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On being a Weirdo

A few days ago I spent some time at the Cafe Gallery.  It was a night of 

weirdness, in the W4tB sense of the word.  The feature for the Evening was my poetic partner in crime, Esteban Colon.  He kicked ass like he always does.  The nigh was marked with a sadness as we talked about the departed Matt Barton.  Those wounds haven't quite healed for many of us, and the folks in the room could feel it.

I guess the strangest part for me was when I was asked to define the W4tB Collective.  It is an entity that has always avoided being pinned down by definitions.  I've always thought that ,ideally, it was a polymorphic group of artistic persons sharing the work, ideas, and struggles of being a poet in modern times.

In my head, being a W4tB Weirdo means several things and those things may vary from Weirdo to Weirdo.  

1.      I think respect for the word is an important part of it.  When it is all said and done, at the end of the day it has to be about the poetry.  Not awards, or prizes, or books.  Those things are nice but not integral to what we do.
2.      Respect for other Weirdos.  I have never had a formal initiation rite to join W4tB. It has always been about the willingness of an individual to join, hang out, etc. that determines membership.  Membership is (with rare exception) permanent.  I respect the fact that poets need to do their own thing, but that never negates the fact that they have a home with us.
3.      Working as a collective.  It's been a while since we've followed through, but the biggest part of W4tB is working together.  There has been a lot of restructuring going on in our recent history, and that as made things difficult, but I'm sure that once things settle down and we start bouncing around ideas thngs will become collectivey again and new projects will make them self known.
4.     Everything else you need to know about us is directly in out Dope Hype, Yo.  Check it!

This cynical age is sending poets to the same scrap heap as full service gas stations and penny candy. I have become nostalgic for the days when you needed exact change to buy something from a vending machine, make a telephone call or ride a bus, the days when pockets were for more than cell phones and credit cards. We the upholders of an ancient tradition have become living anachronisms, bards, and matchstick men. A collection of misfit kids standing on the corner, waiting for the bus with exact change in our pockets.

--David (Buddha 309) Hargarten, April 9, 2009.

News for the Weirdos

As we approach the colder months, the staff at W4tB are looking towards to the New Year.  We have a few things to work on.  We will be busy booking features and adjusting our format to better coincide with our groovy new space.

like all things, we are evolving.  Our goal is to feature some folks you may have never seen before and perhaps bring back an old favorite or two that you haven't seen a while.

We will still be hosting the Pentathlon and doing our best to promote The Poetry Bomb.  We may even try to host other special events, but I ain't talkin'.  It will only get your hopes up.

It is our deepest hope to continue bringing you the best W4tB that we can.

Waiting 4 the Bus in November 2015

Monday, November 16
at 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Uncharted Books
2620 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, Illinois 60647

Okay Weirdo Nation,
We are back and cooler than ever. We have a super venue, cool features and super open mic-ers.
join us at Uncharted Books at 7pm to get your name on the list and share the word

see you at Unchated Books, 2620 N. Milwaukee
for poetry fun and games with Vito Carli and Caroline Johnson
If you come early and help with the set up The Muses may shower you with inspiration.

If you show up on time, we can start when we are supposed to and we don't have to cut anybody's time short and the features will have enough time to do their thing and the hard working folk at Uncharted Books won't have to threaten to chuck us out on the street (they are nice about it but the still mean business, yo), and we can all get home at a decent hour or over to Weeds for the next show.

W4tB may be hosted by Buddha, Dana, Bob, or Len.  All hosts are equal in the eyes of the verse.

Waiting 4 the Bus is Chicago's most laid back Open Mic.  It's goal is to present good poets in a low pressure environment.

Chicago is the city of Poetry gone electric and sometimes it's just cool to see if the world can handle Poetry Unplugged, Poetry Acoustic, Poetry in the raw

The official W4tB "State of the Verse" address will be appening just as soon as I we can hammer out the details

Open Mic Aftermath: Yetis, Bullwinkle, and John Carpenter's:The Thing

Okay, W4tB is the now officially the most chill open mic in the City.  Last night we talked about Horror Movies, Big Bird, Outdoor Pianos, Stadium Poetry and Yeti Jazz.  In my head it achieved a new high point as we transgressed a show where poetry is presented and became a place where poetry is shared.

