the Cal Literature & Arts Magazine will be throwing a release party for our 21st issue tomorrow night in 330 Wheeler from 7-10pm.

There will be refreshments, open mic, and live music.

We hope to see you all there!

Here is some info about tomorrows Slam, make sure to come out and watch or perform!

“Come out to CalSLAM’s second slam of the semester! The slams only get better as the season goes on, and the first one was beautiful. This Thursday, we’re featuring two (that’s right, two) incredible poets that are touring right now: Michael Lee and Sam Cook.

Michael Lee is a Minneapolis poet, performer, fiction writer, and youth worker. Michael is currently the ninth ranked slam poet in the world. He was named the 2011 “Best Individual Poet” of Collegiate Nationals (CUPSI). He is a recipient of the 2011 Verve Grant and was a finalist for the 2010 LOFT Literary Centers’ Mentor Series in Poetry and Creative Prose. Michael performs and conducts poetry workshops at rehabs, homeless shelters, religious/spiritual institutions, youth programs, colleges and high schools in Minnesota and around the country. When he is not performing or conducting workshops he works as a Youth Counselor at Avenues For Youth, a homeless shelter on Minneapolis’ North Side. He has dedicated the last several years of his life to serving youth in his community and around the country by sharing his love for poetry, expression, and learning.

Sam Cook is a National Poetry Slam champion who resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sam received a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Minnesota, and is a Co-Founder of Button Poetry, which co-produced and cast the Poetry Observed video series. He is the Director and Coach of the two-time national champion St. Paul Soapboxing poetry slam team, and he has coached the University of Minnesota and Macalester College slam teams to numerous Finals Stage appearances and awards over the past three years. These awards include a national title at CUPSI 2011 and the “Best Poet” award three years running. Sam is committed to reaching out to youth in Minnesota and nationwide, through poetry, performance and a deep love for tomfoolery. 

This is part of a series of slams leading up to our final slam in February, where students will compete to earn their place on the Cal Slam poetry team, which will represent UC Berkeley at the 2013 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitation (CUPSI) and compete against 35+ Universities across the nation. *You do NOT have to be a Cal student to compete in the slam, however you must be affiliated with UC Berkeley to qualify to compete at CUPSI.”

For more info: http://www.facebook.com/events/394840950584739/ 

This Friday is the release party for CLAM’s XX issue. Everyone come out and enjoy the party and snacks. From 7-10pm on Friday night in room 330 Wheeler, there will be a fun party and social for everyone to get copies of the XX issue from CLAM.

Stop by, enjoy the fun, talk literature and arts, and get a copy of CLAM’s XX issue! 

Sherman Alexie is one of the most expressive and impressive Contemporary American authors in the literary world today. On Wednesday, October 3^rd, the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene Native American from Washington State showed up at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley for his second day of the Blasphemy book tour. His new book features fifteen new short stories, with fifteen old, in which Alexie pushes the reader into the deep toil of emotions in a stormy ocean, then, with saving grace, throws savage lifelines of laughter to ease the distress.

Much like his stories, Alexie kidnapped his audience with his monologue from behind the intricate brass podium in the church, his intent to bring about as much laughter as possible in the time available to him. He played with Craig the sound guy when the microphone needed adjusting, he made fun of his OCD, daily psychotherapy sessions via iChat and allergies to everything a Native American should not be allergic to, exclaiming “I don’t think Geronimo needed Zyrtec.” He even played the Porn Name Game with the audience, driving away mothers who had dared to bring their underage children with his innovative creation of the name “Amputee Bugfucker.” In his speech, Alexie conveyed race relations in a uniquely humorous light, poking fun at ignorant interviewers from previous book tours that asked if he had lived in a teepee while he lived on the reservation and an ancient woman in a fruit-hat with a personal pet bee on Public Access television that asked incessantly about Emily Dickinson instead of anything related to Alexie’s own writings. He has had an interesting array of experiences while on book tour. To all the self-published authors that will never go on tour, he said, “you don’t know what you’re missing out on in terms of sheer humiliation.” Alexie said that with pride, showing his audience a glimpse of his inner strength that has turned hundreds of bad or awkward situations into comedy.

For the two stories he read aloud, “Old Growth” and “Emigration,” his voice slipped into an accent of a previous life, life before he left the reservation and gained the Seattleite lack of an accent. His writings strap him into that other voice, reminding the audience where he came from not only through words, but tone, emotions pressing in from all sides. In between the stories, however, Alexie saved his audience from their shocked awe of the power of his impressively framed tale, turning once more to the soothing balm of laughter. He decided to share a semi-detailed account of one of the four times he has pooped his pants while sober, in public.

Now, I won’t share details about that, but the moral I immediately gleaned from his embarrassing escapade was never to eat funny-tasting hummus. He, however, had a much different lesson to teach, one that relates to specifically writers, but also artists and anyone in any sort of creative situation. He said, “In order to be a great writer, you have to be able to say anything.” This is the secret to his success, the reason why he tells everyone about his need for psychotherapy and inability to function in the wilderness as much of the world thinks they do (they do not, by the way, live like nomads). Alexie shared with the writers, the readers, the dancers, the artists, how he is great and how we can be great. We express ourselves, our true selves, shamelessly—with pride even. We say, “My porn name is Crispy 115th Avenue!” When you learn to reveal yourself to others, you learn to reveal yourself to your art and it evolves into something better.

Don’t worry about what others think of you or your works, and don’t worry about offending others with your jokes or medium of art. Dedicate yourself to your passions; leave the fear and shame behind. Share yourself, share your works, and greatness will come. 

written by: Virginia Pinkers