Archive for the ‘Events’ Category
Darin Bradley @ First Hearings, with Merritt Tierce
When: November 9, 7:30 pm
Where: The Wild Detectives, 314 W. Eighth St, Dallas 74208
Hosted by: Charles Dee Mitchell
Q/A: Merritt Tierce
Darin Bradley’s “Dystopian Cluster” of novels began in 2010 with Noise, a tale of young people training to be the ruthless survivors of the societal collapse they see hurtling towards them. Chimpanzee (2014) chronicled life in this changed world where dispirited people make do in the new police state and elective mental illness becomes the fashion.
WordSpace hosted Darin at The Wild Detectives for the release of Chimpanzee. On November 9 we are pleased to have him return with Totem, the final book in the cluster. He has moved the action to the far future, or possibly a parallel world, where religion has gone viral and Big Brother works hand in hand with UNESCO.
In addition to his three novels, Darin Bradley has written scripts for id Software, the gaming company behind such iconic titles as Quake and Rage. He is also the founding editor-in-chief and the design director of Farrago’s Wainscot, an ezine of the literary weird. Goliad Media is his independent publishing, recording, and art production housed based in Denton, Texas, where he live with his wife.
2017 Women of the World Poetry Slam Opens
WordSpace and Latino Cultural Center
joins Dallas and Candy to present
THE LAST CHANCE SLAM
Wednesday, March 15
7 pm Latino Cultural Center
Tickets: $10
Friday, March 16 @ Kettle Art
Sign up begins at 6:30
Women of the World FestivalMarch 15-18
Hosted by: Candy and Dallas Poetry Slam
More Info coming soon!
WordSpace is honored to partner with Latino Cultural Center and the national organization, Poetry Slam Inc. to sponsor The Last Chance Slam supporting the kick off for the three day Women of the World Slam, coordinated and hosted by Candy for Dallas. Special Thanks to Candy (also Slam Master of Dallas Poetry Slam) for bringing this prestigious festival to the City of Dallas. Additional volunteer coordinators include GNO and Princess McDowell. Events associated with this festival will be held throughout the day and night. Daily competitions at venues in Deep Ellum, lead up to the final competition held at The Majestic Theater on Saturday, March 18. Festival passes and entry submissions for the festival will be available soon. Additional volunteer coordinators include GNO and Princess McDowell.
WordSpace is also honored to partner with the Women of the World Poetry Workshops at the Dallas Public Library.
Still have questions? Check it: Poetry Slam Inc. WOWPS FAQ
About Poetry Slam Inc.: The mission of Poetry Slam Incorporated (PSI) is to promote the performance and creation of poetry while cultivating literary activities and spoken word events in order to build audience participation, stimulate creativity, awaken minds, foster education, inspire mentoring, encourage artistic statement and engage communities worldwide in the revelry of language.
Poetry Slam, Inc. is the official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization charged with overseeing the international coalition of poetry slams. Though slams are maintained in a growing number of cities by local volunteer organizers, the vast majority of slam series follow the rules established by the governing body, and are certified by the governing body as slams that adhere to the vision slam’s founders established for the art form over a decade ago. Because of slam’s exponential growth as an art form, PSI has emerged not only as an administrative body to maintain the rules which govern slam, but as an organization that seeks to grow slam’s audience and protect slam’s interests. The Executive Council, headed by a seven-member Executive Council comprised of poets and slam organizers, and voted on by representatives of local slams, maintains a vigilant watch of poetry slam series worldwide, insuring that slam maintains itself as an art form open to all competitors. Through the certification process and its annual organizational meetings, PSI has created the backbone for a community of poets who are in frequent communication with one another, in order to pool ideas and share creative resources to insure the future growth and recognition of slam. Poets from the community frequently embark on poetry tours in other slam cities, relying on each other to set up the venues and housing necessary for such tours.
While PSI’s main focus in past years has been the maintenance and growth of the National Poetry Slam, the organization is embarking on a series of programs and actions that seek to increase the public awareness of slams. These projects include the maintenance of an official website, an agreement with television producers seeking to stage slams for a major cable television network, and the formation of regional competitions, which would place officially-sanctioned team competitions in a number of host cities each year and concentrate the high level of talent present at the annual Nationals.
