Ed Madden Celebrates A Story of the City at Historic Columbia

Tuesday December 5th 5 - 7 pm

Boyd Horticultural Center at Hampton Preston

Mansion & Gardens

Join us as we celebrate A Story of the City: Poems Occasional and Otherwise! Published by Muddy Ford Press, this collection of poems was written by Ed Madden during his 8 years as Columbia's first poet laureate.

Hosted by Historic Columbia at the Boyd Horticultural Center, the event will include a short reading by Ed and some special guests, with introduction by Lee Snelgrove, former director of One Columbia, and comments by Robin Waites, executive director of Historic Columbia.

The Horticultural Center is a state-of-the-art greenhouse located behind the Hampton-Preston Mansion. Enter from the back gate on Laurel Street. Street parking available (and evening at the nearby Richland County School District parking lot).

~~~~~

Introducing A Story of the City: Poems Occasional and Otherwise by Ed Madden

I remember the first time I sat at a table with Ed Madden.

Drue Barker, who was coming in as the new director of the women’s studies program at USC, had come to town and Ed, Julia Elliott, and I had taken her down to the Hunter Gatherer pub on the university side of Main Street to chat.

It was sometime in 2007 and I felt like I was among royalty.

I knew of Julia because she sang in the alt-band Grey Egg, which may be the most innovative and eclectic musical group Columbia, SC has ever seen. She had copies of the band’s most recent CD to share with Ed and Drue.

I knew of Ed because it seemed like everyone knew of Ed. A proudly-out gay man, his reputation as a poet and activist set a standard for community engagement. I’ll admit now that these three people, all clearly commanders of their own fates, were a bit intimidating. I was just an adjunct instructor looking to find a new place to grow myself, having spent the last two decades teaching, writing, and watching my daughters grow into adults. If I had known then how many tables Ed and I would sit at together over the years to come, how many projects we would hatch and secrets we would share, I would have taken better note of our surroundings than I did. I would have recorded those observations like historical artifacts of the moment. I would have recognized that I was meeting a person who would play a unique and cherished role in the rest of my life.

Fast forward eight years and I had the proud pleasure of cheering Ed on as he took the title of Poet Laureate for the City of Columbia. A brave and selfless thing to do. Ed embraced the role like it was made for him, working with Lee Snelgrove to create a culture of renegade poetry at the same time that he seamlessly elevated the importance of poetry by creating beautiful and profoundly honest responses to the events that occurred in the life of the city.

As the first poet laureate in the capitol city of a state that has gone without a state poet laureate for three years and counting, Ed’s position took on greater significance than it had to. While South Carolina’s first state poet laureate, Archibald Rutledge, had served a lifetime appointment from 1934 until his death in 1973, followed in succession by Helen Von Kolnitz Hyer, Ennis Rees, Grace Freeman, and Bennie Sinclair, in 2020, Marjory Wentworth, the sixth person to hold the title, left the post and, as late as summer 2023, Governor Henry McMaster had failed to fill the position. In the absence of a government or appointing body following through on its responsibility to maintain the continuity of leadership in the poetic arts, poets throughout the state looked to Ed Madden as their guide. And guide them he did. Soon, city poets laureate were being named throughout the state in Charleston, Greenville, Rock Hill, the Pee Dee, and more.

Why does it mean so much to poets to be represented by an honored one of their own? Several reasons, none of which are monetary. In fact, the small budget once allocated to the state poet laureate was rescinded by former Governor Mark Sanford in 2000. There is a smaller budget for the Columbia city laureate, but it all goes toward supplies needed for various projects and never sees the inside of the laureate’s pocket.

It is validating to wordsmiths of all genres to have an artist among them who represents the importance of the part they play, we play, in the creation of our culture. The poet laureate of a city or state is a role model for all of us who confess our words and perceptions to paper in an attempt to make sense of the chaos that surrounds us. That person reminds us that the act of creative writing is not an exercise in frivolity but rather an important practice in interpreting the turns of events that make up our history.

Similarly, patrons of poetry depend upon the writers among us, especially our poet laureate, to help us find truth in ways that sooth and unite us. Time and again, Ed Madden reminded us that in addition to being a city of individuals whose unique gifts intimately design the world around us, we are also a cohort of creatures living life together at this particular place and time and are forever united by the community we create.

So much has changed over the almost two decades I’ve called Ed Madden my colleague, friend, and collaborator. Neighbors have moved, both to and away from us. Elected officials have come to office, created policy, and moved on. Friends and allies have passed away from us, leaving their own legacies on the landscape of our home. And because Ed Madden used his inimitable gifts to record his perceptions of this community and commit them to paper to preserve for posterity, the record of our lives as citizens of Columbia, South Carolina will live on in the volume—A Story of the City: poems occasional and otherwise, Columbia, SC 2015-2022.

By Cindi Boiter

Reprinted with permission from Jasper Magazine, Fall 2023

Marius Valdes Mounts Massive Exhibition of JOYOUS CREATURES at Koger Center for the Arts

The Koger Center for the Arts’ Upstairs Gallery is now home to the wonderous, whimsical works of Marius Valdes. The featured exhibition is aptly titled “Joyous Creatures,” and will reside in the Upstairs Gallery from December 1, 2023, to March 11, 2024.

Marius Valdes is an artist currently based in Columbia, South Carolina. Valdes has been recognized by design publications such as Graphic Design USA, HOW, Print, Communication Arts, Creative Boom, Creative Quarterly, Step, and industry competitions including American Illustration, and The World Illustration Awards. In 2022, the UK's Creative Boom Website named Valdes as one of its "20 Most Exciting Illustrators" to follow. This recent creative endeavor of Valdes’ holds over 200 paintings on both canvas and paper bags. Those familiar with his work can expect to see big, bright-eyed creatures of all kinds, shapes, and sizes amidst boldly colored backgrounds. Anyone interested in getting a sneak peek at the featured work can visit the exhibit’s website, www.joyouscreatures.com. This website functions as a digital catalog as well as the site to use for any artwork purchases.

Joyous Creatures Artist Statement: Joyous Creatures aims to make you smile or laugh if only for a moment. I celebrate characters and creatures from the imagination whether they are dogs, frogs, blobs, or aliens. Character-based art has the capacity to create memorable and engaging visual language that speaks to people of all ages and nationalities. I use my characters to educate, inform, and entertain.

There will be an opening reception for the exhibition on December 6, 2023, from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the Koger Center’s Upstairs Gallery. The event is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be provided. For more information, contact the Koger Center at kogercenter@sc.edu, or 803-777-7500.

Poetry of the People: Catherine Zickgraf

This week's Poet of the People is Catherine Zickgraf. Catherine, aka Catherine the Great is a mother hen of poets of all ages, educational backgrounds and genres and is a force in South Carolina and Georgia that reverberates throughout the spoken word and written poetry community. If you don't know her you have resided too long in your little office listening to your own voice or parrots who sound a lot like you.. I am honored to call her friend.


