FELA! + Reginald Shephard + Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival

Haven't been writing lately, such is the nature of woodshedding. Sometimes you gotta have extreme focus to unlock the doors of possibility. Of course I can't shut everything out, or I'd forget why I'm doing what I'm doing.

So today was FELA! The musical staged by Bill T. Jones. It's just been extended through October 5, go if you can. The show is truly something else. There are elements I wanted more of, but arguably the show isn't operating either as a straight -up "biopic" or critical biography--though you'll definitely learn a lot about Fela Kuti and post-colonial Nigerian history. It's primarily a celebration of one very complex and charismatic man, and his similarly complex love for his mother, his country, his people, the many women around him who influenced him, performed with him, worshiped him, and even married him en masse, and of course music.(above, the fantastic Sahr Ngaujah as Fela. Photo by Monique Carboni)

This weekend I was also gifted with Itinerary, the 2006 chapbook from poet Reginald Shepherd, who recently passed away. I look forward to reading it. Thanks to Reggie H. over at Noctuary, for the word on the chapbooks, and for a touching entry about his namesharing poetry dopplegänger.

Oh yeah, want more poetry? Check the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival coming up this weekend. Huge banquet of poetry as far as the eye and ear can perceive...