Poetry Slam, Inc. was first officially proposed in August of 1996, at the Slam Family meeting in Portland, Oregon, though it had been talked about at the annual spring meeting for at least two years prior to that.
A corporate Charter and official bylaws worked their way into existence through several steps over the course of the next year. But, by official and unanimous acclimation, Poetry Slam, Inc. was brought to reality on August 9, 1997.
About Women of the World Poetry Slam:
Women of the World Poetry Slam is a performance poetry tournament designed for individual competition, where poets will perform four poems of varying lengths during preliminary bouts. Taking place March 15th – 18th, the top poets will go on to finals to compete for the title of, The 2017 Women of the World Champion!
What are the rules?
Each poem must be of the poet’s own construction;
Each poet gets three minutes (plus a ten-second grace period) to read one poem. If the poet goes over time, points will be deducted from the total score.
The poet may not use props, costumes or musical instruments;
Of the scores the poet received from the five judges, the high and low scores are dropped and the middle three are added together, giving the poet a total score of 0-30.
Preliminary Bouts: Thursday & Friday – The order in which poets perform in the first round of each bout is assigned by a random draw at registration. Poets will compete in in one, two round bout each night, having a different slate of competitors each night. The first round of every bout will have a calibration poet, and if you’re lucky, maybe even a sorbet. Competing poets should be familiar with the Preliminary Bout format.
THURSDAY: 4 & 1 minute poems
First Round: poets read a four minute poem. The order of the second round is determined by the score in the first round: poets will read in order from high to low score. Second Round: poets read a one minute poem.
FRIDAY: 2 & 3 minute poems
First Round: poets read a two minute poem. The order of the second round is determined by the score in the first round: poets will read in order from high to low score. Second Round: poets read a three minute poem.
The top twelve poets of all bouts advance to the finals.
SATURDAY: Final Stage
The thirteenth ranked poet is designated the calibration poet. All poems in the finals are three minute poems and no poems may be repeats from earlier in the tournament.
First Round: Twelve poets read, top seven move to the second round.
Second Round: Seven poets read, top ranked four of to final round.
Final Round: Four poets read and the poet with the highest score is crowned the Woman of the World Poetry Slam Champion. If there is a tie between the top two poets, they read one more poem in a sudden death match. Judges indicate which poet they prefer and the champion is crowned.
FIRST HEARINGS: CAROL J. ADAMS IN CONVERSATION WITH PAMELA NELSON
When: October 12, 7:30 PM
Where: The Wild Detectives, 314 West 8th St, Dallas 75208
Hosted by: Charles Dee Mitchell
Carol J. Adams published The Sexual Politics of Meat in 1990. Her incisive and revolutionary investigation into the interplay between cultural misogyny and the meat industry raised hackles and changed lives. On the occasion of its 25th anniversary edition in 2015, South African novelist J. M. Coetzee wrote, “The connections traced between rampant masculinity, misogyny, carnivorism, and militarism operate as powerfully today as when Carol Adams first diagnosed them twenty years ago.”
To celebrate the publication of her new collection of essays, The Carol J. Adams Reader, WordSpace hosts the author as part of our First Hearings Series on October 12 at The Wild Detectives. Following the reading, she will be in conversation with Dallas artist Pamela Nelson.
This is an opportunity to engage one of the world’s most important thinkers on the topics of ecofeminism, veganism, and spirituality.
AUTHOR’S BIO:
Carol J. Adams is the author of The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory, recently released in a 
Bloomsbury Revelations/Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition. Her most recent book is The Carol J. Adams Reader: Essays and Conversations 1995-2015, available this fall from Bloomsbury. She is completing a book on A Caregiver Reads Jane Austen, a portion of which appeared in the New York Times last December as “Jane Austen’s Guide to Alzheimer’s.” Her essay “Toward a Philosophy of Care through Care”, drawing on more than ten years of journals kept during caregiving of three elderly people, will be published in Critical Inquiry next year. Two recent anthologies focus on the impact of Adams’ work on younger women, Defiant Daughters: 21 Women on Art, Activism, Animals, and The Sexual Politics of Meat, edited by Kara Davis and Wendy Lee, is a collection of essays by women who credit Adams’ work with shaping their lives in new and positive ways. The Art of the Animal: Fourteen Women Artists Explore The Sexual Politics of Meat, edited by Kathryn Eddy, L.A. Watson and Janell O’Rourke, is a powerful expansion of Adams’ insights created by artists and reflected in various media. www.caroljadams.com