Two lifetimes ago, Catherine Zickgraf performed her poetry in Madrid. Now her main jobs are to write and hang out with her family. Her work has appeared in Pank, Deep Water Literary Journal, and The Grief Diaries. Her chapbook, Soul Full of Eye, is published through Kelsay Books.

 Find her on twitter @czickgraf. Watch/read more at www.caththegreat.blogspot.com


Poem to Lost Poems

 

At the riverbank, she writes

while her letters stretch wings,

slip wind, skim away.

 

So she shelters her words,

nails wood without hinges to the floor, 

singes the threshold and corners.

 

Groundwater carves the chalk rock.

She’s learning to find the darkness

in the humid chill of earth’s stone web,

in moss-floored pools that shadow-shift

with a breath of candlelight.

 

Still the arch outside connects the riversides,

brides of the rapids flow home to sea

with the surfaced words of she who

sees now with mind, not eyes. 

 

Where rivers scoop lakes at their estuaries,

a marble she holds encases the oceans. 

Seeking the self inside,

she polishes the sky’s eye.

Pulling rope up the riverside,

she swings into the long line of horizon.

 

 Yasou! A Celebration of Life, July 2020

 

  

In the Dilation of Eye

 

We chilled for three days.

But when you started staring

out my back windows into the woods,

I knew I had to return you to the wild.

 

You have eyes that can mirror earth or sky,

that hide in your environment.

You are oak leaf and grass, aqua and azure.

 

Take me with you.

Let me swim in your iris

and the well of your pupil

toward horizons and the trees.

 

 Vita Brevis, August 2020

 

Saving a winged animal 

that gets lured in by the porch light

requires at least three human hands:

mine to catch/seal creature from escape

and my helper’s to kill lights/open door

so I can release it into the night. 

 

It’s always been my job to rescue

beings that don’t belong inside

(unless its slithery, bitey, or stingy).

The cats help by gently delivering

me tiny, living lime-green lizards— 

so mostly all these complex little

things get returned to roam the earth. 

 

 Savannah Dusk

  

Now is the hour

when cypress trees dim into shadows.

 

The river is lingering along the bank

in puddles caught among braided roots.

Ageless sky deepens, wavelets go still,

the water seems to slow and fall silent.

 

This is the ceremony of sinking dusk—

when our reflections turn dark and

dim blues fade in the calmness of night. 


 Goodnight

 

Kira and I decided one evening before I had to go in

and get a bath that after bedtime we would call

 

out our windows to each other from across the alley.

First grade, I was still crazy awake when they’d

 

tuck me in, the sky so full of daylight. But having her

to talk to at night would be like double-dutching the

 

telephone lines that crossed the canyon between

our streets—I’d never be bored again. Yet from my

 

row of homes in my treehouse bedroom two and

a half stories up, the only word I heard was goodnight.

 

 Neuro Logical, January 2021

 

Somnambulant                                                                     

When they sleep down deep at night,

she tunnels out the powder room window     

into drizzle and mist, hops fence.  

 

She kicks through currents along the curb,                            

crosses street, descends the bank

toward the creek’s down-streaming sounds. 

 

Twelve and barefoot all summer,

she’s unafraid of treading the pebble beds,

leaps cold rocks to boulders,

splashing the stars of the water.

 

Breeze moves through the woods,

the moon-lattice shifts around her.

 

Though curtained with night and still invisible,

she slips back in through the bathroom window—

almost ready come pain of day

when they’ve opened wide their eyes.    

 

                                                                                                                                                                                             

Overnight

Into my window fall stars long as dreams, I slip through the screen.

Night grows a poem stretching prima toes to cross street then creek

stepping soft on the forest floor. Over shivering beds of dark stones,

the sparkle-moon follows me home.

 

Even through moon and drizzle, the train plumes billowing into the

clouds navigate my backyard valley. They vibrate my candle flame

until its last breath sifts out the window, when whistles trail off and

tracks flow into the starlight horizon.      

 

The pines don’t drip with shadows behind our house, out of reach

of the streetlight. Past the creek line bordering our woods, the oak

leaves close their eyes. The creatures of the low sky hush us calm, 

I’m returning my mind to its dream.

 

 Origami Poems Project, April 2020

 

Minimal

 

In the fullness of summer, mowers decapitate green necks

            of dandelions and red clover,

            slicing their flowers between matted blades. 

 

We stop gashing our lawn as it’s shocked with October frost.

            When the winter wind spreads arms down the valley,

            my garden zinnias turn to death and skeletalize. 

 

On the back porch tonight, I reach through the atmosphere,  

            lengthening glowing arms into space. I ease the moon

            from its netted cradle, an egg nested in my palm.

 

I am minimal, though, under the sky’s dark quilt.

            I’m a speck in the weeds of my acre yard

            on a tiny rock rounding its ancient orbit.  

 

 

Visitant, October 2017

 

The Jasper Project is Thankful

At this time of year at the Jasper Project, we are particularly thankful for the individuals and institutions in our community who help us accomplish our mission of supporting, promoting, and celebrating South Carolina – and particularly Midlands area – artists.

This includes our Beloved Guild Members, our magazine sponsors, and so many people and organizations who lend us a hand when we need it. Among them are …

 

701 Whaley

Bang Back

Black Nerd Mafia

Capital City Playboys

Central Carolina Community Foundation

Coal Powered Filmworks

Columbia Arts Academy

Columbia Museum of Art

Columbia Music Festival Association

Curiosity Coffee

Friends of Richland Library

Harbison Theatre

Heroes & Dragons

Koger Center for the Arts

Motor Supply Bistro

Muddy Ford Press

One Columbia

Palmetto Opera

Richland Library

Rosewood Music & Arts Festival

Sound Bites Eatery

Sound Bites Eatery

South Carolina Humanities

South Carolina Academy of Authors

South Carolina Philharmonic

The Ernest A. Finney, Jr. Cultural Arts Center

The Meridien Building

The Nickelodeon

Uncle Willies Grocery Store

USC School of Theatre and Dance

Vino Garage

and many many more.

On a Musical Mission The Musical Method Bringing An Indie Film to the Big Screen

When it came time to plan his third indie horror film project, Columbia filmmaker Christopher Bickel admits that he took an unusual route to get to the upcoming Pater Noster and the Mission Of Light, which involves a psychedelic thrift store record find that leads the main characters to a forgotten but murderous cult. 

“Rob and Shauna Tansey, who supplied all the cool cars in Bad Girls sent me a message one day, at a point where I still had not figured out what I was going to do for the next movie,” Bickel says. “They had acquired an old school bus that they were planning on painting in psychedelic colors, like Ken Kesey’s ‘Furthur’ bus, and told me if I ever needed it for a movie, they’d have it available. So basically, I wrote a movie around the bus.” 

In Bickel’s creative mind, if you have a bus that looks like a hippie cult transport vehicle, you obviously need a cult to ride in it, and if it’s truly psychedelic, the music should be as well. 

“I based some of it off of The Source Family, a famous cult that had their own house band called Ya Ho Wa 13, and I found one of their records at a thrift store around that same time so I was obsessing over that rare, valuable record–so I wanted the cult in my movie to be like that, and have their own band.” 

Bickel spent many years immersed in the punk and noise scene via his time with In/Humanity, Guyana Punchline, and Anakrid, so his thoughts went immediately to what the music that band might make would be like, and for that part of the process, he called in his many musical friends.

