Tag Archives: Sidewalk Cafe

Videos from Premiere Reading from Burning Furiously Beautiful: The True Story of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road

31 Aug

Here’s video from the very first reading from Burning Furiously Beautiful: The True Story of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, cowritten with biographer Paul Maher Jr.  This is the reading that took place at The Sidewalk Cafe, to celebrate poet RA Araya’s birthday, and the awesome band I collaborated with is called flashbackpuppy.  Not only was this my first reading from the book — it was also my first time reading with a live band!  We didn’t rehearse the collaboration at all.  I literally met them for the first time when I got up on the stage.

Video via Liz Koenig

Video via Fred Rodriguez

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Don’t forget to come out this Monday night, September 3, at 8:30, to  Cornelia Street Cafe (29 Cornelia St., NYC).  Just steps from where Jack Kerouac and David Amram did their jazz-poetry readings in 1957, I’ll be reading about Kerouac while David Amram plays!  If you’ve ever caught any of his performances, you know that Amram is not only a phenomenal musician but also a great storyteller.

Amram & Co. includes David Amram, Kevin Twigg, John de Witt, and Adam Amram.  $10 cover, plus $10 minimum.

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9/2/12: That’s Jon Martinez on bass, Patrick Conlon on drums, Peter Beckett guitar playing in the videos.

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Photos from Reading at Sidewalk Cafe

15 Aug

I had so much fun reading at poet RA Araya’s birthday bash at the Sidewalk Cafe this past Sunday!! RA was such a great host and is so encouraging.  There were so many amazingly talented poets and musicians there.  I felt so honored to get to read with them.

I started off reading the beginning of Homer’s The Odyssey in Ancient Greek (bringing awareness to Greece’s cultural heritage as well as the plight of endangered languages) and then read a section from Burning Furiously Beautiful: The True Story of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, the book that I’m coauthoring with Paul Maher Jr., while the flashbackpuppy band improvised a jazzy tune.

Here are some pictures RA took.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s me sitting next to poet Juan Valenzuela.  In the foreground is poet Miguel Algarin, who co-founded the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and knew Jack Kerouac back in the day.

Special thanks to my friends, who came out to support me.

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Save the Date! I’m reading at Sidewalk Cafe on August 12

1 Aug

Image via the event’s Facebook invitation

Poet RA Araya invited me to read from Burning Furiously Beautiful: The True Story of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, the book I’m coauthoring with esteemed biographer Paul Maher Jr.  It’s going to be an AWESOME event!  I’m so honored to have been invited to read as part of R’s birthday jam.

Get a load of this line up:::

RA’s Music Poetry Jam Celebration… FREE ADMISSION Sunday August 12th 5PM-9PM

Featuring:
Cabaret singer Marissa Mulder and pianist composer Mr Bill Sefiro

… Foamola to perform

Opera gospel singer Virdell Williams

Tango singer Steve

Poets Patricia Spears Jones, Sparrow, Puma Perl, Kate Levin, Sarah Sarai, birthday-oh-boy RA “R!” Araya and the German poetry of Hillary Keel

Stephanie Nikolopoulos will read, as the f-b-p band plays, from her upcoming co-authored biography about Jack Kerouac: Burning Furiously Beautiful

RA’s Flashbackpuppy band featuring bassist singer Jon Martinez and guitarist singer composer Peter Becket

With poet Mia Hansford via telephone

MORE PERFORMERS TO BE ADDED AND YET CONFIRMED

Plus invited performers from the audience

Free Admission, one drink minimum

http://www.sidewalkny.com/

It’s my b-day celebration… With artists friends at a nice hip restaurant bar with a stage in the back room, free admission with a one drink or coffee minimum… ’tis to be a sweet four hour event, come and go and come back for more on a Sunday that’s surely be filled with fine seasoned performers… Open-mic with band backing yer poetry or and music… Don’t bring a present, bring a poem 🙂 -R!

Seriously, seriously excited about reading while Flashbackpuppy plays and hearing all the other amazing poets and performers.  This also will be my debut reading from Burning Furiously Beautiful.

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