathlon.html

the events

The Poetry Pentathlon is taking place on August 29, All contestants must be registered by July 21st in order to qualify for the event. You can register by filling out the form here http://www.waiting4thebus.com/pentathlon.html or by sending your name and email to weirdowatch1@gmail.com with the pentathlon in the subject

REMEMBER THAT THE DATE AND LOCATION ARE FOR THE COMPETITION ON AUGUST 29.REGISTRATIONS ARE DUE ON JULY 21STthe events

Rant-

ISN'T IT OBVIOUS

Poetry Pot Luck-

each contestant will present a poem of their own creation to the judges. This poem will be in a sealed envelope. This poem will be given to an opposing contestant to perform.the scoring for this round is different1-5 points will be awarded to the performer1-5 points will be awarded to the author

Reverse Sonnet-

The meter and line breaks are the same, the rhyming words are at the beginning of the line

letter poem-

any type letter (collection, love, dear john or jane, acceptance, rejection) written to a fictional character

​

On the spot prompt-

all contestants will be presented with a poetry prompt upon arriving at the Pentathlon Arena . A poem will be written based upon the prompt during the course of the evening and will be presented to the judges as the final event of the evening

W4tB 7/7/14

Janet Kuypers and Bob (The Bobster) Rashkow are Waiting 4 the Bus and Bob Lawrence is driving (blindfolded and without a net)
As usual the show is in the rendezvous room at
Jaks Tap Restaurant Bar
901 W Jackson
Sign Up 7:30pm
Showtime 8-10 pm
It's an Open Mic
poets welcome
3 poems or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)
the show is free
we do request a donation for the feature, but if it comes down to buying a beer or donating...BUY THE BEER. the house needs love too
lots of good beer on tap
awesome food
and some pretty fine poetry

keep it real, keep it weird

I still NEED Poetry

      I love poetry, and I have often said that I would-like to see it celebrated more.  I would love to see it put on the same commercial pedestal as theater and film, and dance,  At the same time, I've seen the "art" that feeds the masses and I am often displeased with the results.

     Do I believe in poetry being taught in a more accessible, less boring manner?  Do I think that it would improve language skills and help the world overcome the curse of doublespeak, newspeak and political rhetoric?  Yes, I am that guy.

     I love poetry.  I would love for it to have a more universal respect.  Sadly, I have seen what passes for the most popular poetry on the street these days.  Universal appeal is overrated.

     You don't become a poet to achieve fame and fortune or worse yet. LOVE.  Most of us write to keep our own demons at bay.  We have political agendas, points of view to expound.  We tell stories of today, we reveal the secrets of history(personal or otherwise).

I NEED Poetry and so do you.  One day you will realize that.

the following article was sent to me by Newman of Newark
Poetry: Who Needs It?

By WILLIAM LOGAN JUNE 14, 2014

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — WE live in the age of grace and the age of futility, the age of speed and the age of dullness. The way we live now is not poetic. We live prose, we breathe prose, and we drink, alas, prose. There is prose that does us no great harm, and that may even, in small doses, prove medicinal, the way snake oil cured everything by curing nothing. But to live continually in the natter of ill-written and ill-spoken prose is to become deaf to what language can do.

The dirty secret of poetry is that it is loved by some, loathed by many, and bought by almost no one. (Is this the silent majority? Well, once the “silent majority” meant the dead.) We now have a poetry month, and a poet laureate — the latest, Charles Wright, announced just last week — and poetry plastered in buses and subway cars like advertising placards. If the subway line won’t run it, the poet can always tweet it, so long as it’s only 20 words or so. We have all these ways of throwing poetry at the crowd, but the crowd is not composed of people who particularly want to read poetry — or who, having read a little poetry, are likely to buy the latest edition of “Paradise Lost.”

This is not a disaster. Most people are also unlikely to attend the ballet, or an evening with a chamber-music quartet, or the latest exhibition of Georges de La Tour. Poetry has long been a major art with a minor audience. Poets have always found it hard to make a living — at poetry, that is. The exceptions who discovered that a few sonnets could be turned into a bankroll might have made just as much money betting on the South Sea Bubble.

There are still those odd sorts, no doubt disturbed, and unsocial, and torturers of cats, who love poetry nevertheless. They come in ones or twos to the difficult monologues of Browning, or the shadowy quatrains of Emily Dickinson, or the awful but cheerful poems of Elizabeth Bishop, finding something there not in the novel or the pop song.

