Friday, February 24, 2012

Lisa Ebert Featured Reader at Duff's on Monday, February 27


Lisa Ebert will be one of three featured readers at the next •chance operations• reading at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, Monday, February 27. Also featured will be Matthew Freeman and Treasure Shields Redmond.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $3.

Musical guest will be Matt Harnish of Bunnygrunt.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.

Lisa Ebert resides in St. Louis with four sons and one rock-and-roll husband. Her poetry, fiction and non-fiction have appeared in River Styx, the Riverfront Times, St. Louis Magazine, Literal Chaos, Bad Shoe, and Flood Stage: An Anthology of St. Louis Poets.

Circus Zenia

Some say that clowns are fearsome, but I say it’s the trapeze artist.
Zenia winks and flirts, spinning wildly, her dark mane a crown.
Hang on to your husbands! she says with her teeth.
The beautiful robber bride above, star of the show,
accompanied by the circus organ, and the noises of the crowd,
makes life go away -- under her spell.

Or maybe the Ringmaster is star; with flailing arms, his hearty welcome,
funny, flirtatious, and he calls himself Ted, like Ted Bundy, he laughs.
His eyes lock on mine -- it’s electric. I can’t be wrong, for I’m smart.
We’re the fruit of this magic, and his head cocks, and he promises:
wonders we’ve never experienced! All in exchange for a bit our time,
for feeding his spirit, and he smiles in my direction. Mine.

Performers parade: Rosalind, the bewitching snakecharmerbellydancer;
small people with poodles; barkers selling popcorn; a prancing pony girl;
and the clowns, with their juggling pins and sweepers, and antics, and whistles.
We are given over, huddled together in the small tent, the traveling tent,
the old-fashioned carnival of souls. The air thickens, the air makes me drunk.
We cheer for more, we hoot, we are carnivores.

Ted the Ringmaster calls us rubes, and then smiles, and he waits.
It takes time to feel the hit, the confusion, and the audience boos gently,
and the organ notes crash, and his face darkens.
“Very well!” Ted bellows, “I shall end the show. Go home.”
How we change when someone opens our trapdoor,
revealing the chasm inside.

In the awkward divide, the sound of a sputtering I.V. line, strapped to my arm,
its needle deep, snaking down under the dusty wooden bench, brings me pain.
Brings the audience sudden pain. We beg. We offer more flesh.
He smiles, and the drug returns. What pathology is this?
There’s a monster in the tent, and we’re all in danger. But he loves me best.
I didn’t boo! I felt sorry for him. I’m on his side!

Zenia’s laughter cues the music, resumes the show, and she scatters glittering magic dust.
The pot is boiling strong now. I grab my companion’s skeletal hand,
in breathless anticipation, and all the season ticket holders are skeletal.
And Rosalind, the lovely snakecharmerbellydancer is missing her legs. They’ve been severed.
She longs to go home but is handicapped, trapped. And there are scars on the clowns,
fur missing on the poodles, and the children rage or weep, destined to be one or the other.

I know Ted the Ringmaster is corrupt, and I know he’s married to Zenia,
but I know he prefers to be with me. He waves his arms and splays his feet,
and bellows the wonders of his show, and it wasn’t a lie, exactly.
He wants me in this menagerie, locked in a curio cabinet, unquestioning.
Forever, if I can take it. And if I can’t, I can go. I’m replaceable.
Someone else will buy a ticket, even someone less perfect.

How long have we been here? An hour? A year? The clowns dance about,
scooping up portions of themselves, taping them back on. The music
roars away, the skeletons applaud, the ponies prance clumsily.
The world is unimportant, unreal, empty and cold, and I don’t want to go back.
The drip is warm, and half of me. It is me. I’m too smart for tricks, he said.
There are no games here, he said. We’re deeply connected.

This show was never for me; it was for the monsters. We were for them.
You out there: you could never imagine the wonders inside; you think I’m nuts.
You don’t believe me. My story dissolves.
But you haven’t drunk the kool aid.

