Monthly Archives: July 2015

Beat Salad, 2015—The Perfect Poetry Apotheosis!

 

Clay McCann hosting Beat Salad, 2015

Clay McCann hosting Beat Salad, 2015

What is Beat Salad? This seemingly straightforward question has seen the best minds of our generations destroyed by madness— raddled, discombobulated, naked and bedazzled—  run hooting into the Woodhaven forest, looking for their mad quail brothers. Beat Salad,  a confluence of performance poetry, prose, music, excellent company, Clay McCann, and The Beats. It’s Woodhaven’s most scrumptious event of the summer, and it simply can’t be beat, beautified, bounced, or hard-boiled, it’s the one and only Beat Salad!

 

Michael V. Smith reading at our second Beat Salad event, a night of poetry and music at Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre!

Michael V. Smith reading at our second Beat Salad event, a night of poetry and music at Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre!

This year’s event featured an astonishing marquee of talented performers, including: Joan Crate, W. Mark Giles, Matt Rader, Laisha Rosnau, Paul E. Nelson, Michael V. Smith, and more! These bonafide Beatrices performed original works and covers of their favourite Beat writing. The Beats and the Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre go together like bongos and barrettes, promoting an ethos of sharing, embracing eco-arts, polyvocality, community and adventure.

Setting up for Beat Salad 2015

Setting up for Beat Salad 2015

 

The stage was set for a night to remember. Half a dozen talented writers, musicians, and over a hundred attendees along with wine from our sponsor St. Hubertus all combined to make this Beat Salad a most excellent occasion. As our Host Clay McCann said, “I think this may be my favourite night.”

Dustin McGifford

Dustin McGifford

After a last minute cancellation from our musician, Dustin McGrifford heroically saved the day by laying down some melody and scotch-smooth vocals.

The shuttle bus to Beat Salad 2015

The shuttle bus to Beat Salad 2015

The big yellow school bus shuttled Beat Salad attendees from Downtown to Woodhaven and back.

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Poetry aficionados arriving in droves.

 

Our gracious host, Clay McCann

Our gracious host, Clay McCann

Clay McCann

Clay McCann

Our gracious and well groomed host, Clay McCann.

“The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in the late forties, of a generation of crazy, illuminated hipsters suddenly rising and roaming America, serious, bumming and hitchhiking everywhere, ragged, beatific, beautiful in an ugly graceful new way–a vision gleaned from the way we had heard the word ‘beat’ spoken on streetcorners on Times Square and in the Village, in other cities in the downtown city night of postwar America–beat, meaning down and out but full of intense conviction” — Jack Kerouac.

 

Matt Rader

Matt Rader

Mark Giles

Mark Giles

Joan Crate

Joan Crate

Some of our illustrious poets. We took breaks to sip wine from St. Hubertus.

Wine from St. Hubertus

Wine from St. Hubertus

Harold Rhenisch

Harold Rhenisch

Paul E Nelson reading US America

Paul E Nelson reading US America

America

BY ALLEN GINSBERG

America I’ve given you all and now I’m nothing.
America two dollars and twentyseven cents January 17, 1956.
I can’t stand my own mind.
America when will we end the human war?
Go fuck yourself with your atom bomb.
I don’t feel good don’t bother me.
I won’t write my poem till I’m in my right mind.
America when will you be angelic?
When will you take off your clothes?
When will you look at yourself through the grave?
When will you be worthy of your million Trotskyites?
America why are your libraries full of tears?
America when will you send your eggs to India?
I’m sick of your insane demands.
When can I go into the supermarket and buy what I need with my good looks?
America after all it is you and I who are perfect not the next world.
Your machinery is too much for me.

……………………………………………………..

Laisha Rosnau

Laisha Rosnau

Beat Salad 2015

Beat Salad 2015

Michael V. Smith is glowing

Michael V. Smith is glowing

Eventually it grew dark, and as you can see the wonderful Michael V. Smith began to phosphoresce.

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Then, it was time for music by the Syren + The Waves, who will be releasing their new EP the fall of 2015.

 

The Waves

The Waves

Syren + The Waves putting on a show at Beat Salad

Syren + The Waves putting on a show at Beat Salad

The end of a great night at Beat Salad, 2015

The end of a great night at Beat Salad, 2015

“Follow your inner moonlight, don’t hide the madness.”
― Allen Ginsberg, Howl and Other Poems