The Society of Poetic Elements

Hey guys. I found this link & thought you might get a kick out of it. It is a group of performance artists/poets in Seattle. They're called Typing Explosion. Just an idea for the infinite possibilities of poetry.

Phillip D. Ischy
President, Society of Poetic Elements

Fall 2004

Hello all. & so begins another semester for the Society of Poetic Elements. We'd like to welcome all new & used students back to FSU. Founded in the Summer of 2003, SoPE continues to unite a group of poets at Florida State University & beyond by initiating interaction between members with writing exercises, poetry workshops, readings, exchanging information about writers & publications, bringing in guest speakers, poetic presentations, & more. We are open to writers of all ages. For information, email us at poeticelements@yahoo.com.

Last week was our first meeting of the semester. We had a poetry workshop with Jacqui Bazarte, & writing exercises included many exquisite corpses (which I'll try to get posted this weekend) & a line exercise ("How far have I flung my starry yoyo").

This week was our second meeting, featuring workshops from veteran Martin Rock & new blood Tanya Povolny. Writing exercises consisted of a line exercise borrowed from a book by Paul Williams entitled Das Energi ("Shedding the old skin is the act of revolution") & the re-establishment of the infamous Word Bag.

At this time I would like to address the issue of poetry readings. Here is a rough list of regularly occuring readings in the Tallahassee area. This is as accurate as I can make it, & if anyone has any information about other readings, please let me know so I can get the word out.

(*)Tuesdays, 8 pm: The Warehouse on Gaines St., the main poetry readings this semester include C.D. Wright (Aug. 31st), Judy Jordan (Oct. 26th), & Martin Espada (Nov. 16).
Tuesdays, ~11 pm: Brothers Night Club on Tharpe St., open mic poetry/comedy night (possible cover charge).
Thursdays, 9:30 pm?: Mt. Zion Calypso Cafe, Black on Black Rhyme Back Talk Poetry Troupe (cover charge).
Saturdays, 8 pm?: Lake Ella/Black Dog Cafe(?), Political poetry.

In addition, we will be sponsoring organized readings with other organizations, our own readings, several venues, & guerrilla poetry readings.

This proves to be a productive year for us. We're going to try to put out chapbooks (small books of poetry, under 30 pages) & work in conjunction with the Kudzu Review, the undergraduate literary magazine at Florida State University. We'll keep everyone posted on these subjects.

Next week, we'll have workshops from SoPE officer Brian Grosnick & fresh addition Andrew Brogdon, as well as writing exercises I'll make up within the next week. If there's anyone you know who you think might be interested in participating in SoPE, give them our email address &/or bring them to the meeting. Hope everyone has a good week & we'll see you at the meeting on Thursday.

Phillip D. Ischy
President, Society of Poetic Elements

And now each night I count the stars,
And every night I get the same number,
And when the stars won't come to be counted,
I count the holes they leave.

--Amiri Baraka, from Preface to a Twenty-Volume Suicide Note

SUBMIT!

the mid-american review is looking for unpublished writers/pieces for the 25th anniversary issue. deadline for submission is november 15th, i believe. anyone who would like someone to look over anything they're planning on submitting, i'd be willing to offer any comments i could.

phillip

Exquisite Corpse from Spring 2004

Here is an exquisite corpse written by the spring 2004 members of SoPE.

You're stuck at a weigh station in who the fuck knows where
where the television and radio trench pyres
haunt my last movements before bedtime and I think to myself
"Did I see you in the music building late at night
exposing your soul to vulnerable young women practicing
on their airy clarinets?"
and their seismology. The whole world is a catastrophe,
an unopened parachute just a hundred feet up
and the sheep got so horny after just a couple of beers
that they would actually wear lingerie.
If the flesh of a dog could feel attractive enough, are you bonded
like Mike, who sells a good time on DVD for $12.95
(buy 2, get 1 free)
But if you do what Britney Spears did
make a floating molecule into a toxic wasteland
that becomes our own fluids
right before they congeal in a gooey mess.