Many arts have flourished in one period, then found a smaller niche in which they’ve survived perfectly well. A century ago, poetry did not appear in little magazines devoted to it, but on the pages of newspapers and mass-circulation magazines. The big magazines and even the newspapers began declining about the time they stopped printing poetry. (I know, I know — I’ve put the cause before the horse.) On the other hand, perhaps Congress started to decline when the office of poet laureate was created. The Senate and the House were able to bumble along perfectly well during the near half century when there was only a Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress — an office that, had the Pentagon only been consulted, might have been acronymized as C.I.P.L.O.C. instead of being renamed.

Poetry was long ago shoved aside in schools. In colleges it’s often easier to find courses on race or class or gender than on the Augustans or Romantics. In high schools and grade schools, when poetry is taught at all, too often it’s as a shudder of self-expression, without any attempt to look at the difficulties and majesties of verse and the subtleties of meaning that make poetry poetry. No wonder kids don’t like it — it becomes another way to bully them into feeling “compassion” or “tolerance,” part of a curriculum that makes them good citizens but bad readers of poetry.

My blue-sky proposal: teach America’s kids to read by making them read poetry. Shakespeare and Pope and Milton by the fifth grade; in high school, Dante and Catullus in the original. By graduation, they would know Anne Carson and Derek Walcott by heart. A child taught to parse a sentence by Dickinson would have no trouble understanding Donald H. Rumsfeld’s known knowns and unknown unknowns.

We don’t live in such a world, and perhaps not even poets alive today wish we did. My ideal elementary-school curriculum would instead require all children to learn: (1) the times tables up to, say, 25; (2) a foreign language, preferably obscure; (3) the geography of a foreign land, like New Jersey; (4) how to use basic hand tools and cook a cassoulet; (5) how to raise a bird or lizard (if the child is vegetarian, then a potato); (6) poems by heart, say one per week; (7) how to find the way home from a town at least 10 miles away; (8) singing; (9) somersaults. With all that out of the way by age 12, there’s no telling what children might do. I have thieved a couple of items from W. H. Auden’s dream curriculum for a College of Bards. If my elementary school students are not completely disgusted by poetry, off they could go one day to that college, well prepared.

THE idea that poetry must be popular is simply a mistake. Yet who would have suspected that the Metropolitan Opera and the National Theatre in London would now be broadcast to local movie theaters across America? The cigar-chewing promoter who can find a way to put poetry before readers and make them love it will do more for the art than a century of hand-wringing. He might also turn a buck.

You can live a full life without knowing a scrap of poetry, just as you can live a full life without ever seeing a Picasso or “The Cherry Orchard.” Most people surround themselves with art of some sort, whether it’s by Amy Winehouse or Richard Avedon. Even the daubs on the refrigerator by the toddler artist have their place. Language gainfully employed has its place. Poetry will never have the audience of “Game of Thrones” — that is what television can do. Poetry is what language alone can do.

W4tB: why don't you watch what Weirdos Watch?

Upcoming Events

W4tB open mic
JAKS TAP
The Rendezvous Room
901 W Jackson 
7:30pm sign up
8-10pm showtime 

June 16-Lennart Lundh/Maureen Flannery
​(host :Dana Jerman)
July 7-Janet Kuypers/Bob Rashkow
​(host: Bob Lawrence)
July 21-Andy Karol
(host: Lennart Lundh)
Aug 4-Bill Yarrow/John Goode 

(host Al DeGenova

Omniphonic Music & Poetry fusion fest
Bucktown Arts Fest
Saturday Aug 23rd
5-7pm
the theater and dance stage

if interested in performing contact: weirdowatch1@gmail.com

The Poetry Pentathlon is taking place on August 29, All contestants must be registered by July 21st in order to qualify for the event. You can register by filling out the form here http://www.waiting4thebus.com/pentathlon.html
or by sending your name and email to weirdowatch1@gmail.com with the pentathlon in the subject

REMEMBER THAT THE DATE AND LOCATION ARE FOR THE COMPETITION ON AUGUST 29.

REGISTRATIONS ARE DUE ON JULY 21ST
ARE YOU THE NEXT POETRY HERO?

the events
Rant-
ISN'T IT OBVIOUS

Poetry Pot Luck-
each contestant will present a poem of their own creation to the judges. This poem will be in a sealed envelope. This poem will be given to an opposing contestant to perform.
the scoring for this round is different
1-5 points will be awarded to the performer
1-5 points will be awarded to the author

Reverse Sonnet-
The meter and line breaks are the same, the rhyming words are at the beginning of the line

letter poem
any type letter (collection, love, dear john or jane, acceptance, rejection) written to a fictional character

On the spot prompt-
all contestants will be presented with a poetry prompt upon arriving at the Pentathlon Arena . A poem will be written based upon the prompt during the course of the evening and will be presented to the judges as the final event of the evening

Lennart Lundh & Maureen Flannery are Waiting 4 the Bus and Dana Jerman is behind the wheel

