Story Archives 2003

by Joe B.

Well, Ms. M. Villaluna told me she loved what I had written about her even though I made a few errors it was fine by her.

Her friends do read some of my off color stuff
which I have been taking off of POOR Magazine’s Web Site
at a furious pace because of certain funding rules of a charitable organization.

After writing, creating, astounding color and Black & White graphics for the books all of its almost in place except for the ‘PO Poet’s Play on the ‘Houzin Project (not the name play).

We have a POOR PRESS CATALOGUE Vol. 1
Hands & Lester (The Po Cat’s Adventure Series)by Dee Grey

Po’ Poet Laureate A. Faye Hicks, Through The Eyes Of A Child by Brian Gafford, Black Disabled Man: With Big Mouth And High I.Q. by Leroy Morre Jr.

CD and Book A POOR Press Publication.

Ask Joe, Holding Up The Sky
New World Raped, Gifts From Earth & Other Stories by Joseph Bolden A POOR Press Publication.

SNAG Seventh Native American Generation:
INDIGENOUS SURVIVAL IN THE INFORMATION AGE Vol.1


Life as an Urban Indian – Torn by the Casino Debate
Surviving Domestic Abuse.

www.nativehealth.org

Much more info but my micron of a column cannot contain it all for that one see us at POOR Magazine’s Book Release Event on Sunday, 6pm. Feb. 23, 2003 in the Historic I.L.W.U.[International Local Warehouse Union]. at 255 9th Street between Folsom and Howard Streets in San Francisco.

(As an added treat I’ve invited people's from both of my classes at S.F. City College where I’m learning Beginning Latin American Folk Dance and relearning Yoga.

My plan:A dance blow out near the end of celebrations, anyone who can (me)included to dance our asses off!

I’m usually not this assertive or subversive but we only live once right.

One more thing, All Bay Area Literary Agents who can spare time from their busy schedules may find literary gold & platinum here with these new authors and help us plug into a distribution networking with others that might want more of our works.

That’s all I can say now besides thinking positive thoughts on the sale of our limited though professional published works.

I’m a little nervous.

Its one thing writing a column where thousands of unseen eyes see my work but being part of a play, publicly spoken word, or talking about the little book POOR Magazine helped me with is more terrifying because I feel more exposed than when writing my Ask Joe Column’s.

Enjoy POOR’s Book Release Party on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2003, 6 pm at 255 9th Street between Folsom and Howard Streets in San Francisco.

Whew! I’m wiped, think fast, live slow, and have few regrets. That’s it for me folks.

Please send donations to

Poor Magazine or in C/0

Ask Joe at 1448 Pine Street,

San Francisco, CA. 94103 USA

For Joe only my snail mail:

1230 Market St.

PO Box #645

San Francisco, CA 94102

Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Joe B.

Valentine’s Day. February, 14, 2003.

I’m having a bad time of it since the one I most want to be with is across the Bay with someone else.

Trying to avoid love songs on the radio, TV, inside my memories.

At my work in POOR Magazine there are three lovely women working along side me one on graphics, another putting books together by hand, and one more emailing other people at other web sites.

While looking for a place to eat lunch I stroll into the Good Vibrations Store on Polk and Sacramento street.
I bought a Karma Sutra mini book.

I know why most ugly guys are better lovers its because when they find someone will to gives 'em some they better be good or they get no second chance.

So, I might as well read, learn how to better please my lover(s) properly or spend next V-Day alone again.

To folks going through the same sad business not to worry everyone has days like these and for those who don’t count yourself as lucky.

Everybody, despite personal agony, all of you with your other half have a great Valentines Day.

But remember treat them with respect, kindness, and patience because if you don’t its gonna be a lonely Christmas and New Years. Bye Folks, for now.

Please send donations to

Poor Magazine or in C/0

Ask Joe at 1448 Pine Street,

San Francisco, CA. 94109 USA

For Joe only my snail mail:

1230 PO Box

#645

Market St. San Francisco, CA 94102

Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Alex Cuff/PNN Community Journalist

During a time where the funding of education, healthcare and non-profit organizations are being cut drastically
and the prison and military industries are grossly receiving money from our “family values-oriented” administration,
there are organizations that are actually standing behind the saying that is thrown around and draped in irony so
much in our country: Our children are our future. In the Youth Services program at the Oakland based Native Health
Center, youth are being empowered. During one of POOR Magazine’s recent newsrooms, we were privileged with the
presence of Ross Cunningham who works as a facilitator in a variety of youth workshops at the Native Health Center.
Ross who attended the California Recording Institute - which closed 3 weeks before graduation – is also working on a
hip hop curriculum he teaches in the Oakland Unified School District.

