The 2010 Fringe Festival is a month away, and you know what that means. It means free beer for poetry people and lots of crazy time for Tod Caviness.

For those who are new this year, here’s the deal: J. Bradley and Tod Caviness are looking to schedule poets for the 4th annual Fringe Poetry Smackdown on May 22 and 29. Tod is also manning the Fringe Poetry Vending Machine throughout the festival (May 20-30) and am looking for all the help he can get manning that. Details on both below:

FRINGE POETRY SMACKDOWN

… will be two shows, taking place at 10 p.m. Saturday May 22 and 29. It’s your basic poetry slam format, probably three rounds with elimination. Eight poets per slam. The twist is that you’ll be snarked on “American Idol” style by Fringe celebrity judges. They’ll give some commentary after each performance, argue with each other, the whole deal. Thick skin and sense of humor mandatory. Big prizes for the winners, swag for everybody. Check our spot on the Fringe website.

If you can make it to one or both of the Smackdowns, please let me know. And let me know which one. And let me know soon. And consider yourself hugged.

But wait, there’s more!

FRINGE POETRY VENDING MACHINE

This is a booth Tod runs on the Fringe Festival lawn. He’ll have a laptop and printer there, and anyone who comes up to the booth with $5 (or buys us a beer) can have their own poem custom-made for them. They pick the title and give 3 words to use somewhere in the poem – the rest is up to the writer. Historically, this has been a favorite part of Fringe. You get to hang out, drink, gossip, and write all day. It’s the loosest poetry workshop ever. The money goes back to the Fringe, but the beer is all yours, and there will be a prominent little space to sell any chapbooks or merch you have.

Tod will be sending a schedule with the exact operating hours soon, but for now – just let him know if you’re interested in helping staff the Vending Machine and on what days. The general hours are going to be after 6 pm on weekdays and all day on weekends, from May 20-30.

Contact: Tod Caviness

Join us May 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the Harris Auditorium of the Brevard Art Museum for a free and open forum on the topic of Collaboration in the Arts.  The evening will open with questions directed to two of the artist-poet pairs who participated in the year long creative collabation project known as Transformations.  These artists worked with someone they did not previously know and who excelled in a different field.  Their work is now hanging in the Museum exhibit as an example of what happens when ideas and nuances are shared.
The audience will be welcome to participate by bringing their questions and own experiences to share and discuss.  We will seek to uncover the benefits and the drawbacks to working with another individual and ways that artists can use this experience to enhance not only their future techniques but their ideas and inspirations.  Painters, writers, poets, dancers, musicians, sculptors, potters and actors are all invited to attend.

For more information contact Bobbie at 321.254.7782
1463 Highland Avenue, Downtown Eau Gallie Arts District

Poetry Alchemy V: Diamonds and Rust with Susan Lilley

“Avoid idleness. It is the rust that attaches itself to the most brilliant metals” –Voltaire

During April, National Poetry Month, Susan Lilley has vowed to write a poem every single day, along with some poet friends around the country. This will take nerves of steel and willingness to try anything on days when the muse is on break and there are way too many other things to do. A situation which, ironically, often leads to the best ore for a real poem. Along the way she will collect the best tips and exercises she discovers for the May workshop, and pass on the best-of list. Four exercises during our time together will lead, potentially, to four finished poems. And you’ll have plenty more ideas to take with you.

Note: Participants are asked to bring two books in their possession on any topic—biography, history, cooking, science, psychology, whatever, just not poetry. Curious? Come try some new and mind-opening exercises and make May a poetry extravaganza.

Susan Lilley is a Florida native. She is the 2006 co-winner of the Yellow Jacket Press Chapbook contest for her collection Night Windows. In 2009 she won the Rita Dove Poetry Award and was a recipient of a Florida Individual Artist Fellowship, as well as winning honorable mention in the annual Passager poetry contest. She was an Associate Artist at Atlantic Center for the Arts where she studied with the poet Diane Di Prima. Her most recent and forthcoming publications include The Southern Review, New Madrid, The Florida Review, Poet Lore, CALYX, Minnetonka Review, The Apalachee Review. She has a Master’s Degree in English from the University of Central Florida and an MFA in Creative Writing from Stonecoast at University of Southern Maine. She taught literature and writing at The University of Central Florida for twelve years, and she currently teaches at Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park, Florida, and is an adjunct professor at Rollins College.

When: Sunday,  May 16, 2010 from  11 AM to 3 PM

Plan on staying after the workshop for wine, cheese, and chat with Susan Lilley and your fellow poets. It’s a Poetry Alchemy tradition!

Details:  MAD about Words | Poetry Alchemy with Susan Lilley