BONK! No. 1
Jessika Mikol is a video artist (not a filmmaker) originally from Nova Scotia. Though she graduated from UW Parkside and went on to a Master’s in Liberal Studies at UW Milwaukee, she received no formal training in film-making. She now lives and works in Racine and Milwaukee.
Matt Mulready received a Bachelor’s Degree in English with a Creative Writing Emphasis from Carthage College. A past member of the college’s Poetry Underground, Matt received his first publication credit in the fall of 2008 through the online magazine Thieves’ Jargon and has since been published in The Bathroom.
Lorrie L. Wilson emerging poet exploring issues of social justice and memoir. Ms. Wilson participated in Woodland Pattern’s Poetry Marathon 2008, in Milwaukee WI and Split This Rock Poetry Festival April 2008, Washington, D.C. She is a member of Racine Public Library’s Poetry Roundtable , Racine, WI. An accomplished vocalist Ms. Wilson uses music to bridge between her poems during live performances. She has performed in a variety of venues across the United States and is the Artist-In-Residence of the One Love Institute.
Brent Mitchell’s albums include Reciting Whitman to the Cows, Fallen Angel Palace and his most recent self-titled album. A native Texan, he has earned a long list of accomplishments including a Grammy listing for his song “Hand of God.” Incorporating blues, jazz, country, Cajun, English and Latvian folk influences (among others), Brent Mitchell’s music embodies a style of its own. To hear and watch more of his performances, visit www.myspace.com/brentmitchellmusic.
BONK! No. 2
Dani Weber received a scholarship to the Chicago Human Rhythm Project tap festival in 1998 and spent a year as a dance major at UW Milwaukee. She is currently a member of Captivate Kenosha performing Dance Company and teaches dance at Laurenzi Dance and the Kenosha YMC. She enjoys experimenting with elements of emotion, storyline, other dance forms within the tap dance medium.
Pamela Smiley began her creative writing out of desperation. During a Fulbright to Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul, Korea, Smiley interviewed Korean women on feminist theory and the body, interested in how women raised outside of the Western mind-body split would experience embodiment. Life-sized posters of Kate Moss and Marky Mark lined the Seoul subways: Korean students were hardly outside of Western interpretations of the body. Instead of interviewing her students about attitudes toward their bodies, Smiley collected stories of the women she met and, when she came back to the US, despaired at the challenge of trying to reduce their richness and suggestiveness into a thesis. Smiley still struggles with closure —how post-modern of her — and is currently working on a short story cycle somewhat akin to Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love from which her Nov. 22 reading is taken.
Travis DuPriest has published four chapbooks of poetry: Soapstone Wall, Noon at Smyrna, Summer Storm on the James, and The Hours of the Day and a prose chapbook, Picking Up Sticks, along with two books on 17th-century writers Jeremy Taylor and Katherine Philips. He has co-edited To Hear Celestial Harmonies, a history of The DeKoven Center and has contributed chapters to four books. He has won several awards for his poetry and published over 250 poems and 300 essays in magazine and journals. Travis taught Creative Writing and Humanities at Carthage where he introduced one of the first courses in Creative Non Fiction. He started the Creative Space program for writers and artists at The DeKoven Center.
BONK! No. 3 – December 20th 2008
Chuck Stebelton works as Literary Program Manager at Woodland Pattern Book Center. He is the author of Circulation Flowers and Precious. For more information on his latest work, visit this website.
Milwaukee-based musician Pezzittino, is the project of singer-songwriter, Margaret Stutt. Margaret was trained in classical piano at the local convent, and is self-taught on her father’s accordion. The solo debut album, “Because I Have No Control” was released in September 2008, and Margaret is touring in support of the release.
Main Gallery is a summer program that provides meaningful employment in the arts for young people (14-19) of Racine. The young artists work in a variety of media to create works of art that will be auctioned off at the annual Chair-i-ties fundraising event in August.
BONK! 4 – January 22, 2008
My name is Katie Lafond. I’m a freshman. I’m 15 years old and I’ve been playing guitar for about 2 years now. I’ve jammed and learned so much from Mark Paffarath (sp?) and now not so local Zachary Scot Johnson. I’ve been writing songs and singing since I can remember, and just recently started taking it seriously. I get a lot of lyrical inspiration from Justin Nuzuka and Ben Gibbard, and a lot of the music just comes out of me. I’m crazy talkative and, when I’m nervous, I’ll talk even more so I’ll probably talk a lot during the show. Ummm. I can’t think of anything more to say. So I’ll end it there.
Angela Malone is a native Racinian. She works as a 911 dispatcher for the city, where she is wasting her four year English degree from Carthage College, but honinng her skill of being screamed at and belittled by the masses, which she is sure to use throughout her life. She likes Delta blues and crocheting, hates poetry (except when she likes it) and all of her heroes, musical or otherwise, dies impoverished and/or irreparably shamed. She lives in downtown Racine, with her boyfriend. And, possibly, a mouse.