The Center’s mission is to build strong and resilient Native youth and families with the goal to empower young
people from the community through education, skill building and community organizing activities. The Center treats
the family as a whole in order to provide for the youth – it provides family services, medical, dental, and there’s
a $2 million project under way now towards building a youth center. The program that Ross works with is the
Indigenous Media Group where the participating youth both create media as well as become informed around different
issues of media: the history of corporate media, radio, print and TV. All of this happens in an environment that
focuses on cultural awareness which isn’t included in the euro-centric curriculum of schools today. The media
program was actually born from asking the youth what they really wanted: “we want to do graphic design, computers,
video editing, etc.”

The result of the year long program is the publication SNAG Magazine (Seventh Native American Generation), a
literary, visual arts magazine - which uses expression as a form of social change - by Native American Youth. The
front of the magazine exclaims, “Indigenous Survival In the Information Age”…to me another way to say what we
practice at POOR which is Digital Resistance, poor people and persons who are usually the subject of the news
creating the news and get their voices heard. In SNAG, the Native youth voice their concerns, visions and
perceptions of their community. The concept of SNAG is built around the Native American prophecy that the youth are
the 7th Generation who will bring significant change, will change the way of thinking and the current ideologies.

This year Youth Services will be offering two new programs – one that is open to all youth in the Bay Area and another
which could be a continuation of SNAG which will focus on Native youth issues. Ross talked about the difficulty in finding
Native youth, “There are 6 million people in the Bay Area and as for Native people there are 30,000 so we’re like one big
family and we got to support each other. It’s hard to recruit Native youth – hard to find Natives and youth and harder to find
Native youth. We want to get Native Americans into media.”

SNAG magazine and representatives from the SNAG project will be present at the upcoming POOR Press release party and benefit this Sunday (2/23) at 6:00 pm at 255 9th street SF Bet Folsom and Howard in San Francisco at the ILWU Union Hall.See below For more info on the event.

You can also reach SNAG directly at www.nativehealth.com

by Joe B.

It’s Wednesday, February, 19, 2003 usually, supposedly my seemingly one day off getting away from POOR Magazine’s constant Political stuff.

Not today, later day history is being made but all I’m thinking about is Yoga, and later the same night Latin Ameri-Folk Dancing which are at turns the Merengue, Salsa, and (yes, may have spelled the first dance wrong)
some Ballroom dance as well.

So far I’ve stuck with both classes Yoga being the easier of the two, the instructor and students know me as the guy most likely to drive the instructor crazy but I taking her words to heart "To take whatever positives learned in the class and build on them."

With the launching of POOR’s Book Release Party and precious little time I and others scurry about handing out flyers ads to people, organizations, and S.R.O.[single Residency/Room Occupancy] Hotels

Spreading the word as wide as we can.

Me, with two both classes on the same days at different hours the last thing on my mind is practicing the skid ‘uh-play on ‘houzin, first on this day of all days I had other plans which already have been back-burned enough
now again its on the burn again!

My my, all this on the same day plus my brother and sister in-law are at mama’s place.

I won’t be able to leave to see them before their gone again and they may not be able to be at the event makes real cool on the idea of performing this skit ‘uh play, I’m ‘kinda not ‘feelin it now.

Again a missed opportunity to visit KPOO radio station in the city, glad I had two and a half hours of sleep before going to a potentially historic "Ammiano For Mayor Kick Off Party" later on the same night.

If it wasn’t for a good friends invite I would not have known about it.

In San Francisco’s Plummer’s Hall on1621 Market Street.

And to think in a not to lucid state Mr. Ammiano called Ms. Alex C.

I answer and blearily call the man Tom, as soon as it came out of my I knew that was bad but its to late he probably thinks I’m an idiot; oh well at least its no worse than that.

Got to practice saying "The Honorable Mayor Mr. Tom Ammiano.

The food was good chicken on long, thin, sharp, wooden sticks, and plates, alcohol and non alcoholic beverages. By 6:07 or 10 pm. Mr. Ammiano Arrived.

