| On Saturday, April
10, 1999, I attended an evening of poetry reading by authors James Ragan (Lusions),
and Hubert Selby, Jr. (Last Exit To Brooklyn) at Beyond
Baroque Literary/Arts Center in Venice, California. The intimate program was full
of lush, vivid, inspiring and thought-provoking poetry, as well as warm, vibrant and often
very funny personal anecdotes from the two poets. |
Hubert Selby read poems that have never been published. One
was a gorgeous love poem to his ex-wife. Another was a heart wrenching poem about a
time when he was living on welfare and couldn't afford to buy his son Billy a Big Gulp.
(Billy bought it with his own money, gave his Dad a hug, and told him he loved
him.)
This program is just one example of the many such superior
presentations that Beyond Baroque brings to the Los Angeles literary community.
Located in the old Venice Town Hall building, a 1906
Spanish-style building near Venice Beach, Beyond Baroque was formed by a group of
writers in 1968 with the publication of an avant-garde poetry magazine entitled Beyond
Baroque. The Center provides readings, performances, special events, publication, and
ongoing workshops, including the Wednesday Night Poetry workshop, which is the longest
running poetry workshop in Los Angeles. All of these programs are geared toward
encouraging and supporting each writer's unique voice.
Some graduates of Beyond Baroque and its workshops include Exene
Cervenkova, John Doe, Viggo Mortensen, and Tom Waits. Past readers include Raymond Carver,
Andrei Codrescu, Mary Gaitskill, and Allen Ginsberg. Beyond Baroque also has a
bookstore, library, an archives, and a gallery. For more information on beyond baroque and
upcoming workshops and events, visit them at www.beyondbaroque.org.
More on
Beyond Baroque as a publisher.
Continuing its long and important history of publishing and providing publishing
facilities, the Center has recently begun a new imprint, Beyond
Books, dedicated to important emerging and overlooked work, work unavailable
elsewhere, or work that is out of print. In 1997, the Center held a chapbook contest and
published the top three entries; the Center also features anthologies and chapbooks from
its workshop participants and alumnae. The Beyond Baroque web page publishes artists in
residence, workshop participants, and international submissions of poetry and short
stories. Again, the address is www.beyondbaroque.org. |
