NEW VIDEO! 12/8/10

Here is last week's video, performances by Matt A Fact, Jeremiah Hepner, Alex Black, and Clayton Peters.
Thanks everyone for continuing to come out, even in the frigid weather! True Loyalty!


Writers Block 12/8/2010 from Arthur Hitchcock on Vimeo.

Writers Block Session 14 is tomorrow night

Who would have ever thought we would make it this far?

I know it hasn't been a whole year, but 2010 has given us quite a bit to be thankful for.

back in August, Clayton and I started sitting at what is now The Writers Block Spot every wednesday night after reading our poems at portfolio, and I still remember when we decided to "make it huge" I was sitting at my old job back when I was a carnival ride operator and I texted him...

"you know that thing we do on Wednesday nights, lets invite people, lets name it, lets make it huge"

and needless to say, we did

now that we're about to see 2011 and I will be relocating to San Francisco, I don't really think we have to worry about what will happen to TWB, not with all of the smashing support that the fine folks in Long Beach Have Shown us.

and now, maybe its sleep deprivation, or maybe its holiday cheer, but I'd like to name drop a little and thank a few people, the unsung heroes of TWB, the ones who we couldn't have done it without.

A special Thank you to:
(in no particular order)
Jon Zeilinski, Ryan Serrano, Arthur Hitchcock, Brandon Loberg, Kate Holub, Anthony Felix, Nic Burrose, Amber Brianne Bouman, and Alan Kaufman.

there are so many more people that I have to thank and so much thanks and praise that I owe, but you folks have been my support through this process, and I couldn't have done it without a team.

-apex

on a brighter note heres a song that I love.....

Thank You Kate Holub

For this cover art, we shall love you eternally.

everyone.......get ready!

-apex

New ! Gnew! Gnu! Knew! Video. 11/24/10

Here is last week's video, please email Arthur Hitchcock so he can give credit to everyone involved.
Full Name and Name of work will be perfect.

Thanks to everyone for coming out, it was a great turnout and we hope that it only continues to grow.


Writer's Block 11/24/10 from Arthur Hitchcock on Vimeo.

If you can..........

I highly suggest that you do.

Writers Block Video!

Writer's Block Nov. 17, 2010 from Arthur Hitchcock on Vimeo.

The BlackEYE Review...

Hey, we're still taking submissions, and remember, it's whatever you want it to be, but just in case there was any confusion, here are the submission guidelines...



Since The Writers Block has been going so well down here in Long Beach, we've decided to start a little publication. We’ve decided to call it The BlackEYE Review Call it a magazine, a zine, or even a mag, call it whatever you want but get ready for it, because its going to be rad! We're willing to publish pretty much anything that you want to submit. For Example:

Poetry
Music & Lyrics
Jokes (?)
Short Stories
Rants & Raves
Visual Art (will be printed in black&white)
Artists statements
News & Reviews of pretty much anything
(WHATEVER ELSE YOU WANT TO SUBMIT TO US)

We're also giving out a prompt for an article I'm working on. We'd love to have anyone send us any sort of response to "what is street poetry/what does it mean to you/is it good/why?"

For More Information Either Email Us At
WritersBlock@Cbgb.net or alexblack91@gmail.com (please try the cbgb address first)
or check us out on the web (you're already here...might as well) at
http://www.16thmission.com/

BlackEye Publications Presents.....THE WRITERS BLOCK REVIEW

The Writers Block Review.

So, Clay & I have decided to take the next step in getting the voice of poetry & artwork into the hands of the public and the "common man"

"There's no song louder than the one in your head"
             -sam sax

The Writers Block Review (name subject to change) is going to be a zine, and in the fashion of other independently published zines, we want to be a voice of the public, so heres what we want YOU to submit:

-Poetry (first and foremost the writers block is about poetry, I've always believed that everyone is a poet and very few people are willing to write things down)

-Interviews (know someone interesting, interview them and submit the interview with a photo if you'd like)

-Art (due to budget we will be printing in black & white but feel free to submit visual art)

-Articles (wanna be a journalist? nows your chance, articles, essays, short stories whatever about real social, political, artistic, etc issuses will all be considered for publication)

-Short Stories (this should speak for itself)

MOST IMPORTANTLY DON'T HOLD YOURSELF BACK.

all submissions should be sent to Apex or Clay at WritersBlock@CBGB.net

we dont have any timeframes or deadlines...yet, but we would like to have something coming off the presses by mid december so start submitting now.


