Category: poetry

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AndYes – Sacramento’s Renaissance Man

Iambic Podcast Episode 5

I talk to Sacramento Renaissance man, AndYes. His work is pretty extensive: 9 chapbooks, full length Book, 2 albums, 3 one man shows. His media presence on Good day Sacramento, NPR radio, Sac News and Reviews, Submerge. We discussed:

  • The life of his late brother, Frank
  • how Wrestling helped his persona
  • Professional Improv love
  • manage major Depression & mental health
  • why he started doing poetry?
  • Page & Stage poetry comparison
  • his name origin
  • Grand Slam Champion & the belt to prove it.
  • being a circuit Poet (praise to Brandon Leake)
  • his hosting time
  • operations FreeSoul
  • Spoken word Federation (my victory against Marvin)
  • Poetry myths in modern society
  • affiliation with ZFG
  • who is Ms. MARS
  • podcasting (scenespeak)
  • his Spoken word album
  • chapbook trick (Stacy Gee did it)
  • Writing of AMAN (first chapbook)
  • Poets & Politics podcast (with Brandon Leake, Stacy Gee and Twosense)

His website: www.andyespoetry.com

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Ep 3: Len Germinara – Polis Poet: backbone & all

The interview

I visited Len Germinara’s home to conduct an interview for Iambic Podcast due to Gallery portrait additions being placed at Sacramento Poetry Center for Second Saturday. Beside his dog’s infatuation for attention., we discuss about several topics:

  • Living in Nantucket
  • Writing 8 books
  • DIY to Publishing
  • His love to Slam poetry
  • The story of his Back Injury
  • His Wife and her endeavor
  • Famous Friends
  • Junior Rangers
  • Ecopoetry
Iambic Podcast EP 3: Len Germinara

To view his work and accomplishment: www.lengerminara.com

For more podcast episodes: www.Iambic.podbean.com

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MC Side

MY EMCEE (MC) SIDE

Birth of an Emcee

My first love for hip-hop was Emceeing. I enjoyed writing poems and prose in school about nature and personal things. But, I was a 10 years old kid with cable TV. MTV was one of the most watched channels in my house.  While I enjoyed watching Brit-pop and Heavy Metal, it was Hip-Hop that grabbed my attention.  I found vocalist who did not sing but spoke in rhymes. I thought it was the greatest thing!

I started changing my poems into rap lyrics to be more involved in the Hip-hop culture.  I started making tapes and doing shows at 13 years old under the moniker, RES or Resolution.  I would be involved with several rap groups and bands over the next 25 years.  Most of these groups became local acts in different counties like Mr. Know-It-All and The Essence Of from Washington State.

I was mainly influenced by East Coast style due to their lyrical content but Emcees on the West Coast and South started getting more of my attention as I got older.  Emcees (Rappers) would be blunt, offensive, passionate, and articulate. I wanted to be in that position in music and life.

Poetry Slam

By 2000, there was a shift in performance art. Poetry Slam started to emerge nationally. Poetry slams were used to eliminate the boredom of poetry recital and create an interactive show. Local coffee shops and performance stages became hosting areas.

Poets would bring their poems to either read them out loud or perform them to an audience that would judge their performance. Poetry Organizations started holding poetry slams nationally with cash prizes. These slams were used to provide open mic shows.

Now, Rappers and street poets started leaving the street corners to participate in coffee shops.  They knew their style of poetry would resonate with other poets and the audience.  Poetry slams and Def Poetry Slam started a new chapter in Hip-hop.  Poetry was embraced as urban.

Emcee to Poet/Spoken Word Artist

My first poetry appearance was in 2002 at the Anywhere Cafe in Stockton.  The show was called the H2O poetry slam. It was run by a couple from Oakland and held weekly. I would become a regular attendee performing my rap lyrics for 3 years.  Then I started rewriting my rhymes into poetry forms and performing them with different emotions and without music.

Now, I have gone onto perform rhymes in bars and stages and poems in front of cafe patrons.  So I created this full circle of my Emcee side. I evolved from a poet to an Emcee when I was young, but now, I have returned to my roots.

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Iambic (the podcast?)

What happen to Iambic (the Zine)?

