Yes, it's true, there are no less than TWO Partly Dave Shows this
month, and that's just the beginning, so let's not dilly-dally here in
the lobby. Hot scoops in this email:

1. Partly Dave: The Pansy Kings' Summer Soiree at No Exit (Wed. 6/9)
2. Partly Dave: The P Word at The Neo-Futurarium (Sat 6/26)
3. Blithe House Quarterly reading at Quimby's (Fri 6/18)
4. Partly Dave summer & fall hiatus
5. La Buscani's LIP Festival at The Neo-Futurarium (July)

GET YOUR SWISH ON AT THE PANSY KINGS' SUMMER SOIREE

This Wednesday, June 9th, is the second annual Pansy Kings reunion
edition of The Partly Dave Show. We had so much fun getting together
last June that we're doing it again this year! Come join Chicago's
"Sultans of Swish" for our own special brand of queer vaudeville.

All of the original Pansy Kings are on board this time -- David
Kodeski, Kurt Heintz, Edward Thomas-Herrera, Robert Rodi and of course
my humble self. Plus popular Pansy Kings guest Gregg Shapiro, live
music by Anthony Whitaker, and of course the First Mate and Science
Officer of the P. Dave Show, Christopher Piatt.

Showtime is at 8pm this Wednesday, June 9, at The No Exit Café, 6970 N.
Glenwood (Morse el stop). Admission is $7 or pay what you can.

Be there or be hopelessly rectilinear.


SPECIAL TIME! SPECIAL PLACE!
PARTLY DAVE'S PRIDE WEEKEND SHOW AT THE NEO-FUTURARIUM

The Neo-Futurists have invited me to do a special GLBT Pride Month
edition of Partly Dave at The Neo-Futurarium. (So don't go to No Exit
Café for that one -- we won't be there!)

   It's called "The P Word" -- the theme is "Performances Pertaining to
Pride (and other words that start with P)." The bill includes Jay
   Torrence and Sharon Greene from the current generation of
Neo-Futurists, plus Venus Zarris, Murray McKay, Christopher Piatt of
   course, and music by Ellen Rosner's band. All admissions for "The P
Word" will be donated to the ACLU's Gay and Lesbian Project.

Showtime is 7:00pm (note the early start time!) at The Neo-Futurarium,
5153 N. Ashland (at Foster) in Chicago. Admission is $7 or pay what you
can.

Full details on both shows are available on The Partly Dave Show page:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave


STILL MORE REASONS TO BE BLITHE ... READING AT QUIMBY'S, JUNE 18

As mentioned previously, on June 18, my short story "Love The Shirt" is
being published in Blithe House Quarterly, the pre-eminent online
journal of queer short fiction.

To celebrate this Chicago-themed issue, there will be a special reading
at Quimby's bookstore on Friday night, June 18, featuring myself and
three other BHQ writers: Karen Lee Osborne, K. R. Randen, and my fellow
Pansy King Kurt Heintz. It'll be hosted by BHQ's founder and publisher,
Aldo Alvarez.

The reading starts at 7pm on Friday, June 18, at Quimby's Bookstore,
1854 W. North Ave. Admission is free. In case you want pictures and
stuff, there's a page about the reading up here:
http://www.blithe.com/reading/


PARTLY DAVE'S SUMMER AND FALL HIATUS

Yes, it's true. After this month's double-scoop of Partly Dave, the
show will be taking a break for a few months. The show will definitely
be back to kick off its 2005 season sometime in the late fall or early
winter. (Partly Dave holiday pageant, anyone?) But in the meantime,
we're taking a few months off so I can focus on some other projects.

Such as ...


LA BUSCANI'S LIP FESTIVAL AT THE NEO-FUTURARIUM

Coming in July, the one and only Lisa "La" Buscani is back in Chicago
and she's curating a fabulous line-up of performers in a summer
festival she's calling LIP, at the Neo-Futurarium all through July.

