Breakup at the Rock Show [13 years]

 

Lesley on cover of Breakup at the Rock Show (2000)

The Year in Poetry, 2023

 

A thanks to the poets whose work I got to hear in Portland in 2023:

Abel, David

Armantrout, Rae

Beckman, Joshua

Beer, John

Bernheimer, Alan

Bulley, Victoria Adukwei

Chua, Rena Garcia

Collins, Arda

Corrigan, Brittney

Daniels, Chris

Day, Jean

Fishman, Lisa

Fleming, Gerald

Fuhrman, Joanna 

Gevirtz, Susan

Gonzalez, Elisa

Hirshfield, Jane

Jackson, Major

Johnson, Jessica E.

Larkin, Maryrose

Lee, Annabel

Lee, Janice

Lohmann, Sam

Luna, Christopher

Lupo, Lorraine

Maziar, Paul

Meier, Richard

Mojgani, Anis

Molnar, Daniela Naomi

Nichelle, Jae

Notley, Alice

de la Paz, Oliver

Rabins, Alicia Jo

Reeves, Roger

Reilly, Evelyn

Rekdal, Paisley

Roberson, Ed

Rocha, Flavia

Russo, Linda

Savage, Claudia Saleeby

Schlesinger, Kyle

Shaner, Tim

Skinner, Jonathan

Tierney, Orchid

Vasquez, Angie Trudell

Williams, Tyrone 

Woodard, Deborah

Zapruder, Matthew

Kiss the Liberator [12 years]

Lesley in SF

Glitter Mini 9 "Kiss the Liberator"

The Year in Poetry, 2022

A thanks to the poets whose work I got to hear in Portland in 2022:

Abel, David

Alexander, Charles

Boldt, Lindsay

Canty, Turner 

Carty, Bill

Dunagan, Patrick James

Dundon, Patrick

Edwards, Joshua

Griffitts, Meg E.

Hongo, Garrett

Kahn, Jacob

Mojgani, Anis

Safdie, Joe

Scarano, Caitlin

Siegel, Marisa

Tibble, Tayi

Tillinghast, Richard

Wong, Shelley

Xu, Lynn

Yeary, James

Automate [11 years]

Lesley @ Warped Tour, San Francisco

Glitter Mini 9 “Automate”

I hear you

I see you

You need to

Automate

It won’t kill you

They’ll rebuild you

You’re better off this way

Hey, hey, hey

Automate

You are breaking

Misbehaving

And you’re hating every day

Now it’s time you

Come around to

Your new life in solid state

Hey, hey, hey

Automate

Love you, Transistor

The Year in Poetry, 2021

A thanks to the poets whose work I got to hear in Portland in 2021:

Cobb, Allison

Johnson, Juleen Eun Sun

Morse, Jesse

Newton, Ryan

Poulin, Melissa Reeser

Sigo, Cedar

Walton, Thomas

Cuckoo [10 years]

Glitter Mini 9 “Cuckoo”

The Year in Poetry, 2020

A thanks to the poets whose work I got to hear in Portland in 2020:

Bruno, Franklin

Glazer, Michele

Radon, Lisa

Rocha, Flávia

Silano, Martha

Yeary, James

Ronnie's Racing School [9 years]

(l-r): Lesley, C., M. @ Warped Tour, SF

Glitter Mini 9 “Ronnie’s Racing School”

Who’s that cool cat

racing down the track?

Is it Cary Grant?

No he’s too laid back

Larger than life

Ronnie’s making out 

icon of his time

he’s what motor sports are all about

Ronnie’s Racing School

making men of fools

Ronnie’s Racing School

it’s cool, it rules, it rules

Pack of Lucky Strikes

smoking down the speedway

you just can’t deny

he’s hotwired for the 21st century

Ronnie’s Racing School

you know you can’t lose

Ronnie’s Racing School

it’s cool, it rules, it rules

Ronnie, hey

and the boys and the girls

they cry, he’s so shy

Ronnie hey

Ronnie’s Racing School

making men of fools

Ronnie’s Racing School

it’s cool, it rules, it rules, it rules (x2)

The Year in Poetry, 2019

A thanks to the poets whose work I had a chance to hear in Portland in 2019:

Akant, Sara Deniz
Alexander, Will
Ali, Kazim
Armantrout, Rae
Ashby, Chris
Atsitty, Tacey M.