Local songwriter and guitarist David Tomaloff’s powerful and commanding voice offers up songs with a soulful feel to them. In his words, “These songs are really…blurry snapshots; glimpses into the minds of the characters that walk through them.” A former member of the successful local band Dammitheads, he has recently released his first solo record entitled “Birds on Wires,” a blend of country and roots rock. Tomaloff is also the author of his recently published first collection of “musings” and poetry entitled, “Liontamer’s Blues”.
Oyetunji Harrison Idowu is a local poet and visual artist, living in Racine but originally from Nigeria. He recently earned his MBA from UW-Parkside and has degrees in Law and International Studies.
BONK! 5, February 28, 2008
Tom Clark is a kindergarten teacher, artist and storyteller who
manages to interweave each of his personas into the artwork he
produces. He is currently exploring his art through the use of
picassiette (broken china mosaic) and hand-made paper. His work has
been described as “spontaneous, touchable, and childlike.”
Ryan Philip Kulefsky was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He
teaches American literature and Writing and Rhetoric at Columbia
College Chicago.
Singer/songwriter Luis Garza’s music was heard recently at the Racine
Public Library’s Latin@ Voices Hispanic Heritage Performance Series in
September 2008. His soulful blend of guitar and voice was a popular
addition to the event, as we are sure it will be for BONK!
BONK! 6, March 28th, 2008
Born and raised in Rockford, Illinois, Valerie Laken has lived and worked in Moscow, Prague, Krakow, Madison, and Ann Arbor. She received an MA in Slavic Literature and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan. Her work has appeared in Ploughshares, the Chicago Tribune, Michigan Quarterly Review, the Alaska Quarterly Review, the Antioch Review, and Meridian. Her honors include a Pushcart Prize, the Missouri Review Editors’ Prize, two Hopwood Awards, and an honorable mention in the Best American Short Stories.
Her first novel, Dream House, was inspired by her own experience buying and remodeling a home in which a murder had occurred.
Laken has taught at the University of Michigan and Carthage College and is currently an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, where she teaches Creative Writing.
Visual Artist Tina Ullrich graduated with a B.F.A. in Sculpture from Swain School of Design (New Bedford, MA) in 1977. She is currently a full-time student in a doctoral program for clinical psychology at the School of Professional Psychology, Spalding University, Louisville, KY and was recently awarded her masters. Ullrich has fully integrated her psychology interests into her art, specializing in blind contour portrait drawing. She is currently developing a new and unique model called Visual Artifacting. Ullrich will share the playful and scientific exploration of blind contour portrait drawing and has compiled a slideshow of her own portrait-making over the last three decades. The slideshow will be exhibited in the gallery area, throughout the evening.
Melissa Czarnik is a burgeoning poet and emcee hailing from Milwaukee, WI. Czarnik recently released her first solo album, Strawberry Cadillac in the Summer of 2008. The album is the product of a year long project which focuses on issues of social justice, relationships, and the struggle that goes along with the two. Mixing her interests in poetry and Hip Hop, her song diversity exemplifies a strong influence of artists such as Lauryn Hill, Ani Difranco, and French songstress, Edith Piaf. Her style is a powerful mix of poetry, precise delivery, and conscious content in a voice that ranges from sweet and playful to in your face and commanding.
The music that backs her up is the product of producer Eric Mire. This Milwaukee recording artist mixes hip-hop, folk, and soul in his latest self-titled album, eric mire (released Summer 2007). A classically trained pianist and composer, self taught acoustic guitarist, electric bass player and hip hop producer, Eric draws upon his broad musical talents to create a unique and infectious rhythmic sound. Eric is the Student Services Manager and Recording Instructor/Engineer at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.
Folkswagon first sprouted in November of 2008 as a six-piece band playing what has been referred to as folk n’roll, or Midwestern hippie music. Members include: writer, singer, guitarist Rachelle Laundrie; fiddler Bill VanOfferen; bass guitarist John Jacob; drummer Russ Weller; lead guitarist Brent Mitchell, and vocalist Susan Laundrie. The band hosts open mic nights at McAuliffe’s on the Square every Thursday night at 9:30.
BONK! 7, April 25, 2008
Dasha Kelly is an accomplished writer, performer and public speaker: She has written for magazines such as Upscale, Black Enterprise and Milwaukee; her narrative essays appear regularly online including OnMilwaukee.com; her 2003 novel, All Fall Down, earned her a place in Written Word Magazine as one of the Top Ten Up-and-Coming Writers of the Midwest; she performed on the season six premiere of HBO presents Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam; she has released four recordings of her poems; her commissioned one-woman show, Anthems for Grown Folks, is being developed into a traveling production; and she works extensively as a keynote and motivational speaker. Dasha is working on a second novel and recently released a collection of poems, essays and short stories with Penmanship Books called Hershey Eats Peanuts. Locally, she is founder and director of Still Waters Collective, an outreach initiative utilizing creative writing as tool to build new models of leadership and empowerment. For more information visit her website at dashakelly.com.
