Friday, April 9, 2010

Sonnet Slam a Success

(Photos by Brian Stewart)

ArtFarm's Second Sonnet Slam and Elizabethan Slam was a poetic success as poetry and drama lovers gathered to cheer on creative approaches to Shakespearean iambic pentameter couplets.  More than $4,000 was pledged to locals who took to the stage with poetry.

Colin McEnroe hosted, and roasted the sonneteers with  witty repartee.

"I think Shakespeare would have liked her," McEnroe said after jazz singer Jay Cherry's sultry interpretation of a sonnet.  

Among the crowd favorites were Roy Lisker, who crammed all 156 sonnets into one fourteen line poem, Jean Wertz, who dressed as Godzilla parsed a Blue Oyster Cult couplet, John Basinger who read a sonnet in German, and had another interpreted by a signer and Michael Ennis who gave a country twist to the bard.

The five performers who raised the most in pledges were awarded prizes for their efforts.

3 comments:

Brian said...

If I don't get my daily dose of iambic pentameter couplets there's just no talking to me.

Timothy Dansdill said...

Hello Ed McKeon and Brian Stewart,

The Sonnet Slam was a wonderful fund raiser. I performed with my daughter last night and am wondering if Brian has any photos he can share for our Family Memories File.

I was the tall guy with long gray hair in a red felt hat and performed sonnet #65 and then shared my own Art Farm Sonnet.

I am at timothy.dansdill@quinnipiac.edu

Thanks for any images you would share.

Best,
Tim

Roy Lisker said...

The Complete Sonnets of Shakespeare
Recited in the form of a sonnet
Roy Lisker



From when, look ! Unthrifty those, then .Lo !: Music is for…
As when ; O …Not! When ; but Who ! Shall de Vouring a…
So my ,as mine: Let ! Lord ! weary how … when ?…When??
Thy ; if full ? Why …No! Let ,as how, O Take!

Those that when ,if the mine ? Betwixt how? Against how?,
Thus! So what ! O not ! (Sweet Being ; that, if like…)
Is Sin !! Against ; When since … Tired (Ah , thus ) . Those that…
No O! that but So! why Thy’ So! Whilst O!






Or I , (I ! ) Who my, was … Farewell ! When say , then?
Some , but so they, how . Somehow ! From, the where…
O my ! Alack ! To let, when not what’s O ! Alas!
O your , since. Or those , let accuse … Like what ?… That?

‘Tis thy no if were’t;O in how the. My thou, Thine! Beshrew so! Whoever ,if thou ..
When O be in love ,lo! Two, those poor .. My: O canst O love! In cupid; the