“Before the script was even done I knew that there was going to be an album’s worth of music from the ‘band’ in the movie, so I started asking around, told them what I wanted to do–that I wanted it to sound like music a cult would have made in 1972, if they were a little ahead of their time, and these are some of the themes in the movie–and I asked them all to get together and bring in their ideas for songs.” 

The sessions at the Jam Room included a cast of musicians in and around Columbia, from Sean Thomson to Marshall Brown, Joe Buck Roberts, Stan Gardner, Kevin Jennings, Gina Ercolini, Alex McCollum, Darby Wilcox, Kevin Brewer, Tom Coolidge, and more, over what Bickel describes as a ‘miraculous’ two days. 

“It should have been awful, but I feel like it’s the best record that’s ever come out of Columbia,” Bickel says. “Everyone showed up the first day and all the songs they had come up with were great. Everyone just played on each other’s stuff, adding parts, and locking in quickly. We came up with the basic bones for the entire album in those two days.” 

As part of the promotional push to finish financing the film production and distribution, Bickel shot individual music videos for the album tracks and began releasing them once a week in November–two are out so far, with another due each week until they are all available online.

“Come Out and Sing, Father,” sets the scene perfectly of a slightly off kilter, cult choir sing-along. It’s a composition by guitarist and songwriter Joe Buck Roberts, who sings the lead atop a chorus of multiple voices and instruments including a zither, flute, violin, and more. 

“A World Of Our Own,” increases the psychedelia with a song composed and sung by Stan Gardner that echoes the ‘80s paisley underground, but with a more danger-filled undercurrent. 

It is the multiple levels of input from musicians such as Gardner, Roberts, and others that makes Bickel heap praise on how things turned out. 

“There are three people that I think are mega-geniuses who worked on the music–not that everyone wasn’t amazing,” Bickel says. “Sean Thomson, Joe Buck Roberts, and Marshall Brown. Sean has a couple of instrumental pieces that he did which are perfect for the film, and Marshall gets the psychedelic stuff but he also gets the pop stuff and he and Sean both can just come up with so much on the spot, for songs they didn’t even write, had just heard for the first time and their parts just came right out.” 

Of the remaining tracks yet to see full release, there are some that verge on Hawkwind psych-metal, hippie flower power era songcraft powered by Greenville’s soulful alt-country singer Darby Wilcox, and plenty of trippy, cult-ish chanting and vocalizing. Tim Cappello, the shirtless sax player from the ‘80s movie The Lost Boys, plays sax on one song, even. It’s a heady mixture of musical montage-making that’s potent even without the eventual pairing of the film visuals.  

The craziest part of this story isn’t that a bunch of cool music got made for an indie film, however. It’s that the film isn’t even done, and Bickel himself hasn’t quite figured it all out yet.

“The film is not edited yet, and I haven’t put it all together so I’m not exactly sure where the music will fit, or even if all of it will fit,” he admits. “There will be some pieces that may not be in the movie at all, but I still consider them part of the ‘world’ of the film.”  

It is that world-building that is the most intriguing part of making this film, Bickel adds, and how each step has led to the next in its creation. 

“It was important to me that I had the world established first,” he says. “I have the short film in the can, ‘Wunderlawn,’ and the music kind of informed what we did for the short film, and then the short film has informed what we did in the feature. When we came together to do the shooting for the feature, there was already a world established for the actors to draw on for their performances.” 

So, why do it in such an odd sequence? For Bickel, it comes down to one word: money. 

“In a way it would make a lot more sense if the music came out closer to the release of the movie,” he says. “Because I don’t have any money, I have to raise money to finish the movie and the music has been the best way to support that effort– ‘Here’s something entertaining for free, and if you like it you can buy the record of it and if you buy the record of it that will pay for finishing the movie, which is the ultimate goal.” 

Each film he has made, Bickel has raised the stakes, and the budget, to realize his vision for the next one. 

“The first two were around $15-16,000 budgets, just enough to pay the actors and feed everybody. This one is coming in around $20-25,000,” He reveals. “Some of that came from donations before we started, there was also a little profit from Bad Girls and then the rest is what I’m trying to raise now. It would be nice if I could make enough to keep doing them.”

Poetry of the People with Kimberly Simms Gibbs

This week's Poet of the People is Kimberly Simms Gibbs. She is South Carolina upcountry poetry. She sees with an eye of southern cornbread sopped in pork drippings gravy. If you want to feel the Carolina hills and mountains read Kimberly Simms Gibbs.

Kimberly's literary voice is rooted in the Southern tradition of storytelling. Her passion for poetry from both the page to the stage has led Kimberly to garner titles such as former Carl Sandburg NHS Writer-in-residence, National Poetry Slam ‘Legend of the South’, TedX speaker, co-founder of CarolinaPoets, former Southern Fried Poetry Slam Champion, and award-winning teaching artist. In her first full-length collection from Finishing Line Press, Lindy Lee: Songs on Mill Hill, Kimberly chronicles the lives of textile workers in the Carolinas with historical accuracy and imaginative insight. Ron Rash, the award-winning author of Serena, says about Kimberly: "she writes with eloquence and empathy about an important part of Southern history - too often neglected."


                                  Trespassing after the Hysterectomy 

The Lily-of-the-Valley 

           pearly bells tremble 

            the way a child’s mouth brims 

                                   with laughter. 

Daffodils 

          headless green arms gesture 

          split-hearts subterranean 

                                leaves blackened. 

Mole, 

          how sweet is your tongue 

           after your feast of bitter 

                                 tulip daughters? 

Dark earth, 

           how do you embrace the emptiness 

            of your bloomless womb 

                                  your crumbling tubers? 

Lady Slipper, 

           my gloved hands long to plant 

            while your tendrils more exotic 

            unfurl sharp leaves, pregnant blossom 

                                   beneath the last living hemlock.  

                                                  Homestead 

                                 But nothing is solid and permanent. 

                       Our lives are raised on the shakiest foundations. 

                                   – Ron Rash, One Foot in Eden 

A bolt of barbed wire, black with age,

hints the way, jutting from the undergrowth 

like a wizened digit— the post long since decayed 

and lost to the crumbling host of litter. 

This sunken corner is a garbled message 

till we catch a tree pierced with another barb. 

A stone pile murmurs, entangled with the metal. 

This forest expands in every direction. 

Our eyes can see no horizon beyond it. 

Mountains surge as we weave 

up and down valleys, creeks, and ravines. 

Eighty years: a forest has fallen and regrown. 

Homestead cleared, tilled, planted, harvested 

then reclaimed by this hummocked beast. 

We follow the ancient line back to a single 

hearthstone and the outline of a foundation. 

A toppled stone wall, a brown bottle. 

All around us: a forgotten fence, an outpost of the past.

Wild Green Soup

          Newberry Cotton Mill Village

           South Carolina 1924  


Fingers of frost stretch across the windows.

Seasoned wood crackles in the wood stove

while I stir the last salty pork knuckle

with a handful of beans, wild greens

into a stock pot just off the boil.

Fall's harvest now a collection of empty jars;

the cupboards breath -- dust, dead moths.

Each stir is more a wish as the day considers

getting warm, sweet herbs summon cravings.

Morning casts its pink sap over frost-risen clay

as I shepherd this thinly-feathered brood

towards the cotton-strewn spinning room.

Today we will piece broken strings, weave