-apex

Oh, noose.

if this ain't poetry, then nothing is.

The Writers Block 4

I'm going to stop using roman numerals to denote how many writers block sessions we've had, because I don't know roman numerals past 3 (III) I don't really care to learn them either, I find them frustrating an un-necessary.

Thanks to EVERYONE who came to our one month anniversary writers block session, heres some photos of what happened.

-apex

The Writers Block Portfolio Demonstration

This is the type of free form poetry jam that happens regularly at THE WRITERS BLOCK on WEDNESDAY NIGHTS AT 10PM, but we decided to do it at portfolio coffee house on the same wednesday night at 8pm for their open mic.

I don't know how to edit videos, so the actual poetry part of it starts at about 1 minute and 45 seconds in, sorry for the wait.

-apex

PS, HUGE thanks to our newfound Co-Conspirator Jon Z. for his guitar work.

Bay Area Legend Sam Sax Comes To Los Angeles

sixteenth and mission regular Sam Sax, who is one of the most on point and razor tongued poets I've ever had the pleasure to meet, will be doing a one night only feature show at:

	Kaos 4343 Leimert Blvd. Los Angeles, CA

On Monday the 18th, Sorry it short notice, but this guy is rad, literally the shit, so you should come check him out.  I know I'm going to.

for more info click here (DO IT)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l--SKYVfRhw

thank you

so,
so far we have had 3 weeks of the writers block "sessions".
and they have all been amazing in there own way be it an beautiful collaboration of artists, an interesting chant led by irrelevant hippies, and an intimate session of some incredibly talented people.

it seems that no matter how many people show up, no matter how many people share, no matter what it is that the people share, that the result is always positive and encouraging.

i just wanted to take this time to thank everyone for coming out to the first three writers block "sessions" and we look forward to seeing you this week and in many weeks to come.

thank you again

-clay

New Flyers

It feels like we're constantly printing these, the guys at kinko's are gonna know us by name soon.

-apex.

TWB III

The Writers Block 3 is tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight tonight!!

bring our your notebooks, obscure instruments, songs, poems, shenanigans, and skullduggery.  lets make this one the best one yet.

WEDNESDAY NIGHTS 10PM
@ the mural (on the beach) below cherry park (in Long Beach)
Ocean Blvd between cherry & Junipero


-apex

Lets make Writers Block III the best one yet.

that poetry event last night was really cool. just thought i'd let you know that i really enjoyed it. All the creativity flowing, the nicotine flowing through our veins, and the beer coursing down our throats, all so lovely. so thank you for the opportunity to experience all that.

 

 

-constance towers.

Hunter S. Thompson

-apex

let me              climb            the walls to your castle

          let me
    walk past the gaurd dogs with out blood shed....
a n d                                              
                   let me in
        or leave me be
            because mind games        distress
    me
        a n d
    i dont know if i can take blood shed any more
        but   i think             you could            take me

at least take me somewhere                  other than
            where i stand
        which as it stands
    is no where near you
                but that could change
    a n d i c o u l d as well
and i could swell with content           as you disconect my internet so i

            cant
                        stalk you
    but who said i was
                        stalking you
    who said    
                        you
            oh i said you

SUBMIT YOUR WORK TO THE WRITERS BLOCK BLOG

If anyone out there has a piece of work, poem, photograph, movie, painting, or anything that they would like to have displayed on our blog, please email it to us at writersblock@cbgb.net for consideration. thanks guys.

a poem

I want to take my love
my resent
my hate
and scream it in your face
like ghetto blasting through dark alleys
at 2am
dark and high
because Ive played it safe for too long

and despite it all
she said
everything was fine
but fines not enough when youre falling too fast for the wind to keep up

tie your shoes kid
they're bound to fall off
mind your cues kid
know when to step off