I'll be on the bill for two weekends: opening weekend, July 9-10, as
well as the following weekend, July 16-17. I'll be performing a
different piece each weekend. On opening weekend, the bill will also
include Lisa Buscani, Mary Fons, Nicole Garneau, Jenny Magnus, and Marc
Smith. Other performers over the course of the series include Beau
O’Reilly, Cin Salach, Kate Anderson, Joel Chmara, Scott Hermes, and
Stephanie Shaw.

LIP takes place Fridays and  Saturdays, July 9-31 at 8 pm at the
Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland. Tickets are $12. For more information
call the Neo-Futurarium, 773 275-5255.


IN MEMORIAM: DRAGON LADY, 1989-2004

One last, personal note. Some of you already know this, but last week
Dragon Lady, my feline companion, muse, and sole roommate for the last
14 years, went to the Grey Havens. For anyone who's interested, there
is a memorial page for Dragon Lady here:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com/dlady.html

Dave
_________________________________
Ocelot Factory:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com

Dazzling dandelions of import nestled in the grassy lawn of this email
message:

1. Your invitation to the "Birthday Suit" after-party (Wed. May 12)
2. Partly Dave Show: Birthday Suit (Wed. May 12)

1. BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT THE SHOW, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE PARTY AFTER THE
SHOW ...

Because this month's edition of The Partly Dave Show happens to fall
upon somebody's birthday -- oh, why be coy? -- my birthday, I'm going
to be having a little after-party immediately following the show,
Wednesday night May 12, at the Fireside Restaurant and Lounge in
Andersonville.

And you're all invited!

The Fireside has a full bar serving booze for the boozers, and a full
menu of food for the noshers (appetizers, pizza, pasta, sandwiches).
It'll be dutch treat (what, do I look like I'm made of pizza? Don't
answer that.)

A full menu, directions, and other info can be found on the Fireside's
Web site at http://www.fireside.ws/.

The show will probably end sometime around 10pm, and allowing for
travel time, the after-party will probably be getting underway sometime
between 10:30 and 11pm. We'll be in the back room; ask for the "Dave
Awl" or "Partly Dave" party.

It's not necessary to attend the show to attend the party, or vice
versa. You're free to do either, both, or neither! (What will you do
with all this freedom?) Seriously, I know it's a school night and some
of you can't stay out past 11pm ... I know others of you work too late
on Wednesdays to attend an 8pm show ... and some of you are in places
like California and London and Peoria, so you're just S.O.L.
(Especially if you're in Peoria.) There are no expectations or
obligations here ... only throbbing, unconditional love.

For those who can attend, presents are not necessary -- just bring your
presence.

WHAT: Partly Dave's "Birthday Suit" After-Party!
Note: Actual nudity at the party is not expected, required, or, most
likely, allowed. (Health codes and whatnot ... )

WHERE: The back room of the Fireside Restaurant and Lounge.
5739 N. Ravenswood, Chicago. 773-561-SIDE. (http://www.fireside.ws/).
You can view a map to the Fireside here: http://tinyurl.com/3a4uu.

WHEN: Wednesday night, May 12, After the Partly Dave Show.
The party will most likely start somewhere between 10:30-11PM, and go
until everyone gets tired and leaves or the Fireside closes. Show up
when you want, leave when you want.

RSVP's are not strictly required, but they will be gratefully
appreciated.
(You'll be welcome to tag along to the party after the show, whether
you've managed to RSVP or not, but obviously it will make life much
easier for the friendly staff of the Fireside if I can give them a
reasonable estimation of how many people are likely to descend on them
Wednesday night, give or take a dozen.)

To RSVP, just drop me a reply to this email and tell me you plan on
attending the after-party at the Fireside.

2. AND NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THE SHOW BEFORE THE PARTY AFTER THE SHOW ...

Should be a birthday-suited blaze of glory. We've got one of Partly
Dave's favorite bands, John Pierson's amazing acoustic pop-punk
ensemble Even in Blackouts, and we've got some fabulous guests,
including a special striptease by surreal clothing designer Craig
Calhoun.

