Chicago Slam Works, Chi-town’s newly formed non-project made its presence known at the Printers Row Book Fair managing the Poetry Stage. Now it’s launching its second project: “Fuel Your Inner Poet” a series workshop sessions presented at the Hemingway Museum in Oak Park, Illinois.

 There will be eight sessions taught by various (TBA) poet/instructors from around Chicago. I’ll be leading the performance exercises — a live version of Take the Mic. The grand finale will be a performance by workshop participants on the front porch of the Hemingway House in Oak Park.

For more details or to register, visit www.chicagoslamworks.com.

*CPDU credits available for teachers.

As many of you know I am a strong advocate of Carl Sandburg’s poetry. Over the years I’ve added many of his poems to my performance repertoire and have also enlisted musicians Michael Kent Smith, Steven Hashimoto, Carter Luke, Al Ehrich, and Scott Hirstenstein to help me create a musical adaptation of Sandburg’s work entitled “Sandburg to Smith” which debuted at his historical birthplace in Galesburg, Illinois a few years go.

At that debut I met Paul Bonesteel, a man passionately dedicated to refocusing public attention to the People’s Poet. He’s a filmmaker who is creating one hell of a documentary about the old Swede. If you’re a Sandburg fan you’ll want to visit these sites:

http://bonesteelfilms.com/carl.html

http://bonesteelfilms.blogspot.com/

Last night Andi Kauth rocked the house. Her debut feature performance at the Green Mill was a celebration of her 21st birthday. She was downing tequila sunrises as the sun set on her U21 slammin’ career.

Andi may only be 21 but she’s already pro. She has toured the country sharing slam stages with the best. She paid honor to her Fremd High School creative writing program by upholding the integrity of her texts — they were (are) exquisite. There are dozens of high profile slammers spittin’ cliche after cliche shouting the same ol’ same ol’ as if it were direct communication from the gods. They should shut up a few moments and take note of this young woman who can say more in short series of sonnets than they do in three minutes of “I … I … I” ranting.

And how about our new found treasure — virgin Clapping Dave! Was he wonderful or what! If anybody took a cell phone video of Clapping Dave, please send it to me. Now that I’m into the blogging (which I still think is a bunch egocentric crap) I’m going to have to start taking photos and get videos of what happens at the Mill every Sunday night so you can see and hear what I’m raving about.

Another Sunday is in the can and it was a good one.

Despite a major booking snafu (a heavy metal rock band in the next room cranking it while the slammers spit) the 3rd Annual Rootabaga Slam in Galesburg, Illinois at the Cherry Street Brewing Company turned out to be a high time and a success. When the lead singer of the rockers in the next room shouted “How ya doing out there?” all the slam fans shouted “We’re doing great!” Our crowd was bigger and louder than their crowd.

Greg Pickett, a former student from WIU who participated in the first two Rootabaga slams, finally went home with the 1st Place prize money ($300). Iggy Mwela, last years’ winner, looked like a shoe in for second but he got the ladies hssssssing with a new poem (he read off his laptop) that sorta equated women to gym shoes — but in a nice way. Not nice enough, Antoine Harris (sorry Antoine, I can’t remember your stage handle) copped the second place dough and Iggy got third.

There were many special moments (Dyson’s working class poem in the second round and the kid from Colorado — where did he go?) and a lot of new faces. Thanks to Tom Foley and Sandburg Days festival for putting the show together.

Looking forward 2010 and Rootabaga # 4 which might include a screening of a new Sandburg documentary by Paul Bonesteel and we promise — no rockers competing with us in the next room.

My dear dear friend Mary Fons may finally be done with Mayo clinic and heading home to Chicago with her big (and I mean big) guy Steve.

If you don’t know of the struggles Mary has gone through over the past months (starting shortly after her wedding night – ugh) google Mary Fons Blog to travel back over her story. She is one heroic woman and, even in the midst of her strife, has been able to express herself as the brilliant writer she is. I’m guessing that her love of writing and her imagination has helped her fight through the mental and medical strife she has been facing.

When I lived on Giddlings Street in Chicago Mary used to work as my press secretary a few days a week before she moved on to more exciting things — the Neo-Futurists and free lance writing assignments that paid more than the ten bucks I could afford.  When we got bored we would pretend to be dogs and run around the apartment arfing.

That’s what I’m doing now Mary arf arfing jumping up and down waiting for you to come home.

Update on the memorial for Eddy Two-Rivers poet, playwright, director and short story writer died on December 27, 2009 in Green Bay, Wisconsin after a battle with cancer. The Chicago-area memorial is scheduled for January 10, 2009 from 4 pm to 8 pm at the American Indian Center, 1630 West Wilson Avenue (near Ashland Avenue). Please come by to offer your condolences to his family and to break bread with those who cared for one of our community’s literary lights.