July 31 2010 the POWER of the SUIT

Radclyffe Hall

If you have been wondering what I might have in common with writers Radclyffe Hall and Anne Frank, actors Marlene Dietrich and Julie Andrews, painter Frida Khalo, and musicians Patti Smith, Grace Jones, Annie Lennox, the Topp Twins, or  k.d.lang - you can find out Saturday July 31 at 7.30pm at the Roundhouse, as part of the Queer Arts Festival  (July 27  - August 4). I can tell you now it is not my musical ability!

I will be the opening act performing the story The POWER of the SUIT before KONCERT KONTINUUM presents an evening of music Crazy For Cole N Co. Come join my meandering personal and historical journey through the wonderful world of androgyny and suit wearing women! Here's a little taste: 'Whatever it was people saw in me as a child, which did not fit their idea of gender, my sister named it by the time I was 6 – Brian…. People are plagued by the question: what are you? Not who, what….When I wear the suit, I am contained, protected, distinct, a one trick pony, a complete package, entirely suit-able, covered from head to toe. No longer vague, indeterminate, in between. There is no question in peoples minds’, they are absolutely sure, I am whatever it is they see, they desire'

Followed by: 'KONCERT KONTINUUM presents a fabulous tribute to celebrated queer composer Cole Porter and his contemporaries, with a showcase of witty vocal repartee, smooth stylings of the saxophone and playful piano patter.

Transport back to the 1920s through to the 1940s, with Porter's sophisticated, brilliant and daring lyrics, his singable catchy tunes, and provocative social commentary of the times. The program is supported by two of his most famous songwriting peers, Hoagy Carmichael and Irving Berlin - both innovators of what are now jazz standards and whose songs are still "in rotation" today. Koncert Kontinuum will deliver their special mix of audience favorite sing-along’s, gorgeous ballads, comic pieces, and of course a few songs with the unexpected KK twist.'

There will be different performances each night, I recommend you check out Jan Derbyshire in Turkey In The Woods Monday | 09 August | 7:30pm. Jan was the one who encouraged me to write The POWER of the SUIT, last year while she was directing me in my show That's so gay! She is awfully smart and funny, and an electrifying performer!

Here's what Jan is dishing up for dinner this year: 'Hale's lover, Peaches wants to tie the knot. Hale wants to throw in the rope.  On the advice of her questionable therapist Hale, hoping to solve some of her commitment 'issues, decides to go home to her family for Thanksgiving Dinner for the first time in ten years. Hale's mother decides not to have the dinner around the dining room table but outside in the woods, just like the pilgrims. The tract of land she choses for the festivities is surrounded by a rifle range. A burnt comedy for those with a certain type of humor. A drama for others.  Lesbian friendly.'

An art exhibition will be up Tuesday 27 July to Saturday 14 August. Gallery Hours: Weekdays 10am - 10pm | Weekends 10am - 430pm. Apparently us literary types who will be performing before many of the shows, will also have an excerpt of our writing on display for the duration of the festival. So you will be able to check out a poem version of the story The POWER of the SUIT, which appears in my poetry chapbook (in) valid.

Blue Boots - Poetry on Sins Invalid Blog

My poem Blue Boots - about disability, gender, sexuality, family,  from my poetry chapbook (in) valid is featured in the June 2010 blog of Sins Invalid. In text  and audio. I wrote about Sins Invalid in May. The recording is from a QUIRK-E event in June 2009. Where I read some poems for the first time in many years in Canada, got my performing mojo back - thanks QUIRK-E! 

I write about why I lost my mojo for performing in Canada (it's an accent, humour, colloquial thang) in the Magdalena Aotearoa Newsletter in part 1 of a 2 part series of articles. Part 2 coming soon, how I got my mojo back!

You can check out photos I took at this years lively QUIRK-E anthology launch on my Integrial Media Facebook Page. There was reading, acting, singing, movies, book signing and general festivity - dancing even broke out at the reception!

Media Representation of People with Disabilities

HeartBeats - Teaching Poetry

Hey guess what!? I am going to be teaching a poetry class with 'Write From The Heart writers program, a project of the Consumer Initiative Funds, Vancouver Coastal Health/Community Mental Health Services'. Very fun! I have been known to make people who 'don't even like poetry' - like poetry, and people who have stopped writing poetry be inspired to start again! I love poetry, its so free form! It's just words piled on top of each other!

Plus it's always good to get to say the words Kinetic, Magnetic, Tagnetic out loud, in a row. Don't worry I will say many more, less obtuse words a well, I promise! While we consider  different types of poetry from many wonderful Canadian poets, and try some new things.

The course is facilitated by Susan J. Katz, who recently won a Tom Howard/John H. Reid Poetry Prize for her poem The Bowpicker.

HeartBeats is the website for the 'Write From The Heart' writers program. Which includes a great clearing house of information on local and international opportunities and links for writing. Now in it's third year, 6-8 people meet once a week for 8 weeks and learn, share, practice, and create - writing. 

Sins Invalid

The poem in-valid,  title poem of my poetry chapbook (in) valid, is featured on the Sins Invalid Blog, in text and audio. Sweet.

Based in California 'Sins Invalid is a performance project that incubates and celebrates artists with disabilities, centralizing artists of color and queer and gender-variant artists as communities who have been historically marginalized. Our performance work explores the themes of sexuality, embodiment and the disabled body. Conceived and led by disabled people of color, we develop and present cutting-edge work where normative paradigms of "normal" and "sexy" are challenged, offering instead a vision of beauty and sexuality inclusive of all individuals and communities'

Sins Invalid has produced an annual performance since 2006, as well as workshops, and have a lot of interesting videos from shows on the Sins Invalid website. Including by compatriot and dancer Rodney Bell, and I especially like Maria R. Palacios graceful writing and performance.

You can also find Sins Invalid on Facebook. Music that accompanies the RNZ audio recording of in-valid poem is by prolific NZ composer Eric Biddington, whose music I sometimes featured on One in Five. His music accompanies the work of other poets. He named his cat after  me. ( :     All photos by Sins Invalid.