Poetry.LA
Poetry.LA is an online video showcase featuring established and emerging poets filmed at various venues throughout Southern California. It’s an up close look at a variety of poetic voices, including interviews with poets and publishers. The venues where poetry readings are held are also spotlighted to share with the poetry audience.
Poet/Artistic Director Hilda Weiss and Videographer/Producer Wayne Lindberg started Poetry.LA in January 2007 as a way to expose poets to a much larger audience beyond the intimate spaces of coffeehouses, cafes, bookstores and cultural art centers, where the readings are often taped. Poets can post the video links (uploaded to YouTube) in their emails and on websites, blogs or social networking pages. Currently, there are over 180 poets featured on Poetry.LA. and the videos have received over 80,000 viewings on YouTube.
Special features of the site include: 2008-2009 U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan’s reading at the Casa Romantica Series, video interviews with Cobalt Poets’ host Rick Lupert, the Ruskin Art Club’s Literary Programs Director Elena Karina Byrne (2008 Pushcart Prize winner), Red Hen Press' Managing Editor Kate Gale as well as hosts of The World Stage Reading Series and Redondo Poet’s Coffee Cartel readings, among others. Hilda Weiss’ poetry has been published (or is soon to be published) in G.W. Review, Margie, Nerve Cowboy, Poem, Rattle, Salamander and Westview, among other publications. She has also read her work at local venues and when attending readings found that, “I’ve often heard a good poem at a reading and wanted to listen to it again. So, Wayne and I started out videotaping open mics and it evolved from there. We now update the site typically every month with videos of a half dozen new poets reading their work. Before we tape a poet we like to read their work and look at their publication credits. Since our end product is video, we are very interested in artists who have engaging performance styles. For that reason, we keep our camera handy for strong open mic performances,” states Weiss. Weiss and Lindberg also work on Poetry.LA with their Associate Producer Michael Child, a Los Angeles-based musician and poet. They hope to establish Poetry.LA as a non-profit arts organization.
Wayne Lindberg is a Los Angeles-based writer and videographer. His short fiction collection, Cary Malone and Other Stories was published by Nothing Moments Press in 2007. His plays have been produced by various Los Angeles theatre companies over the past 25 years, including Pacific Repertory Theatre Ensemble, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, Public Works and the Venice Mooney Company.
Hilda Weiss’ business experience also includes technical writing, PR writing and photography. She is an active Kundalini yoga student and holds a 4th degree black belt in Shotokan Karate.
Poets Featured
Elena Karina Byrne, Anne Carson, Luis Campos, Larry Colker, Brendan Constantine, Sarah Cruse, Deborah Digges,Jawanza Dumisani, S.A. Griffin, Juan Felipe Herrera, Tony Hoagland, Yusef Komunyakaa, Gina Loring, Sarah Maclay, Mike the Poet, Holly Prado, Luis J. Rodriguez, Amy Uyematsu, Pam Ward, C.K. Williams, among others.
References
- Hilda Weiss feature on Writers in Profile by Kelly Spitzer
- Wayne Lindberg feature on Writers In Profile by Kelly Spitzer
External Links
- Poetry.LA website
- U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan on Poetry.LA
- Poet Tony Hoagland on Poetry.LA
- Poetry.LA on Facebook
- Interviews with Kate Gale of Red Hen Press, Ruskin Art Club's Literary Programs Director and poet Elena Karina Byrne, Casa Romantica Series hosts, among other featured venue hosts
- Poetry.LA on My Space