It is the year 2020. I have been hosting at Sacramento Poetry center for 1 year now. It has definitely been a interesting experience. I thank Wendy Williams for asking me to do it. I bring local and distance poets to share their poetry and sell their merchandise. But I do recall when I also had a zine to give to people. My literary zine called Iambic. So, what happen to Iambic? Well, I ran out of money. From printing cost and no sponsorship, it did not take long to see diminishing returns. So, I stopped the presses after the one year anniversary. Evil. Iambic was not being utilize so, I donated a volume of zines to Sacramento Public Library and maintained the website.

Podcast Prequel

But in January 2019, I became the new Poetry reading host at Sacramento Poetry Center. This action brought me back into having an outlet to introduce poets and rappers into the Sacramento Poetry Community which was the mission of Iambic. So, Iambic became a show pamphlet but it was hard to maintain. But I still hosted shows under the Iambic moniker. Then I realize that I could make a podcast instead. So I had recorded a podcast introduction episode with the help of BYLO podcast group in August 2019 but I released the first two episodes in January.

Iambic the Podcast

So I started a podcast to give more depth to my feature Poets who have graced Sacramento Poetry Center. I started to notice that a lot of poets are not given an in depth interview after performing at Sacramento Poetry center. They sell books and talk to people but it is a short time. I figured I have the opportunity give them as much exposure before they say their first poem. Plus, it is what Iambic was about: making people aware of local poets. So, my first episodes will introduce Auntie Vice and Jorge Quintana:

Jorge Quintana
Auntie Vice

But check out the new Iambic Podcast. The link is the Logo in the Sidebar.

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MAY DAY

National poetry month

So national poetry month is over but it doesn’t have to stop for you, poet.  You need to take what you learn and build on it. Plus, these prompts are always there to be reused for future poem ideas. So speak, poet. Speak.

May Feelings

The month of May has a different feeling my life.  Since being terminated on Star Wars Day (May 4th) last year,  I changed my direction from being unemployed to being unemployable.  I started to rebuild A Serious Production from a music production house to a mobile DJ service and podcast production house.  I was fustrated with working for companies that I didn’t care about completely.

This constant struggle to push myself just for a paycheck was insulting.  I wanted to build my accounting career to experience all categories of accounting but I realized that will never happen in a single company. The accounting profession is greater than what is used in business.  I started to feel a distaste to office politics. So, I redirected most of my time to build a DJ career than accounting.

CharRon the DJ

I have been performing as a DJ / turtablist with a band, group, and solo in clubs, parties, festivals, bowling lanes and sandwich shops for 12 years. I have several recordings of music that I have performed on. I own a CDJ and turntables and still carry a collection of records, CD, and mp3s(I used to have a backpack of cassette but I got rid of them.). So, it occur to me, that I could this for poetry slams, comedy shows, events, and conferences.

So I invested my unemployment money into my own company and purchase the necessary items: a sound system, controller, wireless mics, par lights, insurance, licensing, and start-up fees. The mobile DJ business was to be my calling card to interact with different people who had different taste in music.  This is a sure fire way to hear different genres of music that I would not hear on my leisure.

So, I am a official business owner of A Serious Production in Sacramento. Plus, I got hired to DJ/MC with an entertainment company called Firehous Entertainment for 5 month now.  I am, also, the show DJ for Comedy Burger and Sac unified Poetry Slam.  So, I can add to my resume the title: professional freelance DJ. I do have goals that I am striving for and will acomplish soon.

I also produce podcasts. I have done my own podcast, RES on the GO, on Soundcloud. But I am highly regarded for producing the growing podcast called Fat Chicks on Top with my partner Auntie Vice. I am working with other potential client with their idea and planning on making them a reality.

Pretty good for an unemployed accounting clerk turn DJ / business owner. Check out my company, A Serious Production, by clicking the link: here.  Plus, I will give a 20% discount on all services by informing me about the blog post.

 

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1st hump day

Happy New Year and welcome to the first hump day of 2019. Wow! same planet, different time. So, I am starting a journey as a independent freelancer and business owner. I have a least 2 events each week in January.
I have several talents: Poetry, DJ/music, and Podcasts. Each share a different category in my business and I am, definitely, going to be tested with a several gigs this month. Making money doing gigs is going to be an interesting feat everyday.