Supe. Mc Goldrick first spoke about Amminano then Mr. Ron Dicks, Transplanted New Yorker spoke about a great ball player hounded out of baseball when he contracted HIV[Human Immuno- deficiency Virus]

Times ‘tickin by 6:41 I knew if I stayed any longer I wouldn’t be able to get home, do last minute, sprucing up, brushing teeth before taking Bart to City College.

I left with the positive mutual buzz around this political bash.

Though I’m not political I do who ever is the best candidate wins and that’s as far as it goes.

All the rest of I have no time to deal with.

My friend on the other hand eats up this stuff, loves it, cannot fault my buddy for it but to me its just to much stuff to always be looking up-at statistics, voting districts, facts, figures, and all the other stuff that goes on forever.

Its not that compelling or exciting for me as it is for my friend who eats, sleeps, dreams, the stuff daily making a career.

All the best but leave it at the job no long 'convo about it to me like "Billy Joel sings "I don't want to work that hard."

Its exactly why I do few news item because the story never ends there's always a backstory, review, quotes, it really never ends.

So I write colums beginning, middle and end or section them in parts but eventually there's an end to them.

How did politics evolve?

It probably began as the first chieftains, queens, kings, monarchs, princes, and leaders so much land and people they needed help with her/his fief, queen/kingdom(s), lands and advisers helped them to decide how to be leaders, draft, and enforce laws then it became a permanent fixture of leadership to have qualified advisers and eventually politics came to be.

I don’t trust the two party system its like a closed game and though it’s the only game in town.

One can get away from the town altogether and get along without all the excess crud getting dragged with it.

The personal is political but I’m A political will stay that way because my goal is way beyond elections every two to four years but is about the very essence of life itself and there are times all that goes beyond mere politics because without life itself politics is a game of tactics, advantage, popularity, and parties.

That’s another pet peeve, not enough political parties for the populace to chose from.

The Two party system is broken and folks should have more choices than picking form plan A or Plan B we need a mixing all the alphabets and numbers.

I made it to the dance club early and forgot about the historic ‘Pol bash.

My main goal is learning to dance better, meeting lovely women, dating regular maybe in my journeys finding my soul mate and living a slower, healthier life span. Bye Folks.

Please send donations to

Poor Magazine or in C/0

Ask Joe at 1448 Pine Street,

San Francisco, CA. 94103 USA

For Joe only my snail mail:

1230 Market St.

PO Box #645

San Francisco, CA 94102

Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Joe B.

Saturday and Sunday, two hectic tiring days for a guy like me.

I messed up with finding a letter with keys to the office in the old union hall on 255 9th street in San Francisco.

I’ll start from Friday. I’m at friends home she’s saying she’ll be at Horrace Man Middle School to be a facilitator and speaker on how to en-power the youth.

Half what’s said left my ears as I’m ready to be home and crash before going out.

She came over looked at my apartment and helped turn my dirty place into a cleaner better place to live, I’m at her place thanking her by washing dishes piled up that day.

Though trying hard to get away from that chore. (Which I rarely do in my place I’m always washing something up at hers).

Saying yeah, understand I leave. Friday at work I’m reminded.

By Saturday before the day before POOR’s Book Release Party sleep made me stay in bed before practicing Yoga’s Cat, Dog, plank, and sun salute (there’s a name for it but don’t have the paper with me).

My phone rings again its my boss saying no one is here to help her all this work must be done before Sunday!

I didn’t want to go down there to help with whatever she has to do because the whole project seems to grow from a simple idea and get more complex as more ideas take hold.

I as part of the ‘Po Poets and author of a book was ready to let it all go without being published.

Looking longingly at my dented pillow, wrinkled sheets and warm inviting covers I moan a slow sigh and left the tempting sleep zone.

The phone rings, its my friend calls reminding me yet again about publicly speaking at that middle school.

This time the whole message gets through my alert brain but I tell her I’ll sleep some more then call her its 10:22 am.

My boss is the only one there, the door that was supposed to be open is locked shut.

I wait for someone to open up the auditorium door and also for a port-a-pottie with combination lock.

First the portable pottie with an engaging gentlemen and Mr. Earnest with a key to the door both were pleasant even tempered people to deal with and have an honest conversation with.

After we fiddled with the combination lock opening it a few times we’re ready for the auditorium.

Ashley and I helped place white butcher paper across the walls on the second floor covering all the walls.

