Harwood

Literary Arts Archives

Hakim Bellamy & Carlos Contreras; Music by Diles

(Visceral View Entertainment):

Urban Verbs: Hip Hop Conservatory and Theater

This 90 minute excursion will travel the much celebrated and controversial border between poetry and music, namely Spoken Word and Hip Hop. Expect two prolific spoken word performance artists, one producer/DJ and a myriad of topics ranging from individual identity to artistic insurgency.

This performance will explore creative interpretations of the 5 elements of Hip-Hop through blood, sweat, word, music and movement. The prototype of a “two man” (one alien…that’s the DJ) show that Bellamy & Contreras are devising to covertly unleash upon a planet plagued with commercial rap “superficialist” and self-proclaimed poetry purist, to both entertain and educate these warring factions and bring them to a sophisticated middle ground. Urban Verbs is that place, where booties can shake, heads can nod, hands can clap and minds can enlighten by way of experience and execution, passion and practice.

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Poetry and Activism: Recovering Meaning

1) The Albuquerque Cultural Conference presents:
Poets of the New Series, West End Press

Marianne Broyles, The Red Window, Jason Yurcic, Odes to Anger, Jenifer Vernon, Rock Candy, Sy Hoahwah, Velroy and the Madischie Mafia, and invited guest: Norma Smith, Edge of Each Other’s Battles Project

2) Discussion: Recovering Meaning in a World of Change

Participants will include the poets who have read tonight; John Crawford, West End Press; Amanda Gardner, The Albuquerque Almanac; and other writers, cultural activists, friends, and supporters of alternative culture. Everyone is welcome to join in.

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STIR: A Festival of Words gathers an eclectic mix of people, poetry, music, visual arts, film, organizations (yep, including Harwood) and events together for a special weekend celebrating the profound connections between words and the world.

No ordinary poetry festival, STIR mixes things up by showcasing an unexpected range of poetry styles and cutting edge interdisciplinary collaborations. Designed to both celebrate and nourish the New Mexico literary community, STIR uses words as alchemy to promote language that ignites, involves and engages the community.

Join us for readings, workshops, performances, collaborations, conversations, and a special evening with Joy Harjo and the Arrow Dynamics Band.

For info more info.
Or check out the STIR blog.

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A Bigger Boat Poetry Brunch

Remember the National Poetry Slam in 2005?  What have those organizing folks been doing since then? Well, we’ve been working on a book about it.  About NPS 2005 and so much more, that is.  Mikaela Renz-Whitmore, Don McIver, Danny Solis and Susan McAllister have spent the last eighteen months gathering poetry and stories about the history of the Albuquerque Poetry Slam Community, about organizing and winning NPS 2005, about our poetry community headed into the future.  The result is A Bigger Boat: The Unlikely Success of the Albuquerque Poetry Slam Scene, published by UNM Press and slated for release in April 2008.

Join us at Harwood to celebrate a book about poetry, community and triumph.
Harwood Poets' Plaza

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Word Stream Reading Series presents: Let Me Say This About That

An evening of poetry and film in conjunction with Harwood’s annual National Poetry Month celebration of words and art.  The Main Gallery hosts a video installation of the same name by Bryan Konefsky. Local poets Mitch Rayes, Lisa Gill, Hakim Bellamy, and more will be reading from works that inspired the installation. The evening will be augmented by projection-art by members of Basement Films.

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Capturing Nature In Words and Images

A Special Workshop with Lou Liberty and Margy O’Brien

Capturing Nature In Words and Images is a three hour workshop with Lou Liberty and Margy O'Brien, the authors of Bearing Witness: 25 Years of Refuge.  Lou and Margy were the writer and the artist in residence at the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park during its 25th anniversary year in 2007.

These two master teachers and lovers of Nature will share their secrets regarding observing and recording the natural world and translating experience into nature journaling with images, poetry, and prose.  No previous experience is necessary to participate in this workshop.  Most materials will be supplied.

Lou Liberty practices mindfulness, writing, and taiko drumming in Albuquerque's North Valley. She is the author of numerous works including prose, poetry and history.  Lou is a two time National Endowment for Humanities recipient and a master storyteller. Margy O'Brien considers her sketchbooks the heart and soul of all her artwork. Direct observations recorded on their pages often fuel her studio art, whether executed in watercolor or ceramic tile. With her dual background in art and biology, Margy's artwork reflects a blend of her emotional response to the subject with its accurate representation. She has taught art, created art for natural history museum exhibits, exhibited in galleries and juried exhibitions, and completed public art projects.