Goodbye Judy Halebsky

Arriving at the bookstore today; a small stack of poetry books, various authors, left there by Judy Halebsky (pictured above, in front of the poetry center, next to eyes-askanse poet Crawdad Nelson.) She leaves shortly for Japan. A pleasant, productive asset to our local poetry mix, we're happy to unburden her of books but will miss the proximity of her smile, energy and kindness.

Judy gives one final poetry reading tonight:

Tuesday (3/27), 8:30-9:30 PM: Bistro 33 in Davis presents littlesnake broadsider Judy Halebsky (with two other Squaw Valley poets, don't ask me who). Judy will be leaving us very soon for her doctoral studies in Japan, so be sure to drive over to Davis and say goodbye. (source: Kathy Kieth)

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The Loft can be an exception

"The Loft" is the kind of place that, when there's a documentary on the Midtown Sacramento D.I.Y. music scene twenty years from now, everyone that wasn't will claim they were part of the scene there. On again, off again, the Loft has been a music venue of a different kind for over a decade. Still tacked to the door are the "what" and "why" rules Scott Soriano posted years ago. "There are no good places for bands to play or to see bands in town," He writes at the end of the note, "The Loft can be an exception."

When word went out on Heckasac that Scott planned to tear down the posters and paint over the grafitti to make way for bookshelves -- The loft sits behind and above Time-Tested Books -- I decided to walk over and take pictures. Specifically, 153 pics of dubious quality (or relevance) all in some effort to capture a little bit of Midtown history. You can find them at: http://www.kodakgallery.com/poems-for-all (password: maybe)

The new True Love Cafe

There is movement in and around the building that will eventually house the new True Love Cafe on K Street (twixt 23rd and 24th Streets). I snapped this picture of in the alley behind the building on my way to the bookstore. We're looking forward to their return and miss them as neighbors when they were half a block from us on J street.

HQ | One year and it still floats!

HQ: Headquarters for the Arts celebrated its one year anniversary on Saturday (5/20). J. Greenberg (pictured above) hosted the evening which featured poets, musicians and an artist's depiction of the unfolding event. Check out the pics at http://www.kodakgallery.com/poems-for-all (password: maybe)

Jan. 25 | Burns Night

Jan. 21 | J. Greenberg & Co.

Jan. 28 | Th Losin Streaks

An acre of violets

An acre of violets
washed in blood, a burned hand
turning the furrow.

October. 2004. In the clatter and clank of oppostion to a second Bush term, poets and writers in Sacramento mobilized for a series of events at the bookstore on 24th street (The Book Collector) designed to raise money for MoveOn.org, one of the many organizations raising funds (and awareness) against the looming darkness.

Impressive was the willingness of poets and writers to create and develop new works to present during this time. Among them, Crawdad Nelson who for his featured reading wrote 100 concise, powerful anti-war poems. These have been collected in a recent chap titled An acre of violets: 100 poems against the war published by the 24th street irregular press and available for 2 bucks.

Gary Webb