TP Lucas has been in the comedy game both on and off the stage for more than 16 years, working with some of stand-ups hottest stars, including Damon Williams, Sommore, Shawn Morgan, and Chastisy Washington among others. Lucas has been a pioneer in the development of Midwest urban comedy, booking sell-out shows throughout Wisconsin. He currently runs the only full service entertainment company in Wisconsin, 3-M.C. ENTERTAINMENT, working to launch national careers for local talent. His current performance schedule can be found at myspace.com/racinecomedy.
Passionate vocals, delicate melodies and honest lyrics combine to form a single, driven sound… Say ‘Hello” to Chris Marvin. Influenced by the melodic beauty of Coldplay, the raw emotion of Dashboard Confessional, and the poetry of Dylan, Chris delivers music that explores healing amidst heartache.
Stephen Kalmar- my gathered life became alife when i became a dad, my writing life begat a long before that, a Root River Poet teen, now moderator~not toll free; a songster, (Father) actor, (CornPops) Word Smit (Umpa), storyteller (son), photographer (world citizen) blessed by an eight year old that knows the words to every Beatles song, every scene in Singing in the Rain, wears pink when he rides his bike with no handlebars, a daughter who brought me back to the Theater with her passionate siren voice and shawl danced at Pow Wow where i told story, a lean teen who sees music in his fingers and can make strings and toms dance to a tune that only he hears and doesn’t quite want to share yet and a twenty something that might just have begun to know what he’s talkin’ bout, in still fishing his gift~ i sit enwebbed and try to connect my worths to you, the most important, that those care to listen~ rebuke, turn away, laud, agast and wearied by out there~ you are welcome in here and are now, as i speak, a becoming apart of my story…thanks NickPooh and TaoDePooh for bringing me along
BONK! 8 May 23rd, 2008
Brenda Cárdenas’ chapbook of poetry _From the Tongues of Brick and Stone_ was published by Momotombo Press in 2005, and her full-length book _Boomerang_ is forthcoming from Bilingual Review Press this year. She also co-edited _Between the Heart and the Land: Latina Poets in the Midwest_ (MARCH/Abrazo Press, 2001). Cardenas’ work has appeared in a range of publications, including _Achiote Seeds_, _The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry_, _The City Visible: Chicago Poetry for the New Century_, _Poetic Voices Without Borders_, _U.S. Latino Literature Today_, _RATTLE_, and the Poetry Daily web site. She is an Assistant Professor in the Creative Writing program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Roberto Harrison edits the Bronze Skull Press chapbook series, hosts the Enemy Rumor reading series in Milwaukee, and co-edited Crayon with Andrew Levy. His most recent publications include reflector (House Press, 2008), Elemental Song (Answer Tag Home Press, 2006), Os (subpress, 2006), and Counter Daemons (Litmus, 2006). A collection of Roberto’s drawings and journal entries, Ineffable Isthmus, was recently displayed at Woodland Pattern. His work has appeared in Chicago Review, New American Writing, Jacket, Mandorla, Brooklyn Rail, Bombay Gin, and many other publications. His chapbook Urracá is forthcoming from Achiote Seeds.
For Everett Thomas’s bio, visit his myspace by clicking on the link here in his name. Duh.
BONK! 9, June 27 2009
Anne Shaw’s poetry collection, Undertow, won the 2007 Lexi Rudnitsky Poetry Prize from Persea Press. A graduate of Yale University and George Mason University, Shaw has received numerous awards for her poetry including a Gertrude Stein Award (Green Integer Press) and the Literal Latté Food Verse Prize. She has been a finalist for the Colorado Poetry Prize and a semi-finalist for the “Discovery”/The Nation Award. Her work has appeared in numerous journals including New American Writing, Phoebe, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Gulf Coast, and The Journal.
Liam Callanan is the author of The Cloud Atlas (Delacorte, 2004; Dial, 2005) and All Saints (Delacorte, 2007; Dial, 2008). He teaches in the English department of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and coordinates their Ph.D. program in creative writing. He has regularly contributed to local and national public radio, and has written for Commonweal, Esquire.com, Slate, the New York Times Book Review, the Times’ op-ed page, the Washington Post Magazine, Forbes FYI, Good Housekeeping, Parents and a number of other publications in locations ranging from Canada to Brazil. His short fiction has appeared in a variety of literary journals, including the Writers’ Chronicle, Blackbird, Crab Orchard Review, Southern Indiana Review, Caketrain, failbetter and Phoebe. Liam is also the creator and co-executive producer of the Poetry Everywhere animated film series, a segment of which will be screened at this months BONK!
