Kevin Marshall's America » Literature

William Kennedy’s latest has reignited my creative energies

kevinmarshall — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:19:21 +0000

This is not a book a young man would or could write. There is the sense here of somebody who has seen and considered much, without letting his inner fire cool.
– John Sayles on William Kennedy’s Chango’s Beads and Two Tone Shoes in the Sunday Book Review (The New York Times 10/02/2011)

Author and filmmaker John Sayles gives William Kennedy’s new book Chango’s Beads and Two-Tone Shoes the sort of enthusiastic and awe-inspiring write-up you’d expect for the latest work from a Pulitzer Prize winning novelist. Except Kennedy is 83, and the wonder here is that this book is even more exciting and energetic than his earlier works, such as the half-fiction biography Legs and the award-winning Ironweed.

I’m nearly done with it. It’s written in a disjointed fashion, going first to Havana in the late 50s then Albany in the late 60s, then back and forth and back and slightly forward then back and then forward again. It’s a device that should be jarring, but Kennedy is a master and he keeps the narrative linear even when the time frame isn’t and the characters are revisited at wildly different points in their arcs.

I’m a late arrival to his work. I became fan after acquiring and absorbing a paperback collection of “The Albany Trio,” an anthology that includes Ironweed, Legs, and Billy Phelan’s Greatest Game. I can’t deny that the local connection made it much easier for me to develop a familiarity with his work (Kennedy is a native of the area and uses it as the locale of his novels and I was born and raised in Troy), but it’s his prose and especially his treatment of characters that has retained my enthusiasm and appreciation. Amongst the praises heaped upon him by Sayles and others, what I perhaps appreciate most is his ability to tell us everything about a person with just a brief moment, anecdote, or action. I want more than anything to be able to do that, though I shouldn’t obsess over it because the envy might drive me mad. Rather than Kevin Marshall, a fan at a respectful distance, I’d become Salieri.

Okay, not really.

Through mutual friendships and company, I’ve had the opportunity to meet Kennedy. Thus far I’ve purposely avoided it. I’m always loathe to impose myself on people for whom I carry such great respect and admiration. I will, however, be at Troy Night Out on Friday, October 28th to have him sign my copy of Chango’s Beads and Two-Tone Shoes when he appears at Market Block Books (290 River Street, Troy NY).

I’ll likely keep it brief. I’ll give him my book, let him scribble, shake his hand, then say “thank you” and let him assume it was for the signing rather than the reinvigoration of my love for the written word and passion for writing at a time in my life – right now – when I so desperately needed it.

The Nitty Gritty Slam returns tonight at Valentine’s with special guest judge…ME

kevinmarshall — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:30:18 +0000

WHAT: Nitty Gritty Slam
…WAIT, WHAT?: It’s a Slam Poetry event that started two weeks ago.
OH COOL. WHEN IS IT?: Sign up begins at 7:00pm. There’s a brief Open Mic at 7:30pm and the event proper starts at 8:00pm.
WHERE IS IT?: Valentine’s in Albany on New Scotland Ave.
IS THERE A COVER?: 5 smackers, only 3 with a Student ID. It’s more than worth it.
IS THIS A REGULAR THING?: Yep, first and third Tuesdays of every month.
WHAT’S THE TURNOUT LIKE?: For the last event it was fantastic. I didn’t think we’d get that sort of reaction and enthusiasm for a slam poetry event in Albany, and was especially surprised at the quality of the participants. I guarantee you it’s going to be a great time.
WAIT, WAS THAT YOU THAT WAS A JUDGE AT THE FIRST ONE TWO WEEKS AGO?: Yep.
OH MAN. NOT COOL. YOU WERE WAY HARSH.: Look, think of me like a quality teacher. If I give you a poor grade, it’s because you phoned it in and it shows and I know you can do better. Besides, there’s too much positive reinforcement and glad-handing in various communities around here. If you don’t want to be graded, go slam your Momma.
IF I GO THERE AND COMPETE, CAN I ASK YOU ABOUT MY SCORE AFTERWARDS?: Sure. But it’ll be like asking how you performed after you had sex with someone and failed to bring them to orgasm. It’s super off-putting and kinda sad.
WHATEVER, JERK. IS THERE A WEBSITE?: Yes! NittyGrittySlam.com.