Savage Impressions II Festival
October 23, 1-6 pm
Kessler Theater Backyard
1230 W. Davis St.
Mighty Fine Arts and WordSpace brazenly present “Savage Impressions 2”, featuring an inspired array of art pirates and outlaw printmakers who arn’t limited to white box gallery inhibitions but boldly take their art practice to the streets of North Oak Cliff and the back lawn at the Kessler Theatre! This is an anti-art festival fest with no corporate backing or art world sanctions but with a primary agenda of creating a disturbance in your mind.No crafts, no pottery, no cheesy jewelry, no plants, no candles, and no face painting! Do expect to be immersed in some crazed, undefinable and incredible art and creative fervor! Also to further your expectations an array of musical and spoken word performances will occur throughout the day offering unconventional aural episodes and lurid sonic dynamics! So come on out and spend a day with some invigorating art minds and cultivate the savage in your impressions!
Artists: Clay Stinnett, Kelley Cheek, Brett Ardoin, Monique Jannette, Andy Don Emmons, 
Leah Hairston, Amber Borowoski, Carlos Hernandez, Dwayne Carter, Ollie Gee, Matt Bagley, Sharon 
Neel-Bagley, Thor Johnson, Robert Hamilton, Jason Cohen, Manuel Pecina, Angela Faz, Hancock Brothers, Jack Russell, Molly McGuire, Ashley J.Hansen, Heather Horton, Junanne Peck, Steve Cruz.
Spoken Word & Performance Schedule:
1pm
Opalina Salas
Carlos Salas
Vic Victory,
1:30
Professor R.Mutt and His Duchampaphones
2 pm
The
Amazing
Hancock Brothers
3 pm They Say the Wind Made Them Crazy
Photo: Ginger Berry courtesy Dallas Observer
4 pm
Mercury Rocket
5 pm
Inferno Texino
6pm Sweatloaf
Dedicated to our friend Milton who was with us last year and whose spirit is welcome to party with us this year too!
Open Mic @ MFA Gallery
Don’t Miss Out!
Saturday, August 15 at 8 pm
Open Mic at Mighty Fine Arts
Hosted by Opaline Salas
Refreshments provided by WordSpace
Join us for a fun evening of OC poets doing what they do best: read and dance their work in the avant grade gallery setting of Mighty Fine Arts.
Mighty Fine Arts is located at 409A No. Tyler St. in historic Oak Cliff.
More info on Mighty Fine Arts: www.mfagallery.com
Love, Betrayal, and the Fall of a Dynasty: The Poetry of the An Lushan Rebellion
What: Love, Betrayal, and the Fall of a Dynasty: The Poetry of the An Lushan Rebellion
Who: Dr. J. Michael Farmer, University of Texas at Dallas
When: Thursday, October 6, 7 pm
Where: Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, 2719 Routh St, Dallas, TX 75201
An elderly emperor bereaved of his beloved empress spies his beautiful daughter-in-law at the imperial bath house. His heart stirs, and he quickly arranges to have her brought into his harem. A foreign-born general becomes the court favorite, frolicking with the Precious Consort and other ladies of the Inner Palace. Snubbed for a promotion, the general turns his troops against his ruler and patron, plundering the capital, sending the emperor and his entourage in flight. The consort is blamed for the rebellion and killed by the imperial guards. The tragic love story of Emperor Xuanzong, his Precious Consort Yang, and the general An Lushan is also the turning point in the history of the Tang Dynasty and traditional China. Poets of the time and period immediately following wrote of these persons and events, creating some of the most powerful poetry of China’s “golden age of literature.”
This lecture will set the historical background of the Tang Dynasty, the rebellion that brought it down, and the poetry that commemorated the event. Close readings of masterpieces of Tang poetry will be given, and translations of the poems will be provided in advance.
