January 23rd, 2012
What a fantastic time in Denton. Thanks to Colin, Regine, Courtney, Conor, Sam, Darin, Walker, Zach, and all the rest of you beautiful, beautiful people. I miss you already.
My final semester at SAIC begins this week, and I would be hard-pressed to say that I don’t feel a little sadness at leaving. It has been a fantastic last year and a half, and I owe each of my friends met at school a big, long hug.
This weekend I will be performing at three events, and in honor of my fantastic friends I will be selling my book for the
SEXY FRIEND DISCOUNT of $8!
I hope to see you at one of these great shows:
Pressed for Cash at the Westside School for the Desperate on the 28th at 8 p.m.
Fix Our Shit Fundraiser at Ashley Brand’s House on the 28th at 9:30 p.m.
Vox Ferus Night at the Green Mill on the 29th at 7 p.m
January 10th, 2012
Hello friends,
I leave tomorrow for my second round of touring with Colin Winnette. I am incredibly excited to be traveling through the wonderful state of Texas with this talented fellow. Please check our tour blog or my own tour page for updates.
Also, I’m honored to be performing on January 29th at the legendary Green Mill in the first ever Vox Ferus takeover show with featured performances by Kristiana Colon, Emily Rose, Maya Marshall and Robertha Medina.
I will be competing later in the evening in a 3-person slam tournament with Reggie Eldridge and Abigail Vic. Woot. Only $7!
December 7th, 2011
Hello all,
it has been too long and I apologize for the absence. School has been challenging as you would expect, but I feel really good about the new work I am making, and the numerous friends and writers I have met here. As far as upcoming shows go, Colin Winnette and I will be touring Texas and Arizona in January in support of his fantastic new book Revelation, and I of course will continue to support Reasons to Leave the Slaughter. I will let you know the details very soon, but until then have a wonderful holiday season and keep writing!
September 15th, 2011
Hello friends,
I will be featuring at the wonderful West Side School for the Desperate this Saturday. I would love it if you would join me. Cheap drinks, an incredible open mike, and me!
Here is the information:
3608 W. Wrightwood
Sign-up at 8PM, show at 8:30. 18+ ID at the door.
$5 suggested donation, reasonable drinks. Please do not B your own B and support your favorite DIY arts space!
ps–Thanks again to all of the performers and artists who contributed to the book release. It was a really magical night that I could not have imagined happening in a better way. I am really blessed to know all of you, and am deeply humbled by the depth, honesty, and skill that you put into everything that happened on that stage. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
And thanks to those of you who came out to support the release of my book and the Chicago arts. I owe each of you many hugs.
August 31st, 2011
August 28th, 2011
School at the Art Institute essentially begins in a few days, and I have ants in my pants to return. I miss all of my friends. I miss writing and work-shopping. I miss my super-duper cheap U-Pass.
And to top all of this off, on September 9th at 7 p.m. I am lucky enough to be celebrating my official book release at the Art Institute’s ballroom. Instead of reading from my own text I have invited a variety of my favorite writers and artists to “cover” one of my poems however they like, along with opportunity to perform original work of their own. Along with the performances we will have tables set up with books/chapbooks for purchase and information on a variety of Chicago literary organizations. We will have food. We will have drinks. It is going to be beautiful madness, and I hope to see you there. Oh, and here is a tentative list of performers and artists:
Roger Bonair-Agard and J.W. Basilo
Nate Olison and Kevin Kern
John Rich
Sherry Antonini
Janet Desaulniers
Kate Jury
Jen Gerken
Lesley Dixon
Matt Mongelia
Shannon Bourne
What an amazing, blessed life I am living right now.
August 21st, 2011
Hello all. If I haven’t seen you in the last few weeks I am back in Chicago. It is good to be home, though the tour was wonderful, and taught me only to believe more and more in the kindness and generosity of my friends, family, and the many new artists and writers that we met on the road. I have Nick Flynn’s newest and Terrence Hayes’ first book of poetry sitting close by as I write this. Apple Juice cats around in the other room. I am listening to Luke Temple’s newest album, and have two fans pointed in my direction. Since Colin and I’ve been back we have performed at Ipsento Coffee with Adam Jameson, and featured at a packed Mental Graffiti. On Thursday we leave for New York (my first time) and Boston (also my first) with a reading scheduled at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art on the 27th.
