new open mic?

Hi Everyone
First – let me say that although I am sending this email around to all my peoples, it is specific and important to me and not one of those genericy sorts of things.
As many of you know, over the past few years here in SF I have been struggling to find a community of poets, writers and artists that could enliven and encourage each other. A feminist bunch of multi cultural multi gendered folks that want to share work in an inclusive and queer environment that isn’t bogged down by a lot of pretention.
I have found open mics around town, mostly straight in focus, mostly white in attendance and even when reading felt like I was coming from such a different space, just very alienated. I have attended some queer open mics, and I wish there were more and that they were more centrally located (I love Potrero Hill, but without a car it’s not the easiest on a Sunday night). I feel like I am the bee girl in the Blind Melon video and I am still searching for my people.
So this is a call to you, my friends, my community, to start a new queer focused open mic. I have to believe, with the folks I see around town, with the folks that I know, that we could start up a right on revolution of poetry and community like we always talk that we want.
The new café at the queer community center is open to having such an event (for free!!!), and heard through the grapevine that I wanted them to do one. Well, someone needs to organize it, and I figured I would see if there are people out there that are interested.
Is it possible to create a space as warm as Ashkenaz, as eccentric as the Stork Club, as fun as El Rio, as political (and comfortable) as Café Macondo, and as queer as the Bearded Lady? Well, I am hoping so.
So please – forward this somewhat hokey and earnest email around. If you receive this and would be into coming to such an event – please join the yahoo group I just made
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lulureadspoems or email to lulureadspoems@yahoogroups.com

(no subject)

wow
i am feeling unbelievably down today
like one of those times where even the sun
seems down and dreary
everything is tinged a little dark
sigh
where ever you go
there you are
*****


Thursday, July 22, 2004

i had this vision today as I was driving to work
which i usually don't do, since this is San Francisco and parking and driving are both evil
but it was street cleaning day and so I was driving down fell street
and for some reason this van, this weirdly putrid pink van was parked right near where I was waiting for the light, and this van made me want to punch it, take a sledgehammer and just destroy the fuck out of it
I was sitting there, waiting for the green light, with images of denting metal, satisfying clunking noises and glass flying
and thought how sad it would be
for someone to have to call my father
conservative and ordinary
and explain how
while waiting for the light to change
the brain of his sensible normal midwestern daughter
cracked open like an overripe melon
in morning rush hour traffic
and she beat a pink van to death
before dusting herself off
and driving away
singing a nick cave song
from the murder ballads album
how she was now wanted
for three similar car violence cases
currently unsolved in the Hayes Valley area
and that she may be a serial car killer
I imagined the absolute confusion
he would face
it just makes no sense
and so I pulled away on the green
pissed off
because that pink van
really had it coming