My Letters to Sam Clemens, Oscar Wilde and Friends

I had always valued my letters from Sam Clemens, Oscar Wilde, Picasso, Octavio Paz, Salvador Dali, and others. I've decided to gather them in a book, "Letters to Sam Clemens, Oscar Wilde and Friends,"
In the introduction to the book, I made it clear my shameless name dropping is not to drop names but draw attention to the conversation with these artists I’ve had over the years. Vincent, tempestuous with friends, but his letters are elegant and brimming with passion. The letters on "Starry Night," the meditations I've had in front of "The Women in White," "the Gates of Hell by Rodin," the visits with Dali at his museum in Spain, these are the conversations and correspondences with the famous, near famous, and the simple noble people whose names will never appear in a newspaper.
Even my conversations with Jack Kerouac have made their way here. I had grown to appreciate the curious place of Jack in the place of American writers. Like many writers and artists, we are exiles in our own time, intimately alive and brimming with curiosity, but in the pursuit of elusive we must often step outside the realm of the expected norm and pursue our own truth.
Joyce in his love affair and despair of Ireland lived in that sanctuary. Picasso with his insistent curiosity danced in realms few of us could imagine. Rimbaud who disappeared after his fame burned brightly, perhaps descending into the realm of the flowers of evil
That is the imperative for artists…to live, dance, breathe, and savor the realm of the extraordinary intimacy with your soul -- your fears, and imaginings so powerful they threaten to drown you with their beauty. This is this quest, this insistent quest, the imperative to be present with you in the most intimate place possible
Vincent had written, ‘It is not just the colors that inspire my imagination, it is the play of sunlight and light in all its moods that enchants me, as discovery light and the darkness of the human soul. When I painted "The Potato Eaters," the feeble light that illuminated their hut, was as precious and divine as the light when God first brought fire to man. The colours in my paintings are a mere imitation of what I see when I see the fire of colours, feel the as it sweeps across the wheat fields of Arles, and the sirocco winds come with their memory of the desert. Cher poet, can I offer you a taste of these colours for your poems? My colours are filled with the kisses of lovers, with the moist taste of sex, and the poignant longing when lovers part. The blues are painted from my memory of the skies of Arles in late summer, the yellows as if the sunflowers offered their most secret pleasures, and the reds are taken from my blood that I offer to each painting. The colors that are most alluring are the ones that don’t appear, the coarse texture are these peasant hands that caress my lover’s face, the light in the window of a starry night that calls me home after a day of working in the field, these futile conversations with god, and the love… yes, the love in all its ways of being, of absence and presence. Poet, are you able to speak of these longings? “ Vincent.
I heard rumors from friends of his tenuous grip on the day to day, the rages and the tears, but I knew the genesis of this. I knew of the intense loneliness drawn from the eidolon of god posing as a muse. He painted me love sonnets like “Sunflowers” drawn on thick postcards. His last letter was brief , “Dream and live that dream of a life as deeply as you dare. These are the colors i want you to hold in your soul.” Vincent .

Be All You Can Be: B 4 Peace

Finally, this project that has been in my sites for a few years is now ready to launch. This is part of the on-going series of "B 4 PEACE" Social Media/ Peace projects that are part of the long term series "Pornography of War."
The twitter campaign is undertaken in Bangladesh by our twitter campaign coordinator Mr Arif and Ms. JC in the Philippines, and our Vermont crew. The project in DC we hope is straightforward, though rarely is anything so direct, but it is the campaign for 4,800 plus people who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq. Though I would have also preferred to commemorate the several hundred thousand dead civilians who have been killed in these wars.
Come out to Washington D.C. on 18 September 2010 at 12 noon on the north side of the Washington monument. Check out www.namayaproductions.com and the B 4 Peace campaign.
More projects coming.