cotton scraps to make them something whole.

Liddy Lee Songs on Mill Hill (Finishing Line Press, 2017)

       Machine Tool Salesman

Bill run that grinder fo ten years

Machine bigger than a brown bear

in Manny's stretched machine shop

in the flats of South Carolina.

The metallic cold milled slack snow

big sloppy flakes. The guys put on

their coats and stuck out their tongues

for the rare southern crystals.

Scraping together snowball heaps,

they watched the yard go dark and drank

black coffee. They stomped their feet

and left their coats on cause the shop

was so cold. That year so metallic.

That's how it happened, the coat.

Bill knew better, but ten years

you get so easy. The machine caught

him-- metal grinding machine --instant.

I sold them that grindernew.

Just horrible, he had two little babies too.

Took a week to get him out of the wheel

but it still ran. Can't keep a machine

something like that happens. I sold

it down the coast. Just horrible, two little

babies too and that year so metallic cold.

                                                     Summer Swagger

Late August, we are still free summer children.

We run over the rocky banks laughing in some

chase game; muscles flex, tense, stretch, climb

the steep --- dig fingers into cracks, wrench ourselves up.

Mountain expanse of water calls to us. My skin

tingles with nervousness as I look down thirty feet.

"Take my hand," you tender, "We'll jump together."

Wind races around my feet! We send out seagull wails,

steal breath for the plunge. My body is a scream!

Down, down forever in bubbles, then buoyant, silent,

We are carp pulling ourselves up through the water.

We burst back into heat, hollowing out triumphant bellows.

Poetry of the People with Loli Molina Munoz

This week's Poet of the People is Loli Molina Munoz. Loli openly shares her otherliness and in the sharing becomes one of us.  Diaspora of a Spanish Tortilla (Recipe and Poem); is exquisitely simple in telling complex emotions.

IT’S THANKSGIVING AND I AM NOT AMERICAN

It’s Thanksgiving and I’m not American.

I have cooked turkey, mashed potatoes, 
collard greens, cranberry sauce, and stuffing. 

My husband has dressed up the house
with fall colors and he is not American. 

A friend has come to share this rainy
day and he is not American.

The dog is staring at us hoping to
get some table food and he is not American.

We have toasted and remembered some
old friends who are not American. 

We are thankful for having each other 
and we are not American. 

I HAVE AN ACCENT

I have an accent

When I go to the grocery store
and they ask me if I found everything I needed 
I answer “yes”
they say: you have an accent!

This accent is my grandmother’s sewing for the rich 
and waiting from my grandfather to return from Venezuela.

When I order a tall decaf coffee with milk 
and I spell my name
they say: you have an accent!

This accent is my mother’s cleaning houses
so I could fly abroad and improve my English.

When I read a poem 
and your faces change trying to understand 
what I say and 
you think: she has an accent!

This accent is their braided hands delivering the fruit
that I will place in your still empty basket. 

THE GOOD DISHES

“But they are grounded
in their God and their families 
they are grounded in their hearts and minds.”
-Nikki Giovanni

my mother keeps the
good dishes in an old
cabinet after fifty 

years hoping I have 
them someday, she also 
holds onto a coffee 

set and a quilt she
made before she got 
married, your dowry

she says while she shows 
one of her few smiles 
buried in a deep wide


hole digged by my father
covered with her dreams
and my nightmares

long lasting nightmares
my mother possesses 
the first and the last 

of my days, the 
first and the last of
my nights, the fist 

and the last of 
my 
thoughts. 

ON ALL SAINTS DAY

Don’t leave me.

Those were your last
words. 

And we left you.

We closed the door
and we went home. 

Your eyes were begging for more 
time with us, more time alive.

But we left you
abuela Lola.

And the morning after
you were gone.

And the memories became 
a attempt to order the chaos.

My chaos. 

Diaspora of a Spanish Tortilla

(Recipe and poem)

I
Ingredients for 4 people
2 cups of Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound of potatoes
6 eggs
Salt

II
My mothers tells me it’s time to go to bed before the Three Wise Men come with the presents. I have to cook the tortilla for them, she says, and I think it’s not fair I don’t get to taste the mixture before being cooked. I close my eyes and I think about the smell of the potatoes and the eggs before jumping into the pan. 

III
Heat 2 cups of olive oil in a medium pan, slowly fry the potatoes until beautiful golden brown. Drain the potatoes on a paper towel. 

IV
It’s 1997 and I am an exchange student in Coventry, England. The first week someone organizes a party at our house. I don’t remember who. It wasn’t me. Everyone brings something for their countries. I cooked tortilla the same way my mother taught me. We eat, we drink, and we sing songs that we all know. 

V
Beat the eggs in a bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the cooked potatoes to the beaten eggs and let stir for 1 minute. 

VI
Last night I went early to bed as my mother told me and this morning Melchior came home with a present for me. It was the doll I wanted. Her tortilla must have been really good this year. 

VII
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 6-inch pan over high heat. Once the oil is hot, pour the egg-potato mixture and reduce the heat to low. 

VIII
Last week I cooked a tortilla for lunch and he smiled when he saw it. This is so good, he said. You are even better, I thought. 

IX
Once it begins to set and the edges turn golden brown, place a plate over the pan and flip the pan and the plate so the tortilla ends up on the plate, uncooked side down. 

X
Wisconsin was cold, too cold for a Southern Spaniard used to the sun and the scent of the Mediterranean. Someone asked me to make a tortilla but this time it didn’t flip right. I had to go back to Spain. 

XI
Once the tortilla set, flip the tortilla again and transfer to a platter. Season with salt and cut into wedges to serve.

XII
In 2006 my mother confessed that she never cooked tortilla for the Three Wise Men. I was so disappointed that I cried. I was 32. I was 32 and I cried. And I never stopped making tortillas. 

 Bio

Loli Molina Muñoz is a Spanish teacher in Lexington, SC, with a Phd in Modern Languages. Her poetry has appeared in different Spanish and American publications and anthologies like VoZes, Label Me Latin and Jasper Fall Lines. In 2019, she published an essay on gender and sex identity in feminist science fiction as part of an anthology called Infiltradas. This anthology was awarded as Best Essays Anthology by the Spanish Science Fiction Society Awards in 2020.

REVIEW – The Legend of Georgia McBride at Longstreet Theatre

The show runs from November 10-17 starting at 8p.m. with matinees on the 11th and 12th at 3 p.m.


Georgia McBride opens on Casey, performing his Elvis impersonation act at Cleo’s, a dive bar in Panama City FL. Casey is a rather decent “Elvis” (though Casey’s estimation of his skill is higher than mine). Casey, bless his heart, believes he is on the proverbial cusp of stardom. So certain is he of his impending fame that he purchases a new white jumpsuit befitting The King. After the show Casey heads home to his wife, Jo, only to have his excitement flattened by her pronouncement that the rent check bounced – again – because of Casey’s propensity to use the debit card before checks have cleared. The young couple is threatened with eviction. Not only are they unable to make ends meet, they aren’t able to make those ends wave at each other. Jo unleashes her frustration on Casey and storms out of the room. She returns moments later to announce, proof in hand, that she’s pregnant. Casey is over the moon happy and exuberantly embraces Jo, proclaiming that they will be the best parents “since Mary and Joseph”. Jo reminds him that “their kid died”…