Brief Bio:
Dr. J. Michael Farmer is Associate Professor of Chinese Studies, specializing in in the literature, history, thought, and culture of early and medieval China. He holds Masters Degrees in both Chinese history and Chinese literature, and a Ph.D. in Chinese literature, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Farmer has published articles on various aspects of medieval China, including didactic illustrations in an early Chinese academy, the local historiography of medieval Sichuan, and the use of poetry in historical narrative. His book, “The Talent of Shu”, published by the State University of New York Press (2007) is a socio-intellectual history of early Sichuan told through a critical biography of a noted classicist and historian, Qiao Zhou. Dr. Farmer teaches courses on Chinese literature, history, thought, culture, and art history. He translates literary, historical, and philosophical texts from China’s early medieval period, and is engaged in a long-term project to translate the fourth century local history Huayang guo zhi [Records of the States South of Mount Hua]. Dr. Farmer has served as the Secretary-Treasurer for the T’ang Studies Society and on the Board of Directors of the Western Branch of the American Oriental Society, and is currently on the Board of Directors of the T’ang Studies Society and the editor of Early Medieval China.
Heimberg Salon
What: WordSpace Salon
When: May 18, 7 pm
Where: Private Residence, RSVP for Location
WordSpace@WordSpace.Us, 214-838-3554
Dr. Martha Heimberg presents one of her inimitable evenings of scholarly lens at a favorite writer. Adding wit and biographical / historical context in a very comfortable setting with refreshments, these Salons have been a staple of WordSpace for over 20 years.
Dr. Heimberg is a Professor of Literature at Cedar Hill College, published poet, award winning journalist and theater critic for Theater Jones.
Heimberg on Merwin
What: WordSpace Salon
Where: Private Residence, RSVP for Location
WordSpace@WordSpace.Us, 214-838-3554
Dr. Martha Heimberg presents one of her inimitable evenings of scholarly lens at a favorite writer. Adding wit and biographical/historical context in a very comfortable setting, these Salons have been a staple of WordSpace for over 20 years.
Dr. Heimberg is a Professor of Literature at Cedar Hill College, poet, and theater critic for Theater Jones.
William Stanley Merwin (born September 30, 1927) is an American poet, credited with over fifty books of poetry, translation and prose. During the 1960s anti-war movement, Merwin’s unique craft was thematically characterized by indirect, unpunctuated narration. In the 1980s and 1990s, Merwin’s writing influence derived from his interest in Buddhist philosophy and deep ecology. Residing in Hawaii, he writes prolifically and is dedicated to the restoration of the islands’ rainforests.
Merwin has received many honors, including the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (in both 1971 and 2009), the National Book Award for Poetry (2005) and the Tanning Prize, one of the highest honors bestowed by the Academy of American Poets, as well as the Golden Wreath of the Struga Poetry Evenings. In 2010, the Library of Congress named Merwin the seventeenth United States Poet Laureate to replace the outgoing Kay Ryan. Following his receiving the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2009, Merwin is recognized as one of the principal contributors to poetry in the early 21st century.
VALLEY OF THE DOLLS: A SCREENING AND 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
JOIN WORDSPACE “BEHIND THE SCREEN” AT THE TEXAS THEATER FOR DRINKS, SNACKS, MINGLING AND A MOVIE ON AUGUST 25.
We are pulling together a great season for the coming year, and we are ready to announce a series of Headliner events at both The Kessler Theater and the Dallas City Performance Hall, a new season of Oral Fixation shows, a line up of featured performers at The Dallas Poetry Slam, as well as dozens of readings and salons.
Festivities begin at 7:00PM.
Tickets will be available for Headliners Advance Purchase
In honor of the screening of Valley of the Dolls at 8:30 in on the big screen, the cash bar will offer the exclusive “Neely O’Hara”, a craft cocktail designed by Dallas artist Brian Scott.
The party and movie are free to WordSpace members and a guest. (We will have a list of current members at the door.)
Normal Texas Theater admission applies to non-members – and that makes this the perfect time to buy or renew your WordSpace membership. In addition to discounts to ticketed events throughout the year, you get two $10 movie tickets on the spot.
For membership information visit
http://
And we will see you at The Texas Theater, August 25, 7:00 PM.
Dr. Michael Farmer presents The Golden Age of Chinese Poetry
In partnership with the Dallas Institute of Arts and Culture.
More Details Coming on this Salon covering T’ang Dynasty poets by Dr. Farmer, scholar of Chinese History and Literature and Professor at University of Texas at Dallas.