Say, is that a cake or a forest fire?

	 It's ...

The Partly Dave Show: Birthday Suit

Performances about birthdays, nudity, or possibly both.

Hosted by DAVE AWL

Featuring a surreal striptease by
CRAIG CALHOUN

With performances by
GREG GILLAM, VENUS ZARRIS*,
& CHRISTOPHER PIATT

Plus live acoustic pop-punk by
EVEN IN BLACKOUTS

Wed. May 12 at 8pm
at The No Exit Café
6970 N. Glenwood (Morse el stop)
$7 or pay what you can
http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave

(* The previously announced Stephanie Shaw has regretfully withdrawn
from the bill due to scheduling conflicts, and the fabulous Venus
Zarris has gracefully stepped in to replace her.)

WHAT THE SEA MEANS INFO ...

* You can order the book (and peruse reader reviews) on the Amazon page:
	 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0970745877/

* You can read excerpts from the book on Thoughtcat.com:
	 http://www.thoughtcat.com/poetryfiction.htm

_________________________________
Ocelot Factory:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com

Spring breezes to rattle your windows in this particular message:

1. The Partly Dave Show: Super Heroes (Wed. April 14)
2. Next Month at The Partly Dave Show ... (Wed. May 12)
3. Reasons To Be Blithe, Part One ("Love The Shirt" to be published
this summer!)

THIS MONTH AT YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD PARTLY DAVE SHOW ...

Hey, everyone -- this Wednesday's edition of The Partly Dave Show is
the much-anticipated "Super Heroes" edition, in which we all get bitten
by a radioactive something or other, develop amazing powers and use
them only for the noblest of purposes, of course.

Plus we've got one of Partly Dave's favorite bands, the mighty Sonnets,
on board to thrill us with superhero-themed music!

Come join me and my super friends for what promises to be the most
amazing, uncanny and invincible edition of Partly Dave yet ...

Look, up in the sky!

It's

The Partly Dave Show: Super Heroes

6 performers imagine what they'd do
if they had super powers

Hosted by DAVE AWL

With performances by
SCOTT HERMES, DAN TELFER,
CHERYL TRYKV, RYAN WALTERS,
& CHRISTOPHER PIATT

Plus super-powered,
kryptonite-free live music by
THE SONNETS

Wed. April 14 at 8pm
at The No Exit Café
6970 N. Glenwood (Morse el stop)
$7 or pay what you can
http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave


NEXT MONTH AT THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW ...

May 12, 2004 — "Birthday Suit": Pieces about birthdays, nudity or both.
With a special strip-tease performance by surreal clothing designer
Craig Calhoun. Performers will include Stephanie Shaw, Christopher
Piatt, and more. Plus live "wall of strum" music by Even in Blackouts.

There might also be a little birthday-themed after-party following this
particular edition of P. Dave ... your invitation will be included in
next month's message if that gets off the ground.


REASONS TO BE BLITHE, PART ONE

Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but my short story "Love The
Shirt," which I performed in last June's Pansy Kings edition of The
Partly Dave Show, has been accepted for publication by Blithe House
Quarterly, the preeminent online literary magazine devoted to gay
fiction.

"Love The Shirt" will be part of BHQ's upcoming Chicago-themed summer
2004 issue. I'm not sure of the exact date it goes live, but I'm
guessing sometime in June. At any rate, I'll announce it here when it
does. In the meantime, you can check out the Spring issue of BHQ at
http://www.blithe.com.


THE OBLIGATORY GLOW DOGS PLUG

Stop by my Sunday night DJ gig at Club Foot and get your weekly fix of
Devo, The B-52's, The Cars, Split Enz, Lene Lovich, The Clash, The Jam,
Madness, The English Beat, Bowie, Iggy, Lou Reed, T. Rex, Patti Smith,
The Waterboys, The Psychedelic Furs, Roxy Music, Elvis Costello, Joe
Jackson,
The Housemartins, The Smiths, Billy Bragg, Crowded House & Aztec Camera,
and all their spiky-haired, skinny-tied friends and neighbors.