Here’s what is going in January:

First, I am the new monthly monday host for Monday Poetry reading at Sacramento Poetry Center. The show is great. Plus, it has an open mic part that I enjoy. (I am taken over for Wendy Williams. She definitely believe in me and I appreciate it. Thank you, Wendy.) My first show will be the 7th at 7:30pm. My feature is Khalypso, a profound poet who was just appointed Sacramento youth poet Laureate.

Next, I am still the resident DJ of Comedy Burger at Momo’s and Sac Poetry Slam at Luna’s Cafe. I am grateful for both shows But I do have to sell my show tickets to live. Plus, I have new events: I am the DJ for Erica Ambrin at Holy Divers on the 13th and a feature poet for Brandon’s new poetry show: Spittin at Channel Brewing in Stockton on the 25th.

Advertising needs to be active. I have several places where I perform. I entertain a lot more than serve. So, I need to advertise heavy because I need to monetize each gig. Marketing has become my new obstacle. I have never needed to do it because most of my jobs never expected me too. But now, I need it to make money for my business. I am not afraid to talk to people but I never wanted to become a salesman: Never see people as new targets. My life mission is bigger than that.

Finally, I need to expand into the podcast community. I have produced a few shows and work on Fat chicks on top podcast currently. I will record my Monday Poetry readings for future use. I have a few ideas that seem lucrative. But, it all comes down to active engagement with the community.

Well, my month is going to be busy. If you want to check me out and you live near or in the Sacramento area, then go to my website and check my events listed with my social media platforms.

If you want to hire me for DJing your event, recording your song, creating your podcast, hosting your show, or performing poetry; then go to A Serious Production or call 707-867-1411.

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Andromeda’s kiss (Day 26)

Tilt my head up
the starry sky cuff my chin
The full moon lunars
Oceanic breezes sail across my face
Taste the tsunami
As we draw closer,
planets begin to align
our lips touch
Sparkling comets flare
Supernova explode in nebulas nearby
Big bang theory is remarkable
Then I open my eye
Watch your constellations in the sky

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Game of Fetch

Scrap of metal is flung from one side.

Shadowy figure fly fast to recover it

Land on the thrower’s forearm.

“Well done, Laserbeak.”

Megatron was pleased

Grabs the Autobot arm

Fling it out to a new location

A mound of dead cypertronian bodies.

Today was a good day.

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On fleek (Day 23)

On fleek
On the street
Too sweet
For the meek

This heat
Non discreet
I keep
What you reep

Got geek
Winning streak
Just peak
What a treat

Call Pete
We’re elite
Let’s eat
In a suite

Complete
So unique
Repeat
Such a feat

Mystique
By the creek
Hear shriek?
Come on, feet

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Mouse wants elephant (Day 22)

On a hot summer day, A starving mouse searched for food in the Sahara desert. Over a hill, mouse saw a lone elephant in a waterhole, relaxing. Mouse’s mouth watered at the massive size of the elephant. But, mouse knew the elephant was too big for him to take down. So, the mouse devised a plan.

Mouse ran down to the valley towards a pack of female lions relaxed under a tree. Mouse started to throw pebbles at three lions to get their attention. The lion turned and growled at the mouse. But, Mouse continued to throw pebbles at them. The angry lions roared and rushed towards mouse. Mouse initiated a chase up the hill. At the top, Mouse scurried into a hole for safety. Three lions reach the top of the hill and see the elephant.

They split and surround the elephant. The elephant is trap. They attack from different sides. One lion jumps on the elephant’s back. The other two lions claw and bite at the elephant’s legs. A hour long stuggle until the elephant is succumb to its wounds and falls dead in the waterhole.

The lions dragged the elephant’s body out the waterhole and ripped off pieces of flesh until they were full. They left the elephant carcass near the waterhole and return to the valley. Mouse leaped out of its hole and ran to the dead elephant. Mouse goes inside the carcass and rips a piece of flesh. The mouse inserted the flesh in his mouth, shallows and smile. Who said a mouse can’t eat an elephant.