Creative Joy the Modern Renaissance

A sublime and joyful summer of creativity in Vermont. In the beginning of the summer since February I was hip deep in the Beatnik Cafe production for NYC in April and with the Richmond Shepard Theater. The learning curve on creating and making a play is profound, especially someone who learned their craft as a "shade tree mechanic" but in many ways the various productions I had done along the way both of the Jazz Beats, the other plays I had written, and the poetry have all served well for this. Yet, as everyone who works with theater knows, every component of theater is a world unto itself. The world has become so divided into people who only create one kind of theater, one kind of drama, etc.. Or, only a poet of Vermont. Or a jazz poet. Or a photographer of nature. Or a painter. Or a poet of erotica. I am having one of the truly glorious moments where my spirits and sense are alive in my creative journey. Like the Shakespeare sonnet, Summer has too short of a stay. For whatever moment of creativity and joy like this, it does come to an end, it transforms, and like some artists like Picasso, Matisse, O' Keefe and others they were creating until the end of their life. Yes, at 55, though a spry fellow, I am aware of the the vicissitudes of health and life, but as I had said in my other writings and postings on "Obligation" my obligation is to wake up every day and create. My creative pallet is writing (poems, plays, essays), painting/ drawing, photography,design, sculpture, multimedia, and performances.
I do not feel overwhelmed or manic. Though sometimes I do feel a little bewildered -- I start to draw and the power of a poem draws me in. The pastel drawing is a collage and then realize there is a part that is a jazz guitar lick. Curious. I am allowing myself to float on that river of creative instinct,allowing the winds and the changing tide to carry me along. That is freedom! The line from "To Althea from Prison, "Stone walls do not a prison make nor iron bars a cage:minds innocent and quiet take that for an hermitage, if I have freedom in my love, and in my soul I am free, angels alone that soar above enjoy such liberty."
This personifies the power of creativity which is love. The love of life, the affirmation, the connectivity to the power of life. Though the journey is about "my" creativity, it is very much an invitation for other people to engage in their own discovery. A sublime joy is a blank paper and box of pastels or pens. Playing, my classical guitar and listening to what the guitar wants to bring forward. The exquisite phenomenology - the paper- artist- life. That is the dialectic. The essential conversation.
I am sometimes distracted by all the commotion of the world, all the glitz, excitement, and that isn't even including the commotion in my mind.
In this age of instant messaging, instant oatmeal, instant everything...there is such a paucity of genuineness. The creative process brings us right into that moment. The creative process is the bell in the meditation hall, it says, right now. The breeze that comes with the new morning light says, right now. The laughter of an infant says, right now. This conversation I'm having with you now, is right now. Ironically, the "rightnowness" is not instant and it is. It is connecting to your creative soul/ your first breath you took as an infant, the first colors of the world that filled your senses. It is part of the perennial philosophy and it is part of the sublime moment now. The "sublime moment" is when the only moment is here as you breathe and it is as if you had the eternity of time to enjoy it. William Blake said, "To see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wildflower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and Eternity in and hour."
As an artist, when I am at my best, through my poetry, photography, or performance work -- it is about the creative experience right now. With my performance stories I am at my greatest joy when I can create the entire show on stage drawn from the suggestions of the audience. At the same time, there is a profound joy in taking the time to create an elegant and well crafted work. The task is to find the balance, the spontaneity of the moment, and the depth of time to fully develop the work.