Ballard, Micah
Beckman, Joshua
Beer, John
Bernheimer, Alan
Bettridge, Joel
Blythe, Ali
Boldt, Lindsay
Book, Shane
Bouwsma, Julia
Bravo, Rodrigo
Brings Plenty, Trevino
Brolaski, Julian Talamantez

Calvocoressi, Gabrielle
Chang, Tina
Cobb, Allison
Cole, Norma
Craig, Michael Earl
Czaga, Kayla

Da´, Lauren

DinéYazhi´, Demian

Dutton, Danielle

Dykstra, Kristin

Eisen-Martin, Tongo

Elkins, Ansel

Elliot, Joseph

Fernandes, Raoul

Frey, Emily Kendal

Gander, Forrest

Gibson, Dobby

Inbar, Tomer

Jess, Tyehimba

Kearney, Douglas

Larsen, Sara

Lasky, Dorothea

Laux, Dorianne

Limon, Ada

Lohmann, Sam

Mahrer, Gregory

Matejka, Adrian

McCann, Anthony

McCollum, Seann

McSweeney, Joyelle

Meier, Richard

Mody, Monica
Murphy, Miguel

Negus, Sean

Newton, Ryan

Nguyen, Diana Khoi

Orth, Steve

Ostriker, Alicia

Pardlo, Gregory

Pearson, Nancy K.

Rabins, Alicia Jo

Raz, Yosefa

Reines, Ariana

Robinson, Kit

Rocha, Flávia

Scafidi, Steve

Schlegel, Rob

Schomburg, Zachary

Sharma, Prageeta

Shazia, Hafiz Ramji

Sikelianos, Eleni

Thibodeaux, Sunnylyn

Wayne, Phoebe

Welish, Marjorie
Wiatr, Zosia

Wier, Dara

Willis, Wendy
Wise, Consuelo

Westerman, Gwen Neil

Williams, Ian

Yeager, Peter
Yeary, James

Zamora, Felicia
Zapruder, Matthew
Zawacki, Andrew
Zucker, Rachel

Gimme a Teenager [8 years]

(l-r): M., Lesley, C.on Lesley's roof, SF

Glitter Mini 9  “Gimme a Teenager”

I’m not your girlfriend

I’m not your safety pin

today is not your lucky day

The broken locks

the burning sheets

the bad ideas

coming back to me

Every day the sun is shining

the sun is shining, uh-huh

The Devil he says

step back around

two hundred ways for you

to go down, down, down

Come on, come on

we’ll say no way

what we can’t help we

give away

Every day the sun is shining

the sun is shining, uh-huh

Every day the sun is shining

the sun is shining, uh-huh

Gimme a teenager

gimme a teenager

gimme a teenager

gimme one now (x2)

The Year in Poetry, 2018

A thanks to the poets whose work I had a chance to hear in Portland in 2018:

Abel, David
Adams-Santos, Stephanie
Anastacia-Renee
Arterian, Diana

Bashir, Samiya
Beckman, Joshua
Bellamy, Dodie
Blanchfield, Brian
Brolaski, Julian Talamantez

Denrow, Jennifer

Ford, Katie
Froude, Richard

Gander, Forrest
Gladman, Renee

Hass, Robert

Killian, Kevin

Landman, Seth
Larsen, David
Lee, Janice
Levad, Megan
Limon, Ada

Lohmann, Sam

Mead, Jane

Muske-Dukes, Carol

Myles, Eileen

Pardlo, Gregory

Rabins, Alicia Jo

Raphael, Dan

Silverman, Oren

Simonds, Sandra

Skoog, Ed

Tillinghast, Julia Clare

Toliver, Ashley

Tran, Stacey

Vassilakis, Nico

Wilkins, Joe

Yang, Jeffrey

Yeary, James

(completing the dozen: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)

Leisure West [7 years]

M., C., Lesley
Glitter Mini 9  “Leisure West”  

You should know where

home is

close your eyes and

think on this

life—why cry now?

Why cry now?

If you don’t get

sick of it

come on down it’s

time to get

your prize, and get it right

now lie down

Top of the sun

that sets down behind Leisure West

dissolving the girl of my dream

till she is nothing

till she is nothing

[spoken: “If I die, I’d like to be in a place where people can come and have a picnic or a barbecue. I wouldn’t be offended if you’re barbecuing around my grave or my headstone; I just want people to know that.” ]

You should know where

home is

come around to

Leisure West

find out

one down 

why cry now?