Casey returns to Cleo’s the next night and performs for the usual small house. Afterwards the club owner, Eddie, tells Casey that the club is going in a new direction in an effort to increase business. Eddie has hired his cousin Bobby to be the nightly performer. Casey pleads for another chance which Eddie cannot/will not give. Enter Bobby, aka Miss Tracy Mills - a tall, gorgeous, awe-inspiring drag queen, followed by her co-star, Rexy (full name Anorexia Nervosa. She’s Italian.) Casey is devastated. Tracy suggests he stay on as bartender, which he grudgingly agrees to do. After all, he now has a family to support. In an unsurprising twist, Rexy gets absolutely totally thoroughly and completely wasted before going onstage. Eddie storms in and demands that Casey go on in her place – not as “Elvis”, but as Rexy’s “Edith Piaf”. Casey has never heard of Piaf. Quelle surprise.

Rexy’s binge results in Miss Tracy Mills’ split-second funny clever and “how the hell did she do that” transformation of Casey from Florida cracker to drag queen. Using padding, pantyhose, false eyelashes, a wig, and non-stop performance tips, Tracy deftly “creates” Edith Piaf (well…sort of….). (The last time I saw a transformation like that was watching Jim E. Quick and John Erlanger in Greater Tune at Longstreet.).

Casey is not thrilled with doing drag. He is after all a straight white guy from rural Florida. He has no firsthand knowledge of the art of drag or of the gay community. However, he manages to stumble through his act and somehow the audience buys it. He starts bringing home enough money to pay all their expenses with money left over.

He is embarrassed by what he’s doing and so does not tell Jo.  As far as she knows he has a really good bartending gig.  He is caught out in the lie but I’m not giving up any spoilers there.

This show could easily have been a contrived caricature. In the deft hands of Jessica Fichter and Terrance Henderson (Director and Choreographer/Drag Consultant, respectively), Matthew López’s script is a study in not just the art of Drag (and it is an art) but in humanity.  Casey treats this as an “act” only. Tracy explains that it’s far more than an act for her and for Rexy and for countless other drag queens. When Rexy re-enters, she gives an explosive monologue on the true meaning of the art; “Drag is a Protest”. (Ms. Fichter’s director’s notes in your program explain the historical importance of drag far better than I can here. Read it.)

I saw the show’s preview. There were some halting deliveries at the beginning but those few were quickly smoothed out as the show progressed. Every member of the cast deserves kudos. Terrance Henderson (Miss Tracy Mills) is a gift. He creates a Tracy who is sharp-tongued, witty, and acerbic but who is also caring, empathetic, and (dare I say) motherly. Keyontaye Allison is Rexy, a most bodacious, assertive, fractious drag queen. Rexy’s monologue (mentioned above) is fierce. Anyone who listens to that speech will never again treat drag as “fluff”. Dear Jo, Casey’s truly long-suffering wife, is played by Morgan Passley. Her Jo is frustrated, but she is married to a human bubble machine. Being the only “adult” member of a marriage is a thankless task, but Ms. Passley’s Jo is also funny, clever, and kind. John Ballard plays Jason, the landlord/neighbor/friend faced with evicting Jo and Casey. He balances his conflicting “roles” beautifully. (He also really knows how to fall off the arm of a sofa.) David Britt either had an absolute blast playing Eddie, or he’s an even better actor than I know him to be. His character grows and transforms as much as Casey’s. And Casey, the reluctant drag queen. In the hands of Koby Hall Cayce goes from head-in-the-clouds, youthful Elvis impersonator to a splendid Georgia McBride. His “ah-ha!” moment when he suddenly recognizes his drag “persona” is wonderful to see. 

Brava to Ashley Jensen, Lindsay K. Wilkinson, Lorna Young, Danielle Wilson, Makenzie Payne, Marybeth Gorman. Lamont Gleason, Valerie Pruett, and Lisa Gavaletz. Every aspect of this production deserves applause. I’d forgotten how much I love Longstreet Theatre. Ms. Jensen’s set design utilizes the levels and the voms and takes advantage of every corner of the space. Costumes, makeup, lights, sound, and traffic direction were spot on. A very special thanks to Terrance Henderson. He and Ms. Fichter make a formidable team. I truly don’t know how this show could’ve been produced without the two of them. (If you missed their “Little Shop of Horrors” at Trustus earlier this year, I hate it for you.)

This show was just delightful. And thought-provoking. And gorgeous. Don’t miss it. 

Notes: There is considerable construction going on along Main Street between Greene and College Streets, so those on-street parking spots are gone. There is after-hours parking in the Wardlaw College lot next to Drayton Hall. The production runs about 2 hours with no intermission, so keep that in mind whilst having another cocktail before the show.

OPEN CALL FOR LOCAL ARTISTS: CAE is Now Accepting Submissions for the 2024 – 2025 Art in the Airport Program

Calling all professional artists! The Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) is now accepting submissions for the 2024 – 2025 Art in the Airport program.

Now in its fifth year, the wildly popular program showcases the artistic talents of four artists selected from across the Columbia region. Each artist will have the opportunity to display their work in the busiest part of the airport for roughly three months.

The Art in the Airport program not only enhances the passengers’ experience while traveling through CAE, but it also creates an immediate sense of place to those visiting Columbia, SC. Once a traveler lands at CAE, these pieces of art are the first creative and cultural touchpoints they see as a connection to the region.

Would you like your artwork to be considered for this prestigious program? Below are details on how an artist can submit artwork and the guidelines associated with the program.

Submission Requirements:

To apply for CAE’s Art in the Airport program, please email the following information to submissions@flycae.com by November 30, 2023 at 5 p.m.

  • Name, address, phone, email, website (if applicable)

  • Artist bio

  • Artist statement

  • At least five images representing the type of artwork anticipated to be on display.

  • *Note: Artists must reside in one of the following Midlands counties: Calhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland, Saluda, Sumter, Lee, Clarendon, Newberry, and Aiken.

Selection Process:

Submissions will be reviewed by CAE’s selection committee. Artists selected for the rotating art exhibit will be notified December 15th with a public announcement on December 19th.

Exhibit Requirements:

The exhibition location will be in the connector of the terminal, the walkway between the security checkpoint and the departure/arrival gates. Selected exhibits must contain a minimum of twelve pieces as there are twelve wall columns in the location, six on each side of the walkway. (Multiple images/clustered pieces of work can be arranged on one column if desired/space allows).

CAE will provide labels for each piece in the exhibit to include artists’ name, contact information and the title, dimensions, type of medium and selling price of the piece. CAE will also provide signage for the exhibit to include the artist’s bio and/or statement.

Exhibitions must be physically suited to the space, allowing for uninterrupted traffic flow. If selected, artists agree to suitably frame, wire and install their artwork at their own expense. Artists must be willing to sign CAE’s Artwork Loan and Hold Harmless Agreement.

Selected artists are welcome to preview the exhibit location by contacting Samantha Kingsmore, Marketing Manager, at S.Kingsmore@flycae.com, as a staff escort is required to access the location.

Insurance:

Art displayed at CAE is insured by the Columbia Metropolitan Airport while on site; however, the transportation to and from the airport is not covered. Prior to installation, the selected artists will provide CAE with a description of the exhibit pieces to include the title and value of each piece.

Things to Know:

CAE does not charge artists to exhibit their work but will require a 5% commission on all pieces sold. This commission will be reinvested into the CAE Art in the Airport program – enhancing display opportunities and required signage. All art transactions must be conducted between CAE, the artist, and the purchaser.

Vista Lights at Stormwater Studios

Thursday, November 16, 2023
6 PM to 9 PM

Join Stormwater Studios for an evening of art, lights, and entertainment during the 38th
Annual Vista Lights.