I am a Renaissance artist, in a non-renaissance world. Other might say, hyperactive, hypercreative, even more pejorative? I want to so very much share this creative joy, delight, and power in this discovery process. Yet, I use the appellation of Renaissance artist with great care, as a person who is profoundly connected to their creative journey, the constant process of "Rebirth".
Painting and drawing: I have some of my new drawings on the website. Some are abstract. Some are representational such as my series "Pentagon Man" a nine foot tall Pentagon headed creature with a large ICBM penis, serviced by Miss. Liberty, Congress, and the American Lush Bimbo dittoheads.
$680 billion dollar Penis - This project has been on my sight for awhile. Now it is creating the time to finish the earlier drawings and bringing a student on board to help with the execution.
Beatnik Cafe - Figuring out what is the best way to move forward with this will be a large creative task.
Jubilation: I am your mountain - This amazing story of my grandmother who was an indenture servant from Ireland, who works in an old house in New Orleans with an old black former slave by the name of Sally Jubilation. Sally is a wise woman, herbalist, and the housekeeper. She was "bought" by the Mistress of the house Miss. Emma before the Civil War. Miss Emma from the old Southern Aristocracy though only a teenager bought her with her own money and then freed her. Miss Sally has chosen to remain with Miss Emma. Miss Sally when she meets a person of good character and worth says, "You are a person of worth and dignity." Yet, in the sixty hours I have recorded she is always able to find the worth and dignity of most people she has met. I am almost feeling like I am "channeling" the spirit of Miss. Sally, as I am sitting down with my tape recorder and taking notes, as if I am across from the table. My "grandmother" Miss. Rosa is telling the story from her journals and her memory of this incredible women she met when she was young.
Jazz Lullaby: Dulcita - A new jazz guitar piece I wrote and will record soon.

Many other projects going on. No solo performances schedule besides looking at Beatnik Cafe performances this fall. All of my energy and time will go in the foreseeable future will go to finish the recordings I've started and continuing to coordinate and focus on projects for the Pornography of War:
Tio Namaya - Two CDs worth of children stories and songs
Celebrate Life- Stories, poems and music that are a celebration of life.
Vermont My Home - Stories, music, and poems

Jazz Mu- This is the least commercial but artistically the most important in terms of music and performance. This is the best of my avante garde and experimental jaz word improvisations and sound poems
I have a young audio engineer now on board starting in August for 20 hours a week to help with this and the podcasts
"Turn on, tune in, and drop in to your creative soul."

