Hey, Phoenix folks!

I will be performing at the Phoenix Improv Festival: Underground Stage this Friday, April 17.  The show is $5 at 10:30 and it's at Space 55 (636 E. Pierce St).  I will also be teaching an Organic improv class on Saturday, but that's already sold out.  I'm very excited to be teaching a style I am so passionate about and truly feel needs more focus and exploration from the improv world. 

In poetry news, we had our first meeting and I deflected the idea that I would coach again.  Michael Dimitri has been organizing the teaching efforts and a lot of the growth in our scene, and I pushed the discussion over to using him.  Apparently, I'll still be used for performance coaching, but he's the man who'll organize and (hopefully) call the shots at bouts this summer at NPS.  I'll have my hands full with EC work and SlamMaster stuff, so it'll be nice to have one less thing to worry about.  Michael is great and a logical choice, and it didn't take any convincing for the rest of the group to say, "Duh! Of course he should coach!"

I'm very excited about the enthusiasm on our team. Should be a great year!

-Jesster

Here's the short of it:

1. Cody Winger - 2009 Slam Season Champion, 2009 Team Member, IWPS Rep
2. Jesse Parent - 2009 Team Member
3. DeAnn - 2009 Team Member
4. Michael Dimitri - 2009 Team Member
5. Josh McGillis - 2009 Team Member

6. Flora Bernard
7. Karo
8. Dave

It was a high scoring slam, which can be frustrating because it made the results a game of inches.  I came in 0.3 behind Cody, DeAnn came in 0.1 behind me, and Josh edged out Flora by 0.2.  Overall, I am very excited about the structure of the team.  The only thing that could throw a wrench in it is if NPS 2009 becomes a 21+ event.  If that were the case... I'm not sure what would happen.  The team has already started to bond and look towards collaborations and group pieces. It would really be a reset psychologically (Ugh - I just realized... what if iWPS is 21+?!? That would blow!)  But, while the policy of NPS is to announce that it is officially 21+, they usually leave it up to the Host City as to whether or not it is 18+ and that is what tends to happen.  So let's hope for the best.

In other news, I am officially a member of the executive council for Poetry Slam, Inc.  It may be cheesy, but I felt compelled by Michelle Obama's mantra of being "called to serve" and I feel that I can make a difference.  Mostly, I am just observing and trying to learn what I can and can't do.  There's not a lot of secrecy... what you see in public on the boards is what you get.  Everyone is very repectful and professional and I only feel overwhemed by my work schedule.

There are a lot of cool things happening locally in our scene.  Our team finals were crazy crowded with the public and we raised a few hundred dollars in donations towards getting to NPS.  We had some great articles right before the event that focused on Michael Dimitri and myself that helped promote the event.  Spring always seems like a great time where we get a lot of love from the public, so I am definitely feeling it.

Now, if I could only find time to get back to writing...

-Jesster

Well, after an interesting weekend where the overly charged slam community simultaneously displayed opposing versions of "I'm taking my ball and going home" things have settled back down and I am days away from seeing wonderful women perform poetry and sitting through parliamentary procedure.

The short version of the slam debacle is: there was a facebook entry promoting NPS as party central where you can plan on cheating.  Also, Hustler is a sponsor for the erotic reading.  Well, this kicked off a lively bit of outrage, with declarations of boycott and so forth, which sparked hurt feelings and frustration from the organizer who posted the announcement, to the point that he threw his hands up and made to walk away.  This sort of blew me away, because if you're a professional organizer, how in the world are you that affected by criticism?  However, poets are more dramatic than theatre people (go figure).  The outrage and LONG diatribes back and forth were simultaneously hilarious and irritating. 

I emailed and called the organizer after his post where he declared he "was out" and reminded him that the folks on a message board do not speak for all of us, and that he was doing a great job with what he had but should be open to critique and suggestions.  We had a pleasant back and forth, and I'm sure it helped him feel better and calm down.  Half an hour later, he announced that he was back.  While it may not have been the reason he came back, I felt good about actually talking to the person who had made the offending post.

