If you sponsored a writer during the dueling typewriters event—thank you, by the way—please click the button on the left to make your donation through PayPal.
Main contenders: Ben Cartwright, Mark Petterson, Amy Ash, DaMaris Hill, Jason Robberson, and Kari Jackson.
Last writer typing: Jason Robberson, who, after four hours, moved his manual typewriter to a concrete ledge in front of Wescoe and continued to type in the dark, alone, under the stars and in the forty degree weather, as Ben and Kari drove off. The sound of typing, the unmistakeable click of the keys, could be heard echoing in the night. It was quite romantic, actually.
We began at 3:00. It began with a royal announcement on the megaphone. Thanks, Ben C. It was very official. We cheered. We "charged." And people stared as they walked by.
Skateboarders were doing tricks behind us, to the side of us.
“These guys are practicing the ultimate form of civil disobedience,” said the guy who had been dressed up as a white bear to promote Greenpeace. “So are we."
And so we wrote, well, typed. And so commenced the trashtalking between Ben and Mark: "I don't hear any sound coming from your typewriter, Ben," said Mark. "I'm a poet, Mark. We reflect," replied Ben.
Other fun things that could be overheard behind the keyboards during the event:
"I don't want to be like Amy. I want to type." --DaMaris
"I just realized I don't know how to be exclamatory on here." Jason, realizing his typewriters lack of exclamation point.
"How long has it been since you've written a word, Ben?" Mark spoke into the megaphone, directed at Ben.
"I'm politicking," said Ben.
When you google "Kansas Bathtub," we come up first. "We beat out Home Depot," added Ben.
"Would you like to come out and add something to our Corpse?" Ben suggested a phrase to get the English professors to come out and participate.
"What are you doing?" People said, looking at us warrily as they approached the steps of Wescoe.
We had some fantastic students and faculty add to our community poem. Poetry is okay. In fact, poetry is cool. Why don't you help us write a poem? Okay, cool. Now maybe you'll go home and write your own poem because, we hope we're shown you, writing is cool.
Thanks to Nate for bringing us food. Thanks to Erin for bringing us hot drinks. Thanks to everyone who stopped to say, "What are you doing?" Thanks to everyone who wrote. Thanks to Wescoe for the electricity.
Thank you to everyone who pledged either an individual writer or the collective as a whole. We have plans in the works for WITS, and you'll be hearing soon about how your donation will help bring creative writing (and Bathtub) into Lawrence schools and out into the community. Soon, you will also be receiving an email notifying you of how long your writer wrote for and information on where and how to send your pledge money. If you didn't pledge but would still like to donate, you absolutely can. Email bkswriters@gmail.com.
I must say that yesterday's intersection of Wichita State University writers and Bathtub was like a spot of warm sunshine on the living room floor.
Thank you to Jodie Liedke, Andrew Bales, and Ruth Moritz for reading their work at DotDotDot.
Thank you to Anna at WSU for helping me organize the exchange.
Thank you to Rebecca for coming along for the ride.
(And now this is sounding much like an acceptance speech...)
Thank you to everyone who came out with food or chairs or just themselves to support Bathtub and our Wichita writer friends. It was a great night, with lots of talk of books, writing, and life as a writer-student.
The exchange continues on Saturday, September 26th, as our very own Nate Barbarick, Ben Cartwright, and Mickey Cesar will give a reading at Watermark Books & Cafe in Wichita.
An Actual Kansas Reading:
Stacy Szymaszek & Megan Kaminski.
Reading Poetry.
At the Wonder Fair (which is under Casbah Market at the corner of 8th and Mass. in Lawrence)
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 6:30pm
Writers' Exchange:
Wichita State University writers in the MFA program
It was one of the most stirring interviews on writing, and poetry, I may have ever heard. Here are some highlights:
1. I learned that the plural for "poet laureate" is "poets laureate."
2. Billy Collins said the argument that no one reads anymore may feel true but it is actually rather thin, considering there are now more MFA and MA and PhD programs in the fields of writing and literature than ever before, more literary magazines than ever before, and more poetry readings than there have ever been. He said we only feel this way because of our audience: the audience for writers tends to be other writers. He likened this to attending a symphony, and everyone in the theatre seats is holding a violin case (or something... listen to it to double check the metaphor).
3. One of them, I think Mr. Collins, said something lovely about death in writing. When we sit down to dinner at a restaurant and there are flowers at the table there's a moment where we reach out to touch them. Why do we do this? he asked, To see if they are real. If they are real, they will die, and are therefore somehow more beautiful. And if they are fake, we aren't as impressed at how that beauty came to us, and that it will be here forever.
And... that's about all I can remember. I hope that link works, and if it doesn't, that you can find one that does. It is very much worth listening to, no matter what you write.
Billy Collins talks about how the central theme of poetry is death in this interview which took place in November of 2005
Another wonderful interview: with fiction writer Antonya Nelson (KU alum!). I delayed my Valentine's Day activities to finish listening to this one.
Poet Joe Bolton, having just completed his MFA thesis at the University of Kentucky, killed himself. (1990)
Joe Bolton was from Cadiz, Kentucky. It may sound like a strange place to be from, and I imagine it is, but some of the happiest time ever spent on earth I imagine was spent by me, and in Cadiz Kentucky, a few months before I would ever hear of Joe Bolton.
Joe received a Masters from the University of Florida, and a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Kentucky. His work is the subject of a graduate thesis by Joe Schmidt.... already.... lesson being that the sooner we can pull off dying, the sooner our work can be studied.
He remains, in his native Kentucky, a bit of a cult classic.
He published three books of poetry: Breckenridge County Suite (1987), Days of Summer Gone (1990), and Last Nostalgia Poems (1987-1990). Last Nostalgia Poems combines the two books, and other unpublished poems.
Diversity and Bathing, and Diverse Bathing - Yo, to mah brotha's and sista's. Andy and I were talking on the phone, and I was like "Woah, the shit that's been happening with Bathtub makes me want to break my face off, because I can't handle this awesome-ness." And Andy was like, "Woah." And I was like, "Yeah, woah." Then we had a moment of silence, or two.
I’ve been awarded a one year studio residency with Kansas City’s Charlotte Street Foundation Urban Culture Project at the pARTnership space. Some great people involved, I’m very excited for this opportunity. There will continue to be some interesting things coming out of this community I’m sure. Will keep news posted.