All Over Albany has a good little piece on the first round. For a taste, here’s video of the last Slam’s winner, Tammy Poe, who was just fantastic.

The Nitty Gritty Slam is brought to you by Albany Poets, Urban Guerrila Theater, and the Frequency North Reading Series.

Go get some culture in you.

Nitty Gritty Slam TONIGHT at Valentine’s

kevinmarshall — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:51:08 +0000

Starting tonight, the Nitty Gritty Slam goes down the first and third Tuesdays of every month. Click the image to visit the official site, NittyGrittySlam.com

Slam Poetry has finally returned to the Capital Region.

Tonight (Tuesday 9/6/11) marks the debut of Nitty Gritty Slam at Valentine’s, hosted by slam poets Dain Brammage and Mojavi. The cover is $5 and only $3 if you’re a student with college/University ID.

Doors open at 7:00pm and the event kicks off a half-hour later with a brief open mic followed by the Slam itself starting at 8:00pm. The event is open to anyone and everyone both on and off the stage.

Being a bit of an ignoramous when it comes to this sort of thing, I’ve asked around and been told that the seminal book on slam poetry is Words In Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz. So that’s on my (ever-growing) reading queue in addition to attending this event.

More info vis a vis the press release-ish thing (cuz this s***’s too REAL for straight up marketing!) is below.

nittygrittyslam.com

POETRY SLAM RETURNS TO ALBANY

WITH NITTY GRITTY SLAM

Poetry slam is coming back to the Capital Region.

For the first time in more over 10 years, the Albany region will have its own poetry slam venue. Called the NITTY GRITTY SLAM and hosted by poets Dain Brammage and Mojavi, the first slam will take place on Tuesday, September 6, at 8pm at Valentines (17 New Scotland Ave.). Slams will be held the first and third Tuesdays of the month after that.

Admission is $5.00 ($3.00 with student ID).

Who can attend or perform? Anyone and everyone. The doors open at 7pm, and that’s when the sign-up sheet to slam is put out on the bar. There will be a short open mic at 7:30pm, the slammer line-up is announced and the slam begins at 8pm.

What’s a poetry slam, you ask? It’s been awhile around these parts, so here goes.

Each slam, judges are randomly selected from the audience who score poets who perform for up to three minutes and use nothing but words, their body and a microphone. The judges give each poet a score on a scale of 0.0 to 10.0. The scores are added up, and the poets with the higher numbers advance until two poets are left in the final round. At the end of the three rounds, the highest-scoring poet is awarded a prize—bragging rights to start, on up to a chance to join the slam team we’re sending to the National Poetry Slam!

NITTY GRITTY SLAM is presented by Albany Poets, Urban Guerilla Theatre, Frequency North Reading Series, and others in the Albany literary communities. We have begin the process with PSI (Poetry Slam Inc.) .

For more information, contact NITTYGRITTYSLAM@gmail.com.

More information about poetry slam:

Started in Chicago in the 1980s at the Green Mill Jazz Club, the poetry slam was invented by Marc Smith, a construction worker and poet who wanted to liven up poetry readings. Poetry slams spread rapidly around the country: from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in the East Village to MTV and HBO’s Def Poetry Jam to The White House to venues around the world. Each year, the five-day National Poetry Slam is held in a different city, packing 3,000-seat venues and 80 certified teams each year.
A poetry slam is all about the audience. Audience members are encouraged to cheer and jeer both the poets and judges. The audience’s job at the Nitty Gritty Slam, as in every slam, is to try to influence the judges, and express their approval or disapproval for the poets or scores they love or hate.

A poetry slam is rock and roll, a Broadway show, hip-hop, dance, stand-up comedy, and poetry wrapped into a tight, three-minute set.