Poetry Everywhere is a series of short poetry films featuring poets reading their own work, animated interpretations of much-loved poems, and celebrities reading personal favorites, produced by WGBH and David Grubin Productions, and student filmmakers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s docUWM media center.
BONK! X, July 25th 2009
Quraysh Ali Lansana is author of They Shall Run: Harriet Tubman Poems (Third World Press, 2004) and the poetry collection Southside Rain (Third World Press, 2000); The Big World, a children’s book, (Addison-Wesley, 1999); and two poetry chapbooks, Greatest Hits: 1995-2005 (Pudding House Publications, 2006) and cockroach children: corner poems and street psalms (nappyhead press, 1995). He is the editor of Glencoe/McGraw-Hill’s African American Literature Reader (Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2001), and I Represent and dream in yourself, which are two anthologies of literary works from Chicago’s award-winning youth arts employment program, Gallery 37 (Tia Chucha Press, 1996 and 1997, respectively). He is also co-editor of Dream of A Word: The Tia Chucha Press Poetry Anthology (Tia Chucha Press, 2006), and Role Call: A Generational Anthology of Social and Political Black Literature and Art (Third World Press, 2002). Poetry from the Masters: The Sixth Wave (Just Us Books, September 2009), a young adult anthology, and bloodsoil (sooner red) (Center for the American Land, May 2009) are forthcoming.
Jennifer Karmin is the author of the text-sound epic Aaaaaaaaaaalice (Flim Forum Press, forthcoming 2009). She curates the Red Rover Series and is a founding member of the public art group Anti Gravity Surprise. Her multidisciplinary projects have been presented nationally at festivals, artist-run spaces, and on city streets including: Betalevel (CA), Links Hall (IL), the Poetry Project (NY), the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (MI), and Woodland Pattern Book Center (WI). Karmin teaches creative writing to immigrants at Truman College and works as a Poet-in-Residence for the Chicago Public Schools. Recent poems are published in the journals Cannot Exist, MoonLit, Otoliths, and anthologized in Come Together: Imagine Peace (Bottom Dog Press), Not A Muse (Haven Books), and The City Visible: Chicago Poetry for the New Century (Cracked Slab Books)
Racine native Austin James Spika is recognized as an outstanding percussionist in a variety of musical genres, having received numerous awards and recognitions throughout his young career. In 2007, CL Barnhouse published Rim Shot, Spika’s first concert band/parade snare composition co-written with Donald Young. He has been involved with many musical organizations in the Racine and Milwaukee areas including three award-winning years with the Racine Lighthouse Brigade percussion line, three years with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Jazz and Wind Ensembles, and several summers with the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music Jazz Ensembles. Austin has studied with many great musicians including local percussion great Mark Pulice, jazz percussionist Dave Baylis, jazz composer and arranger Mike Tomaro, jazz drum set artist Steve Houghton, and legendary professional percussionist Frank Donaldson. Spika participated in the Jazz Performance program at Columbia College in Chicago, IL, sharing the stage with such artists as composer/vocalist Marcy Levy, jazz guitarist Bill Boris and bass player Bill Dickens. A 2007 graduate from Horlick High School in Racine, Spika is currently studying Nursing at Gateway Technical College and enjoys serving as creative percussionist for many local musicians, ensembles and bands from the Chicago, Milwaukee and Racine areas.
I Have Three Hands:
Name:Marco Jaimez
Age:17
Occupation:musician/bum/bear
Height:6′1(I look shorter because i slouch)
Weight:120lbs(100% muscle)
favorite color:blue
favorite movie:Elmo in Grouchland
Name:David Algrim
Age:17
Occupation:musician/exotic dancer
Height:taller than Marco
Weight:140lbs(but only 5% muscle)
favorite color:periwinkle
favorite movie:The Notebook(it’s beautiful)
BONK! 11, August 22nd 2009
The Wandering Endorphin is the musical alter ego of Chicago native Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Jim Green. Not bound by the usual sonic possibilities of the acoustic guitar, Green creates enchanting to percussively driven soundscapes in a fresh and compelling way. He draws forth percussive rhythms, harmonics, and double pull-offs with a piano-like approach that often sounds like one more guitar than is actually playing. His unusual percussive playing style has gained the attention of the Editors at Billboard Magazine who named him “One of the best independent artists in the Midwest”. The former Chicago street performer was also selected “Guitar Idol 2004″. He has received airplay on radio stations across the country, including National Public Radio (NPR) and Chicago’s very own 93XRT. Songs can also be heard on several internet radio stations such as xsgritaradio.com. This particular station’s listeners voted Green’s song *Firefly* as one of the Best 100 songs of the year.
what do you need ~ publications? how short?