I’m in a podcast Down Under. Where verses flow and words thunder.

Posted by Jeff on Nov 6th, 2020 in News | 0 comments

Gonna make this as quick as I can, as I’ve got a lot I want to do this weekend, and I know you’re all distracted by the election silliness down south…

1) Wordsmith Podcast Launch
I was recently interviewed for Wordsmith, an upcoming poetry podcast series in Sydney, Australia. Date of the episode to come. If you can’t wait until then (and you’re cool with waking up at four in the morning), I’ll be at the Zoom series launch event this Sunday. Featuring Kelly Van Nelson and Miriam Hechtman; other guests include my friend Special K and many others.

2) Ad Lib’s Got Talent
Another one of these. The usual gang of idiots, including me. Blah blah blah.

3) Runcible Spoon
Another Zoom gig in the U.K., next month. More details closer to the date.

More info and links on the right sidebar. Do your thing.

By the way, did you read my Digital Journal article about the Zoom poetry phenomenon?
No? Well, here it is.

Bye now. Happy November.

Radio Plays the Poetry Stars?

Posted by Jeff on Oct 13th, 2020 in News | 0 comments

As further evidence of my bold assertion in the previous entry that October is the Month of Jeff, here’s a quick note to let you know that I’m going to be on the radio tomorrow.

British radio, that is.
I’ll be reading two silly poems – “Adequate Man” and “How to Make Money in Poetry” – in Under the Evening Light, which airs on Severn FM in Gloucester, England. (My readings are pre-recorded.) If you’ve been following my Zoom exploits over the past couple of months, I’m sure you’ve already heard these two pieces about ten times each now. If you haven’t, though, then they’ll be new to you.

Other readers: Scott Coe, Clive Oseman, Gary Huskisson and Simon Alderwick.
Lucia Daramus hosts the program. 2:00-3:00 Eastern Standard Time.

“But Jeff,” you say, “I’m in Toronto. How can I listen in if the station is all the way over there? My radio isn’t that powerful. Nobody’s is. You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, Sonny-me-boy.”
Fortunately, you can hear the show online at this link.

Also, a reminder that I’m doing these two events on October 30:

Afternoon: Pic n Mix
A U.K. event, which will feature other spoken-word artists and an open mic.

Evening: Ad Lib’s Got Talent – Zoom Edition
The usual gang of idiots is back, for this talent night that happens at Toronto’s Arts and Letters Club during normal times.

Info on the above events in the right sidebar. Click back for updated links.

Oh! And I just posted a new work-in-progress story on Wattpad.com.
It’s called “Pencil”. It’s about a young man who almost loses his prized writing tool. And some other stuff happens.

Now? Time for a cartoon.

October is the Month of Jeff

Posted by Jeff on Sep 30th, 2020 in News | 0 comments

Remember the Summer of George?

That was from a Seinfeld episode. The Summer of George didn’t go so well for Mr. Costanza. But I’m unofficially declaring October to be the Month of Jeff, and I’m hoping to have better luck.
(That is, if a fictional character who temporarily attracted Marisa Tomei and slept with many other beautiful women who should have been out of his league can be said to be unlucky.)

Anyway.

October is the Month of Jeff because I have three Zoom spoken-word gigs:

1) October 6: Oooh Beehive’s Barrel of Laughs

A lot of people say poetry and comedy shouldn’t mix. A lot of snooty, arrogant people, that is, who probably don’t get out enough. Well, Oooh Beehive sets out to prove these horrible people wrong. This Swindon, England-based night also features U.K. star Robert Garnham and the series’ usual hosts Clive Oseman and Nick Lovell, plus a limited open mic.

To register for the Zoom meeting, get a free e-ticket here.

2) October 30 (afternoon): Pic n Mix
Another U.K. series, which will feature other spoken-word artists and a bigger open mic.

3) October 30 (evening): Ad Lib’s Got Talent – Zoom Edition
The usual gang of idiots is back, for this talent night that happens at Toronto’s Arts and Letters Club during normal times.

That’s right. I’m doing two gigs in one day – on both sides of the Atlantic.
I’m pulling a Phil Collins at Live Aid.

Info on the above events in the right sidebar. Click back for updated links. (That is, if anybody actually visits this bloody website.)

Another reason October is the Month of Jeff is that I’ve recently been interviewed for an Australian poetry podcast series, which is going live near the end of the month. Not sure of the date of my episode yet. Will let you know.

Now, a song about a cowboy who won’t come do his census.

Happy fall, fall boys.

Fly Me to the Zoom

Posted by Jeff on Aug 15th, 2020 in News | 0 comments

Zoom is a delightful thing, isn’t it?
Over the past four or five months, I’ve done a metric freakload of poetry open mics in the U.K., a whole lot more in New York and California and Nashville, and also a handful in continental Europe. I even made my Australian debut earlier this week, though I had to wake up before 4:30 in the morning for it. And I got to do all of this without playing any plane fare, booking accommodations, or even bringing a passport. Spoken-word open mics are essentially the same wherever you go. That’s a funny silver lining of this silly pandemic – artists from all over the world are connecting and networking through the Zoom phenomenon.

While I’ve made some cool new friends and contacts in this global community, nobody has offered me a gig yet – at least, not outside of Toronto. Not a huge loss; I’ve already done plenty of features in the U.K. and the U.S. in the real world. But I do have a few local virtual events coming up, and you should go to them. You don’t even have to leave home.

First up: this Thursday, catch me on Zoom at Brenda Clews’ event, Pull Down the Northern Lights for Chandeliers.
Brenda will perform a new prose poem on the theme of writer’s block. (If you’re one of those people who feel that nobody should ever write poetry about poetry, this may fill you with rage and loathing for a lifetime. Oh well.) Then I and a few other local scribes will read a piece each, and we will discuss our writing processes and how we overcome lack of inspiration.

Then, on the 25th, I will host the Virtual Art Bar, featuring Ian Burgham and Sharon Goodier.
This is a prerecorded Facebook event – to view it, go to the Art Bar FB page and view videos of the featured poets reading their work, and me being silly.

Relevant links are on the right sidebar.

Also: Ad Lib’s Got Talent: Zoom Edition is coming back in September. Same folks, same vibe, same relaxed evening of art and whatever. Link to come.

Happy Amy Reville’s birthday. Here’s a thing.

Ad Lib’s Got Talent: Zoom Edition III

Posted by Jeff on Aug 3rd, 2020 in News | 0 comments

Another three weeks pass, another Ad Lib Zoom night.

Happening this Friday. Details on the right sidebar.
Performers include me (I’ll read part of a story-in-progress), Vanessa McMahon, Dimetre Alexou, Charlene Winger… and a special appearance by Virginia performance poet Special K!

Happy Simcoe Day. I hope Simcoe gives you everything you want.