Jacqueline Harris read some wonderful poems and proved that her Pentathlon accolades were well deserved (a fact some of us knew already).  Charlie Rossiter showed off his skills as a writer and Master Storyteller, proving once again why he is one of the coolest cats on the Poetry Scene (yeah Baby).

So...in between
talking about Bullwinkle and John Carpenter's the thing,  The open mic regulars (the Weirdos) cranked out some coolness that would make the most cynical of hipsters snap their fingers in respect.

Top off all that excitement with some visiting students and the new Lesley Heath Morrow chapbook release and the circle of cool was complete.

After last night, the new description of W4tB should read: Waiting 4 the Bus, like the McLaughlin Group, only without the yelling and with more poetry and (ya know) Weird.  I know it's a little clunky, but we're working on it.

Thinking out loud-my personal poetry credo

Someone once told me that performance poets were just frustrated rock stars and to some extent that's probably true.  If you ask me to list my favorite poets, the poets that really have the most influence on my work. half that list will probably be songwriters.

Shel Silverstein

William Carlos Williams

Jack Spicer

Richard Thompson

John Lennon

Algernon Blackwood

Paul Simon

Lesley Heath Morrow

Joni Mitchell

Elvis Costello

To name a few of my influences in no particular order, and off the top of my head.

Yeah, I'l admit that when I'm in front of an audience I want to do well.  Everybody hopes to be well received.  Here's the thing...The same person who told me about frustrated rock star syndrome, also told me that the duty of any good poet is to "bring the next guy up".

Most of my favorite poetry people are the ones who live by the second rule more than the first.  Bringing the next guy up, is not just about being a good artist and  paying it forward.  It's about removing the stigma of poetry.

The greatest poets, whether famous or not, spent most of their time molding their insides into words and keeping a record of what that looks like.  Most practitioners are just looking for a place where that behavior is accepted and maybe appreciated.  

I have often wondered why Poetry is not as appreciated as music, painting, or acting as an art form.  I mean there are art museums and theaters, and even a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  I don't believe I've ever heard of a place where fantastic Poetry is on display for the public to appreciate.

I think that deep in the underlying thought of most non-poetic artists is the thought that they are making art to please the populace.  Every band wants to be on the charts, to get played on the radio, to get a platinum record.  There are exceptions to the rule, but most of those bands either obtain a cult following or fade into obscurity with a small band of really loyal fans

Most of the greatest poets have carried with them a, this is what my soul looks like and fuck you if you don't like it, attitude.  It was all created under a big banner that reads "NOT FOR GLORY".

The last thing that I was taught about being a poet is "If a poet is good, He will tell you, if a poet is great, somebody else will."   I've met some Great poets, and, through conversation, I've found that most of them weren't looking for the attaboy, the accolade, or the praise.  They were trying to scratch an itch, pick at a scab, or exorcise a demon.

so the three things I always try to remember are

1. Every poet really is, partly, a frustrated rock star
2. pull the next guy up
3. remember it's "NOT FOR GLORY"

Because sometime I forget.

Waiting 4 the Bus in October

Monday, October 19
at 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Uncharted Books
2620 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, Illinois 60647

the first show at the new digs went super cool. We had some old Weirdos and some brand new Weirdos. (did I mention that members of the collective are called Weirdos)

Anywho...
come out and see us on October 19th for a taste of Halloween. It's been a long time since we have had a theme and this time, in honor of the holiday, it's horror. bring out your scary poems about death, fear, growing up, politics or whatever keeps you awake at night

we are still at Uncharted Books, 2620 N. Milwaukee. (read the address, not the sign) from 7-9 pm. If you can make it early to help with set up, the poetry gods will stop hiding your muse for a minute and give you a great big hug.

Aside from the open mic, We will be featuring Poetry Pentathlon winner Jacqueline Harris & the legendary and elusive Charlie Rossiter.

get your groove on, get your poem on, and, certainly put your pants on, and join us in Waiting 4 the Bus LINK TO FACEBOOK EVENT
https://www.facebook.com/events/1503488336639727/