2nd Sunday Top Shelf Poets, make it your new religion

You ever wonder what happened to the First Friday Poetry show that was hosted by Charlie Newman? Didn't he pass it on to those Waiting 4 the Bud guys? Didn't they have venue issues?
yes they did, but what happened then? Things this powerful don't disappear, they change, they evolve but you can't stop Rock and Roll.
we tried to keep the show on Friday nights, but the venue choices didn't hold up to the high standards set by the show's history, They were musty and unheated, and had limited seating.
Our only option was to think outside the box. We took a risk and moved the show to the lovely, but inconveniently located backroom at Powell's bookstore in University village

but the only available recurring time slot was on Sunday afternoons from 3-5pm.

We seem to be the best kept secret of Chicago Poetry and I'm hoping that you all can change that. The show is now called the 2nd Sunday Top Shelf poet showcase.

and we still do our best to bring the most talented poet's in this city, regardless of genre. We like to mix it up at the Top Shelf show. We feature Slam, Bar, and Academic poets from all parts of the city and burbs.
Often times, poets of extraordinary talent get their first feature spots at this show.

When was the last time you checked us out?
we ain't askin' ya to do nothin' but listen.
this is what's goin' on next time.

You should check us out.
we'll see you at Powell's
1218 S Halsted St
Chicago
(312) 243-9070

National Poetry Month Prep

Welcome to the National Poetry Month Blog. I present this to you early because April is soon and there are many things I need to ask you to do. You may think I'm going to chastise you for not living a poetic enough lifestyle, but I am not going to take offense if you don't smoke to excess,
are less poetic when you are intoxicated,
haven't been drunk and had the shit kicked out of you,
and especially if you haven't killed yourself.
These things are old fashioned and don't really make you a poet anymore. The age of black turtlenecks and berets is over.
Jazz is still cool, but Jazz will always be cool

This is not why I am here. How do you plan to celebrate National Poetry Month. I knew a guy who want to as may poetry readings as he could. He just listened to poetry for an entire month. That was cool, but that was his bag, it may not be yours.

I'm gonna give you a list of things to do for National Poetry Month. I'm gonna plug some stuff that I dig, because I think it's cool. It's a blog, it's meant to be a little self serving.

let's hit the basics

1-WRITE. No Poetry=No Celebration

2-Go check out a feature you have never heard of. This should apply to the whole year. Poetry can't grow if you don't look in different places

3-Go to a different open mic than usual. I'm all for being faithful to your "house" but the way to grow as a writer is to mix it up. There are a lot of great open mics out there. (I'm partial to W4tB,but, In One Ear, Poetry Love Letters, Molly Malone's and the Cafe Gallery are very cool. There are more, I'm just not all that familiar)

4-if you don't have a "house" (an open mic you call home) find one. Don't give up. There are different styles of open mics, all designed for different temperaments and ideologies, there should be one that's your glass slipper, don't give up.

5-submit to publications (I'm bad at this one.) There are a million poetry journals, one of them may like you. Try Exact Change Only at exactchangepress.com. They're small. edgy and picky

6-whether formal or informal, workshop your poems. It's always better to share your work with someone who shares your passion.

7-Go to the Poetry Bomb. It is fun

8-feed the circle. Introduce people to people, connections may not get you famous but it will get you known around the community (could be a feature in that somewhere)

9-Go to places just to listen to poetry. It might be easier to choose showcases where no one out of the designated readers will be performing. Try the Second Sunday Top Shelf Poets at Powell's book store in University village.

10-no criticism is ever bad. It's only how you take it. Take it all and keep the stuff that helps.

I hope I'm not too off the mark or self-serving. I mean it all. The first open mic I ever went to, the host told me. "The first rule is to pull the next guy up." I believe that to this very day.
Peace, Love, and infinite number of Monkeys
David (Buddha 309) Hargarten

Charlie Newman is Waiting 4 the Bus+ open mic (April 1)

Waiting 4 the Bus suggested theme: Stuff and Nonsense
Mon, April 1
7:30pm – 10:00pm
JAKS TAP
901 W JACKSON
Sign Up: 7:30
Showtime: 8:00
The show is Free
donation is requested for the featured performer
good food-40 beers on Tap

featuring:
Charlie Newman ignites his performance poetry with a drive, spark and pugnaciousness that he'd quickly acknowledge as typical of any native (or any survivor?) of Newark, New Jersey, USA.