I was Ashley with keen in-her-mathematical skills measuring out the width, length, and height as I help roll the paper out that really gets the work done.
As Ashley, Lisa, and I are placing a huge graphic or drawing of the "Poverty Hero" against the glass I’m push as hard as I can using yellow putty stick onto the widows.

Either the glass is old and brittle, the window pane is loose or I was forcing it too much whatever happened it shatters suddenly with most of the glass going outside.

Joe! You Cut? Lisa said, Ashley with a worried look or her face.

I’m looking saying "Yes, I’m cut" feeling a glass sliver inside and wiggling it to get it out or it’ll keep cutting deeper.

It really pooled out in dripping. "I think it’s a deep cut" I say doing a stupid automatic male response to pain as the nerves in my thumb screams its throbbing beat.

"It hurts so the nerves are working." (Where is all this dumb-brave-the-pain-crap coming from?

It keeps coming from my mouth unbidden because inside I’m saying I’m still bleeding! How far did I cut my self, was there more than one sliver of glass in my thumb?

Lisa or Ashley went to get bandages while washed out my thumb with soap and water in the men’s restroom.

The wound kept gushing maroon.

Lisa wrapped a paper towel over it which quickly turns crimson.

Towel after tissue after towel the same result a continuous crimson tide.

I’m getting a little worried thinking I really may have nicked an artery or vein!

I have band aids on and every three hours replaced them and my thumb continued to bleed soaking the band aid.

Soon the throbbing is less and red turns pink as pain lessens.

I made a joke about bleeding for my art.

Downstairs as soon as begin moving tables, chairs, electrical equipment my thumb begin to throb and bandage turning red.

The healing process is being interrupted I could to two things keep lifting things losing blood or lift a huge object and go home to rest.

While Lisa talks to people, Ashley and Marissa are busing I pick up the huge 8 or 10 foot ladder, place it where Ashley, Lisa, and Marissa will be able to place butcher paper and promote the even on the vast union hall wall.

Then I ask to leave. "Sure we can do most of this without you." Lisa says.

Its 12:30 that kills the nap I call My friend saying I’ll be at the even but I wasn’t clear where I was leaving so she stays in apartment waiting for me. "Sorry Ms. M. Villaluna for the mixup."

Taking wrong bus but find the place in record time, race upstairs to the 3rd floor 309 for the Youth Movements, (Youth Commission).

San Francisco’s Youth Commission is unique in that they are appointed by both the Mayor and Supervisors of San Francisco.

San Francisco Youth Commission The San Francisco Youth Commission was created in 1995.

As stated in the Charter, the Youth Commission was created to "advise the Board of Supervisors
and Mayor on issues relating to children and youth." The San Francisco Youth Commission bridges the gap between youth and government.

The Youth Commission plays a vital role in ensuring that youth have a voice in decisions and policy that affect young people.

The Above as stated is from the: www.ci.sf.ca.us/youth-commission.

Thing is, the pre and elder teens on the Y.C. have power to influence both the Mayor and Board of Supervisor’s on situations that directly involve youth San Francisco and ripples through the country to everywhere else.
take their power across this country changes will be made and not at slow pace.

If other pre teens and elder youth - oops this is where I have to amend the terms older and elder because Ms. M says its an oxymoron because they're all young people.

Logically speaking if 40 and older adults are old to youth in their early teens and 20's wouldn't late teens 18 and early 20 year olds seem as old to them?
Ms. M. is fond of saying "'Keepin It Real

But to a 12 year old Y.C. wouldn't a 18 to 20 yr. seem old to them too?

The Youth Commission began in 1995 if the youngest Y.C. lets say 12-13 he, she was at the time is by 2005 ten years older and is now 22 or 23 wouldn't the next group coming up see him or her as older/elder youth?

Even though most people would say their all young people younger Y.C.'s may automatically think older/elder and as their mentors.

I wonder if all the Y.C.'s had a private panal to dicuss this it would be very interesting who would be consider as an elder youth (oops, said elder again).

I don't know maybe the younger Y.C's can email me and tell me who they think as older/elder, to them adult allies or mentor's to them.

I'd relay it without revealing who said who they chose but the older/elder youth (sorry again) will finally not be under a blind
We'er All Youth Umbrella.

Ms. M. said to amend the the elder/older youth thing and I have but not exactly the way she wished but I only "'Keepin It Real, Girl, oh sorry 'um Young Mature Adult.

She'll hate me but I'm being just as real and logical as I can.