This evening will mark the opening of Stormwater Resident Artists’ Semi-Annual Exhibition in our gallery. In addition to a live performance from local drummers, Namu Drum Company, underneath our massive Christmas tree, and you can view our new container adorned with lights.

Their neighbors Lewis + Clark and One Eared Cow Glass will also be participating in this event. Their spaces will be open for everyone to see where they create using metal and flames.

You will be able to stop at all of these locations to see a variety of creative workspaces, meet local artists, and purchase the perfect present, an original piece of art.

You don’t want to miss out on this great family event. All are welcome. Please invite your friends, family, and community to 413 Pendleton Street, Columbia, SC 29201.

Art on the Pond features Bailey, Thornley, and Smoak - November 11th

Saturday, November 11; 10:00 am - 4:00 pm: Art on the Pond, Lucy Bailey Studio, 320 Wateree Creek Road, Irmo, SC 29063 / Rain or shine

Join us for our 3rd annual open studio and sale of artwork and artful gifts by Lucy Bailey, Rick Smoak, and K Wayne Thornley.

Paintings - Collage - Photography - Ceramics - Jewelry - Mixed Media - Assemblage - Sculpture

Come to shop, visit, talk art, and meet friends! Google Maps should get you here, but other navigation systems may not. You can only get here via Carrie Shealy Road so check your route. (Holladay Road will NOT get you here!) Drive slowly on these dirt roads and watch for other cars entering and exiting. We look forward to seeing you at the pond!

For Opus and the Frequencies, “All Frequencies Welcome,” is More Than a Motto

This article was originally featured in the Fall 2023 issue of Jasper Magazine. That version incorrectly attributed Kirk Barnes’s quotes to another band member. This is remedied in the version below. Our apologies to Barnes and Opus and the Frequencies for this error.

Genre-bending and categorically defiant, Opus and the Frequencies has  emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the local music scene. Behind the name are four people with an innate love for music, anchored by a desire for storytelling, vulnerability, and authenticity.

The core of the band is the eponymous Opus (vocals, keys, saxophone, clarinet, and more), who originally did not want to be a musician. It was a challenge from a band director to play the saxophone—band itself a simple mix-up in his middle school schedule—that eventually led to music being his driving force. As soon as he found music, Opus became dedicated to creating unique sounds, a journey that eventually led him to the Frequencies.

Columbia is rife with talented musicians, but Opus was not interested in just sound. What he was looking for was raw emotion, something unspeakable and intangible. All at different times, he got the opportunity to hear Jesse Tortorella (drums), Steven Tapia-Macias (bass), and Kirk Barnes (guitar) play. As Opus recalls it: “I wanted the boys that we have now. Luckily, the universe gave me exactly what I asked.”

Today, nearly seven years after forming, Opus and the Frequencies have found their identity as an eclectic group with an eclectic sound. Though Barnes says their genre is best described as “a mixture of rock and funk,” the band sees it as a point of pride that they do not sound like anybody else—sometimes even themselves.

“Everybody always asks, what's your genre? And it's like, I don’t think we have one. We're all over the place,” Opus says, “My music taste is all over the place, so why shouldn’t the music I play be? I feel like what we do should be all over the place because I don't like being limited, sticking to one sound or genre.”

This inherent variation is echoed in their live performances as well. A band has to be intuitive, to read an audience, and, as Barnes says, “play what feels right in the moment.” Opus indicates that there is a current that runs throughout the room during a show, a charge that keeps the energy moving, and everyone has to be connected for it to work. As the front man, Opus directs energy into the rest of the band, which comes back through him and into the crowd, circling back into him—and the cycle repeats.

“I want the audience to know when we play that, yes, obviously if you paid to see the show, it's for you, but the show is not for you,” Opus asserts, “The show is for the band to enjoy, and we love it and give that energy out, and that’s what then makes the audience enjoy it so much.” 

Tapping into this is what has led to two of the band’s notable ‘we made it moments’: their first time playing at New Brooklyn Tavern and their recent July tribute to James Brown. These are the experiences that provide them the fuel to work on their own music, particularly their first EP, “You’re Trash, Kid,” which was released in January of 2023.

The EP consists of five songs, a vibrant mix of sound and emotion where, around each corner is an unexpected turn. Almost all the songs are created collaboratively; take, for instance, “Jesse’s Song.” When Barnes played his hand-written tune (one oft-requested by a college friend) for the band, they all immediately felt a connection After hearing it, Opus penned lyrics about missing old friends, and the four honed it sonically into its final version—and named it after the college friend that first heard it.

Reflecting on their journey, the group sees Columbia as having been vital to the ways they have blossomed. However, as they ruminate on their future—which includes new music coming in 2024—they recognize that significant growth must take place to shore up the city as a supportive space for all artists.

“I think we need more connection between the art scenes; there's not enough communication from the inner circle to the outer circle,” Opus argues. “Right now, there's a centralized group of musicians that more or less control the scene. Fortunately, we’re blessed to be a part of that group, but there are newcomers trying to get into the group who can’t and people who have already been here that don't get recognized—I know this because I used to be on the outside.”

Barnes echoes this, noting that while “it is not any one person’s fault, … there is a lot of socialized power here” that can only be remedied by larger, established venues dedicating themselves to local artists, versus just regional or national, as well as smaller, central venues taking chances on emerging artists.

These concerns are only reflections of the care the group has for the city. This is a place they are fully committed to continuing to grow in while also assisting in the growth of. It will take a village to fortify this community as the art-oriented space that so many creators desire it to be, but the embrace of the effervescent talent that is Opus and the Frequencies is proof we are already on the right track.

“This city, these venues are special. We've played a bunch of shows here, made friends here.” Opus says. “The people are what have made this place special. We've had a lot of good memories here, and we plan to keep that going.”

All Good Book Events Coming Up

One of the best things about having an independent bookstore in your hometown is the opportunities for community engagement it offers. Especially when the world feels off-kilter (can you remember when the world actually felt on-kilter?) it’s a joy to gather with other curious individuals to learn more about art, science, nature, life — pretty much anything that helps us understand why we are the way we are and why we do the things we do.

Luckily, Columbia has All Good Books now, located at 734 Harden Street. Bonus! Not only does AGB have convenient parking, it also has an excellent selection of coffee, vino, and books plus plenty of places to curl up for a conversation or a good sip and read, and now, there’s a lovely garden area out back where we can enjoy the fresh air and sun.

Thank you All Good Books!

Coming up at All Good Books

Walter Edgar’s Journal - LIVE Recording and BookNook RevealTuesday November 14th, 2023 @ 10:00AM - 12:30 PM

Walter Edgar will be recording his latest episode LIVE from AGB, and will reveal his new BookNook, featuring many of the books he has highlighted over the years, which will be available for purchase at AGB. The recording will be a ticketed event; more information coming soon, but you are welcome to email us at info@allgoodbooks.com or call us at 803-205-4139 if you are interested in attending and we will get back to you soon!

