Poetry is Dead Magazine - Queer Issue November 2012

I was humbled and honoured to have my poem 'close encounters' included in the great Queer Issue of Poetry is Dead Magazine, guest edited by the wonderful Alex Leslie, who blogs about the issue. It has great art work by Alexandra Sebag, and Sarah Leavitt in a poetic collaboration with Jen Currin, which Sarah Leavitt Blogs about.

All in all it was a great experience!  I represented Poetry is Dead at a Magscene on Main reading in August ‘Write the body’ with Adrienne Gruber and others.

Gave an online interview on the Poetry is Dead website in September, along with many of the other contributors to the Queer Issue, on the topic of failure as success. Queers Fail Better: ‘In her book ‘The Queer Art of Failure’ Judith Halberstam offers alternative ways of knowing and becoming. Instead of valuing the conventional paths of belonging, achievement and completion, she thinks about and champions the ways of “failure”: losing your way, giving in, being excluded, forgetting, awkwardness, coming apart. Not just rejecting the “normal,” Halberstam shows alternatives to success as paths that have always been there, moving away from mastery and coherence. In this series of Q&A’s with contributors to our upcoming Queer issue, we play with these ideas. When we aren’t trying to finish first (or finish anything) where do we end up?’

The Queer Issue of Poetry is Dead Magazine launch and reading November 14^th 2012 at Project Space Gallery went really well! An appreciative crowd packed the space for a lively multimedia presentation! Check out the photos I took of the event here, or the photos Rachel Bauman took here.

I decided to make people laugh more than cry for my reading, so turned to some older work, and took a stroll through the misunderstandings that can happen on androgyny lane. Got some great feedback besides the laughter. Fellow contributor Amber Dawn said I have perfect timing. It’s true I do like to really look at the audience and play with the energy in the room, hold them in the palm of your hand, and then release them. Fellow writer Adrienne Gruber said her partner is not always fond of poetry readings but is still raving about my performance at the Magscene on Main event. Good to know! I do like to think I can make anyone like poetry! I really enjoyed the other contributors readings too! It was a great night to be a part of.

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