I once published a sonnet to axilla. I also won a Usinger’s gift certificate for a haiku I composed about brats. I got to recite it at Miller Park in front of a dugout. The park was empty, but still… And, I know, haiku are supposed to be about nature and the seasons but I figured brats are about as seasonally symbolic of summer as dragonflies or blossoming irises.
Serious poetry, though, is not as esoteric a practice as one might think. We’re really surrounded by it, although, one has to seek it out. For that, there are many LGBTQ poets out there and Milwaukee has its fair share.
Born in 1946, Wisconsin’s greatest gay poet, Antler, began writing as a teen. Later inspired by Allen Ginsberg (whom he refer to as his “courage teacher”), Antler composed free verse that spans realms of wonder from the wilderness to love, death, kindness and cruelty. Exploring the emotional arch of male-male love most would find too intimate to express, his gay-themed poems are among his most moving for their raw candor. Ginsberg called him “one of Whitman’s poets.” Not surprisingly, Antler received the Walt Whitman Association Prize given to poets “whose contribution best reveals the continuing presence of Walt Whitman in American poetry.” Antler was also Milwaukee Poet Laureate for 2003-2004. His “pal” of nearly 50 years, Jeff Poniewaz (1946-2015), taught eco-literature at UW-Milwaukee, wrote for the Shepherd Express, was also a Milwaukee Poet Laureate and received numerous awards as well as the praises of Allen Ginsberg.
Milwaukee Latina woman loving woman activist Carmen Alicia Murguia published her first volume of collected works, The Voices Inside: Mi Alma, Mi Cuerpo y Mi Espiritu, 25 years ago. Four others have followed. The most recent, a poem for all my people, appeared earlier this year. Murguia is the featured reader for the next “Poets Monday” on Nov. 27 at Linneman’s in Riverwest. Her appearance is preceded by an open mic, beginning at 8 p.m.
New poets are also making their way into the public consciousness. Some publish traditionally; others use blogs and social media or read at local venues. Milwaukee Hmong-American writer Alex Vayne explores the culturally specific contexts of coming out, sexual violence and the process of creating identity through poems, microfictions and non-fiction stories. His work may be found at alexvayne.wordpress.com.
Bookstores and bars regularly host events that showcase the spoken word and songwriting. Of course, Outwords Books, Gifts & Coffee, the city’s only gay bookstore, has a long history of presenting local writers and poets. A Riverwest institution of 37 years, Woodland Pattern Book Center often presents readings by LGBTQ poets and others addressing themes of social justice. Its annual poetry marathon includes a special LGBTQ dedicated slot as well. Black and Pink: Milwaukee, a chapter of the national organization dedicated to the support of LGBTQ and other prisoners, organizes poetry and music fundraising events to provide books to incarcerated individuals.
Also in the offing, Queer Factor takes place at the Riverwest Public House Cooperative on Saturday, Dec. 2 and features a range of relevant music, poetry and performance art. Then, on Dec. 29, Bay View’s Cactus Club hosts Queer Pressure, a Madison-based mobile dance party, presenting radical alt-rap artists.
TAGS: LGBTQ Poetry in Milwaukee, Antler, Allen Ginsberg, Walt Whitman Association, Milwaukee Poet Laureate, Jeff Poniewaz, UW-Milwaukee, Carmen Alicia Murguia, The Voices Inside: Mi Alma, Mi Cuerpo y Mi Espiritu, Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, Linneman’s Poets Monday, Alex Vayne, Outwords Books, Gifts & Coffee, Woodland Pattern Book Center, Woodland Pattern Annual Poetry Marathon, Black and Pink: Milwaukee, Queer Factor, Riverwest Public House Cooperative, Cactus Club, Queer Pressure, a poem for all my people