Its seems, if she really thought about it - she is an older/elder adult to younger Y.C's and a heaven forbid - a role model as well.

Meanwhile my friend sleeps or is preparing for her big day.

End-Pt. 1 of Facilitators & Books.

Please send donations to

Poor Magazine or in C/0

Ask Joe at 1448 Pine Street,

San Francisco, CA. 94109 USA

For Joe only my snail mail:

1230 PO Box

#645

Market St. San Francisco, CA 94102

Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Joe B.

Pt. 2 of Facilitators & Books.

Ok, I had left with a sliced thumb not knowing how deep the cut or if slivers of glass are still working their way through the cut.

Also I amended the older/elder

(actually I expound more explaining what I meant.)

Ms. M. won’t like it any better the other way but as 3rd editor she can have me not write it but if she does its because of her views not the actual reality of her
"We’re all youth" statement.

Off the bus racing to sign in, ask where to go, and if I’m on time.

I am a minute or two late so up 3 flights of stairs I go in room 309 Youth Movement (Youth Commission).

I don’t why I’m in there no longer a youth though invited by one and as I look for my friend I also listened in.

I was about self en-powered an how to expand that to those feeling their voices don’t matter because of their age.
(Been there, it’s a systematic withering of will when young people want to know more that adults wish them to and yet young folks as in every generation will take the reigns of leadership: problem with adults they want to control when power is given).

Like child prodigies racing with intelligence, passion, sensibilities, far beyond their contemporaries or older adults the pace of most adults and their own contemporaries out race what was once a set process.

Youth remake, redo, outrun adult processes and adults not understanding or in fear for their children’s fate and future try slowing their pace.

But youth will have their say, their way, in languages maybe unfamiliar to adults but right for them which the way of all constant change.

As an older invited guest my main job is to observe, learn, keep my mouth shut and mind open.

After that lunch and more teachers, T-assistants, students teachers and here I am an office manager/ columnist, soon-to-be-author not knowing what I’m doing here keeping my mouth shut, eyes and thoughts open.

Change the bandage again over a garbage can I’m about to race upstairs before going to the bathroom because Ms. M. Villaluna had no time for lunch

(being nearly late a facilitator because I didn’t go to her home and she waited until the last possible second – what can I say I almost mucked up her presentation but she knows my mind even if I didn’t).

So’s there’s some bladder strain it’s a deserved for almost messing up someone’s important presentation.

After getting the food on the table and later covering it with two napkins I race back as my bladder pounds full of bio poisons and toxins made within me.

Trying to be inconspicuous does me no good as Ms. M. has me sitting slightly across from near the podium where she's speaking from.

She wore faded bluejeans and a demure white top (blouse, skirt top, I don’t know I’m not into fashion for men or fem’s wear.

Usually she’d speed through but I’m glad we talked before and I suggested slowing down her words and not seeming to hyperventilate because of nervous excitement.

I didn’t want her to fail that’s another reason I didn’t want to be there if she flopped it would only be on her.

I didn’t want to be added pressure on her but here I am because she invited me there so like a fly stabbed on a pin I’m sitting listening closely.

It went well and in the question/answer session which she played in a game about how youth changed the world.

I believe because I was part of group 4 Ms. M. may have not given us points for being close to the age mark of individual young people creating change in the world.

Yeah, I get one question correct but some others that others on my team that was a year or two off wasn’t given points for being really close I blame myself because Ms. M. may have been still pissed at almost making her late and got back at me by making our make shift team lose bad.

When she picks me to speak on Adult Allies all I remember saying is "Sometimes you have bullshit adults on a youth(s) behalf, do a little stroking of their ego."

As one agrees and more eloquently expands on it I had to leave because my bus pass ran out and the walk would do me good because of the rich cake and ice cream deserts.

Stealthily leaving saying good by as Ms. M. is about to wrap up she had long since come into her own and I am just glad she thought enough of me to witness one of her many well known talents as Public Speaker/Facilitator.

Pt. 3 is on POOR’s Release Party during and its aftermath.

Hope I can get the last piece in by Tuesday. Bye.