Updates July 2010: Pornography of War

Namaya update July 11, 2010
Creative Window: I am having a marvelous time waking up in the morning with pencils, pastels, pen and paper, my guitar close by, and a camera on the tripod. My creative tools are at the ready. One morning, I was watching a butterfly dance on an echidnae flower, and the words could capture part of the dance, but the camera was a few meters away from the butterfly, and I caught her dance. For a small window of time, I have created this time to write, draw, design, write music, and most importantly, allow my spirits to soar. In this age where so much is in the public domain, and our history and lives is an open book to the wider world the time to be alone to create from the core of who I am and my connection to life is a gift. I value this privacy of time to create and the time by Blue Heron Pond.
Beatnik Cafe we had a wonderful run in Boston and in New York City with this. The video and the film are on the web at www.beatnikcafemusical.com. Our plans are to take it to various colleges within the New York City area. We are also shopping for promoter or producer to take this project forward. I have been thinking about this and a number of ways. I love the idea of the story of Jack Kerouac, Charlie Parker and the way this musical revue puts the story together. It is a powerful, wonderful story. Though I believe in a Broadway run, producers will try to make it more about the beatniks, which was the least interesting part of the period, humorous at times, but largely not very interesting. The real interesting work was the jazz and this period of tremendous social transformation. Stay tuned for more notes.
I also like how my understanding of the music deepens and greater understanding of this music called bebop and jazz evolved.
I also wanted to capture my growing appreciation for Kerouac and understanding of him, he was very committed to his writing, and some parts of the writing are sublime.
Terrific group of singers, performers, musicians. Finally, with a good director, and a lot of work this production is moving forward. Maggie one of the Beatnik singers is off to Poland and is trying to secure shows there and in Scandinavia. Always it is about following the money
Four Prophets:
This is the other main project in the next year- Jesus, Mohammed, Moses, and Satan meet in a public restroom. Satan calls for Judgment Day. She says, “Humans are not to be trusted.” This will be shot as a 10 minute trailer in a local studio and hopefully interest a theater or production company to take this play forward.
This is a major work and after my extended creative hiatus need to refocus on getting this out. I have a feeling that it will make its debut in Europe not the US, this is a hunch, as the funding climate to put on new works is limited, and this is so controversial.
Video
Women of the Veil
I had a fascinating vision one night. I was deep in the Sahara and the moon was up, there was a woman standing on the dune she was dressed in a long black sharh shaf, the wind was blowing, I heard music an oud and this melody, and the song started this chant, “Women of the veil. Women of the book. Daughters of the prophet. Let you spirits be free. Let your veil fly free. Let your hair flow.” The wind blows, the veils rise, then more and more women appear. The Uuuala sounds out. More women appear. The wind blows the veils back and away, the chadors blow away, the hair now flies in the wind. “Women
of the book let your hair fly free, let your spirit sail in the wind, let true freedom for women begin.” A short 3 minute video
Pornography of war:
This is one of the main directions I am moving in and over the course of the next five years, perhaps even longer. The pornography of war is a multimedia, photography, installation, sculpture project. The one we are starting with now is called make love not war .
The outside of the exhibition space looks like a cheap porno shop, with the entrance blocked, “No one under 18 permitted.” Inside is the PORNOGRAPHY OF WAR.
Artistic Statement: Simply, two people having sex, or people naked is not pornography, but one person killing an another is obscene. In the words of one judge, “Pornography, I know it when I see it.” It is not only raising the voice against war, it is posing the dialectic question: Is War Pornographic? I also see it is vital to offer the alternative – war is Thanatos & life is Eros. We squander our children’s future with militarism
Make love not war is a series of photos of men, gay and straight and couples making love. It shows a man and a woman in their uniforms. Taking their uniforms off and making love.
Be All That You Can Be: this has been in my vision for about four years or more. I think with the social media sites we can now move forward with this. The idea is very simple. 4800 people, men and women, children walking through the streets of Washington DC with helmets, Army ponchos, each with an 8 foot length of rope, and army boots. Each one of the participants have the name of the soldier killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They would be walking marching in a single file through the streets of Washington, connected with the rope that is knotted. One to another. It moves through the streets of Washington filmed and recorded. They would move towards the Vietnam Memorial and pass in front of the Vietnam Memorial. They would then proceed to an open spot. There is a cauldron or a small vessel placed in the center and the names of each one of the soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are then called out. There is a gong that rings out with each name called.
Return Home: This is a sculpture about 15 feet long of black sand with impressions of feet and soldiers returning home from war. There are a series of prosthesis marching with boots on, some others without. The bed of black sand is about 2 feet wide
$680 Billion Dollar Penis:
This project is long in the works. We are shooting some samples in the next few weeks. There will be the 14 foot tall penises as the US penis is the largest since the US spends app 51% of all global military money – or app 20 -25% of US GNP. The other countries like France, Germany, China, Russia, Israel, Iran, Brazil,etc
PENTAGON MAN:
Series of cartoons of Pentagon Man the man with the ICBM penis that I’ve been drawing.
The Wall: Recreating the wall of separation in Palestine in a museum
PEACE GARDEN: as I had detailed in previous writings and in the sketch attached.
Audio Book.fm.
Love Tap Message – Daily inspirational messages. We are starting a url called
www.yourlovetap.com
www.wakeupamericans!.com is the other new dimension of our on-going podcass

Luscious Wet Kisses
A friend reminded me I had been talking about this project for five years. It is a series of nudes/ partial nudes in nature at Blue Heron Pond with male and female models. Then combining this with poems from previous books EROS TO GODHEAD and GOD SEX POLITICS. Probably, it will inspire a new series of poems based on the photos. First photo shoot tomorrow 12 July.
Love in an Age of Aids
This is another photo shoot using saran wrap. Two models male/ male or male female nudes. These photos are done on a stage and will be part of a dance/ stage performance
of Love in An Age of Aids. The lovers meet, then the saran wrap surrounds them, it is the attempt to reach and to get close, but the density of fear and AIDS, impedes that journey
“Dinner Party at the World Economic Forum” – The dinner party at Devos

A few of the projects we are working on - Create Loving rEvolutions. This is the imperative.

