Great story about the Writers of the Nervous Breakdown blog community
N.L. of Noveltown and ABC23 wrote a great story about the writers of the Nervous Breakdown blog community. TheNervousBreakdown.com is one of my favorite literary blog sites because of the quality of the writing.



Check out N.L.'s article and mini-documentary on TheNervousBreakdown.com. Not only does Rich Ferguson do some great performance art, Brad Listi and Lenore Zion both make some incredible remarks. Brenda Knight adds some zest in the article when she talks about J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and the Beat Generation and how they would form blog communities if around today.

Check out the article, "Non-Striking Writers Form Attention-Getting Blog Site"

Here's an Excerpt:

Nick Belardes of ABC23 caught up with the brainchild of the site, LA Times best selling author of "Attention. Deficit. Disorder," Brad Listi, and some of the writers of thenervousbreakdown.com near downtown Los Angeles to find out just what the buzz was all about.

Listi, also a professor at Santa Monica College, said, "It's a site that features a multitude of great writers, literary writers from around the world." He added, "What separates us from a lot of other blog sites, or whatever you'd like to call it, is that we're featuring writing of a real literary quality, and it's a one-stop place where readers who are enthusiastic about quality writing can come on a daily basis and hear from all these great voices."

View Slideshow of Related Pics of Listi, Ferguson and Zion.



If you're looking for a blog site that has a good variety of great literary writers, TheNervousBreakdown.com is it!

Labels: Brad Listi, Lenore Zion, Literary, N.L. Belardes, Noveltown, Rich Ferguson, The Nervous Breakdown, TheNervousBreakdown.com, writers, Writing

  posted by Matildakay at 7:01 PM 0 comments

Rich Ferguson's 'With This Kiss'
With this kiss there are revelations tattooed upon our lips; revelations more easily read on account of this silent pact with recognition where I'm beginning to see that we are slowly becoming healed... ~Rich Ferguson

Los Angeles Spoken Word Poet Rich Ferguson has a new music video for his spoken word poem With This Kiss...



With This Kiss is one of my favorite's from Rich's spoken word album Where I Come From. (Buy your copy here)

I lose myself inside Rich's lyrical prose and discover unspoken nuances of my personality every time I listen to Where I Come From. Even physical therapy and my relationship with my deformed knees was illuminated through Rich's spoken word poem Bones.

Where I Come From makes you think, makes you listen...

Rich Ferguson's spoken word is not boring poetry. N.L. described it as: "a spoken word masterpiece that blasts at you like a Robbie Robertson/Velvet Underground counterculture shotgun ripped from the hip." (Read N.L.'s review of Where I Come From)

Dive into Rich Ferguson's spoken word... it might just affect your life the way it did mine.

Labels: Bakersfield, Kiss, Los Angeles, N.L. Belardes, Poetry, Rich Ferguson, Spoken Word

  posted by Matildakay at 10:05 PM 0 comments

Bones
Yesterday evening, bones hurting, I walked into physical therapy a little slower in step than usual. It had been a long day of dealing with drama and I was tired.

“How’s Matildakay today?” ‘M’ asked.

“I’m here.” My mind was heavy, “My knee is hurting today.”

“What have you been doing?”

“Nothing.”

“Maybe that’s it, not enough activity.”

“I don’t know, its just hurting.” I said.

“Well warm up on the bike and we’ll see how you do.” ‘M’ said.

I climbed on the bike turned on my ipod and began scrolling through the music library. I was looking for something… I wasn’t sure what, but I wanted to be inspired. I ran my thumb over the ipod selection wheel in a circular motion as artists names flashed on the screen. I don’t know why, but I love that circular motion of the pad of my thumb lightly touching the ipod selection wheel, of skin touching technology. I love having hundreds of artists in the palm of my hand. I love being able to carry around my entire cd collection in my purse. Its quite freeing to whip out my ipod and pick a particular music to fit my mood at any moment, anywhere.

I scrolled through artist’s names waiting for one of them to jump out at me. And then one did. Rich Ferguson, spoken word poet and writer. It was fitting; Rich Ferguson had been on my mind most of the day. I love his work! I clicked on his name, started the timer on the bike and began pedaling.

My right knee was puffy. Navigating stairs had been hard that day and now it was screaming pain at me with every crank of the bike pedal.

“These bones are my worst nightmare come true” Rich Ferguson passionately spoke about bones loudly in the headphones pushed in my ears as my right patella slipped in and out over my leg bones grinding, screaming his words in unisom.

“I can feel them knocking against the doors of my flesh” How did Rich know my knee bones were knocking, knocking threatening to jump track at any moment?

“Can’t you hear ‘em moan bones?” I could.

“Torture bones” He spoke. I agreed and pedaled faster.

“Bones…” Are others as aware of their bones as I am?

My deformed knee bones have become second nature with their limitations, discomfort and pain. These are my bones. I know my bones better than most for they speak to me constantly.

“You get a new ipod?” ‘M’ asked.

“No. I’ve had it, I just brought it with me today.” I said. I had wanted to escape the usual classic rock or country radio stations Terrio plays and the other patients and fitness clients mindless social banter.

Physical therapy to spoken word poetry is quite a different experience. Each step, squat, extension, and weight had a word, a beat and a meaning. I kept pace with Rich’s passion. And so did my bones.

“Can I have ice and stem?” I asked ‘M’ at the end of my program.

“Your knees are really puffy, we’ll ice them both.” ‘M’ said.

He hooked my right knee up to the stem machine and piled ice bags on both my knees. Soon electric currents crawled up and down the muscles on either side of my right knee. My bones eased, relaxed.

I sighed.

“I wish I could take this machine with me.” Hooked up to the stem machine was the only time my bones slept instead of screamed.

“We have portable ones you could rent.” I watched ‘M’s finger on the increase current button pushing, pushing, pushing it up… he looked at me as if asking “when?”

It felt so good… I closed my eyes ‘M’ kept pushing the increase current button.

“Ok.” I finally said opening my eyes as my bones sighed.

Labels: Bakrsfield, Bones, ipod, Physical Therapy, Poetry, Rich Ferguson, Spoken Word, Terrio Therapy Fitness

  posted by Matildakay at 11:34 PM 5 comments

The Noveltown Review
Take a look inside the Noveltown Review...



The newest literary magazine out of the California Central Valley features some great writers from across the country.

Fiction stories by: Brad Listi, N. Frank Daniels, Conrad Romo and Susan Henderson.

Literary articles by: Lauren Baratz-Logsted, Cindy Wathen, N. Frank Daniels, Robin Slick, Susan Henderson and N.L. Belardes.

Poetry by: Matildakay, Rich Ferguson and Jenn Williams.

The layout is classy and goregeous! The writing is outstanding! You won't be able to put it down.

Get your free copy in Bakersfield at Russo's Books at the Marketplace or Metro Art Galleries downtown.

Or order your copy online at www.noveltown.net/books. (Online orders - minimal cost to cover shipping).

Read excerpts from the magazine and see photos from the Noveltown Review's premier Mixer on Paperback Writer.

**Updated: Read Greg Goodsell's review of the Noveltown Review on Bakotopia and leave a comment.

Be Noveltown's friend... add Noveltown on myspace!

Labels: Bakersfield, Brad Listi, California Central Valley, Cindy Wathen, N. Frank Daniels, N.L. Belardes, Noveltown, Rich Ferguson, Robin Slick, Susan Henerson, The Noveltown Review

  posted by Matildakay at 10:47 PM 1 comments