Kirk Lumpkin Live Events and News

2009/2010 Events

WINTER 2009-2010

Saturday, December 12, 2009
BENEFIT EXTRAVAGANZA
for
REBECCAS BOOKS
SATURDAY DECEMBER 12th
with
KIRK LUMPKIN & THE WORD-MUSIC CONTINUUM (we'll be performing near the end of this event)
VAL SERRANT & AVOTCJA
VOICES OF OUR YOUTH
CLIVE MATSON (Poet/Educator)
KATHERINE HASTINGS (Poet/Word Temple)
PABLO ROSALES (Poet/Spoken Word Artist)
MAMACOATL (Poet/Singer/Musician/Educator)
devorah major (Poet/ former S.F. Poet Laureate)
JACK & ADELLE FOLEY (Poets/Playwrights/KPFA)
TRES SANTOS (CHOKWADI, MUTEADO & MARC G)
AL YOUNG-(Poet/former CA State Poet Laureate)
YAYA MALDONADO y LOS GATOS RUMBEROS
THE WORDWIND CHORUS
(LEWIS JORDAN/BRIAN AUERBACH & QR HAND)
PHAVIA KUJICHAGULIA (Poet/Musician/Educator)
ELIZA SHEFLER & ANTHONY SMITH
(Piano & Vocalists/Rhythm & Muse)
TUREEDA MIKELL (Poet/Storyteller/Actress)
JACK HIRSCHMAN (Poet/former S.F.Poet Laureate)
also
guest appearances by
Javier Reyes, Opal Palmer Adisa,
Jose Manny Martinez, Mary Rudge,
Richard Oyama, Joshua Merchant, Seve Torres, etc.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 12th
@
REBECCAs BOOKS
(SPECIALIZING IN ETHNIC POETRY)
3268 Adeline Street
wheel chair accessible
(½ BLOCK NORTH OF ALCATRAZ & 2 SHORT BLOCKS SOUTH OF ASHBY BART)
Berkeley, CA (510)852-4768
10AM to 6PM
$3 - $20 Sliding Scale
rebeccasbooks@yahoo.com or www.Avotcja.com
LaVerdadMusical@yahoo.com

Sunday, January 17, 2010
Anna's Jazz Island
2120 Allston Way, Berkeley (half a block off Shattuck Ave. in the Gaia Building)
poetry performances by
Kirk Lumpkin
Avotcja
Al Young
Pablo Rosales
Joan Gelfand
Jack Foley


SPRING/SUMMER 2009

April is National Poetry Month and in 2009, for the third year in a row, I presented poetry at my niece's school. I read my poetry and talked about poetry with 1st and 3rd graders. A nice change of pace. Kirk

April 2, 2009 - Internet publication of my poem "If Credit Were A River" on New Verse News web site. Kirk

THE PEOPLE'S VOICE POETRY
for the
PEOPLE'S PARK
40th Anniversary
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 7 PM
Caffe Mediterraneum aka The Med
2475 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley
Al Young - California Poet Laureate
Julia Vinograd - People's Park Poet Laureate
John Oliver Simon, Alta, HD Moe, Kirk Lumpkin, Paradise, Christian, Sharon Skolnick, Jesse Beagle, Clive Matson, Ava Bird, Kimberly Satterfield, Sharon Coleman
Arnie Passman reading Michael Rossman,
and others from the generations

MARIN POETRY FESTIVAL
Sunday, April 26th, 2009, 1-5pm
Sausalito Bay Model Visitor's Center
2100 Bridgeway, Sausalito
The Word-Music Continuum
and featuring
U.S. POET LAUREATE, KAY RYAN
S.F. POET LAUREATE, JACK HIRSCHMAN
also featuring
AGNETA FALK, CLIVE MATSON, SHARON DOUBIAGO, ALBERT FLYNN DESILVER
performance poetry of
VERSO AL FRESCO
&
the Musical Medicine of
AVOTCJA w/IAN DOGOLE,
OWEN DAVIS, STEVE SHAIN

May 4, 2009 5:30 pm
Publication Party for Living in the Land of the Dead
at the Faithful Fools Street Ministry
234 Hyde St., San Francisco
Contributers reading:
Kirk Lumpkin, rAmu Aki, Ralph Dranow, Charles Curtis Blackwell, Julia Vinograd, Marsha Campbell, David Schooley, Jan Stekel, Tom Odegard, etc.