All of this really brings into focus my bid to get elected to the Executive Council for Poetry Slam, Inc. I still feel like a tourist in this community of artists and activists.  I'm not sure if I have the emotional capital to spend on organizing and carrying the flag for this group.  Everything just becomes instantly emotional and that just seems... tiring.  Scott Woods has been very supportive of me and urging me to run, but if I am going to serve this community and their interests, I really need to make sure I can do it faithfully and with the energy they all deserve from me, and not compromise my sanity.

In other news, I was promoted at work, so I am back to being a manager, again.  It's something I have resisted going back to for many of the reasons I am having issues with running for the EC.  I am a good organizer and manager, but it takes a lot out of me.  Plus, I have to deal with meetings and egos and the soft skills of management.  It's not as much fun as just beeing a contributer.

I can't wait to just go watch some good poetry.

-Jesster

So as I was driving out to pick my mom up from the airport for her ten day visit, my engine threw a rod.

Now, for a couple of weeks before, my check oil light was coming on.  I noticed that I was overdue for an oil change, but didn't actually check the oil.  I just figured I would get an oil change that week and it probably wasn't bad.  Even with the louder ticking in the engine, I kept putting off teh maintenance.  A lot had to do with how insanely busy I was getting at work with my new promotion to management.  A lot was just life.  But it was the wrong thing to do.

As I got up to around 90, the ticking became knocking and a check engine light.  I took my foot off the gas and shifted to neutral, but it was too lat. *POP* A puff of white smoke told me things were bad.  I got into the breakdown lane, but the engine was not on.  I turned off teh key and lifted the hood to find a small fire under the alternator I blew out like a birthday candle.  My wish: a new engine.

Since it was Saturday evening, there weren't any after hour shops open, so I called my insurance agency looking for a place that was at least open on Sunday.  Got it towed to Firestone by a driver who was just in town to help out his brother and was leaving for Florida that Monday (today) to go back to his life.  In the morning, Firestone confirmed my worse fears, and escalated them with an estimated labor cost (they couldn't do the work).

So I am calling around, today, looking for shops that are capable of repairing my beloved car in a fiscally reasonable manner.  The only real estimate I have is certainly less than the value of the car by more than half, but still a big chunk of change.  Even though I have a lot of breathing room in the bank, it's a hard pill to swallow.

My dad, the mechanic, said this to me after I said I threw a rod: "Couldn't afford an oil change, so you got an engine change, huh?"  I guess that sums it up.

After hearing that, I thought of the woman who injected her son with water instead of insulin, because she couldn't afford the $90 prescription and was hoping it would act as a placebo.  Now she has a $12,000 emergency room bill.  I did something stupid because I let simple maintenance not be a priority.  I wonder how many people are suffering because they can't even afford simple maintenance.  I had no excuse, and I should be taking better care of myself and my family because I can, right now.  What if the engine blew up? What if the car had caught fire (or... caught more fire)? Just really stupid, if you think of it.

At least I can learn from this. Like my dad said, later: "You won't do that twice"

-Jesster

Yipes!

I was doing some housekeeping on our MySpace page and compiling points from the information I have (from the slams, not the readings) and realized that our team selection slam is advertised as being this March on our MySpace page.

This isn't a big deal, because the top 8 point earners go into the slam, and the top 7 are WAY ahead of the pack in slam points, but I just lost track of when this would be.  For some reason, I kept thinking it was April, which would have sucked for Slammasters and the Phoenix Improv Festival.

One surprise in compiling our slam points is that I am in first place... by one point.  I thought Brian Frandsen was, but he's in second.  I am pleasantly surprised, but we still have to compile points from the readings.

I really need to get Sock Puppet in slammable format.  And that means edit edit edit edit. Ugh!  The version I think is around 2:50 has coaxed over 3:10 before, so I may have to cut even deeper.  That was the nice thing about doing Sock Puppet in the feature in boise, I got to do the full piece without worrying about time or losing coherence.  I'm happy about that.  I am less happy that I didn't have Dandelions down pat.