June 16-Lennart Lundh/Maureen Flannery
(host :Dana Jerman)


As usual the show is in the rendezvous room at
It's an Open Mic

June 16-Lennart Lundh/Maureen Flannery
(host :Dana Jerman)

Jaks Tap Restaurant Bar
901 W Jackson
Sign Up 7:30pm
Showtime 8-10 pm

the show is free
we do request a donation for the feature, but if it comes down to buying a beer or donating...BUY THE BEER. the house needs love too
lots of good beer on tap
awesome food
and some pretty fine poetry

keep it real, keep it weird

POSTS

PENTATHLON REGISTRATION

CLICK BELOW
PENTATHLON REGISTRATION
OR E-MAIL weirdowatch1@gmail.com

THE POETRY PENTATHLON IS A LIVE PERFORMANCE EVENT IN CHICAGO. CONTESTANTS MUST COMPETE IN ALL FIVE EVENTS AND WILL BE JUDGED ON BOTH WRITING ABILITY AND PERFORMANCE STYLE.

ALL CONTESTANTS SHOULD HAVE FORM SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN JULY 21ST.

CANCELLATION OF APPEARANCE MUST BE SUBMITTED VIA E-MAIL NO LATER THAN AUGUST 1ST.

THE PENTATHLON IS A JUDGED READING. CONTESTANTS WILL BE AWARDED POINTS ON BOTH THEIR

WRITING ABILITY AND THEIR PERFORMANCE STYLE.

WARNING: THE ONLY PRIZES AWARDED FOR THE EVENING ARE PRIDE AND BRAGGING RIGHTS, ANY TROPHIES

ARE GRAVY AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS SUCH

PENTATHLON REGISTRATION

PENTATHLON

THE POETRY PENTATHLON IS A LIVE PERFORMANCE EVENT IN CHICAGO. CONTESTANTS MUST COMPETE IN ALL FIVE EVENTS AND WILL BE JUDGED ON BOTH WRITING ABILITY AND PERFORMANCE STYLE.

ALL CONTESTANTS SHOULD HAVE FORM SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN JULY 21ST.

CANCELLATION OF APPEARANCE MUST BE SUBMITTED VIA E-MAIL NO LATER THAN AUGUST 1ST.

THE PENTATHLON IS A JUDGED READING. CONTESTANTS WILL BE AWARDED POINTS ON BOTH THEIR

WRITING ABILITY AND THEIR PERFORMANCE STYLE.

WARNING: THE ONLY PRIZES AWARDED FOR THE EVENING ARE PRIDE AND BRAGGING RIGHTS, ANY TROPHIES

ARE GRAVY AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS SUCH

POETRY PENTATHLON 2014

REGISTER NOW
http://www.waiting4thebus.com/pentathlon.html

This dynamic competition is a means of testing ALL a poet's skills. Something that challenges them as both a writer and a performer as well as something that proves their ability with classic poetic forms and spontaneous inspiration. Waiting 4 the Bus has developed a genius system for finding the exceptionally talented and creative. The Poetry Pentathlon stands alone as a proper means for testing the poet/performer. This is not a Poetry Slam – this is the glorious throw down known as the Poetry Pentathlon, a judged poetry reading where contestants compete in 5 events with points awarded on both writing ability and performance style. Warning: the only prizes awarded for the evening are pride and bragging rights; any trophies are gravy and should be considered as such.

Charlie Newman is Waiting 4 the Bus and Wayne Allen Jones is Driving+open mic

Waiting 4 the Bus is proud and pleased to kick off the Summer of Love with the incomparable poet/musician/good guy Mr. Charlie Newman as our featured performer.

Taking the reigns at the show will be Wayne Allen Jones.

As usual the show is in the rendezvous room at
Jaks Tap Restaurant Bar
901 W Jackson
Sign Up 7:30pm
Showtime 8-10 pm

the show is free
we do request a donation for the feature, but if it comes down to buying a beer or donating...BUY THE BEER. the house needs love too
lots of good beer on tap
awesome food
and some pretty fine poetry

keep it real, keep it weird

Robin Fine is Waiting 4 the Bus +Open Mic

Once again the maxi=cool open mic at Waiting 4 the bus is rocking out the rendezvous room at Jaks Tap Restaurant Bar
Sign up at 7:30
showtime at 8pm
come check out the most laid back open mic in the Universe (we apologize for the hyperbole)

in a special event Robin Fine kicks off her birthday week with a super feature

special guest host Jenene Ravesloot and Tom Roby IV moderate this poetic circus
so come on out, grab a beer, eat some good food
donate some pay to the featured poet

it'll be cool

Poem 30

Downtown

Gentrification

And "a safe place to visit"

We're the suggested phrases for this poem

They bilked this city

Standing in the overwhelming gray of a Chicago downtown

In those few remaining crevices populated by pawn shops and blues bars

They talk about excellent school systems and the damn bicycles

It's all become gentrified economics

It's all become a matter of hiding the bodies and complaining about the potholes

And we still close our eyes to the homeless shadows

The winos and freaks and children on the fringes

They're aren't on the news anymore

And the commuters come and go

Nodding and smiling and catching the train

And they all agree tat it's fine to work there

It's a safe place to visit

But there's too much of

We'll to much of that atmosphere that lowers property values

And you wouldn't want to live there.

