Because it's payday/because you just got off work/because you just got outta school/because you 'bout to see yo'baby-honey-love-sugga-sweet-thang/because you got the fly boots and the dress huggin' the good parts well/because you gettin' the car washed before you kick it/because you still gotta job but the economic security doesn't make a cocktail sound less appealing/For all the reasons above, and many mo', I pledge to uphold the honor of posting a funky throwback video every Friday.  I will be taking requests via message and please feel free to leave comments.  In the meantime, enjoy your first selection introduced by none other than Soul Train's Don Cornelius, followed by the best scene in Prince's classic "Under the Cherry Moon":

Hey All,
if you missed my reading at Art House in Jersey City, NJ,  here's a little taste.  The poem "Erasure" was published in PMS #8, edited by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers.  I'd like to thank Christine Goodman for this footage and Art House for being such a great audience.  They have featured poets such as Suheir Hammad, John "Survivor" Blake,  Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai, Rich Villar, Kay Barrett, Jessica Elizabeth Nadler and Regie Cabico among others.  There's also a friendly open mic, so if you're in Jersey City, it's worth checking out. 

take care,
Tara

Really, I have no idea what I want to write about, but I'm here.  I figured I'd visit and say a little sumthin'.  People have been asking how I've been and it seems with all the Twitter updates and facebooking that people should know what I've been up to, but what does it mean to ask somebody "how are you?" 

The older I get, the more often it seems that people don't want an honest answer to that question.  Who wants to hear if you had a bad day?  Usually, people just expect you to say everything is good, and you share the bright points of your day. 

This puts everyone at ease and they get to smile and nod politely or pretend to listen attentively when you KNOW people will be thinking about what they're going to say next or really they're thinking about something else.  Everybody does that sometimes.  I know I've done it. 

I tend to have a policy of honesty or omission which is similar to the characters in the Disney classic "Bambi".  If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."  If I don't say something nice, it's because I don't mind everybody knowing what I think.  It's simple, but not always easy to determine when to do what.  You should say what's on your mind with tact. 

Now, I haven't been going through crazy changes or anything like that, just thinking about how people put on facades and how people are often pleased with that.  In fact, I feel like I'm knitting together a life that pleases me.  In the past, I have found myself working all the time and not necessarily financially the better for it.  I feel like it's time for me to strike a balance and enjoy some of my life before I have any children, before I possibly get a Ph.D.   Nothing is wrong with that, but a new year always makes me think about how we can be better people and be kinder to ourselves, especially if we weren't before.  

So, I guess I'm saying if you ask someone, "How are you?" Don't just ask it as a shallow question.  Wait and listen for a real answer.  You'd be surprised how many people really have something on their minds, when they're not trying to be clever. 

I've been trying to debrief from the semester a little bit at a time, but I am trying to let it go. Most of my high school students in Manhattan have finished their college application essays, and I felt privileged that Willie Perdomo and his students at Urban Word allowed me to share space at their workshop. I have final portfolios that I'm giving back to students on Tuesday. New poems are traversing through the U.S. Postal system to go to publications all over, and some other projects that I've been working on.

I've been glad to hear good news from my cousin Dwayne Betts (and his upcoming book "A Question of Freedom") and my other cousin that I grew up with in good ol' Kankakee. Other books that I'm glad have found their wings include Raina Leon's "Canticle of Idols" which I have some swell pictures to share from her book party at Bowery Poetry Club during Thanksgiving weekend.
Since my last post, I've failed to discuss some historic moments that I did not think I would live to see, and I've felt the gamut of feelings about it. I just need time to process. I've thought about an open letter to our President-Elect Obama to talk about my hopes for the next four years and beyond, Proposition 8, arts funding, his interracial heritage, our sweet home Chicago and making Patricia Smith the inaugural poet.

I also thought about writing about taking the GRE and watching "Twilight" and reading the novels that have replaced my Harry Potter fix. By the way, did you all know that "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" should be out in time for Christmas so I may have to check them, especially since I fancy myself being slightly like Hermione. I also thought about writing about the "No More Love Poems" contest that I did with my students at Rutgers, but I'm just glad to be here. I wanted to say hello. Let everyone know I'm still around and about.

I'm just relaxing tonight and casually watching Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine" so I thought I'd share an animated short from the film. I hope you all enjoy it.

I just got back from the polls where people were already on line before 8 a.m. So, I'm checking my email, and I heard about these kids at Ron Clark School. Imagine from T.I. to li'l bits talking about the electoral process between the two major political parties. Do you remember changing the words to songs when you were a kid? Yeah, I thought you could.

Here's the original video and the remake:





I'll be watching the election results til the end tonight. You can do whatever you like.

If you are of a certain age bracket, then you remember Kid'n'Play's "2 Hype", Donnie Simpson hosting "Video Soul", "Video Vibrations" and "Video LP". Hell, you might even remember Coca-Cola shirts and high top fades. (I actually saw a student trying to bring back the high top fade at Rutgers during the Lupe Fiasco concert on campus.) In any case, the commercial that we all quoted back in the day was this one. I really liked the songs too, but I never got the albums, then Time/Life brought it out on two CDs a few years ago, but the company stopped making them. So, the 1-800 number does not work in the commercial below, but the CDs are surfacing occasionally online. So, I got mines, but "no, my brother, you got to get your own!"