May 17, 2009 EarthTeam Environmental Network awards ceremony for the teen environmental poetry contest
that I was the judge for. Kirk

Received (May 19, 2009) copies of Lalitamba (a collection of modern devotional literature) containing two of my poems (Prayer Flag and Spring). Kirk

BERKELEY POETRY FESTIVAL
Saturday, June 6, 2009 1-4pm
(all short sets)
Kirk Lumpkin, Jack & Adele Foley, Julia Vinograd, Richard Silberg, Judy Wells,
Dale Jensen, Avotcja, Steve Arntson, Mark States, Joyce Jenkins, etc.
Free. In conjunction with the Berkeley World Music Festival (free; Noon-9pm)
Telegraph Ave. at Haste St., Berkeley
(in front of where Cody's Books used to be)
"No matter what, he will make sure the sidewalks are shaking before you go home." (San Francisco) Examiner.com on Kirk at the Berkeley Poetry Festival (2009)

Sat., June 6, 2009 6pm-10pm (live music) Wild Buds and friends
Oakland Open Studios (noon to midnight) at NIMBY, 8410 Amelia St., East Oakland (warehouse Art Party)
featured artist: Janine Miller of Applied Kinetic Arts Group, etc.
www.nimbyspace.org

I sent out email notices earlier this year when both The Word-Music Continuum and the Wild Buds did live performances on internet radio station Radio RK (shows that were also simulcast in the Bluffs Center For The Arts in the virtual world of Second Life). Radio RK is on 24/7 commercial free and cost free featuring a wide variety of jazz, rock, and related musics by local independent artists. Included in the mix you can hear both The Word-Music Continuum and the Wild Buds and some other things we've done besides these two projects. You can also find on the Radio RK web site where our earlier live broadcasts are archived. And now, you can also hear me reading "A Poem for the Day." These are not my poems, but poems that I love by a wide range of different poets.
Here's the RK Radio link: http://www.radiork.com
Speaking of the internet, the Wild Buds recently played a birthday party for our guitarist/vocalist Bill Lackey and his friend Rand shot a video of us performing and posted it on YouTube. It's our Ghost Riders/Ghost Dancers version of Ghost Riders in the Sky where we turn a cowboy ghost story into a cowboy and Indian ghost story. The sound quality isn't as good as Radio RK, but it's pretty cool. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/user/randcrook.
You won't be able to understand my "Indian ghost story" lyrics, so here they are:
Ghost Dancers from the Earth Lyrics: Kirk Lumpkin Music: Stan Jones

In the Black Hills of Dakota by a campfire late one night
A camper sat there staring into the flickering light
When from the ground there came a sound like thunder or great drums
The fire smoke was shifting shape
and the air around did hum

The smoke became ghost spirits of dancing Indians
In a circle holding hands children, men, and women
With tears of blood on ghostly cheeks they dance and sing and cry
Saying without words that they are
"the dream that cannot die"

Hey yah hey
Hey yah ho
Ghost dancers from the Earth


To the campers mind the dancers were speaking without words
They told him, "we must dance until the buffalo return,
Until all of our relations live on Mother Earth again,
Until all Indian people are
free from the white men,

When the buried hearts at Wounded Knee beat like a drum again,
When every treaty is fulfilled then and only then
We cant rest in peace and join family on the other side
Unless our prayers are answered were
the dream that cannot die"

Hey yah hey
Hey yah ho
Ghost dancers from the Earth
Kirk

CD RELEASE PARTY
&
benefit for the Ecology Center
Positive Voodoo by the Wild Buds
Sunday, June 28, 2009
doors open: 6:30 pm music: 7:00-10:00 pm
Music starts with a solo acoustic set by Country Joe McDonald
followed by two sets of dancing to the Wild Buds
Ashkenaz, Berkeley, CA
Info: www.ashkenaz.com
Cover: $10

