Month: February 2013

TOpoet

Everything I said in my Facebook status before the show: “David Bateman more animated than Seth MacFarlane: Philip Cairns more glitter than the red carpet; Lizzie Violet more glam than any after Oscar party; Helen Posno more emotion than any acceptance speech; Duncan Armstrong – well, there’s always a sore loser.” Holds up the following day. Except, unlike the Oscars, there were no losers, sore or others wise, at the Secret Handshake Gallery.

o superman
o superman

The space is intimate, homey – well, being second floor of a townhouse gives it that homey feel. A poetry salon – with coffee, sandwiches available. Seating a random array of arm chairs, sofas & folding chairs. Always nice to give a reading at spot where people are there just for the reading – not for some bar to sell food & booze.

After getting my videographer in place I opened the show with…

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Mutual Reading Sunday February 24, 2013

My next feature will be this Sunday (tonight) at the Mutual Reading Series.

An evening of poetry featuring Lizzie Violet, Duncan Armstrong, Philip Cairns and Helen Posno. Hosted by the ever-fabulous David Bateman, Canada’s #1 performance-artist.

Admission is pay-what-you-can.
Where: 189 Mutual Street, upstairs.
When: February 24, 2013
Time: 7 pm

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TOpoet

Beautiful and Damned’s Femme Fatale show broke a few hearts, as hoped. A full house was immersed into the smooth word play of first feature Josh Smith – he looks good and presents well – funny, tender, emotional and seductive in Spanish. ‘I can think of sixty-nine ways to confuse you’ – for most of us it only takes one, lol. I identified with ‘we are never ever getting back together.’ And really  enjoyed his Gil-Scott Heron riff ‘the evolution will be uploaded.’

am I blue

Second feature Myna Wallin read new work and some pieces from her collection A Thousand Little Pieces – ‘the longing grows longer at night.’ Sometimes bitter, often funny, tender and sensual. Clear images ‘he drinks like a man in a hurry to lose consciousness’ invited us in to modern romance.

blues without a feeling

Music feature was Andrea De Boer aka blueVenus. I remember first hearing blueVenus at the late…

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life with more cowbell

Passion, poetry, music – and fun, sexy and moving times – at Glad Day Bookshop last night during The Beautiful and The Damned Femme Fatale Valentine’s Day edition, hosted by the lovely and talented Lizzie Violet, who also acted as quiz mistress on this month’s dead celeb Gloria Grahame trivia questions. I had a blast, live tweeting the event, along with pics of all the performers.

Feature performers included Josh Smith, Myna Wallin and blueVenus (Andrea de Boer & Jessica Stuart), and there were several excellent open mic artists as well, including Kat Leonard, who got us up on our feet dancing to the One Billion Rising music video on her iPad. Check out the pics from last night’s festivities.

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KAT LEONARD

WonderFest – Help Spread Empowerment!.

 

YOU can help us spread empowerment through art!

How?  Like this:

 

1) Choose ONE WORD of EMPOWERMENT

2) Take a PHOTO with your word

3) Tweet @LMGProductions “I’m spreading empowerment through art! #WonderFest”

or email ImWorthItInfo@yahoo.ca

 

If you wish, there is also opportunity for you to make it into our next video as well as onto our Wall Of Empowerment at http://www.WonderWomenWorld.tumblr.com!

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This Thursday! The Beautiful & The Damned and I’m Hosting!

 

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The Beautiful & The Damned, The Femme Fatale Valentine’s Edition

Hosted by your very own Femme Fatale Lizzie Violet, our February edition is dedicated to Femme Fatales. How fitting for Valentine’s Day!

The Beautiful and the Damned is a Poetry Cabaret every second Thursday of the month at Glad Day Bookstore on Yonge Street (upstairs)).

Come join us for a magical night of poetry, cabaret and decadence.

Sign up for open Mic is at 7:00 pm. Spots are limited, sign up early.

All The Beautiful and The Damned events are pay what you can.

Our February Features are:

Josh Smith – The brain is the sexiest muscle, and Josh Smith is Buffalo, New York’s weapon of mass seduction. From behind the exterior of a black-belt biker, Smith has exercised his creativity most of all, his work being published by the Buffalo News, Chrysalis Zine and Ploughshares. He’s featured across the northeast, including some of Toronto’s most prized stages. In 2012 he captured the Best of Buffalo award for Best Poet, and in 2013, joined the hosting team of the Art Bar Poetry Series.

Myna Wallin is a poet, a prose writer, and an editor. Her first poetry collection, A Thousand Profane Pieces, was published by Tightrope Books in 2006. In 2010, her first novel, Confessions of a Reluctant Cougar, also came out with Tightrope. Myna has edited a handful of books:  three collections of poetry and two anthologies. She’s read her work in Ottawa, Vancouver, Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and in Scotland at the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Her poetry has received Honorable Mentions in both the Contemporary Verse 2, Two-Day Contest and the Descant/ Winston Collins Contest. This year she made the Descant shortlist again with her poem, “Happy Centenary, Mr. Lazarovitch.”

Myna is currently working on a second poetry manuscript tentatively titled, Death, Wildlife and Taxes. She met her boyfriend last Valentine’s Eve, 2013, so apologizes if one or two squishy sentiments find their way into her usually cynical, anti-romantic writing.

and our musical guest is:

Andrea De Boer – Andrea De Boer – Founded in 1998 by singer/songwriter and violinist Andrea de Boer, Toronto’s blueVenus is known for not only their captivating lyrical musings but also for their
polished but highly textured mélange of sounds. Described as “hypnotic and impressive” by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) Germany’s national newspaper, de Boer’s voice is a blend of a sultry, bluesy Janis Joplin with the youthful wariness of Fiona Apple. Partnering with Juno Award-winners L. Stu Young to work on their 2004’s self- titled EP, and Matt DeMatteo to produce their first full-length, Grin, released in the fall of 2009, blueVenus has captured the attention of Canada’s most respected producers.

With a unique blend of Indie Pop/Rock with Jazz and Latin influences, blueVenus has received many prominent acknowledgments, such as nominations at the Toronto Independent Music Awards and an honourable mention in the 2005 Billboard Song Contest. Appearances include touring Germany and appearing at Turkey’s Rocklstanbul Festival along with Garbage and Megadeth and performing at Canadian and US festivals, like Midpoint Music Festival, NXNE, CMW, Indie Week and NMW-New Music West.

For more information please email lizzieviolet13@gmail.com.

Follow us on:
Twitter: @TBandtheDamned
Facebook: @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/beautifulandthedamned/
Blog: http://thebeautifulandthedamnedpoetrycabaret.wordpress.com/

“I don’t want to live. I want to love first, and live incidentally.” Zelda Fitzgerald

One of the posters I created can be seen on the big screen TV at Fuel +. It’s a popular coffee shop at 471 Church Street.

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