~~~~~

Queer Writers of Columbia Publishing Strategy WorkshopWednesday November 15th, 2023 @ 6:00PM - 7:30 PM


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Cassie Premo Steele Book Launch PartyThursday November 16th, 2023 @ 6:00PM - 8:00 PM

Thursday, November 16th, at 6 pm, Cassie Premo Steele will be here to celebrate the release of her new book Beaver Girl.

Cassie Premo Steele is a lesbian, ecofeminist, mother, poet, novelist, and essayist whose writing focuses on the themes of trauma, healing, creativity, mindfulness and the environment. She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the author of 18 books, including 7 books of poetry and 3 novels. Her poetry has been nominated 6 times for the Pushcart Prize. She was a Finalist for the Rita Dove Poetry Award judged by the current US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. She has also been awarded the John Edward Johnson Prize and the Carrie McCray Literary Award for Poetry. She is a recipient of the Archibald Rutledge Prize named after the first Poet Laureate of South Carolina, where she lives with her wife.

~~~~~

Anthony Varallo Columbia Book Launch Party Friday November 17th, 2023 @ 6:00PM - 8:00 PM

Anthony Varallo is the author of What Did You Do Today?, winner of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction, forthcoming from the University of North Texas Press in Fall 2023. His other books include a novel, The Lines (University of Iowa Press), as well as four previous short story collections: This Day in History, winner of the John Simmons Short Fiction Award; Out Loud, winner of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize; Think of Me and I’ll Know (Northwestern University Press); and Everyone Was There, winner of the Elixir Press Fiction Award. He is a professor of English at the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC, where he directs the MFA Program in Creative Writing and serves as fiction editor of swamp pink literary journal.

Midlands Light Opera

Midlands Light Opera Society is thrilled to announce the Love, Laughter and Light Opera Cabaret on Saturday, November 18 at The Living Room. The program will begin at 7:30.

You will enjoy love songs and comedic numbers from golden age musicals and operettas including HMS Pinafore, The Mikado, and Die Fledermaus. There will be some golden oldies, new takes on familiar pieces, AND special sneak peeks of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Patience, which we will perform in February, and an original horror-inspired opera that will premier in summer of 2024. 

Singers include Nikki Anderson, Greer Arcomona, Michael Brown, Jason Collins, Lilith Clary, Evelyn Clary, Abraham Hardy, Laura Hutchins, Roddey Smith, and Felicia Torres, who will be accompanied by Mary Ann Clary and Ashleigh Morse on keyboard. Ann Benson and David Bankston, who have enjoyed international operatic careers, will serve as our emcees.

Midlands Light Opera Society is in its first year, and its twofold mission is to bring fully staged live operetta to the midlands, and to give local performers of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels the opportunity to perform these works. 


Tickets for adults will be $20. Tickets for those under 18 are $10. Tickets may be purchased at the door with cash or card. We do not accept checks. The Living Room is located at 6729 Two Notch Rd in Columbia, right next to Very’s Restaurant.

Poetry of the People with Cassie Premo Steele

This week's Poet of the People is the indomitable Cassie Premo Steele. Cassie is an Earth mother to many poets and writers. Her poetry invites you to take a walk with her in a forest to her safe place for an intimate poetry salon with the denizens of nature. A Daughter of Light, she leads you back to the city refreshed and remade.

~~~~

Cassie Premo Steele is a lesbian ecofeminist poet and novelist and the author of 18 books. She will be reading from Swimming in Gilead, her seventh book of poetry, at Simple Gifts on November 7, and the launch party for her third novel, Beaver Girl, will be at All Good Books on November 16. Her poetry has won numerous awards, including the Archibald Rutledge Prize named after the first Poet Laureate of South Carolina, where she lives with her wife. She is currently running a Kickstarter project to fund the Beaver Girl Book Tour:

Poems from Swimming in Gilead, Yellow Arrow Publishing, 2023

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Let Us Begin Again

 

Be very quiet. Make it dawn.

Rise from bed. Walk on the lawn.

Wait for it. The sun is coming.

It’s a new one. It’s beginning.

You don’t believe me, you say

this happens every day, there’s

nothing new under the sun and

certainly not the sun itself.

Put your doubts on a shelf,

I say to you. Hush now.

Listen to the birds singing.

Watch the blue ones feeding

their babies. See the heron

heading south for fishing.

Look at the egrets catching

pink light in their white wings.

Faith is made of things like

these, everyday movements,

sights and sounds that you

usually ignore, and today,

since you’ve told me you’re

tired of life and wanting something

more, I’ve shown you how to do it,

and now that you know,

come, let us begin again.


The Woman Speaks of Bicycles 

I’ve known bicycles:

I’ve known bicycles new as my skin and older than my dried blood

from my womb.

 

I’ve known bicycles:

Reliable rubber and metal bicycles.

My body has grown strong like bicycles.

 

I rode along the Minnesota roads when constant motion was my freedom.

I got off my bike and walked the sugar bluffs, puffing with each step.

I looked upon the Mississippi and had a vision of finally flowing away.

I heard the wheels of my bike whizzing downhill at the end of the day.

 

I’ve known bicycles:

Reliable rubber and metal bicycles.