Poem 23

Number 23

: Life, the Universe, and Everything

42 is an interesting number. It was the number of hours Juliet slept after drinking her potion. Alice in Wonderland has 42 original illustrations and rule number 42 requires that all mile-high people must leave court immediately. An episode of Doctor Who entitled “42″ is shot in real time and lasts 42 minutes. And, most importantly, Douglas Adams chose the unassuming number as the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything in his Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series. So let’s try to write some poems based on this little number.

1. Choose one, simple, unassuming word. Fork. Grass. Dog. Chair. Whatever you like. Then write a poem where this one simple word becomes the answer to a difficult problem or question.

2. If you are age 42 or older (I’ll never tell), write a poem about something memorable that happened during that year in your life.

3. Be a modern-day Juliet. Without all the dying. Imagine that you sleep for 42 hours straight. When you wake up, what will you have missed? What part of your life will have passed you by while you slumbered? Use your imagination.

4. Doctor Who can time travel in the Tardis, his spaceship that takes the form of a police box. Write a list poem full of 42 things that you would do if you could time travel.

42 anomalies in time

I am a traveler in time

Facts and fates in the palm of my hand

I am bound by the laws of time

And of course I aim to break the law

Things to do;

I'd tell myself the things I learned about happiness

I'd get a dog

A robot dog

I'd eat more fruit

Play the lotto

Win the lotto

Go to Vegas

Buy Vegas

Tear down Vegas and terraform the desert

Learn how terraform the desert

Never start smoking

Make a plan

Don't follow the plan

Institute solar energy in 1964

Stop 3 mile island

Stop Chernobyl

Stop the cat woman movie

Stop reality television

Stop Miley Cyrus

stop a bullet in Dallas

stop in the name of love before you break my heart

Talk to Kurt Vonnegut

Talk to  J D Salinger

Talk to the animals, but that doesn't count, it's not very timey Wimey

Write some poems

Say thanks to Jimmy Carter

Save a butterfly

Save the rainforest

Save the world

Conquer the world

Did I. Mention that I'd get a dog

Or a pony

Or a masters of the universe cat that changes when I yell "by the power of Grayskull"

Be smart

Smarter than you, anyway

Make good art

Find true love

Get my heart broken repeat that cycle until it ends differently

Go mad

Go mad by Einsteins definition

Tell Einstein what happened

Stop the planes

Stop the hype

Stop and breathe a little bit easier

Sleep

Poem 22

Number 22

Madras. Checkered. Variegated. Houndstooth. However you name it, plaid has been a fashion staple for years.

Today’s prompt will use the crossed paths of plaid to inspire a poem. Follow the directions to weave a new draft!

1.Write four lines of text. Here is an example:

A slice of citrus light illuminates a single spot in the still pond,

one lotus, pink, blooming like a first kiss.

My eyes adjust to the morning dim, all goodness and promise,

nothing to cloud my mind, new-birthed from sleep.

2. Pick two or three vertical lines downward through the poem and write those “lines” out horizontally.

slice lotus eyes nothing

light blooming morning mind

spot kiss goodness sleep

3. Weave the new abstract lines into lines that will be placed in between the first four – then put them in place.

A slice of citrus light illuminates a single spot in the still pond,

each petal a slice of silk. The lotus, alone, eyes nothing – just

one lotus, pink, and blooming like a first kiss.

My eyes adjust to the morning dim, all goodness and promise,Round red

the light a blooming lotus. This morning, I don’t mind the light,

nothing to cloud my mind, new-birthed from sleep, drawn

to this spot, this invisible kiss, this goodness before I sleep.

4. If you want to get really crazy…Go through and choose two or three more vertical lines. And repeat. 

If you are not crazy, then just play with the draft you got from the first time around!

Fire danced in the burnt shadows behind her eyes

Danced as the soldiers of punctuated light

Smoldering as ashes in an abandoned campfire

Burnt ashes smoke white and clean

Sunrise punctuated by the smoke and flash of a fresh cigarette

Before the abandoned epiphany flash state reconfigures until

Orange and light wipe clean the mental slate bringing redemption