The Year in Poetry, 2017

A thanks to the poets whose work I got to hear in Portland in 2017:

abreu, manuel arturo
Armantrout, Rae

Beispiel, David
Brazil, David
Brolaski, Julian Talamantez

Carr, Julie
Ciccarello, Lisa
Cisper, Mary
Cobb, Allison
Cohen, Alicia
Cole, Norma
Coleman, Jen
Conrad, CA

Dunbar, Donald

Eisen-Martin, Tongo

Firestone, Jennifer
Fischer, Norman
Freeman, John

Galvin, Sarah
Goldberg, Ariel

Harris, Jamondria Marnice
Hasegawa, Craig
Heuving, Jeanne 
Hou, Christine Shan Shan
Hunter, Lauren

Knittle, Davy

Lamb, Meghan
Larsen, Sara
Lawson, Shayla
Levin, Dana
Levin, Lauren
lewis, erica
Lohmann, Sam

Maziar, Paul
Moten, Fred

No, Patricia

Olstein, Lisa

Piuma, Chris
Putnam, C.E. 

Quinn, Hajara

raphael, dan

Sanchez, Erika L. 
Scott, Jordan
Seidenberg, Steven
Sherry, James
Sigo, Cedar
Smith, Danez
Smith, Henry Cole
Sneathen, Eric
Strom, Dao
Sutter, Sara

Tardi, Mark
Tettleton, Parker
Tillinghast, Richard
Toscano, Rodrigo
Tran, Stacey

Vermaas, Jake

Weir, Dara
White, Arisa
Willis, Wendy
Wong, Jane

Yankelevich, Matvei
Yeary, James

Zamora, Javier
Zapruder, Matthew

(From the archive: 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007)

The Last Perfect Day [6 years]

Lesley in Bernal Heights, SF

Glitter Mini 9 “U.F.O.” 

U.F.O.

is coming down to make

the last perfect day

and what you put

in your breakfast

it sway the earth’s gravity

The U.F.O.

is coming down to change 

your frequency

and what you hum in your head low

satellite emergency

the holiday

could last all week

I look up to the sky

I’d love to wave goodbye

goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye

I wish that it was

I really want my holiday

U.F.O.

U.F.O.

is coming down to make

the last perfect day

turn off your

television and turn it on

your data aid

The U.F.O.

she’s coming down to blow

your chemistry

and what it was

don’t worry you’ll adjust

to everything

a holiday

is what you need

I look up to the sky

I want to make it right

alright, right, right, right

I know that it could

this starlight

this star bright

U.F.O.

I see the sun, I see the sign

I see the sun, I see the sun ...

The Year in Poetry, 2016

A thanks to the poets whose work I got to hear in Portland in 2016:

Abel, David

de Acosta, Alejandro

Adamshick, Carl

Ashby, Chris

Bakaitis, Vyt

Beckman, Joshua

Beer, John

Bernheimer, Alan

Boone, Bruce

Borsuk, Amaranth

Buzzeo, Melissa

Cohen, Alicia
Coleman, Jen

Dower, Kim

Fletcher, Jenna Marie

Frey, Emily Kendal

Gray, Robert Duncan

Gregerson, Linda

Griffin, Whit

Haber, Zack

Halpern, Rob

Harris, Ally

Haynes, Lamarra

Hunter, Carrie

Jensen, Rachael

Jess, Tyehimba

Johnson, Jessica

Kronovet, Jennifer

Larkin, Maryrose

Lyons, Kimberly

Mackey, Nathaniel

Mangold, Sarah

Maziar, Paul

Mehl, Liz

Mills, Ryan

No, Patricia

O’Malley, A.M.

Pico, Tommy

Poe, Deborah

Powell, D.A. 

Rosenthal, Sarah

Ruoff, Lindsay Allison

Schlesinger, Kyle

Schultz, Susan

Simon, Aaron

Straw, Timmy

Strom, Dao

Tharp, Shannon

Tillinghast, Julia Claire

Wilkins, Joe

Witte, Valerie

Yim, Lu

Zucker, Rachel

Complete decade: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007

Tonight [5 years]

Bozho, Lesley

Come On, Come On, "Tonight"

The Year in Poetry Readings, 2015

A thanks to the poets whose work I got to hear in Portland in 2015:

Bartlett, Sarah
Berkowitz, Amy
Briggs, Natalie
Bury, Louis

Carr, Emily
Clausen, Jan
Cobb, Allison

DeWeese, Christopher
Donahue, Joseph

Felix, Joel

Harris, Ally
Hegnauer, HR

Landman, Seth
Lee, Sueyeun Juliette

Need, David
Nufer, Doug

O'Leary, Peter
O'Malley, A.M.

Quinn, Hajara

Rabins, Alicia Jo
Robinson, Kit

Starkweather, Sampson

Toliver, Ashley

Ware, Joshua
Wernet, Valerie
Wiatr, Zosia

Yeary, James
Young, Mike

(Collect 'em all: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)