You can find out more about this show here.
ps-If you didn’t get a chance to follow along with our tour while it was happening, check out Colin and I’s tour blog.
pps-I have been obsessing over my friend Rebecca Elliott’s work lately. Check her out here and of course here.
July 17th, 2011
Well. We are here everyone. Colin and I will be leaving Monday the 18th for Indianapolis, and then on to the rest of the Midwest. Thanks again to all of you who came out to the Lillstreet Art Center for our going-away show. I feel absolutely blessed to have all of you in my life. Check out our fancy new tour blog for updates from the road.
July 5th, 2011
The TARANTULAS IN THE HAYSTACK TOUR kicks off in TEN days. Eep! Check the tour page for shows in your city, and for those of you in Chicago, please join us for the kick-off show on the roof of the Lillstreet Art Center. It is going to be a blast!
May 20th, 2011
Friends, the book is here! Thank you for your support over the last year. I love all of you very much. Check out my store for another view of the cover. You can now buy copies of the book at Write Bloody. Please do. Tell your friends. Tell your local library, your local book store. Tell your mom. Your mom would love my book. Of course if you happen to be in Chicago right now, contact me and I will hand-deliver a copy of the book to you. Really. I will drive to your home, and deliver the book along with one free hug.
In other news, the fantastic Colin Winnette and I will be touring the mid-west from late-July into early-August. We are still in the process of putting together our dates, but I promise I will let you know when any shows are finalized.
April 30th, 2011
Friends,
the book has been sent to the printers. I should be receiving tour copies in the next few weeks. Thank you for all of your endless kindness and support. In thanks, here are two new author photos with requisite beard sway:
Oh yes…and the cover of my book.
April 4th, 2011
Hello all. Just a brief update and invitation for all of you. Reasons To Leave The Slaughter, my upcoming book from Write Bloody Press, has been sent to the copy editor, and will then be sent to the wonderful Debra Kayes for layout business, and then to the printers. So close.
One a side note, I was chosen as one of the representatives of SAIC in a joint reading with UIC this Friday. You should stop by. Pretty words. Pretty faces.
INVITATION TO THE THIRD ANNUAL UIC/SAIC JOINT READING
Date: Friday, April 8, 2011
Time: Refreshments served at 6:30pm & Reading begins at 7:00pm
Place:
Institute for the Humanities (MC 206), 701 South Morgan, Lower Level, Stevenson Hall, Chicago, IL
Readers:
James Tadd Adcox (UIC), Maggie Anderson (UIC), Ben Clark (SAIC), Rebecca Elliott (SAIC), Austin Gilmour (UIC), Brenna Kischuk (SAIC), Virginia Konchan (UIC), Tyler Miles (UIC), Patty Petelin (SAIC), Roxanne Pilat (UIC), Jordan Scrivner (SAIC), Colin Winnette (SAIC)
March 8th, 2011
The cover for my book, Reasons To Leave The Slaughter, has been finalized. Woot. I am extremely happy with the image ( a photo by Todd Brown), with the design work and layout (all done by Debra Kayes), and the final choice made by Captain Derrick Brown of Write Bloody Press. I feel blessed and honored to be working with all of these fantastic people. I cannot start showing off this cover quite yet, but please check out Todd’s wonderful photography and the endless beautiful covers already in the Write Bloody store, and then imagine the two together singing songs and drinking Sunshine Wheat until last call.
Along with the cover being chosen, I can say that all edits have been completed (except for D.B.), the poems have been placed into an order, and my spatial issues (“five” contrapuntal poems) solved with a bit of elbow grease and the proper font choice. We are close people! Close!
February 14th, 2011
I am very lucky to have the fantastic Joshua Cotter illustrating my upcoming collection of poetry on Write Bloody Press. For a sneak peak head over to his website, and look at the bottom of the page here: Josh Cotter Illustrations. The last nine images (and two more on their way) will be in the book. Also, of course, buy one of his fantastic books here: Josh Cotter Store.
