Back in ABQ

Well, I'm back and finally have settled into life back in ABQ. I don't know how, but my April seems to be bleeding into my March and February. I love it, but at the same time it makes things to just whiz by.

So, we're gonna be sending 4 poets to Flagstaff to compete in a WinandURIn bout. At first, I thought I was gonna battle for ABQ's place, but now think sending the College team for ABQ and competing for Farmington may be the way to go. I don't have to be on Farmington's team and can still work on my chops for finals.

Day 2

So we're settling into the competition here. The formats way too complicated to explain easily, but Jazz and Cuffee both have to unleash it tonight to move on.

I bout managed and struggled to find diverse judges. Yes, Vancouver is diverse, but they weren't the ones that came to my particular slam. We started on time and Simone Beabiene (sp?) was great. Great MC.

The bout went off without hitch and Jazz did "Angel" and "Laugh." Good solid performance. Didn't get to see Cuffee but he did, "Fruits of a Lesser God" and "Isaac and Ismail." Looking forward to tonight. Hopefully will be able to put some pictures up next post.

iWPS in Vancouver, BC, Canada

Oh Canada. I'm at the Individual World Poetry Slam

Well, my long national nightmare is over. At 2 PM yesterday, I picked up my passport (a reissue) because I had yet to get the first finished one from Houston, TX and we headed up north. Daemond Arrindel and JW Baz were above accomodating and waited for me, delaying their trip by three hours as I waited for the bureaucracy to do its thing. It did and I'm writing this from Canada. Of course, they didn't even look at my passport at the border. Maybe they will when I try and get back in?

Other than a short stint as a kid, which I don't remember, and a short run to Palomas, Mexico for Tequila and a teeth cleaning, this is my first foray into non-America. Vancouver is stunning, surrounded by beautiful snow capped mountains the weather is quite seasonable and I caught a ride to Commercial Drive for the First Nations Slam and Last Chance Slam. It was a small Italian restaurant amid a "Nob Hill" like display of cool storefronts. Found a burrito place and dared to have one. Good, tasty, then wound my way through the crowded, over capacity venue, to listen to the poetry.

Okay, I was tired, I'd been up since 6 AM and stressed by bureaucratic hoops, couldn't really get excited. Cuffee, who is Montauk, took it and is competing. To not be rude, I left before the Last Chance even started, but found out later that Anis Mogjani won and is in the competition this week. Should be fun.

Esme showed up with Cuffee and Jazz and though she assured me she had a place to stay woke up this morning with Esme sleeping on the bed to next to Jazz (Cuffee's wife) and Cuffee on the floor. Told Cuffee to get on my bed went back to sleep. Yes, two men can sleep on the same bed. Its the poetry slam for God sake.

Will update tomorrow. Hope the weather in ABQ finds you well.