Future Events

Sun., Sept. 20, 2009 10am-6pm
Petaluma Poetry Walk (a whole day of free poetry events)
Petaluma, CA
Kirk Lumpkin reads with David Madgalene

Mon., Sept. 21, 2009(almost Fall Equinox), 7pm, poet Kirk Lumpkin features plus open mic
Poetry Express Series at Priya Indian Cuisine
2072 San Pablo Ave. (just south of University Ave.), Berkeley

Saturday, October 10, 2009, 7-9pm
featured performance by The Word-Music Continuum with Kirk Lumpkin, Paul Mills, & Mark Wieder
and an open mic
Frank Bette Center for the Arts
1601 Paru at Lincoln
Alameda, CA

Sunday, October 25th, 2009 noon-4pm
The Word-Music Continuum (Kirk Lumpkin - words & percussion, Paul Mills - guitar, Mark Wieder - bass) &
Kirk solo
Beat Museum, 540 Broadway (at Columbus Ave.), San Francisco
part of The North Beach ArtWalk and will also feature a bunch of other poets, musicians, and artwork by Leah Lubin.

Sunday, November 8, 2009 5:00PM to 7:00PM
Wild Buds at The Cooperative Grocery (The COG)
1450 67th St. (at Hollis), Emeryville, CA 94608
Help us raise awareness of this valuable community resource and have some fun at a COG "Super Second Sunday," a monthly event for both the community and COG members to enjoy food, music, and each other. On November 8th, share a meal with the COG community and enjoy live music. Bring a dish to share and we'll see you there!

WINTER 2008-2009

Live Internet Performances
Monday, December 15th, 2008, 8:30 p.m.
The Word-Music Continuum
Wednesday, December 17th, 2008, 8:30 p.m.
Wild Buds
Both of these performances you can get on the world wide web either streamed through iTunes or any mp3 player or you can listen in the virtual club Bluffs Lodge in the Second Life virtual world. Copy and paste this into iTunes. Don't double click on it! Just copy and paste: http://65.45.176.140:8000/listen.m3u into the Open Audio Stream prompt under the Advanced menu. Or go to Second Life (www.secondlife.com) and register (it's free and easy) and then do a search for The Bluffs Lodge by clicking on the search button which you will see after you complete the registration process. You will then be "teleported" over to the club where we'll be playing. It may seem cumbersome at first but the folks there are very helpful.

Both of these "live on the internet performances" are now archived at www.radiork.com

New Year's Eve Show with Country Joe
performances by Country Joe McDonald, Pete Olsen and the Pete Olsen (dance) Band, Annie and the Vets, and
Poet Kirk Lumpkin with bassist Mark Wieder, along with some special guests
Admission of just $55 (advance purchase) includes
A Delicious Cafe Buffet dinner
Door Prizes
A la Carte Beverage Service
Toasting to the change that has come as we welcome in a hopeful new year
Countdown to midnight complete with complimentary champagne, and the traditional noisemakers, funny hats etc.
Doors open at 8 PM Dance & celebrate to 1 AM
CALL OR EMAIL FOR TICKET PURCHASE AND MORE INFORMATION: 510 830 8378, cafedelapaz@yahoo.com.

CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY STATE CONFERENCE
Saturday, January 17, 2009 8 - 9:30 p.m.
Sacramento Sheraton Grand Hotel, 1230 J St. Sacramento
Featured Poets: Kirk Lumpkin, Susan Kelly-DeWitt, & Linda Noel
hosted by Chris Olander
(you need to be registered for the Conference to attend)

Kirk's second annual Mardi Gras Birthday Party was
Saturday, February 7th, 2009
(by invitation only)
The Wild Buds had the crowd up and dancing for every song with everyone from my 8 year old niece to the 70 year old president of the PEN Oakland board kickin' up their heels! -Kirk

SUMMER 2008

SUNSET POETRY BY THE BAY
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008, 7 - 9 p.m.
1250 Bridgeway, in downtown Sausalito
Northpoint Coffee House
Open Mic with Featured Performers, The Word-Music Continuum
No Cover

Monday, August 11th, 2008, 7-9pm
featured poets Kirk Lumpkin, Blake More, H. D. Moe, and an open mic
Word Dancing Series at It's A Grind Coffeehouse
1800 Polk St. @ Washington
San Francisco

Hurricane Katrina (3rd anniversary) Fundraiser
Friday, August 22, 2008, 7pm
Rebecca's Books
(½ Block North of Alcatraz & 2 short Blocks South of Ashby BART)
Berkeley
with featured author Alice Wilson-Fried, native New Orleans murder mystery writer and
Poets Nina Serrano, Kirk Lumpkin, Mary Rudge, John Curl, Lindah Martin, Avotcja, Raymond Nat Turner, Zigi Lowenberg, Karen Folger Jacobs, & Teasha Gable.
Hosted by poets Wanda Sabir and Karla Brundage.
$5 cover
An odd, and amazing to me, side note to this event is that I used to live in the space that is now Rebecca's Books. Before we moved in about 20 years ago it had been a recording studio, Madman Recording, and the those of us that were living there were using it as a rehearsal studio.

SPRING 2008

Friday, April 4, 2008, 7:00 pm The Wired Poets present
feature poet Kirk Lumpkin plus an open mic
Wired Wash Cafe
135 Laurel Street (at Pacific Ave) (Next to the Saturn Cafe),
Santa Cruz, CA

The Word-Music Continuum was supposed to play its first gig on April 11th with our new bass player, Mark Wieder, at the Listen & Be Heard Poetry Cafe in Vallejo, but the Cafe will be folding at the end of March. Run by poets Martha & Tony Mims this was a very fine thing that was a great asset to the Bay Area poetry scene and Vallejo in particular. My thanks to Martha and Tony for their dedication and I wish them the very best of luck with whatever comes next.

Sunday, April 20th,, 2008, 3pm to 6pm,
Performances starting at 3:30pm
CD release party for Sound Poems
by The Word-Music Continuum
(Kirk Lumpkin-poetry & percussion, Paul Mills-guitar,
Mark Wieder-double bass)
a part of the second annual Bay Area JazzPoetry Festival.
Anna's Jazz Island
2120 Allston Way, Berkeley (half a block off Shattuck Ave. in the Gaia Building)

Sat., April 26, 2008, 10:55am-12:15pm; Kirk Lumpkin moderates a panel on
The Future of Food for Cities, Towns and Villages
at the Ecocity World Summit Conference
Nob Hill Masonic Center, 1111 California Street, San Francisco

Tuesday, May 27, 2008, 7pm-9pm Sharp,
Featured performance: The Word-Music Continuum starts at 7pm
Red Light Open Mic at the Amnesia Bar
853 Valencia (between 19th and 20th Streets), San Francisco

Sat., June 21, 2008, 10am-3pm, Wild Buds
(Bill Lackey-guitar, vocals, Vid Andrews-guitar, Mark Randall-bass, Ted Higgins-drums, Kirk Lumpkin-vocals)
with Captain Mike & the Sea Kings (blues by fishermen) & All Nations Singers (Pow Wow style drum group)
Summer Solstice Salmon Celebration, Civic Center Park, Berkeley

Mon., Aug. 11, 2008, 7-9pm, poet Kirk Lumpkin features plus open mic
Word Dancing Series at Its A Grind Cofeehouse
1800 Polk St. at Washington St., San Francisco

Mon., Sept. 22, 2008, 7pm, poet Kirk Lumpkin features plus open mic
Poetry Express Series at Priya Indian Cuisine
2072 San Pablo Ave. (just south of University Ave.), Berkeley