-- Lisa Ebert

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Matt Harnish of Bunnygrunt Will Be Musical Guest at Duff's on Monday, February 27

Photo by Jaime Sleaze.

Musical guest at the next •chance operations• reading at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, Monday, February 27, will be Matt Harnish of Bunnygrunt.

Featured readers will be Matthew Freeman, Lisa Ebert, and Treasure Shields Redmond.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $3.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Matthew Freeman Featured Reader at Duff's on Monday, February 27


Matthew Freeman will be one of three featured readers at the next •chance operations• reading at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, Monday, February 27. Also featured will be Lisa Ebert and Treasure Shields Redmond.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $3.

Musical guest will be Matt Harnish of Bunnygrunt.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.

Matthew Freeman has been a poet since he was a teenager in Dogtown, St. Louis. Since then he has fallen in love, traveled the country, and sung his songs. He now lives and writes in the Loop neighborhood of University City, Missouri. The Boulevard of Broken Discourse is his fourth collection of poems. Matthew compiled Flood Stage: An Anthology of St. Louis Poets, a landmark anthology of 55 area poetsMatthew recently received an Albert Montesi Award for his poetry from Saint Louis University.

Critics have high praise for Freeman’s poetry:
“Gritty and real, full of personality (and personalities), urban St. Louis scenery and experience.” —- J. Gordon, Nightimes.com

“Simultaneously hip, funny, and sad.” -— Dorothea Grossman, Poet

“A microscope into the world of an extraordinarily talented schizophrenic.” —- Suzanne Shenkman.
I Know What Girls Know

I had to become the ugly friend—
I owed that much to the universe—

and I was desperate for the phone to ring,
and I dreamt all night after an accidental
breast grazed against my elbow in the
crowded lobby of Powell Hall.

I was hated by hipsters for wearing
my frumpy SLU shirt; I was ridiculed
by hippies for trying to remain chirpy
when I was freaking out; I was hunted
by hoosiers for recognizing how bored
and unhappy their wives were.

When I met Lesbia she touched me first;
she took my hand off the steering wheel
and put it on her inner thigh; I thought I’d die.
And when she asked about my model friend
I knew I had to bring this ship to shore --
it was easy, I just pretended
I didn’t really like her anymore.

-- Matt Freeman

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Treasure Shields Redmond Featured Reader at Duff's on Monday, February 27


Treasure Shields Redmond will be one of three featured readers at the next •chance operations• reading at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, Monday, February 27. Also featured will be Lisa Ebert and Matthew Freeman.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $3.

Musical guest will be Matt Harnish of Bunnygrunt.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.

A Mississippi native, Treasure Shields Redmond is a St. Louis based poet, performer and educator. She has published poetry in such notable anthologies as Bum Rush the Page: A Def Poetry Jam, Breaking Ground: A Reader Celebrating Cane Canem’s First Decade; and in journals that include the Sou'wester and the African American Review.

She has received a fellowship to the FineArts Works Center, and her poem, "around the time of medgar" was nominated for a 2011 Pushcart Prize. Treasure is a Cave Canem fellow and has received an MFA from the University of Memphis. Presently, she divides her time between being an assistant professor of English at Southwestern Illinois College, and doctoral studies at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

caveat

the celluloid vision of jackie o
reflexively reaching for kennedy's brains;
too fast for even her
aristocratic hands.

did she think
she could put it all back together?

her archival papers
(now cool to the touch)
reveal she knew of his philandering --
her mother counseled her to stay .

so maybe that reflexive jump
on the back of a motorcade
was not as mothers flinch,
watching deathless sons
in football games.
but more as a runner,
anticipating the crisp gun shot.

-- Treasure Shields Redmond

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Typewriter Tim at January Open-Mic


Typewriter Tim was one of 10 readers who stepped up to the open-mic at the January •chance operations• reading.

The next •chance operations• reading at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, will be Monday, February 27.

Featured readers will be Lisa Ebert, Matthew Freeman, and Treasure Shields Redmond.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $3.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Susan SpitFire Lively at January Open-Mic


Susan SpitFire Lively was one of 10 readers who stepped up to the open-mic at the January •chance operations• reading.