My body has grown strong like bicycles.

 

I rode in Carolina when children waited for me back home.

I got off my bike and walked the hilly edge of Covenant Road.

I looked upon the Congaree River and knew I would always stay.

I heard the music of my own voice saying I could live a different way.

 

My body has grown strong like bicycles.

  

This Is How We 

I once knew a Native woman,

Eastern Cherokee, who taught me

that in order to fix a rip in a basket,

you can’t just go in after it.

You have to unwind the fibers until

it’s pinestraw and sweetgrass again.

This is how we begin again.

 

I once injured my left knee

and the physical therapist,

a Latina from Texas, showed

me how a lack of stability

in my right hip had caused it.

The body crosses like this,

she said. It’s all connected.

This is how we heal again.

 

I once lay on my bed for hours

on end, as a child in Minnesota,

reading book after book while

my body disappeared, and so

did the pain and fear, until

I was just a mind in a story.

It took me years to invite

my body back into the party.

This is how we move again.

 

I once stayed in endless motion

of serving and cleaning, cooking

and feeding, wiping and washing,

drying and folding, until my mind,

always so strong, broke hard

and long, and for the first time,

I told the truth in therapy.

This is how we feel again.

 

I once heard a song that felt

like it was singing all that had

gone wrong, and I thought

it had been written just for

me, and then a pandemic broke

the globe and I realized everybody

knows the melody of tragedy.

This is how we begin to be together for the first time really.

 

Sun Loving 

Just before the day ends, I look up

and the sun is in drag, orange lipstick

and purple fingernails, red hair,

peach high heels, and I say, Hey, girl,

Where you headed? And she says,

Off to bed. Alone? I ask. You know

better than that, she laughs, and

as she sashays away, I see the moon

and stars take her by the hand

and lead her downstairs to a ballroom

for a final dance before kisses and

all the love she has ever deserved.

 

Under a Full Moon 

What must be done is a gathering

of women under a full moon,

each one holding in her hands

a leaf or bud or flower, blade

of grass, and together we say

the names of these plants,

and the list transforms into

a poem, a prayer, a spell, an

incantation, a chant and belief

in peace, peace, peace, peace.

 

And when our throats go sore

and voices tire, we take our

empty hands and make a chain

to keep the violence from crashing

into bodies any longer, and

dream that war will cease.

  

Seeds 

I spent years diving and digging

and bringing coral and diamonds

up into the light with my palms,

but the sun had dimmed so much

that my gifts were invisible, and I

mourned the bodies and voices

of women and girls I’d wanted

to crown with orange and bright

jewels who had all gone down

underground in a collective action

of mutual survival, and so I let

what I wanted to give away

drop to the ground and walked

so long up a mountain that I could

look back and see the seeds had

buried themselves back into the

earth to be trees. Tall were their

trunks and the leaves sang green

songs to bring the girls and woman

back to me and back into the castles

and courts we ruled over again in

this land where we’d always belonged.

  

Tuesday Afternoon 

I walk with my fingers on the page and

I dance with my hips on the stage I have

made in my room where bluebirds take

turns with me playing the parts of star

and audience and I hear the silence filled

with breath and electric hum and a neighbor’s

rake and I touch my dog’s fur and think

about origins and species and know that

nothing the mind does brings as much joy

as an animal can and I laugh while

remembering my grandson’s voice after he

knocked my chin with a stick in the garden

and asked me, Are you okay, Gaga?

and I wonder what would have happened

if God had been more like this boy in Eden

and instead of rules and banishment, we’d

been met in our mistakes and our pain

with a question and compassion.

 

Georgia McBride at USC’s Longstreet Theatre a Fiercely Funny Celebration of the Art of Drag

From our friends at USC Theatre and Dance —

USC’s historic Longstreet Theatre is about to get even more legendary as the theatre program presents the fiercely funny Off-Broadway hit The Legend of Georgia McBride, November 10-17.

Show times are 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with additional 3 p.m. matinee performances on Saturday, November 11 and Sunday, November 12.  Admission is $15 for students, $20 for UofSC faculty/staff, military, and seniors 60+, and $22 for the public. Tickets may be purchased online at sc.universitytickets.com. Longstreet Theatre is located at 1300 Greene St.  Enter from the rear breezeway off Sumter St. The Legend of Georgia McBride contains adult themes and mature language, and is not suitable for children.

Tony®-winning playwright Matthew Lopez’ hit Off-Broadway comedy is a glittering, music-filled story of identity and acceptance, described as “stitch-in-your-side funny” (The New York Times) and “a glorious tribute to the art of drag” (Variety). Lopez’s story centers on Casey, an aspiring Elvis impersonator struggling to make it in showbiz.  He’s broke, facing eviction, and just found out his wife is pregnant. To make matters worse, he’s about to lose his only gig at a local dive bar to a much more successful drag act. The only way he can survive? Ditch “The King” and learn to embrace his inner Queen!

Two guest artists are leading the production. Jessica Francis Fichter, Executive Director of Columbia’s Trustus Theatre, returns to the USC stage as director, having recently helmed USC’s production of Little Shop of Horrors. Terrance Henderson, an award-winning theatre and dance artist, director, teacher and Equity Advisor, is choreographing, while also consulting the company on the art of drag. He’s additionally embodying the onstage role of Miss Tracy Mills, the seasoned performer who guides Casey on his journey to legendary queendom. 

“It’s super meta,” says Henderson, a veteran drag performer, of his dual roles in the production. “I appreciate that in the play we get to see Tracy take Casey through the basics of drag performance, and that a lot of the things I’m teaching the actors are being spoken about in the play.”

For Henderson, at the heart of drag is the art of theatre.  “It’s like a mini play in six minutes,” he says. “I’m using all these devices of the body, physicality, choreography, costume, make-up, props…It’s all storytelling.”

“It’s an art form that needs to be celebrated,” says Fichter, “and deserves respect at this moment in time. This play is even more timely now than when it was written in 2014.”

Joining Henderson in the cast are undergraduate actors Koby Hall (as Casey), Keyontaye Allison, John Ballard, and Morgan Passley. David Britt, a senior theatre instructor at USC, is taking on the role of bar owner Eddie. Designers for the production are MFA theatre design students Ashley Jensen (scenic), Lindsay Wilkinson (costume), and Lorna Young (lighting), with undergraduate Makenzie Payne designing make-up and guest artist Danielle Wilson designing sound.

“This play is, first and foremost, a comedy,” says Fichter. “The one-liners, the banter between the characters, the 20-minute drag show in the middle of the play… if you are a lover of theatre or art, and a lover of fun, dancing, and joy, this is a really good play for you.”

“You get to witness these drag performances while also experiencing the evolution of someone’s drag journey up front and in person,” adds Henderson. “It’s a visceral experience that lifts the story and drag itself, too.”

For more information on The Legend of Georgia McBride or the theatre program at the University of South Carolina, contact Kevin Bush by phone at 803-777-9353 or via email at bushk@mailbox.sc.edu.