Other than that, I got a copy of Yusef Komunyakaa's new book "War Horses". I wanted to read it and cherish it this weekend, but I've been all about Barack Obama's "Dreams From My Father" and other stuff. I hope everyone is moderating their candy intake, especially if it's from your kid's stash.

The perfect cover art, preferably by a female artist of color, will be on the book and matching postcards. I want my favorite living poets, my Pook, my cousin Steve, my cousin Dwayne and our upcoming project New Tide Press, a funky dj who understands my eclectic needs (Al Green, Common, Prince, Living Colour, MC Lyte, etc.), confetti, shrinking piles of books, a juicy pen, lots of hugs, the perfect wardrobe changes (a la averyr.young style, y'all).

There would be variations in the crowd that looked like dichotomies-slam & academia, Cave Canem, Acentos, the Def Poetry Jam heads, Chi-town and L.E.S., the women who tell me keep writing, the men who tell me keep writing, the peeps who say that they have a book shelf waiting for the spine with my name on it, Black and White, LGBTQ folks chillin' with the blatantly hetero, blues/jazz/hiphop/rock/crashing, city and a little bit countrified, grown-@ss men & women and youngsters sayin' "Spit that, Ms. Tara" and "Get 'em!" Damn, I sound like I could be a little like Barack.

And if dreaming counts, I'd have this sister playin':

REBEL


Divinity Roxx spitting "Rebel"

still sending out the manuscript,
Tara

Since people keep asking me when and where I'm reading, I thought I'd just send out a heads-up. I've been writing new work, and I'd like to share it with you all. So, if you're looking for me, please mark your calendars with one of the dates below!
take care,
Tara

10/27/2008 7 PM - Bluestockings, 172 Allen Street, New York, New York 10002
"An Evening of High-Performance Poetry and Prose." with Tara Betts, Tim W. Brown, Sharon Mesmer and Edwin Torres. FREE

11/02/2008 10 PM - November 3rd Club
@ Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery, New York, New York 10012
Cost:$7
Victor D. Infante hosts a night of poetry & politics to celebrate the "November 3rd Club" online literary journal of political writing. Readers include Patricia Smith, Alicia Ostriker, Marty McConnell, Tara Betts, Kirpal Gordon, Tony Brown, Skip Shea, Madeline Artenberg, Iris Schwartz, Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz, Michael Cirelli and Lea Deschenes.

11/09/2008 4-6 PM-U-Dub Book Club
U-Dub Book Club is open to all members of the Urban Word community to discuss the book and use it as a point to write something. The book club meets on Sunday, Nov. 9, 4-6 p.m. The selection for November-Brown Girl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall.

11/19/2008 6 PM - Post-MFA/Pre-Book reading,
Cornelia Street Cafe, 29 Cornelia Street, New York, New York 10014
Tara Betts will be one of the featured poets at the Post-MFA/Pre-Book series hosted by Alexandra Lofton. The reading runs from 6-7:30 p.m.

11/22/2008 7 PM - 3030 AllStars reading @
Calabar 820 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, New York 11238
In October 2008, poets in Massachusetts and NY decided to participate in an online challenge to write 30 poems in 30 days. This is one of several readings and the celebration of the soon-to-be-released 30/30 AllStars Anthology (a Penmanship Imprint Special Project). This reading will take place from 7-10 p.m.

11/29/2008 8 PM - Raina Leon's "Canticle of Idols" release party
@ Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery, New York, New York 10012
Raina Leon-Acentos Review editor, Cave Canem fellow and author of the debut collection "Canticle of Idols" will read with friends. This event will be a benefit for the Acentos Workshops. Tara Betts will be among the featured readers with Ms. Leon.

If you have any questions about these events or booking requests for 2009, please email info@tarabetts.net.

If you haven't seen me read in awhile and you're in NYC, please do come by Bluestockings on Allen Street. I am doing a feature (reading new work!) on Monday, October 27, 7 p.m. with Edwin Torres, Sharon Mesmer and Tim W. Brown. It's free so it fits everyone's budget during the economic crisis. You can check here for details and info on other upcoming readings in November and beyond.

Another treat was getting our voter registration cards in the mail. I was afraid some electoral sham would prevent me from getting my card, and I would have to lose my mind. I am glad to report that my honey and I are registered to vote and have located the polling place within walking distance of our place. I breathed a sigh of relief. We will probably go vote together early in the morning, so I can get a good walk in and write before teaching.

Other than that, I just wanted to share some good links with everyone and even a picture!

Tiphanie Yanique interviews Junot Diaz: A Delicious Fiction Duo in Post No Ills

Download the latest chapbook by Barbara Jane Reyes here for FREE!

If these links aren't enough, there are summer grapes plucked from the fence in my backyard this summer. No pesticides, no cultivating, just growing free and sweet. I loved them so.



will be back with more treats,
Tara

The serious video to consider as ACORN gets slandered:



The fun video to share with the kiddies: