PhillySound: new poetry

CAConrad:
Ashraf, just a few days ago the Internet site FACEBOOK asked an Arab LBTG (lesbian, bi, trans, gay) group to dissolve due to pressure from certain Arab governments (most notably Saudi Arabia and Egypt). Tell us about this situation please?

ASHRAF OSMAN:
First, I should probably describe Facebook for people not familiar with the site. Facebook is a social networking site, much like its larger, perhaps better known rival, MySpace. I frankly haven't been on Facebook that long—only around a month and a half—but I was happy to find, when I first signed up, a larger number of old Lebanese friends from school and college there than I was able to find on MySpace. It was, in a way, a virtual reunion of sorts. I was also glad to find a presence of gay Lebanese and Arab groups on Facebook. I had decided to be rather out in my profile, as I had been increasingly in my cyber-life, with pictures of me and my partner amongst my photos, and my affiliations with the above groups clearly visible on my page. I found it to be a good opportunity and means to come out to large numbers of my old friends, for I do believe that is the surest way to affect change in attitudes towards homosexuality in Lebanon and the Arab world.

Much to my surprise, however, I received this week a message from the administrator of a group that I am a member of called "Arab LBTGay (Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual and Gay)". The message was to all the members of the group that Facebook has requested the group be shutdown due to "an official complaint from the Saudi government, the Egyptian government and other Arab governments that do not want to be mentioned." Supposedly, the group has "violated the terms of conduct" by "creating a global group that is not allowed in some regions," and these governments were now threatening to block Facebook in their countries. Facebook suggested creating a new closed group, under a new name, that would exclude people from the above-mentioned countries, adding "you will have to kick any Saudi, Egyptian, Kuwaiti or even Emirati that happens to join or we pick out for you" (thus naming the two other governments that did not want to be named, all good old allies of "The Land of Freedom").

At that point, the administrator of the group and I decided to get the word out about what we thought was a strident injustice, and created, along with 2 other friends, a petition on Facebook to oppose the group being shutdown. We are aware of the unfortunate catch of the situation, that even if we did manage to keep the group up and those countries decided to go ahead and block Facebook (as Saudi Arabia plans to do as of June 1 st) then we'd be losing the LGBT people in those countries still. And unfortunately, we aren't hearing much from those people at this time; I am sure fear has set in, knowing that their online activities are being closely watched. And if we do hear back, it's something along the lines of "You could get killed... I am worried about you guys" (the title of an actual e-mail I received yesterday). We are currently in the process of contacting LGBT advocacy groups for advice and assistance, and hoping to be able to negotiate something with Facebook. But it is turning into a trying exercise in pragmatism and compromise that keeps on reminding me of that quote from Orwell's Animal Farm, "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others."

Conrad:
This whole situation is horrifying! Ashraf you and your friends have shown courage, and many of us out here have recognized this, and will do everything we can to help the cause. It's times like this when so many lives can be affected for the good just through the fight alone.

I worry a great deal about young queers when things like this happen. The LTBG community continues to have the highest suicide rate, and drug and alcohol abuse. When I worked at the queer bookstore in Philadelphia I was constantly confronted by the great sorrow filling many of the lives walking through the door. It feels important to openly fight oppression for the general health of everyone. The importance of saying NO together is crucial. No one need feel alone.

Can you tell us what we can do to help Ashraf? There must be some things everyone and anyone reading this could do at this very moment to help the struggle. What do you suggest people do right now?

OSMAN:
Conrad, yes, the situation is quite awful, but it could be worse, much worse, and it was. And you, and a lot of people I don't even know, are already doing a lot to help. By doing this, by reading, by being aware. There obviously isn't an easy answer, but if I were to underline one thing it would be hope. There is still a lot of reason to hope. As I was telling a friend of mine the other day, I have seen in the last 10 years things happening, in terms of gay rights, globally, that I didn't expect to see in my lifetime. And things are getting better.

It might be difficult to see that sometimes, but they are. I did not think I'd live to see a legal gay rights organization in Lebanon, and now there is. There is still a lot of work to be done, obviously, and a lot of people fear that as the issue gains visibility in the Arab world, resistance too would increase, at least initially. And I think this issue is important not only for its own sake, but because in a sense it is a litmus test for society at large. I think the Arab and Islamic world is going through its Dark Ages now, with the rise of religious fundamentalism. (The situation is certainly not helped by the complications of neo-colonialism, but that is a topic larger than this discussion.) And there could be no release from the dark clutches of ignorant fundamentalism without the embrace of secular humanist ideals at large, including gay rights.

I think one of the things that would affect change in this regards most precipitously is the media; there simply isn't enough presence of good media representation in the Arab world. I am just dying to have my mom see "Six Feet Under", but I simply cannot find it subtitled in Arabic! And yet there is an obvious thirst in the Arab world; you can feel people clutching at anything they can get their hands on, even if it's sub-par, like the book and movie that were best-sellers in the Arab world recently, "The Yacobian Building". Books are another great example: even the great and courageous Arab writers these days, such as Rabih Alameddine, write in English and their books are not even available in Arabic (to not worry about them being banned). I think the availability of such great material in Arabic would affect a world of change, and I think investing in making that happen would be a much more efficient and cost-effective way of spreading tolerant ideals than war.

Ultimately, I don't mean to belittle the oppression or suffering going on, but oppression and suffering could lead to despair, which could be utterly disabling. And there's no reason to despair. I made it from the southern suburbs of Beirut all the way here, and I'm telling you, there's reason to hope.

Conrad:
This is an excellent message, thank you, and your optimism in this bleak time is strengthening. Is it helpful for more people to join this FACEBOOK petition though? In a matter of no time the group petition membership grew to 800. If this is not a message to FACEBOOK, then what is, right? Is there an easy way to tell people reading this to look for the petition? The one problem though is that in order to read any links, or join the petition, one would have to be a member of FACEBOOK first, which, for those who don't know, is free and easy to sign onto. But on that petition page you and your friends have also made available contact to FACEBOOK directly, in order to send complaints about this censorship.

When you first sent me poems when I was co-editing EOAGH Issue #3: Queering Language, it was very clear that you were bringing to the table a perspective unique from most queer poetry. You have an unwavering voice that strikes the reader in an instant, making space to measure emotion, senses, desires, with care in each word. Who are your favorite poets? And how is your poetry received in Lebanon?

OSMAN:
Conrad, of course it is helpful for more people to join the petition; it does send a very strong message to Facebook. But you are right, right now the petition is limited to Facebook users; though anyone can contact Facebook at the following links to send complaints about this censorship:
http://uillinois.facebook.com/help.php?t ab=suggest"
http://uillinois.facebook.com/help.php?show_form=2"
In case Facebook doesn't back down, then we will definitely be taking the petition to the open web and the media.

Thank you for your generous description of my poetry. It is perhaps the immediacy of the outsider's perspective: an outsider to poetry (in the sense that I did not study poetry in college), as well as the culture I live in in many ways. And while I adore some of the more or less recognized names in poetry ( Sylvia Plath, Mark Strand, Mahmoud Darwish, Pablo Neruda, Federico Garci­a Lorca , Marie Howe, Naomi Shihab Nye ), I have to admit that some of my earlier (and therefore perhaps more damning) influences is the poetry of French chansons, the like of Aznavour and Dalida. And in them there is the immediacy and lack of pretense of pop culture coupled with a certain lyricism (and perhaps more than a bit of drama), and most importantly humanity: the human in its most fragile and therefore exalted. (Here is a link to a post about my favorites and influences from a poetics blog, called Poetship, that I keep with my good friend and poet Katy Acheson:
http://poetship.blogspot.com/2006/02/archs-list_19.html" )

As for the reception of my poetry in Lebanon, I would have to say that--aside from the blogosphere--my poetry is virtually unknown there. I actually haven't been writing poetry seriously for that long now (only about 5 years now), and all the poetry I have published in print has been here in the US, mostly regional. I started writing poetry in Philadelphia, and while much of my poetry is about the dichotomy of exile--and therefore about Lebanon in a way--its primary venue has been Philadelphia, which has been very generous to me, in terms of readings and opportunities. But another reason I am sure is the language barrier. Most of the poetry I write is in English; and while English is fairly commonly spoken in Lebanon, it is not the native language, and therefore does not have the traditional venues of publication there.

The reception of my poetry in Lebanese circles online has been mostly warm and supportive. I have received the occasional hate comment on my more explicit poems, such as the following comment on my poem Nudity: "That is the most disgusting piece of poetry. I don't know even how this qualifies to be presented!" (I have taken the liberty to delete it from my blog since, as it is my space, and I am intolerant of hate speech on it. And I have written a post relating to this, and another related homophobic online incident, at the Lebanese Blogger Forum.

http://lebanonheartblogs.blogspot.com/2006/05/some-things-never-change.html" ) Still, I do hope to publish my first book through a publisher that is available in the Lebanese market, as that is an important factor for me.

Conrad:
Can we assume your first book in Lebanese would contain such poems as "Nudity," "Sexualis," and others? Forgive my complete ignorance of Lebanese poetry, but has an openly queer Lebanese poet published a book? And if so who is that poet, and what can you tell us about them?

Some people reading this interview might be thinking "WHY THE HELL is he asking Ashraf about his poems when we're in the middle of a conversation about free speech with FACEBOOK!?" One of the more important aspects of a fight for queer rights as critical as this one is becoming with FACEBOOK is visibility, and your being so unapologetically OUT in your poems is very much an important factor in the greater struggle for everyone. Also I am a firm believer that poetry REALLY CAN change the world.

OSMAN:
I'm almost certain my first book, even if released in Lebanon, will not be in Arabic but in English, since this is the language I write in predominantly. But I certainly do intend to have my openly gay poems in it; I do not intend to step back into any closets, thank you very much! I'm frankly not sure if there are any published contemporary Lebanese poets. There certainly is a tradition of queer Arabic poetry since the Golden Ages of Arabic poetry, most notably the poetry of Abu Nuwas. There definitely are queer contemporary Lebanese novels, such as those of Rabih Alameddine and Tony Hanania, both of whom also writes in English and reside outside of Lebanon. But I was very happy to learn of a queer poetry reading in Beirut when I was there recently. So, if there isn't, it can't possibly be too far behind!

And I agree with you absolutely, that visibility is a large part of the fight, which is why I was very happy about the creation of Helem, the first legal and registered queer rights organization in the Arab world! And they certainly have been very visible (as you can see from the pictures on their Facebook group) and working very hard against immense odds, and deserve all the support they can get.

Conrad:
My dear friend Magdalena Zurawski e-mailed me earlier today from San Francisco to let me know about the powerful memorial service held yesterday for queer-trans poet/activist kari edwards. kari's vital voice lives on in the poems, breathtakingly defiant! And I know with no doubt that if kari was still alive she would be part of this struggle you and your friends are going through with the racist, homophobic actions of FACEBOOK, and these tyrannical Arab governments in question. The last time I saw kari she was surprised to find out that my cousin Jonas's story was part of The Laramie Project. We talked about Jonas and his friends confronting the Phelps Clan who were picketing Matthew Shephard's funeral with signs like, "THE ONLY GOOD FAG IS A DEAD FAG!" On your FACEBOOK petition page there is a man named Tarek who has signed-on in order to write the message, "GOD SAYS KILL FAGS!" I am assuming (but not 100% certain) Tarek represents fundamentalist Muslim homophobia, while the Phelps's represent fundamentalist Christian homophobia. 25% of Americans are now said to be born again Christians. And while we can't say that all born again Christians are homophobic, the nation's president is a born again Christian fundamentalist who has openly waged war against the queer community as we fight for our rights as citizens. And although the United States government does not directly execute and torture queers as some Arab nations do, the open contempt held against the queer community from the highest seats of governmental power indirectly sanctions the continued hatred and violence against our community. In fact the ease with which FACEBOOK asked you to dissolve your group shows how pervasive this casual, national hatred really is.

But at the same time it is much better in some parts of the United States for queers than it is in a nation like Saudi Arabia today. You recently said to me that you moved here from Lebanon to live a freer life. You have also said how difficult it is being so far away from your family, especially during the most recent Israeli bombing of Lebanon. Your emboldening intelligence and hope is inspiring. What can you relay to queer Arabs who might be struggling with fear or despair today?

OSMAN:
Conrad, from all that I've heard about Kari—during both "Queering Language" readings, Frank Sherlock's benefit, and from you—I really regret that I didn't get the chance to know her. Yes, it is defiant spirits like that that make a difference in the world. And it's certainly true that homophobia is alive and well in the US still; but as you suggested, it is all relative. Even within the Arab world, the situation for homosexuals in Lebanon, for instance, is much better than it is in Saudi Arabia. And yet, it is better still in the US, and perhaps even better in many countries in western Europe. In any case, I don't feel that I am in a position to preach to anyone. In a lot of ways, I realize that the decision I have made to immigrate to the US is a very selfish one. I had made a promise to myself, back when I was in Lebanon, that I will not be a victim, that I will not sacrifice my life for any cause, that—first and foremost—I want to live my life fully, and if in the course of that I am able to aid the causes I believe in, then so be it. I was aware back then, when I was an undergrad at the American University of Beirut—before the internet, following the news of gay rights in the US and the world on microfilm and microfiche archives in the library basement—of the (seemingly inevitable) "sacrificial generation" stage in every struggle for rights. What I wasn't aware of is that I can't possibly live a full life if I exclude such an essential struggle out of my life. And after all, it is not so clear cut. But I'm not saying that I did the right thing, or that everyone should do what I did—far from it! I realize that I am very privileged to be able to transplant my life as such, that not everybody has the means or opportunity to do so—nor should they. If more people in Lebanon did what I did, Helem wouldn't have come into being. Nor am I saying that what I did is the easy way out; uprooting oneself as such leaves one mostly without roots, always yearning for somewhere else, thinking and rethinking what might have been. But I guess that is life, no matter what we do. I have been around long enough now to realize that we don't all get to do what we thought we were meant to, but short enough to believe that perhaps that is not such a bad thing. I guess what I'm trying to say, hopefully without sounding too pedantic about it, is that in a way we all fit into place, we all do our part—whether it is what we thought we were intended to do or not. And in the end, I think, it'll end well.

Last but certainly not least, Conrad, thank you so much for the opportunity, and for doing this

Ashraf
(you can see Ashraf's blog "arch.memory" HERE)

(details on forthcoming film on queer Muslims "A Jihad for Love" HERE)

Our action is needed now! Please click here THANK YOU, CAConrad

May 13th! A night of film & readings in Philly to celebrate Andrea Lawlor and Bernadine Mellis's latest anthology! For all details click HERE

Recently I fell into (HAPPILY FELL INTO) contact with Susan Timmons! I told her how her out-of-print book LOCKED FROM THE OUTSIDE was this unicorn I'd been chasing with all the mighty praise from Eileen Myles, Erica Kaufman and others. And how, about a year ago today, I was in Buffalo with Buck Downs, Kevin Thurston and Michael Basinski, deep inside the stacks and stacks of poetry in that school's extraordinary library. Michael asked if there was anything I wanted to see, and without hesitation I said SUSAN TIMMONS PLEASE! And there it was, THE BOOK, and I was finally touching it, and reading it for the first time! And without a doubt that taste made the appetite for these poems all the stronger!

Timmons was kind enough to mail me a copy of the book! And I started reading it as soon as I pulled it out of my post office box, and then I walked onto the street reading it, unable to stop! And I called my good friend Frank Sherlock, still at home recovering from meningitis and TOLD HIM I HAD TO SHOW HIM! And I went over to his apartment and we read the book from cover to cover out loud! Fantastic! Not a single lagging moment! Not a droopy, limp line to be found! Not that I look for droopy, limp lines, they just tend to find you on their own. But no, none! Just tight BRILLIANCE, and there's no really good fucking reason WHY this book is out of print! Anyone serious about poetry NEEDS to read this book!

She gave me permission to reprint a poem and to excerpt the preface by Alice Notley. You'll see for yourselves now! Does someone know a publisher who is smart enough to reprint this? This book should be used in creative writing classes everywhere! These poems should have been included in that recent, ridiculous Oxford American Poetry Anthology! Let that boring bastard Billy Collins give up a couple of his many pages! Here, see for yourselves:

from the book LOCKED FROM THE OUTSIDE by Susan Timmons
YELLOW PRESS, CHICAGO, 1990
(winner of the inaugural Ted Berrigan Award)

a small excerpt from Alice Notley's preface:
One of the more pronounced themes of Ted Berrigan's poetry career was his encouragement of younger poets: he spoke & practiced an ethic of encouragement. Partly he was obsessed by the fact that he had managed to become a poet in spite of obstacles of class background & everyone's & his general obtuseness about poetry. One thing he used to say was to the effect, "All I've ever wanted is to be a poet, & I've gotten my wish... And I didn't say 'great poet'--I don't want that--I said 'poet.'" The implication was that to want to be a "great poet" was a slightly inferior aspiration; to be a poet was magical & complete. (Whether or not he was a great poet is another topic.) But, in his view, poetry was also a profession, like others, a very honorable one, & not exclusive or special. Anyone who really wanted to be a poet should of course be welcome into the guild, whatever that person's aesthetic persuasions. In his years of teaching--both in universities & institutions & on his own in our apartment or on the streetcorner (he continuously taught)--he actively searched for new poets, read anyone's manuscript, talked to anyone who might be willing to serve poetry out of the love for it. He catalyzed many people into the profession. And though he seemed to proselytize for the New York School--because he had found his kind of wit & inspiration there--he liked all kinds of poetry & understood very well different poets' different drives & needs. So the idea of a Ted Berrigan Award to a young poet, with book publication as the prize, is not only fitting, it's obvious. I'm pleased to announce the existence of the annual Ted Berrigan Award, given by the Yellow Press, & that the winner of the first annual Ted Berrigan Award is Susan Timmons.

2 poems from LOCKED FROM THE OUTSIDE by Susan Timmons
(is it just me for fuck sake or is it impossible to choose ONE POEM from this book!? I just want to reprint the whole thing for you right here, right now! Finally I got down to two poems, and I don't even know how I did that frankly, but I can't choose between these two now, I just can't. Forget it. So I'm reprinting both of them for you. They're so good! And let me tell you right now, the whole book is THIS GOOD!)



A GHOSTLY SHARK


A ghostly shark

three pianos wide

or long, Ann says the water is sex

but maybe Ann is sex instead!

attached to the back of the downtrodden

an inadvertent sign saying

FUCK KABIR

oh me, oh my


giant baskets filled with every fruit

are purported to be a great luxury

but I don't care for fruit so much

I like chocolate


all I ever wanted the only thing I ever wanted

the one thing I ever wanted out of life

was to be King of the People.


Burn incense to be like you.

wear Tyrian Purple. retire early

all I ever wanted the only thing I ever wanted

the one thing I wanted out of life

was to feel you up.


and burn you up, baby, if I may be so bold

detergent.



IN THE KIND OF WORLD WHERE WE BELONG

you've got a hole in your head and you
stuff it with money
yesterday I had a collision
and told him laughingly
I'd been planning for a long time
then I said
in the kind of world where we belong
you've got a hole in your head
and you stuff it with money
New York Senate Okays Death Penalty
aid approved to El Salvador
be more specific

Who are the real killers.
P I G S written on the pavement down there
2 women next to me talking about
"Ill Days"
wage slaves
her fat wrist pinched by a watch
and underneath the watch
is a runny sore, she's
allergic
"PIGS"

every day is an "Ill Day."



(posted by CAConrad)

from Kazim's incredible, horrible, recent experience. See it here
CAConrad

From Philly to South Korea, Karen Hannah's blog: http://thenoeticfoss.blogspot.com/
Be sure to read the masthead for the origin of her blog's name,
CAConrad
p.s. for those of you who missed Buck Downs, Chris Toll, Kevin Varrone and Pattie McCarthy yesterday, HA! IT'S A JOY YOU CANNOT REINVENT! Kevin and Pattie's infant son Emmet was present! Emmet's very first reading was at the dawn of the Taurus sun, 2007, at 108 S. 13th St., mom and pop were readers!

Book Festival info here

SATURDAY, APRIL 21ST
3pm
BOOK CORNER
(215) 567-0527
311 N. 20th St.

CAConrad Deviant Propulsion
Nick Mamatas Under My Roof
David Silverman Typo

Sorry to say this but we MUST postpone the event for tomorrow! But the LOVE for Gil Ott cannot be diminished by postponement!
Stay tuned,
CAConrad

...tomorrow is supposed to be the WORST April storm in Philadelphia history! If you're in town tomorrow you should come to this reading! Click HERE!

You'll be sorry you missed it if you miss it!
CAConrad

donations to this auction made by Rae Armantrout, Charles Bernstein, Lee Ann Brown, Tina Darragh, Rachel Blau DuPlessis, Peter Gizzi, P. Inman, Kevin Killian, Eileen Myles, Alice Notley, Ron Padgett, Ted Pearson, Bob Perelman, Simon Pettet, Sparrow, Susie Timmons, THE COLLECTED SAMUEL BECKETT donated by Sina Queyras, and water color paintings by Colleen Hammond

This online auction can be viewed by clicking HERE

Spanish is an American language. So is Lakota and Cherokee, but I'm referring to the beating drum of our president against Spanish-speaking Americans. Hearing the president on the news yet again stating that "illegals" (as he refers to these people) must learn English, I can't help remember his campaign for the White House when he addressed crowds of Latino voters and spoke to them in Spanish.

What's really going on? Is this a deflection from the gruesome, evil war in Iraq that he started? A deflection from the story of the three 4-star generals who just the other day told him to fuck off when offered the job of war czar?

Or is this some kind of SMACK DOWN response to the growing PUSH from "illegals" (what a stupid word!) who are fighting in the streets for their dignity? Just yesterday it was announced that a group of Latino FedEx workers are bringing charges against FedEx for being overlooked for promotions on the grounds of race. In fact every single day you can see where Latino Americans are making the news with such stories. Brave actions in dark times.

But to the brutality of forced English yet again. I mean WHAT is supposed to come of people being forced to learn English? Will Barbara Bush want to invite them over for tea if they learn English? Oh, I mean, will Barbara Bush allow them to clean up after her tea party if they learn English?

What is the hoax behind the fairy tale that's supposed to come from forced English? Have them not be isolated? Does president Bush REALLY CARE if these "illegals" are isolated? Is he such a caring, warm guy?

This is more fascism at work is all it is. As though English were a constant stream of piss to cover everyone with. OPEN YOUR MOUTH SO WE CAN FILL IT!

To be honest I want president Bush to continue saying these things at this particular time when everyone everywhere is filled with hate for him. This might actually be the moment in time where we can REALLY HEAR HIM and understand everything he says to be stupid, and dangerous.

CAConrad

NOLA NOLA- Tonya Foster's hometown. Next week she'll be sharing her red beans secrets with Laura Elrick. This week she'll be sharing her multi-media piece about New Orleans for the people of Philadelphia. If you haven't seen Tonya before, you won't want to miss her. And if you have, you already know you won't want to miss her.

Sunday, April 15th, 3pm
ROBIN'S BOOKSTORE
108 S. 13th St., Philadelphia

Tim Peterson is the recipient of the 1st Annual GIL OTT BOOK AWARD for his book SINCE I MOVED IN (Chax Press, 2007)

We will also be celebrating Gil Ott's work and life as told and read by a few of his many friends and admirers. It's going to be a poetry event to remember! Please join us! Those participating:

Alicia Askenase
Julia Blumenreich
CAConrad
Rachel Blau DuPlessis
Ryan Eckes
Kristen Gallagher
Eli Goldblatt
Chris McCreary
Jenn McCreary
Bob Perelman
Ken Rumble
Joshua Schuster
Frank Sherlock
Ron Silliman

Click HERE for a video of Gil.
Click HERE for Gil's last interview.
Click HERE at WIKIPEDIA, they're looking for help creating Gil's page.