Arts DEVO

Poetry 99 I love working for a paper that devotes a cover story every year to publishing original poetry—nothing makes me prouder. Even the work of professional poets appearing in journals and books doesn’t often get in front of as many eyes as will the poems in this week’s paper. We work with words every single day at the CN&R, and it’s refreshing to stop and honor poetry for nothing more than the sake of the art of words.

The celebration of words continues next Thursday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m., when all of the published poets are invited to read their works at Lyon Books.

Rhymes with LeBron Turns out the Miami Herald is also hosting a poetry contest. The paper is seeking poems of six lines or fewer that “commemorate the arrival of LeBron James to Miami.” Naturally, news of the contest made it up north to the Cleveland Plain Dealer site, where the Chosen One’s former fans were very inspired to submit their own pieces via the online comments. Most of the entries are similar in tone to this one by clevefandan: “Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, I Hope You Sustain a Career Ending Injury.” That might be a winner.

God’s kicks Speaking of the NBA. The league released a statement this week saying that it would not allow players to wear the Concept 1 shoe created by the (awesomely named!) Athletic Propulsion Labs. The company boasts that its Load ’N Launch technology increases vertical leap by three inches, and given the ban, and the $300 price tag, there’s probably some truth to the claim. For a short guy like me who’s always pipe-dreamed of skying above the rim, this promising technological development makes me feel optimistic and poetic: I saw the best minds of my generation enjoying the radness, toiling on the machinery of night/ baring their brains to heaven and bestowing flight on Arts Dodo with a pair of heavenly kicks/ who, hollow-eyed and grateful, floated across the tops of cities contemplating jams.

DEVOtions

• Bob M.F. Howard! Chico’s music man of many hats has been wearing every single one of them. As of late, Howard has taken the stage as a sensitive singer/songwriter (Mad Bob Howard); an insensitive singer/songwriter (Sleazy Earl Ray); and a member of a drag punk cover band (Transexpistols). And this Friday, Oct. 22, he’s bringing back Chico’s favorite country pranksters, The Asskickers, for a reunion gig at Duffy’s Tavern in celebration of the birthday of the late John LaPado—Chico musical legend and the band’s lap-steel guitarist. And as a bonus, the Liz Merry and Aaron Standish comedy duo will also be showing a John LaPado celebratory video before the show. Only $5!

• Ex-pat CD release: Former CN&R contributor Robin Bacior left Chico for New York less than two years ago, and has already taken her acoustic guitar to the stages of the big city. Bacior just released her debut EP, Aimed for Night—four airy, stark, emotionally charged tunes recorded by Chico’s Chris Keene—and will be returning to town for a release party Saturday, Oct. 23, at Café Coda.