Work work work... gotta go to work work work.

-Jesster

I saw Obama getting sworn in by Chief Justice, John Roberts.  It looked like a clusterfuck. 

That's too bad.  This is such an historic moment and you got these two guys who don't look like they know when one person is supposed to talk or how much to say.

Won't see that featured on a highlight reel.

-Jesster

Wow! The poetry scene in Boise is a happening place.  If nothing else, they have FUN! Featuring there was such a wonderful experience.  The workshop went better than I expected and the slam was packed with wonderful, gracious audience members.  I had a grand time hanging with Cheryl and her kids and then with the Boise poets. 

My feature was really well received.  I was giggling on the inside while I was doing Sock Puppet, because the room was so primed for laughter from the slam that when the piece switched to the more disturbing part, there were a lot of nervous "I thought this was a funny poem" laughter moments in the crowd.  By the end, I had achieved the effect I was after but I was supremely amused at how long that went on.  I sold a few chapbooks, got a few drinks bought for me, and hung out playing Super Nintendo Mario Brothers while we all kept doing bits from Ken Arkind's "Life... is like MARIO BROTHERS".  Delicious!

I just wish I had remembered to leave some thank you chapbooks for Cheryl.  Ugh.  Next time I see her I will.  She was so gracious the whole time and I loved all the great conversations.  What a neat person.

And she can rock a red dress... hard!

-Jesster

I really really want to find a Superman button down shirt, just plain blue with an S across the chest.  But all I am finding is over complicated hipster fashion with small S's and busy patterns.

Blue. S. Simple.

-Jesster

I am ridiculously excited for this.  Ironically, I am more excited to teach, than to perform.





You know... my name looks surprisingly dull in print.  Now I understand why poets have pseudonyms.

I will now be going by the poet name "Face Breaker!" With the exclamation point.

Signed,
Face Breaker!

Well, shaesinister sent an email off last Friday saying that he has decided to move to California.  With mstegosaurus shipping off to Massachusetts, that has officially broken our little triumverate up.  I have to say, I am going to miss them both terribly.  They have both been very good friends and supporters to me and I think we are all going to be diminished by their loss.

This year, I wasn't felling the poetry vibe as much.  I was taking that as a sign to go back to touring improv festivals and teaching, again.  Now, I don't feel right about up and leaving the local poetry scene with so many folks leaving as well.  After all, Jim is back in NYC, David hasn't been around since the 2007 team, moxi has been absent doing band stuff, Repo is in Asia, Garet checked out a while ago, Grey is focused on school, and God knows what Frandsen is doing.  Cody, Michael, and Josh are still very active, so it's not like everyone has pulled the ripcord, but I'd feel like a dick to leave in such turmoil, especially with the venue move still being so recent.

So, I nutted up and pulled hosting duty last Saturday, even though I had spent all Friday night performing in improv shows and left my wife for a second night in a row.  I do have to say, it was fun.  I got help from Z with setting up the PA, sorted through my chapbooks (because of Shae's sage advice to not just read your own shit while emceeing) and read some stuff by Derrick Brown, javabill , and truthbealiar , and had a solid open mic reading.  There were at least 6 or 7 new folks, plus a return by Hampshire poet AJ, and some spotty representation by the veterans/regulars of the scene.  And, I do a hell of a job as an emcee.  It's something I am good at and have cultivated in my years as a performer, and I do enjoy it I'd just rather be a performer.  I encouraged the audience to let a poet know if they liked what they said.  That's the best feeling in the world and I loved watching the small exchanges taking place of people complementing each other.  Just lovely.

So, while we are missing our giants of the scene, the show continues to go on.  I wish it could be different, with all the ghosts of performers past showing up and making the place rock, but the hum of last week's performance still put a smile on my face.

-Jesster