Enjoy your own creative journey.

Namaya

Namaya Update - Post Beatnik Cafe

Curious, writing continually, drawing, new design projects, but not a great interest in blogging these days. Not feeling as if I want to draw people into my creative journey except when it comes to the finished work. In the past month, I've been intensely working on Beatnik Cafe and discovering a lot of new dimensions to the work. I've been working with a good cast and a solid director Debra Whitfield. Post the 11 April show i went back and reworked the script based on some suggestions and feedback. A far more solid show in this incarnation with a more fluid time line. The characters not cutout figures but real flesh and blood folks ... Jack Kerouac as a genuine person who was innocent and naive, who loved jazz and life, and then drowned in fame. I was very pleased with my script and the show in Boston.

Creative projects in the next six months


Celebrate Life! Absurd & delightful - CD of stories, music, and poems.
Vermont My Home: Vol 1 Stories, music and poems that celebrate the Green Mountain state.
On the Island of Binga Bonga: Tio Namaya children's stories.This is already on my home co
Jazz Mu - Jazz Avante garde stories - Murder in the Cathedral of Love.
*** Not to sound maniX, but I have about six good CD length work that I've been struggling to figure out how to get the work out. I have so much material and stories

Beatnik Cafe
Shooting a studio quality video of this show. Also, seeing if there is a producer or promoter who wants to take this on. It really has turned into a very solid show.

Love Tap - Available at www.namayaproductions.com - Appearing as an MP3 file for download and as an I-phone application. Positive messages, secular, focusing on celebrating life.

Four Prophets: Jesus, Mohamed, Moses and Satan meet in a public restroom. It is a play and installation project

$680 Billion Dollar Penis Project Wall Art that illustrated how much the US and other countries spend on the military.

Coming back to Vermont, guests at the end of the week, new assistant/ associate for the web and the projects. I need this quiet space to work and dream again.

minor chords
key of Q

screaming violet

iNdigo…

who was never one to suffer
the indignation

of a Question that
lingered
like
rain in a puddle.

Q
like a key to
a world in side

of the rarely
spoken

laughter of a relative
sixth

V
violent shades
of indigo

whispered like a
siren waiting dockside

for the sailors from
the sixth fleet.

the allurement of
love in the guise of
desire

vermillion cool
v bop – voutee mo’

Bach in a fugue
falling to a simple
gracious

f minor.

curious to wind up
in the room where
the F minor was
lounging in a peignoir

a slatternly
amorous amalgam

of Blues basted with
be bop thrilling
arpeggios and slow
roasted in the savory
stew of an unresolved

32 bar blues… E7
to A then a minor B
in the transcendent key

of desire.

When the Bird and I would
jam, him rifting in the seductive
shadows of heroin,
and I in the garden tending
lilacs and poppies, hearing rooms
imagined with the sweet ascension.

Was he talking to god?
Did he imagine god as a lover,
seen, but never held.

Peonies purple, lilac,
luscious
plump

a juicy ripe C brimming
delightful with the
possibility of redemption.

Cheery, bright without
any of the existential
angst of minor chords - -

fragmented shards of
atonal rifts…
Coltrane make rapturous
l
o
v
e
with the goddess of memory.

Memory

god and the divine

we draw sustenance
from.

Not poppies nor Lethe,
we are not absolved
by bathing in Styxs

memory
desire
love

a blues in
one
four
five

flat the seventh
and open the
soul to the
seventh house

love is the
transcendent
note

alpha
omega

and

key of Q

querulous
little bugger.

to give
to love
to surrender.

Quom.
Q
Kwa

Notes in
the key of Q.

Mi Amor

we’ve had a tempestuous
relationship over these years…

much love and tenderness,
intimacies unimagined.

our love and love making
voracious and savage…

passionate,
sotto voce,
much kindness.

voyages to the
inner sanctum of memory.

journeys to the
periphery of imagination.

mi amor,
mi poesia,
mi alma.