Back upstairs at Zelda’s (aka “the trailer in the sky”) for another edition of The Beautiful and the Damned last night – with my pal, the lovely and talented Lizzie Violet – this time, for a special (and early treat) Pride edition, sponsored by Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QAIA). Dead celeb of the month: Jean Genet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Genet

Host DM Moore had a full roster of features and open mic readers/performers, and as I’ve done previously, I’d like to go for a word association riff here. If I’ve misspelled or misnamed anyone, please let me know in Comments and I’ll correct the error asap. One thing all these artists had in common was passion in their words, whether by poetry, spoken word or song.

Features: Ghadeer Malek – poetry of the pain and resilience of the Palestinian people, resolving to not just survive but thrive; marginalization of queers and Palestinians, and…

When I was about seven, I asked my mum where babies came from. Mum having been a nurse and all, plus me being the oldest of four kids, I knew we came out of her belly (and even had the opportunity to listen in with her stethoscope when she was pregnant with my sibs) – plus, duh, that baby bump is pretty hard to miss, especially on a woman as tiny as my mum. But I wanted to know how the heck they got in there. During our initial chat, she gave me this whole spiel about the flower which, while very interesting from a botanical perspective – and even quite poetic and lyrical – was confusing as all hell.

For about a year, I thought I was a Chrysanthemum. So I went back and asked her how all that flower stuff worked with people – only to be shocked…

Okay, so back to the work and big fun of blogging about cool arts, culture and entertainment stuff around Toronto.

Yesterday, I had a date with one of my ladies – the lovely and talented Lizzie Violet – to go hear Brandon Pitts read at Art of the Danforth. Toronto was having another heat wave day – hot, but not too sticky – and we were very happy to find a spot in the shade at the outdoor venue adjacent to the TCHC apartment building on the south side of Danforth, just east of Greenwood. We got there a bit early, so had the added pleasure of catching some music and song from Voces Poeticas: Music and Poetry in Motion. Thanks to Lizzie for the pics!

I’ve seen Brandon Pitts read once before – at The Beautiful and the Damned at Zelda’s a couple of months ago – and it…

I’ve been thinking a lot about the red duo-tang that my Aunt Margie gave me.  I am incredibly blessed to have the people I do in my life. I believe that everything happens for a reason.  situations, people, EVERYTHING.  I’ve talked so long about taking my Grandma’s recipes and converting them, then they arrive in my mail box.  Fate meet your destiny. 

I’m a strong believer in The Fates.  For the most part they leave you to your own devices, occasionally popping in to steer you back into the correct direction.  When they do intervene you can choose to fight them or listen to them.  For years I’ve been fighting them, worried I need to be a good girl and pay my bills on time, follow the rules of being a good citizen. They keep pushing me in the direction of being a full time writer. I’m a good story tell…

Join us during Pride for a Spoken Work Musical Jam accompanied by Amoeba Starfish at the Clean Sober and Proud Place, The Community Cafe, Paul Kane Parkade (east of Yonge, north side of Welleseley).

Our fabulous, damned and beautiful committee members will each be reading.

Writer, editor, poet, literary reviewer, horror know-it-all, Lizzie Violet is the dark little girl, with a crooked smile. A lover of all things creepy, including horror silent movies, she is also a well known Zombiephile. She is currently working on a novel, a poetry manuscript and the latest book she edited, Best New Werewolf Tales, Volume One can be found at Amazon.com

Since returning to the world of performance, she has featured at Tumultuous Tuesdays, hosted The Beautiful & The Damned, co-produced Wonder Women IV, Get Your Groove on, with upcoming features for the Plasticine reading series, The Beautiful & The Damned and many others…

Heather Hill launched her new CD, Leuty Station, at the Drake Underground last night – and what a night!

Met my pal Lizzie Violet out front and we stopped by the merch table to visit Meghan Morrison, who co-wrote “Wading Through Normal” with Hill and producer Orville Heyn for this record. I picked up a copy of Leuty Station, as well as Hill’s NYC recording of her debut CD Listen. Listening to Leuty Station as I write this – and I love that Hill included a lyrics booklet with this CD!

Micah Barnes opened with a fabulous set of  jazz and R&B numbers, accompanying himself on a gorgeous baby grand. Sexy, playful and charming, Barnes gave us a few mini-sets, rising in between to chat with the audience from the centre microphone and introduce the next theme. I’m always a sucker for songs about love. And New…

I normally would have posted this on Thursday, the day after the actual event, but Wednesday night had so much cookin’ with the sculpture exhibit and all, that I wanted to do both events justice and post separate blogs.

Singer/songwriter Ellie Anderson (http://www.ellieandersonmusic.com/) organized Get Your Groove On – and had her organizer chops really put to the test when she discovered the original venue, Jang Bang Bar, was in the dark and had to quickly relocate the event. And relocate it she did: to the upstairs front room at The Central.

Just like Wonder Women IV featured four hot women, you could just as well say Get Your Groove On featured three hot women and three hot guys. Anderson and the three guys did round robin acoustic sets – showcasing an amazing variety of sounds, all with distinctive voices. As I write this post, I’m feeling inspired…

Another great week is ahead of us, as the weather (finally?) turns spring-like for good, and the poetry heats up as well. This is the time of year when slam teams are chosen, festivals start to take place and hungry poets share their words both inside and outside. It’s an exciting time. So let’s see what’s up in the world of spoken word and poetry slam in the Greater Toronto Area for the next seven days:

Monday

The Mayworks Festival of Working People and the Arts continues this week with Work in Progress – a free forum “that critically engages the intersections between collaborative artistic practices, class, and working conditions for community engaged artists.” Local spoken word artists Mahlikah Awe:ri (Red Slam Collective) and Greg Frankson (Cytopoetics) will sit on the panel. It takes place at The 519 Church Street Community Centre from 7-9pm.

Tuesday

The weekly edition of the

40 Things I’ve Learned, in no particular order but the one they came to me in, by Kat Leonard:

1.  You won’t end up with the friends you started with.

2.  Keep friends in whose company you like yourself.

3.  I’m lucky.   Part of being lucky is realizing that you are.

4.  Love feels even better going out than coming in.

5.  My gut serves me best but my mind provides a worthy and engaging opponent.

6.  Self-Doubt will keep you humble if it doesn’t paralyze you.

7.  You can’t blame someone for not reacting the way you would.

8.  No one can make you feel any particular way without your permission.

9.  Maintain high hopes and low expectations.  Also, early is on time and on time is late!

10.  If you know enough to say sorry while you’re doing it, DON’T DO IT!  Duh!

11.  All that glitters can be worn…