Ed Coletti Interviews Michael Rothenberg founder of 100 Thousand Poets for ChangeQ: Michael, how did you dream up this ambitious project?
A: Two months ago I was chatting with a friend on Facebook, complaining about the world, and I said in desperation, "There ought to be 100 Thousand Poets for Change!" My friend replied, "That's a good idea." So I created an event page on Facebook asking my Facebook friends if they would be interested in a demonstration/ celebration of poetry to promote serious social and political change?
Q: How many countries are now involved in staging poetry events on (what's the date?)?
A: So far 170 cities and 44 countries have signed on to organize events on September 24. Nearly 100 events in the USA!
Q: How many total venues.
A: I estimate the number of venues at around 200 venues to date. In Cincinnati there will be a "crawl" down Main Street from shop to shop, an hour poetry reading in each shop. So there might be 8 venues in Cincinnati but I am not counting those! In the Bay Area there are 10 venues.
Q: What are some of the more surprising examples? (I'm going to say something like only Jupiter and Saturn not staging events)
A: Yesterday I signed on a world famous bookstore Al Kotob Khan in Cairo, Egypt. We have had very positive response from African nations, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and South Africa. And the Slam community is into the event in a big way. They are calling their events SLAM FOR CHANGE, participants include Oakland Slam poets, Austin Poetry Slam, Hilo, Hawaii slam, Boise, Idaho, Spokane Poetry Slam and Thess Poetry Slam in Athens, Greece. I expect there will be many more.
Q: Most heartwarming response?
A: I received a video in my email from Limerick, Ireland. It was a recording of a gathering of The Whitehouse Poets where they announced their decision to participate in a global movement, 100 Thousand Poets for Change, and expressed their desire to be the center of this movement for all of Ireland. I also liked to hear from a group in Canada who are not poets but want to read poetry about political and social change on September 24. And I am inspired by the planned gathering of the most famous poets in Bangladesh, Nirmolendu goon, Joyonta deb, Aditto anik, and Syed Shamshul hoque in Bogra, Bangladesh for September 24.
Q: Funniest response or reaction thus far?
Someone told me they weren't interested in the program because they liked to keep their poetry and politics separate.
Q: How are you coping? Are you sure you're doing enough?
A: Sigh. It is inspiring and exhausting. I am drawn in by the enthusiasm of others. I never feel that I have done enough.
Q: I was joking. I admire you for the amount of effort you put into helping poetry count both with this and your previous Katrina projects.
CORE SAMPLE 2
We want to live like movie stars
We don't trust politicians but still
Let them run our lives
What's another landfill of radios at 20 ft
Computers at 10ft. Poetry at five
Polyurethane embryos and vinyl blood
Take a sample, smear it on a slide
Bombard it with laser, atoms, literary criticism
Snow falls in Sierras 3 inches per hour
Chains required on major passes
Too late to turn back
(Michael Rothenberg 1999)
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The Joy!
Bay Area Poet Geri diGiorno also is a wonderful portrait collagist currently being featured at Big Bridge. Here's the link to Geri diGiorno collages.
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The Horror!
Check this out from Poets & Writers study "The Anatomy of Awards." Of 1,064 contest winners, 129 won prizes resulting in the publication of a full-length book. Of the winners aged 65+, a mere 4 percent prevailed! What do you conclude?
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In case you missed this on the P3, I'm very proud of the book and will repeat this here in "No Money in Poetry."
Coming Out in June!!!
Double-Click on Cover to Enlarge (so you can read review blurbs)
June Painting Exhibit
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