January 18th, 2011
I am fortunate enough to open for the fantastic Jalan Crossland’s Band at the Listening Room this Friday. I will be reading poems from my upcoming book that will be published this year by Write Bloody Press. I will very likely also have chapbooks and felt beards/mustaches to sell if you so desire. This is my first show as a “touring” poet. Please join me.
Friday, January 21 · 7:30pm – 10:00pm
(Doors open at 6:30)
The Listening Room (in the Knights of Pythias Club)
106 N. Denver
Hastings, NE
Purchase tickets online here with credit card:
http://www.thelisteningroom.org/www.thelisteningroom.org
or at the door with cash money.
January 3rd, 2011
Rather than babbling on about some sort of resolution I may or may not follow through on in the upcoming months, I would like to instead begin the year by thanking some of those individuals who have made this last year so special to me:
My family. Debra and Apple Juice. Tom, Whitney, and Jen. Gwynne and William. Shannon and Jeremy. Todd and Cody. Joelle and Michelle. Brian, Jordan, Dr. Wood, Marnie, Kate, Martha, Dan, Jeff and Faith, Rachel, Ted, Lee, Joko, Michael S., Erin O., Erin K. and Dan, Jill, Alexis, Rebecca and Nick, Tona, Patty, Patty, Storm, Derrick B., Nika, Tim, Sarah Q M., Stevie, Kurt, Kim, Kerry, Roger, John, Baz, Amy, Molly, Marty, Tristan, Laura, Eboni, Emily, Stacy, Robbie, Greg, Michael M., Sherry A., Calvin F., Sara L., Amber D., Mary C., Ruth M. Everyone at Fleet Feet. Everyone in my Oblique Angles, Literary Animal, and Singular Voice classes. Anyone who has taken the time to give his/her opinion of my work. Everyone who has made me laugh. Everyone who has introduced themselves. Everyone who continues to consider themselves my friend even when I give them much less than they deserve. All of you friends I forgot while making this list, who will still be my friend when I see you next. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Ben
ps–If you are in Hastings, Nebraska on the 21st of this month I will be the opening act at the Listening Room. Go here for more details: http://www.thelisteningroom.org/www.thelisteningroom.org/Home.html . I will be selling little chapbooks and felt beards and mustaches. Woot.
October 26th, 2010
Man oh man…it has been too long. I apologize to those of you who happen to to browse these pages on a regular schedule. School has been fantastic: loads of super-talented people just wandering around…waiting to blow my mind with any number of creations, a dynamic faculty completely devoted to helping us students along, and numerous off-campus perks (like access to the back rooms at the field museum! What!) to keep me busy. The manuscript is moving along nicely, and is getting attention from a wonderful combination of friends and faculty. I hope to begin serious work with my illustrator next week ironing out the details as far as what I am looking for, and what he is interested in drawing. I have my first feature coming up in November, a show in January back in Nebraska opening for a band at the Listening Room, and will start booking shows at that point for my summer tours. Gulp. I am excited/nervous/honored to even have this as a possibility for my life. Touring the country. Who would have thought? Thanks again to all of you who have put up with me over the last few months, and thanks to all of you who continue to support me as an artist, and as a friend. I love all of you very much.
August 30th, 2010
Orientation is tomorrow at SAIC, the Encyclopedia Show (The Periodic Table) is on Wednesday, and my first class is on Friday. I am going to be one busy bearded bee this week!
August 8th, 2010
Things to be excited about right now if your name is Ben:
1. This fantastic new website (thanks DK)
2. August 2011 publication date for my first full-length book of poetry on Write Bloody Press
3. MFA classes beginning at the Art Institute in September
4. All of the fantastic, beautiful people I have met here in Chicago
5. All of the fantastic, beautiful people elsewhere with couches, floors, beds, that I will stay with while touring next summer (pretty please…)
6. A well-made mix cd
7. Apple Juice (the cat, not the drink)
8. Manuscript editing at the Real Talk Table.
9. Authors who have crushed me this summer: Haruki Muraki, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Ander Monson, Ross Gay, Roger Bonair-Agard, John Paul Davis, Li-Young Lee, Nick Flynn, Nate Powell, Sarah Q. Morgan