Please send donations to

Poor Magazine or in C/0

Ask Joe at 1448 Pine Street,

San Francisco, CA. 94109 USA

For Joe only my snail mail:

1230 PO Box

#645

Market St. San Francisco, CA 94102

Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Alex Cuff and Dee Gray

“Dance was the topping on the cake of satisfaction at that time, mm…hmm…” JR let out a laugh the began as a knowing
murmur resembling skekSil the Chamberlain from the Dark Crystal and trailed off like a slowing metronome…huh huh
huh. “I’ll never forget going to a place on 47th street in Chicago called Peps where I grabbed a young lady and started dancing
with her and it was as if we danced into another dimension - that's how well I remember dancing…” When JR tells you
something, his stare has a way probing which suggests he’s just reminding you of something your already know – as if
subtly revealing to you something you’ve forgotten. “…and as a matter of fact I never found someone that I danced
with that was that wonderful again.” I switched the surprisingly heavy microphone into my left hand and rubbed my
shoulder, smiling, as I imagined JR - wearing the same chestnut Tyrolean hat he now had on – dancing himself off
into his own convoluted melodic cosmos. I sat as close to JR as I could without pulling the cord to the DAT out of
the electric socket that we were temporarily borrowing from the coffee pot. The din of voices rose and fell
throughout the art filled space of the Hospitality House where I caught up with JR this past Monday to talk about
dancing.

I met JR a week or two ago at Poor Magazine where he was invited to newsroom as a special guest who’s interpretive
dance was the grand finale to a performance art piece by Dee Gray, which sought to cure a couple of us interns from
our travel habits. At Poor, travel is seen as one of the modes in which capitalism exploits indigenous people in
other countries – a sort of ethnographist voyeurism. After his dance, JR revealed that he’d been quite active in the
Chicago dance scene decades ago. This aroused Dee’s curiosity which led to my interview with JR as a story for Poor.
Before we settled down among the sculptures and clay-throwers that were getting ready to leave for the day, I was
shown around the gallery where JR showed me a few of his eccentric/erotic pieces, some of which he’d worked on for
years.

The extent of my Chicago dance scene knowledge of any era comes from the 2 hours I sat in the Metreon watching
Chicago, the film, which admittedly says nothing, so I wanted JR to give me a snapshot of the scene he was involved
with. For twenty minutes he let me into his world of “Billy Eckstine shirts, Stacy Adams and Hickey Freeman shoes,
and Borsalino hats…”

“When I discovered dancing I was perhaps 12 …late 50s early 60s…there was a place called the 5th Avenue Ballroom
where it all really began to take place. At the 5th Avenue Ballroom you had bopping and you had walking that were
very important methods of dance at the time. And happily I was able to have a friend who's sister taught me how to
bop and then it was later on that I began to develop my own steps and unique …”

”It was basically a teen/young adult thing and later on after I got married me and my wife used to go out dancing
maybe once a week - we would go on the far south side. We'd go places like the Dating Game - well there were just so
many things out there, well there was always someplace new to go. One of the break through periods in terms of
dancing is what we all knew as disco era. During the disco era, I remember going to a place on Madison street in
Chicago in about the 5400 block and I heard this different kind of music where as previously the music was basically
dedicated to bop - this was different, this was geared towards personal improvisation, and I think that is actually
the kind of dance that I can scope - I can still realize the glee at being able to dance without any fetters. That
era lasted for quite a long time; it took in the period of skating even, even in roller skates - if you go to
Chicago right now, the south side of Chicago, you will still have people skating with the rhythm of the disco as the
beat, okay?”

After years of tap dance lessons which only seemed to lead to nerve racking recitals where I always seemed forget
the routine as soon as I saw the serried blurred faces out in the auditorium, my fondest memories of dance are still
of my dad waiting for my mother to finish dressing…Lucky Strikes and after shave flavored the air as my dad waltzed
me around reminding me the secret is to be light on foot….

The interpretive dance that JR performed at Poor last week seemed to me far from disco or waltzing... I asked him when
he discovered his own style or as what today might be called interpretive dance…

”It was difficult for me to learn how to bop, if someone hadn't taught me how to bop, I think....well I probably would
have overcome it eventually, but that fact that she was able to show me the exact steps I was able to teach a couple people,
in particular my sister, how to dance, okay. So there's definitely a purpose behind the seeming madness. On the other hand,
through the interpretive dance you are able to, well the spirit is different so you're able to do more things - not only that but
you're probably able to interpret and express on issues and items that you may not have thought it was possible before. “

”Whatever issue is being dealt with on a record is the stuff for unique expression - its no different than the music
itself - depending on the music that is going to establish the mood and the mood is gonna be the stimulant that which you
find a way of expressing it. To some degree I think you can express great joy or even great sadness in dance as well as you
can in some lyrical form.”