But he's a radical transplantee in at least a couple senses of that term. Newman's professional and musical careers also have led him through: Elizabeth, NJ; West Orange, NJ; Blairstown, NJ; Parkville, MO; New York City; Chicago; Winston Salem, NC; Nashville, TN; Louisville, KY; Orlando, FL; Louisville, KY (again); and finally back to Chicago. In this last place, he's settled well into the local performance poetry sphere.

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March 18th with Nina Corwin

Welcome to the wonderful world of Waiting 4 the Bus.
On Monday March 18th we happily present a wonderful featured performer, Nina Corwin
there will be an open mic
so come on down to Jaks Tap (901 W. Jackson)
have some beer (40 on tap)
some tasty food
and listen to some good poetry

or suggested but non-mandatory theme is "egos, alter egos, persona, and internal voices

Nina Corwin is the author of two books of poetry, The Uncertainty of Maps and Conversations With Friendly Demons and Tainted Saints. Her work has appeared in ACM, Forklift OH, Hotel Amerika, New Ohio Review, Southern Poetry Review, Verse and has been nominated for the Pushcart prize. Corwin is an Advisory Editor for Fifth Wednesday Journal and curates readings at Woman Made Gallery in Chicago where she co-edited Inhabiting the Body: A Collection of Poetry and Art By Women. She has read and performed her work across the country, at times set with musical or choreographic compositions. In daylight hours, she is a psychotherapist known for her work on behalf of victims of violence.

Sunday, March 10, 2013-2nd Sunday Top Shelf Poets at Powell's for March

Sunday March 10th
Change your clocks and be on time for
The Greatest Poet Alive,
Kottyn Campbell
John Goode
and Robin Fine
3-5 pm
be on time because the show starts when it starts. We try to be prompt

Powell's Bookstores Chicago, 1218 S Halsted St Chicago, IL 60607 (312) 243-9070

Monday, February 18, 2013-W4Tb FEATURING DANA JERMAN+OPEN MIC

Come on out to Jaks tap
have some beer
listen to one of the coolest poets around
W4tB presents Poetry Pentathlon silver medalist Dana Jerman
and if that ain't enough
our suggested theme is Celluloid heroes,shadows on film, and the works of David Lynch
sign up--7:30
showtime 8-10pm
Jaks Tap Restaurant Bar
901 W. Jackson, Chicago, Illinois

W4tB State of the Union or Where the Weirdness takes me.

Waiting 4 the Bus was formed around the concept of making poetic dreams come true. It was through the vision of a conclave of dreamers who would listen to each others ramblings and answer the question “What if?” with a response of “Why not?”
In the beginning there were only a few of us playing this game, but soon there were many. Together we created the Poetry Bomb, The Poetry Pentathlon, and Exact Change Only Magazine. We have performed big multi=voiced pieces, and bent the laws of time and poetry.
Time has passed and some of us have gone our separate ways, some have taken a less active but still vital role in the collective, like all things, we have evolved and from the outside it looks like we evolved into the Buddha and Esteban show. We would like to correct this perception. We are just two poets sitting around playing the “What if?’ game and hoping other folks will join the game so that we can help each other conquer what seems to be the impossible.
We are not about fame. I don’t know about anyone else but I would like the name W4tB to be associated with the creation of Art and shows that are entertaining without being pretentious. I am searching for a dedication to craft and a commitment to work both honest and true. I try to apply these things to myself and others.
W4tB has gathered to fight the scourge of Genre, to unite the various poetic tribes in the city. We all have our opinions of what is good and what is bad, what we like and what we don’t and that sometimes divide us. When we get right down to it, We Are All Poets, and it should be about the writing.
If you feel like you can deal with these concepts and like the way we roll (yo), come and check us out or come and check us out again. Maybe you’ll ask the question “What if?” and we’ll answer “Why Not?”