The next •chance operations• reading at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, will be Monday, February 27.

Featured readers will be Lisa Ebert, Matthew Freeman, and Treasure Shields Redmond.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $3.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Marcel Toussaint at January Open-Mic


Marcel Toussaint was one of 10 readers who stepped up to the open-mic at the January •chance operations• reading.

The next •chance operations• reading at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, will be Monday, February 27.

Featured readers will be Lisa Ebert, Matthew Freeman, and Treasure Shields Redmond.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $3.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Erin Goss at January Open-Mic


Erin Goss was one of 10 readers who stepped up to the open-mic at the January •chance operations• reading.

The next •chance operations• reading at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, will be Monday, February 27.

Featured readers will be Lisa Ebert, Matthew Freeman, and Treasure Shields Redmond.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $3.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Steve Schroeder at January Open-Mic



Steve Schroeder
was one of 10 readers who stepped up to the open-mic at the January •chance operations• reading.

The next •chance operations• reading at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, will be Monday, February 27.

Featured readers will be Lisa Ebert, Matthew Freeman, and Treasure Shields Redmond.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $3.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Julia Gordon-Bramer at January Open-Mic


Julia Gordon-Bramer was one of 10 readers who stepped up to the open-mic at the January •chance operations• reading.

The next •chance operations• reading at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, will be Monday, February 27.

Featured readers will be Lisa Ebert, Matthew Freeman, and Treasure Shields Redmond.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $3.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Jennifer Goldring at January Open-Mic


Jennifer Goldring was one of 10 readers who stepped up to the open-mic at the January •chance operations• reading.

The next •chance operations• reading at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, will be Monday, February 27.

Featured readers will be Lisa Ebert, Matthew Freeman, and Treasure Shields Redmond.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $3.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Scott Miller at January Open-Mic


Scott Miller was one of 10 readers who stepped up to the open-mic at the January •chance operations• reading.

The next •chance operations• reading at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, will be Monday, February 27.

Featured readers will be Lisa Ebert, Matthew Freeman, and Treasure Shields Redmond.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $3.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Lynn Bradley Wynen-Chamberlain at January Open-Mic


Lynn Bradley Wynen-Chamberlain was one of 10 readers who stepped up to the open-mic at the January •chance operations• reading.

The next •chance operations• reading at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, will be Monday, February 27.

Featured readers will be Lisa Ebert, Matthew Freeman, and Treasure Shields Redmond.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $3.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Tom Simmons at January Open-Mic


Tom Simmons was one of 10 readers who stepped up to the open-mic at the January •chance operations• reading.

The next •chance operations• reading at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, will be Monday, February 27.

Featured readers will be Lisa Ebert, Matthew Freeman, and Treasure Shields Redmond.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $3.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Tom Bramer at January Reading



Tom Bramer
provided the musical entertainment at the January •chance operations• reading.

The next •chance operations• reading at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, will be Monday, February 27.

Featured readers will be Lisa Ebert, Matthew Freeman, and Treasure Shields Redmond.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $3.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Sally Van Doren at January Reading


Sally Van Doren was one of three featured readers at the January •chance operations• reading.

The next •chance operations• reading at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, will be Monday, February 27.

Featured readers will be Lisa Ebert, Matthew Freeman, and Treasure Shields Redmond.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $3.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Jennifer Kronovet at January Reading


Jennifer Kronovet was one of three featured readers at the January •chance operations• reading.

The next •chance operations• reading at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, will be Monday, February 27.

Featured readers will be Lisa Ebert, Matthew Freeman, and Treasure Shields Redmond.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $3.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.

Monday, February 6, 2012

George Stair at January Reading


George Stair was one of three featured readers at the January •chance operations• reading.

The next •chance operations• reading at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, will be Monday, February 27.

Featured readers will be Lisa Ebert, Matthew Freeman, and Treasure Shields Redmond.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; admission is $3.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.