The first conversation I had with JR took place in the few minutes before newsroom began the day our travel bugs were
quelled by Dee’s collage of cats, fake fur and Elvis’s head which served as part of the ceremonial anecdote to our capitalist
ways. The Venetian blinds clacked restlessly against the windows behind us - the light outside was flat, inside corrosively
fluorescent. I was having a bad week and not looking forward to the seemingly endless night of waitressing that lay before
me.”

Now sitting across from him in a much contrasted state of mind at the Hospitality House which offers free work space and
materials to artists, I asked JR if he saw dance as a resistance to poverty. “No, on the contrary, poverty is a kind of a
construct. In other words, it’s not poverty you must deal with but its apathy, and indifference and loss of faith. Actually, if you
can dance, you can overcome to a degree some of these bad vibes so to speak. Poverty has so many causes in a sense - I
don't think poverty is a thing that is all the fault of the individual, but each one of us have special tributes and these tributes
are crafted - that's the extent of the person's life. It’s no different than a piece of clay, one person take that clay and turn it
into a magnificent vessel. Another person take that piece of clay and think of it as no use whatsoever. The reason that I
don't make the comparison because I don't even believe there is an ‘I’ - I think there is only a ‘we’. I think the fact that we
have ‘I’ in this advanced age is because of our richness, because of our leisure - because at a much earlier stage people
didn't have the luxury in thinking of themselves as being special at something like that. So I think today with the
entertainers, I think what they do is actually give us an example of what our possibilities are, they in no way shape what your
own true potentials are.”

Do you still dance today? If so what does it represent today as opposed to as when you just started out when you were
15 years old?

”Well I got news for you, okay?” JR paused for about 20 seconds looking at me like he had just asked me a
question. “I found out much earlier that dance is therapeutic, okay. Because I used to be an insurance agent, when I was
an insurance agent, after pouring over books, for 10 hours, I would almost explode if I didn't have a place to go dance…you
need some means to express yourself and there was place on Delaware and Rush street and this is a time when integration
was at its zenith in Chicago and I used to go there and they used to have the best disco in the city and I would be able to
get down and we would boogie until the night was through.”

So you are still dancing now then?

”As a matter of fact, I was out dancing last night” JR chuckled, “hmm...I can't tell you where or who I was with. I’ll just
tell you that it was a very dynamite session. It was people in sequined outfits, okay, it was ladies of higher nights you might
say yeah, I was really thrilled okay and I was able to ....” Amused at my curiosity, it took JR at least a minute of my asking
“able to what?” to answer…”hahah...I was able to put down some of my better moves...”

Since JR wouldn’t reveal the location of where the people in sequins hang out and where JR was putting down some of
his best moves, (because unfortunately, it doesn’t describe any of the clubs I know in SF where there are usually hipsters
standing around nodding to indie rock) I moved on to my next question and asked him how often he went out nowadays….

”It doesn't happen as often as I would like you know. I find San Francisco is just a fledgling in understanding its
benefits, I’m sure that with more dancing that a person can be more sure of a better state of mind, I think they would have
better repoir with those they interact with on a daily basis. I think there's a high that comes from dancing that you can't get
from anywhere else cause you know we live in a city where everything is classified in terms of what kind of money you got.
When actually your happiness isn't based on how much money you got - its based on what kind of joy can you give
someone; it's like being rich, how can you be rich if you're keeping everything to yourself? Your riches comes in terms of
what you are able to give cause if you give, you gonna receive, it's automatic - hm hm uh huh.”

I finally asked JR what his thoughts were on the effect his interpretive dance could have had on us that day in
newsroom…

”The fact that you're having a lot of travel and your having this thing where by people go in and out without any kind of
responsibilities, any kind of payment due to those who are involved. It makes them into seeming objects and I think what
Dee and Tiny project is the fact hat we've got to find a way to demonstrate some reciprocity in our lives. And in a certain kind
of way I think that this is becoming a world issue because to a large degree unless we find an alternative to our selfishness
we will no have a future because our past, even though we like to think of what we have as something we have done, it's all
an illusion. This is taking place because of the contributions of all the people and only so long can you take the contributions
of all the people and continue to use them just for yourself. Because in essence what happens is that well, you have a
polarity in effect that just will not last so I think again that just being able to return the corner on lets say the destructive
aspects of life, and move to a new period of rapprochement…where the differences that we have can be hashed out and
compromised in some sort. I think that will stamp what our future will hold.”