I tried to love you
but I couldnt hop on
the games gotten too tame
like benadryls gonna stop my cough
and tylenol is gonna stop my pain

substitute caffeine with cocaine
tryptophan for heroin
because chivalrys not
but recognition is dead

like punk rock
like hip hop
and talk radio
my lonely friends

wolf in sheeps clothing
pulled wool over my eyes
told me love was alive
turns out it was lies

so Im humming the blues
because I know those are true

like letters
twenty six depends on how you
cut it like grass
hundreds of blades slicing atmosphere
in perpetual motion like dust
millions of particles
floating through my room like thoughs

and I cant even count the thoughts

so she mustve been right
and here Im inadequate
but I know she was wrong
so here Ill take a stab at it

night after night
she sits
waiting
not that she knows it
too drunk to stumble up the stiars
but its the kind of block
where nobody cares
so she waits
knows damn well that soon Ill come outside
to smoke some fresh air

before I know
Im on the porch
fingers running through my hair
and thats love
boiled down to its simplest form
and thats how I want it
RAW

so I wrote a poem in pink
used words nice and gentle
swore that I loved her
mustve been mental
or my mistake might have been
loving prose more than her
when she hadnt a fuck to give
for love not bought from a store
and blamed it on me
for loving her
poor

so Im alone
on the edge of midnight and sanity
waiting on the galaxy
to spit something back at me

anything at all
except for the apathy
thats brought on
by intangible energy
or maybe its the coctail
of blunt smoke and dramamine
I never held this over her head
but I'm about to tonight

so

lets go back in time
she can save her own damn life.

-apex.

TWB II

Thanks again to everyone who came out last night, we had some great newcomers, but not enough performers!  C'mon Long Beach, surely we can do better than this?  If anyone out there has something that they would like to say, or do, or perform please feel free to come out we would love to have you.  And a special thank you to Artie & AP for your game show style shenanigans, and John, for unceasingly playing the guitar last night.  Can't wait for next week, until then, stay creative!

---apex.

listen to GOGOL BORDELLO.

-clay

typewriters.

just a few typewriters and their owners.

David Sedaris

harper lee

Jack kerouac

Ian Flemming

Charles Bukowski

San Francisco's Best Kept Secret....untill now.

The Secret Secretaries are a fixture at the 16th and Mission reading series up in beautiful San Francisco, which as many of you may know is where I got my inspiration to start The Writers Block, they have a blog too and believe it or not its even better than ours... www.16thmission.com

But back to the point.  The Secret Secretaries, with their minimalist drumming, punk rock guitar, and ear piercing vocals have long been one of my very most favorite bands...and now they've gone and recorded themselves a full length album.  As a long distance fan, this is truly surreal to me.  I can't wait to get my copy and once you hear them, you won't be able to either.  Not to mention that the first 100 fans to get their grubby little paws on a copy will also get to experience the delights of a limited edition (signed?) chap book featuring lyrics and poems from band members Shyeanne Powers, Nic Burrose, and Stellar Cassidy.

"wow, thats an offer too good to pass up! where can I get a copy?"
                                             -anonymous fan

Well, unfortunately, they're not for sale yet, but that doesn't mean that you cant go over to The Secret Secretaries Reverb Nation page for a little sneak preview.  Oh, and while you're at it you might as well check them out on facebook and myspace.





Stay updated for the album release and buy yourself a copy...it's not like you'll regret it.

"I jumped forward in time to give this album a listen, my mind was fucking BLOWN"
                                          -anonymous time traveling fan



-apex

HELP US PROMOTE.

I made a new flyer, its simaliar to the last one, to those of you who had an original one...its a collectors item now.  but I made this new one, it has our blog and email on it, as well as better directions.  8 of them fit on one sheet of computer paper so I'm posting the design here, if anyone wants to help out, feel free to print one, print two, or print seventy-three of them for all we care, cut em up and pass em out. thanks.

-alex.

We're on facebook now.

In addition to our event page......http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=130414900339666&ref=ts

We now have a fan page, I know it might seem like overkill, but I just want good coverage.  Now you can "like" us.  tell all your friends!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Writers-Block/132133053500468?ref=ts

The First Writers Block Session...a smashing success

Thanks to everyone who came out last night, I'd really appreciate you emailing us at writersblock@cbgb.net so that we can maybe start some sort of mailing list.  Also, if anyone has work that they would like displayed on the blog, please send it to me.  

OH YEAH, see you all next week.