Poetry – Page 17 – Nicole Peyrafitte

More about the summer

ready for the reading!

I promise this my last post about the “Voix de la Mediterranée” in Lodève (well maybe, because it bring so much joy to reminisce about it!). During 10 days, about 80 poets and performers, take over the entire town. Poets perform everyday and sometime twice a day. The readings are outdoor, they start at 10 AM and end at about 2 AM every day!
There are readings along the river with the audience on buoys, or with their feet in the water, on a hammocks, or in chaises longues at candle night very late, and sometimes even on a real chairs!
There are action poets, political poets, lyrical poets, great poets, boring poets, storytellers, translators, musicians and a big book fair. Poets & performers come from all around the Mediterranean countries. There were Occitanans, Catalans, Basques, Moroccans, Algerians, Tunisians, Greeks, Italians, Macedonians, Turks, Iranians, Egyptians, Saudi Arabians, Croatians, Israelis, Slovenians, Bosnians Herzegovinians, Syrians and even a bunch of French poets! Unfortunately the Palestinian poets were missing, they were not given visas, it is not clear to me how and why but it is deplorable.

Bon, that is is for now your turn to enjoy!
https://www.nicolepeyrafitte.com/imagesblog/lodeve/LODEVE.html

Fire & Hopeless French Poem

In Bourg d’Oueil we cook most our food in the fireplace. Simmering on the left Pierre’s delicious ratatouille.

A poem in French just finished, and started in Lodève and inspired by Dr.Thomas Fogarty’s article “ L’espoir est un leurre

L’Espoir Tue

L’espoir est une maladie incontournable et difficilement curable
L’espoir est un miroir qui offre une réflexion floue et idéalisée de mes désirs
L’espoir -tout comme les Belles de Jour- envahit et appauvrit les ressources essentielles à mon développement durable
L’espoir est une fantaisie toxique du futur
L’espoir remplit les vides nécessaires d’une satisfaction synthétique
L’espoir ne préserve ni de la mort ni du tourment
L’espoir pourrait être
devrait être
sera peut-être
Mais il n’est pas

Et oui l’espoir inspire le calme
il promet l’abondance aux riches et même aux pauvres

Sans l’espoir
l’amour du bonheur se détache
Il fait place à une inévitable et inconfortable réalité

Mais c’est bien là, dépouillé de tout artifice
sans prestige
sans séduction
sans échappatoire
–et avec beaucoup moins de consommation

que commence la quête
et s’ouvre la Vie.

©Nicole Peyrafitte- Summer 2008

Viva Lodève!

didier cajella
Didier Calleja place de la Halle Dardé, Lodève

I had hope to post more often but I had NO time. The 10 days at the “Voix de la Mediterranées” in the small town of Lodève were really intense, brilliant and inspirering. I performed everyday and sometimes twice, and the rest of the time I went to see/hear readings and performances from 10 am until 1 am.
Yes! a POETRYLAND it was!
I have uploaded a first batch of pictures that can be viewed at:
https://www.nicolepeyrafitte.com/imagesblog/lodeve/LODEVE.html

More pix and postings from the Pyrenees where we are preparing for our show on Augustus Saint Gaudens August 10th.

Meanwhile ADISHATZ!

Summer Schedule

Dolmen de Coste Rouge

I am off Thrusday for 4 weeks to the South of France. First stop will be in Lodève (30mns Northwest of Montpelier) were I have been invited to the Festival Voix de la Méditerranée. The 10 days Festival hosts 80 poets/performers, 350 free readings in a 7500 people town! I have never been to Lodève and I am excited to dig into the history of the area. At around 300 B.C the town was a Volque capital, and I can’t wait to see the dolmen of Coste Rouge (see pix above).
Also interesting is the The Coat of Arms of the city of Lodève..–wink wink to poet Dave Brink & Megan Burns in New Orleans–. Once again: “Things fall where they lie”, when you will know that my next extended performance project will be the result of a -very- heuristic research project in New Orleans!

Back to Lodève for now:
I will be performing every day at different times and different places. In case you would like to stop by, there is the detailed schedule at the link below: http://www.voixdelamediterranee.com/2008/index_poetes.html.

After that I will be going to my native grounds to perform my documentary performance on Augustus Saint Gaudens at the Théatre du Casino de Luchon with marvelous baritone Jean Ribet and pianist Carine Pérez, Sunday August 10 at 9PM. Click picture below for details.

I’ll report and post pictures as often as I can, you should subscribe to the RSS Feed to get automatically updated.

Stay fresh & ADISHATZ!

9th Annual Tsatsawassa Poetry BBQ & Reading

Phil Good Bernadette Mayer Dave Brinks

Saturday, July 5, I was at the 9th annual Tsatsawassa Poetry BBQ & Reading at the home of poets Bernadette Mayer & Phil Good. The event was “ring mastered” by poet, editor of YAWP and chef Dave Brinks. The poetry, the company, the weather were perfect, one of these moment that imprints the 7 senses of the memory .

My taste memory keeps reminding me of Dave Brink’s Jambalaya. A perfect alchemy between the ingredients he brought back from New Orleans (alligator sausage, crayfish, cayenne pepper) and fresh herbs from Phil garden. According to Dave the magic ingredient was lovage. I think it was the first time Dave used lovage in his Jambalaya, but it sure was successful.

For a photo reportage of the day check out this link. Also Phil & Bernadette host monthly poetry workshop at their home. For more info contact: [email protected].

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Category: Poetry

L’Espoir Tue

©Nicole Peyrafitte- Summer 2008