Apr ’11 |
16 |
7:00 pm |
Poets Shappy Seasholtz and Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz have had a pretty incredible last few months. In August, they left New York City (their home for the eight years) to move to Philadelphia, where Aptowicz had been awarded the 2010-2011 ArtsEdge Writer-in-Residency at the University of Pennsylvania– the first time that the honor had been given to a slam poet.
In October 2010, Seasholtz won the slot to represent Philadelphia at the Individual World Poetry Slam Championships, where he competed in December, placing in the top 10 after the first night of competition. In November 2010, it was announced that Aptowicz had been awarded a 2011 National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship for Poetry. And in 2011, a combined total of five books of poetry – covering the couple’s compete back catalogue – are being released on two separate independent presses.
Shappy Seasholtz’s Spoken Nerd Revolution (Pennmanship Books, 2011) covers Seasholtz’s 20 year history in Performance Poetry. Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz’s Hot Teen Slut – her memoir-in-verse about the year she spent as a writer for porn – is one of four books by Cristin being re-issued in expanded editions by Write Bloody Publishing..
“Reading Spoken Nerd Revolution was like looking in a fun house mirror, letting us laugh at and relish in our own oddity. He makes nerd beautiful. Shappy pees on the shoes of the accepted poetic stereotypes. He’s not writing the verses that will be dissected into eulogies and greeting cards, or blasted atop break beats until the meaning is lost. These are real words, from a hilariously cynical and sincere person. Everyone needs a Shappy in their life..” – John Hancock, The Legendary
“When Aptowicz graduated from college, she got a job as porn editor. Hot Teen Slut are the poems she wrote about that time. The poems are as much about that first foray into the real world as they are about the day-to-day life of a porn editor. They are funny and painful and funny. I understand that what I’m about to say might seem a little nuts to poetry pros, but I’m going to say it anyway: I have found the greatest book of poetry ever written.” – Melissa Lion, Bookslut
Quimbys is proud to be welcoming Shaptowicz back! Special guests and refreshments will be provided!
For more info: uncleshappy.com and aptowicz.com
Sat, Apr 16th, 7pm