Like after the first time I met JR, I left with a bit of glow…could’ve been from his coquettish charm or from his collected,
intricate person...probably a combination of both.

by Joe B.

On Sunday, February 17, 2003.

Select ‘Prez B Jr. used his office to thwart the power of truth by telling a judge in New York…

Let me start with Protester’s and Mr. Michael R. Bloomberg 108th Mayor of New York, A media Conglomerate Owner now New York Mayor Bloomberg.

I hear Mayor Bloomberg tried preventing the protestors for their march even though it was planned weeks in advance by an injunction.

When this didn’t work the "Main Man" in that starkly white house tried to convene by suggesting the march should not take place because of safety reason.

Imagine, a President taking in upon himself to personally try and stop an independent protest which is supposed to part of our bill of rights!

This guy in that house is having hissy fits because New Yorker’s are speaking out on a massive scale and he's trying to blunt their messages.

Remember this is the place that was bombed and the people and country came together.

Now the whole country is together to stop a war
on another people about dead dinosaurs under sand in a another foreign land.

How is this guy going to stop others from telling the truth.

Other peoples like American’s are going against their governments in civil disobedience.

People of the world, different, languages, cultures, creeds, know this cannot stand, we cannot have this crap because one man and his father have a falling out with other leaders.

I was in the march Sunday and it was a multitude of bodies walking, laughing, crying, talking, and determined to prevent the juggernaut of Nuclear War.

There are times when one must disobey so right can be served and this is one of those times. Bye.

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Email: askjoe@poormagazine.org

by Staff Writer

Who is considered a great scholar? How is scholarship attained? How is greatness honored? One of the ways literary greatness has been honored for many years is in a tradition borne from the greco-roman word Laureate or Wreath, which was, literally, a wreath given to great "men" of science, literature and art.

Traditionally, the title of Poet Laureate was bestowed on people who were considered literary scholars, who due to their prolific literary works, awards and formal scholarship were considered "worthy" or "deserving" of the Laureate. Only recently have the awards been given to anyone who is not linked to an old-school literary canon, ie, Ivy league schools and their presses such as: Harvard, Yale, Wellesley and Brown to name a few. Which means until recently the majority of poet laureates were priveleged men of European Descent

At POOR we have a very different notion of scholarship, who deserves it, how it is attained and how it is used. We have established a new kind of scholarship, The Scholarship of Poverty. This scholarship has a new canon with new designations for greatness. Survival itself, through extreme poverty and crisis, houselessness, racism, disability and welfare to name a few are what you need to qualify for poverty scholarship. Conversely, a person who is formally educated with a Masters Degree and no poverty scholarship would be considered inexperienced and therefore should not be writing, lecturing or legislating on issues that impact communities in poverty. With this new canon in mind POOR has established the Po Poet Laureate title which we will bestow on very low-income, youth and adult, literary scholars every six months and publish their work as a monthly column on PNN.

Like other Poet Laureate’s nominated by Formal Educational Institutions and City Governments, The Po’ Poet Laureates will use their poetry to comment on issues. Unlike other poet Laureates though, The Po Poet Laureates will comment on issues specifically impacting communities struggling with poverty and racism. Through this new project, POOR’s hope is to offer up this new scholarship to ALL communities in an attempt to shatter the lies and myths, while also redefine the solutions for poor folk locally and globally.

by Staff Writer

The Budget Cuts are cutting Us!

We the citizens

We the People

We are being denied all humane rights

Lest of all the rights as citizens of the U,S, of A.

The Rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Teen Citizens

Lack of Education

Leads to Street Corners

Imprisonment, drugs, prostitution, gangbanger, death

Teen parents, which starts the whole circle again

Budget Cuts cutting Us!

Senior Citizens

Retired , hapless trusted in their retirement fund, gone

Medicine, Food, or Shelter?

No choice, but to ditch one, how can they

Cutting Us, to the Bone!

Disable d Citizens

Mental and Physical

Programs canceled, a carrot dangled

Homelessness , streets, death

We are being denied all humane rights

We are being denied power to the people

What we are not being denied is a Bigger Police Force

More Big Bosses, with more Political Power

Bigger and bigger , prisons, jailhouse, and juvenile halls

We the people protest this "War against Poverty

We are citizens!

Teen, Senior, Poor, and Disabled!