Fri., Dec. 12, 2008, 7 p.m., poet Kirk Lumpkin features poet plus open mic
Word Beat Series @ Nefeli Cafe
1854 Euclid St., Berkeley

2007 Events

Kirk Lumpkin is the featured poet
along with an open mic
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 at 7pm
Park Branch Library (Haight Ashbury neighborhood),
1833 Page Street, San Francisco
hosted by Diamond Dave Whitaker

As a Board member of PEN Oakland please accept my personal invitation:
PEN OAKLAND & THE OAKLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY PRESENT
PEN OAKLAND-JOSEPHINE MILES 17TH ANNUAL NATIONAL LITERARY AWARDS
Saturday, December 8th, 2007
Reception 2:00 PM 3:00 PM
Awards Ceremony 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM Free To The Public

Exploring Vision Caves Poetry Event
Monday, December 3, 2007 6pm
A FREE poetry event in Berkeley @
Cafe Leila
1724 San Pablo Avenue
FEATURED READERS + OPEN MIC!
Features: Kirk Lumpkin & Christopher Robin!
Call (510) 526-7858 or emil fmoore@eroplay.com for more info!

I just found this nice quote on the website of someone who saw me on May 14, 2007 in the WORDJAM series at the FREE TIMES CAFE in TORONTO, CANADA: "Kirk Lumpkin, a spoken wordist from San Francisco, was really incredible. He had this way about him that captivated me. I think most of the audience was really impressed by his style." writes Chris James at www.chrisjamesmusic.com

Sunday Oct 21, 2007 2-4 pm
Healdsburg City Hall
Kirk reads
with poet David Madgalene

Thursday, September 27, 2007
6-7:30 pm
Kirk hosts the
"OAKLAND OUT LOUD" LITERARY SERIES
based upon the PEN Oakland "Oakland Out Loud" Literary Anthology
Oakland Main Library, 125 14th Street
with featured poets
Abby Lynn Bogomolny
Karla Brundage
Kim Shuck
Slim Russell
followed by an open mic

Kirk Lumpkin: Poetry Readings East

WordJam Series
8 pm, Sunday, May 13, 2007
$5 at the door
Free Times Cafe
320 College Ave. (west of Spadina)
Toronto, Canada
(I was the featured spoken word artist and there was also a featured musician. It was tremendous fun and I jammed some with the locals. My Dad even attended this event.)

Bowery Poetry Club
5:30 pm, Tuesday, May 15, 2007
$6 admission
308 Bowery
New York City, NY
Kirk reads with Richard Tayson and Jan Clausen
(I had a true New York experience even though I was only there a few hours.)

Diamond Cherry Series
8 pm, Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Renaissance Cafe
1938 Danforth Ave.
Toronto, Canada
(I was a featured poet and read to a small, but excellent audience.)

[Monday, April 30, 2007. I read some of my poetry and talked about poetry to my 7 year old niece Mia's class. It was a very sweet experience.]

PEN OAKLAND & OAKLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY LAUNCH
"OAKLAND OUT LOUD" LITERARY SERIES
PEN Oakland, A Bay Area Chapter of the International Organization of Poets, Essayists, and Novelists, in partnership with the Oakland Public Library, presents the Oakland Out Loud Literary Series. The series is based upon the PEN Oakland "Oakland Out Loud" Literary Anthology, which will be published by Jukebox Press in April 2007.
PEN Oakland President Floyd Salas and author Claire Ortalda will host the
Publication Party, April 26, 2007, 6:00-7:30 pm
Oakland Main Library, 125 14th Street
Writers Andrew Hayes, Sharon Doubiago, Kim McMillon, Gerry Nicosia, John Curl, Lucha Corpi, Reginald Lockett, and
Kirk Lumpkin
will read their submissions to the anthology followed by an open mic session.
Books will also be available for purchase.
The literary series will continue on the fourth Thursday of every month at the Oakland Main Library, from 6:00 -7:30 pm, with the final two readings in November and December being held at the Rockridge and Dimond branch libraries.
These events are free to the public. For more information: Kim McMillon at (510) 228-6775.