Hazel Reading Series November 16

Hazel Reading Series
Sunday, November 16 @ 5pm
California Institute of Integral Studies 1453 Mission Street

Look forward to these literary gems at Hazel's next reading!
featured reader Minal Hajratwala

AND

Syda Day, invited by Claire Sherba
Shimul Rahim, invited by Sara Campos
Selena Larson, invited by Liz Acosta
Susan Calvillo, invited by Jill Tomasetti
Arisa White, invited by Hazel

Hazel is a Bay Area reading series in which women writers read their writing experiments. Participants invite another writer for the following reading.

APAture 2014 Literary Arts Showcase, Feat. Lehua M. Taitano

SEPTEMBER 27 | 8-11PM
Literary Arts Showcase
ARC Studios & Gallery, 1246  Folsom St, San Francisco, CA
Sponsored by Poets & Writers, Inc.

Featuring: Lehua M. Taitano

Also Featuring: Jennifer S. Cheng, Susan Calvillo, Calvin Fantone, Dickson Lam, Robert Ricardo Reese, Janice Sapigao, Jaz Sufi, Brandon Young

Curators: Jason Bayani, Sean Labrador Y Manzano, Dan Lau, Jaz Sufi

Admission: $5

TICKETS event.sparxo.com/ticket/APAture2014

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE facebook.com/events/766382103422721/

Kearny Street Workshop Presents: APAture 2014 Emerging Asian Pacific American Artists

Aspire. Ascend. Awaken.

Kearny Street Workshop (KSW), the Bay Area’s hub for Asian Pacific American arts, proudly presents APATURE 2014, a multi-day festival featuring a lineup of some of the most exciting emerging artists in the San Francisco Bay Area today.

2 weeks. 6 events. 80+ artists.

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE facebook.com/events/766382103422721/
TICKETS event.sparxo.com/ticket/APAture2014

Beast Crawl: SKINLESS - 7/12

CALLING ALL BEASTS! Are you ready to crawl through Uptown, howl at the moon, and enjoy some of the best literary readings the East Bay has to offer?

BEAST CRAWL is Uptown Oakland’s annual free literary festival featuring more than 150 writers in a single night, in dozens of events, spread out over three hours and thirty local galleries, bars, restaurants, cafés, performance spaces, and storefronts. 

EACH LEG of the Beast lasts one hour, and offers about ten different readings to chose from. There’s a half hour break between literary legs for socializing and relocating to a new venue before the next reading begins.

SKINLESS: New & Raw Writing, curated by the stellar SB Stokes, will happen during Leg 2 and features Susan Calvillo, Chris Carosi, Nick Johnson, Yume Kim, Brontez Purnell, and Lori Savageau.

Hope to see you there!

SATURDAY, JULY 12, 2014
6:30pm - 7:30pm
PAN THEATER
2135 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612

For other events visit beastcrawl.weebly.com

Everyone is invited to the AFTER-PARTIES at Telegraph Beer Garden (all ages/ food/ beer&wine) and The Legionnaire Saloon (21+/ liquor, DJ + dancing) starting at 9pm.  
 

Stolen Island 2014

I'm very happy to be included in Stolen Island's 2014 edition.
Check them out at stolenisland.wordpress.com
Read the 2013 edition for free here: issuu.com/stolenisland/docs/stolenisland2013online

Write Club SF 6/17 @ 8PM The Makeout Room

A Mistranslation of Justin, Etc.'s "translating, translating..."

mistranslating “translating translating Joseph Burgess’ John Clare” by Justin, Etc.

by Susan Calvillo

a deflated life vest can make the difference

hanging over a headboard        it’s a conversation

starter              after she breaks her pinky in bed

            the crow’s nest is there to save you

for last when sinking

that is…unless             you’re just another grumpy sea monster

not in the mood

for overcast waters as you sleep on your bed of tube worms

                        preying on their hydrothermal vents

                        you were half-merman, I thought

I can’t believe

I can’t believe you’re shaved for this

I’m sorry I got lipstick on your coffee cup                 she said

            I’m sorry                     you said

for bringing my wife along again

the Flying Duchess

may be a Fata Morgana

unlikely, she told you

                        not before sunrise

one morning                in the salt mist

you should like to make a mirage of her

the sound of sails heaving

            the ebb of lips and ships

so that her head may be

always above water

then her broken pinky

might not

            interrupt the groping sea

Justin, Etc.'s Self Portrait of the Poet Suicided by the MFA Degree

Come celebrate the release of Justin, Etc.'s first full-length book of poetry, published by the Gorilla Press. Hear Justin perform from the book, pick up your very own copy, and then party with us and the author to the wonderful tunes provided by DJ C@L.

When: April 24 @ 7pm
Where: The Make-Out Room
Along with friends: Stephen Rosenshein, Carolyn Ho, Anhvu Buchanan, Susan Calvillo, DW Lichtenberg, and Joe Burgess

About the book:
At first glance, the wary reader may label Justin, Etc. a hoarder of words, but in truth he is a collector of rare antiques, lost oddities, and never-before-released vinyls. His poetry seamlessly blends the things that were with the things that are, forming musical narratives that span the pop culture of decades as well as our modern concerns. This may sound like some vast ground to cover, but Justin, Etc. is a cufflinks and sneakers kind of man. He pulls it off. The best way to enjoy Justin's work is to let it intimidate you, then to embrace it. By the end of this book, you'll find you've started collecting too.

"Thank You For Failing!" Exhibition at the Asian Resource Center, Oakland, CA

The process of art-making can often be fraught with mishaps, miscues, and mistakes—not all of which end well. We label the outcomes of these ill-fated endeavors "failures," with the awareness that these bumps in the road are an integral part of the creative process. This exhibition is an homage to artists who aren’t afraid to take risks and display them publicly.

Location: Asian Resource Center Gallery
                 310 8th St, Oakland, CA
Exhibition Dates: March 17—May 9
Artists Reception: May 8

Four poems from my Dual Duel collection will be displayed at the exhibition among other epic artistic failures, both big and small. Please feel welcome to drop by and check it out!

The Inverse Translation Project: top picks for 2013

Translation #4: Inverse by Boris Zakic

When a new year comes, we greet it by looking back. Everyone is posting their top picks for favorite books, best movies, and edgy music from 2013. Because everyone has different lists, these picks become the harsh reminder that I missed out on so much in 2013! But, of course the more I look back, the more I’ll miss out on what’s right in front of me. It’s time to look on to 2014.

I subscribe to many literary review email updates, one of which is Boston Review. Their new year header read “Poetry Matters: the 20 Top Poems of 2013” which you can read here. Okay, so it’s not an entirely accurate headline because they actually are posting the “most-read” poems on their website as opposed to giving it a vote. But either way there are some gems in here.

Even I get caught up looking back. But I’ve decided to also take these poems forward into 2014. I’m going to do what’s called an “inverse translation” on ten of these poems. This is an English-to-English rendering, where I write the opposite word, phrase, or sentiment of a poem to create something entirely different. I’m not doing this because I think I can improve upon these original poems. I do it to honor these poems. I rewrite poems because it means I get to work intimately with the work, which helps me better understand the authors’ intent, and also gives me the space to create something new. I invite anyone who wants to join in the fun to inverse translate these original poems, mistranslate my poems, or even pick your own top 5 and mistranslate those. I’d love to see how others interpret or purposely misinterpret them.

Check out the inverse translations of Boston Review’s Top 20 right here.