	 WHAT: DJ Dave Awl spins New Wave & Cardy Pop
	 (Cardy Pop =  music to wear your cardigan by)
	 WHEN: Every Sunday night, 10pm-2am
	 WHERE: Club Foot, 1824 W. Augusta in Wicker Park, Chicago.
	 HOW MUCH: No cover! Cheap-o drinks. Bring your ID.

	 More info (including a map to Club Foot and a more extensive playlist):
	 http://www.ocelotfactory.com/danews.html#glowdogs

P. Dave
_________________________________
Ocelot Factory:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com

Three shakes of the lion's tale in one e-mail update:

1. The Partly Dave Show: The Way of the Worrier, Wed. 3/10
2. Homolatte Cabaret, Thur. 3/18
3. Upcoming Partly Dave Shows Through June!

CHEER UP, LITTLE BUCKAROO ... IT'S THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW, WED. MARCH 10

Any modsters, Beatle-people and old-time Too Much Light fans in the
crowd might want to take special note of the upcoming March edition of
The Partly Dave Show.

It's entitled "The Way of the Worrier," and we'll be doing pieces about
worry, anxiety and insecurity. It features a terrific line-up of talent
including the official Partly Dave debut of Neo-Futurist Andy Bayiates,
and the return of Neo-pal Dan Kaufman. Not to mention Gregg Shapiro of
Nightspots, Venus Zarris of Gay Chicago and the always-fabulous First
Mate and Science Officer of The P. Dave Show, Christopher Piatt. And of
course me hosting it all.

But I especially want to draw your attention to the band on this
month's bill.

Back in the mid-90s, some of you Too Much Light fans might remember a
snappy little band called The Gear who used to play regularly for the
crowed waiting in the State Park before Too Much Light. Four lovable,
clean-cut college boys in Beatles suits who played the most adorably
energetic and note-perfect covers of Fab Four songs, with a little surf
music and the occasional dance contest thrown in. They made the
Neo-Futurarium feel like the Cavern Club. They were so good they always
had the crowd up and dancing, and I used to sneak away from rehearsal
before the show just to listen to them.

Well, these days, Dan Morr from The Gear is all grown up and he's with
a super-spiffy mod-pop outfit called Analog Radio, doing smartly
crafted original songs with that shiny happy 60's pop feel. (You can
check out their sound in advance, if you want, at
http://www.analogradio.com . They've got a bunch of MP3s you can
download.)

I've been trying to get Analog Radio booked for a Partly Dave Show
*forever*, and I figured they'd be perfect for a show about worry,
because their happy "carbonated pop" is just the thing to lift your
spirits. Don't miss these guys -- they're the toppermost.

Here's all the 411 on this Wednesday's show:

Cheer up, little buckaroo!

		 It's ...

The Partly Dave Show: The Way of the Worrier
Pieces about worry, anxiety, and insecurity

Hosted by DAVE AWL

With performances by
ANDY BAYIATES, DAN KAUFMAN,
GREGG SHAPIRO, VENUS ZARRIS,
& CHRISTOPHER PIATT

Plus happy carbonated pop
to cheer you up, dispensed live by
ANALOG RADIO

Wed. March 10 at 8pm
at The No Exit Café
6970 N. Glenwood (Morse el stop)
$7 or pay what you can

http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave


THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOMOLATTE, THURSDAY MARCH 18

I'm looking forward to returning to Scott Free's fabulous
Thursday-night cabaret show Homolatte (the cabaret formerly known as
Grinder), still one of my favorite places to perform in Chicago. I'll
be performing a spoken word set, on a bill with musician Tom Yore.

Showtime is 8pm on Thursday, March 18, and just like The Partly Dave
Show, it's at The No Exit Cafe, 6970 N. Glenwood in Chicago (Morse el
stop). Admission is free with pass-the-hat for the artists. As the name
implies, Homolatte is a showcase for the homo-fabulous community, but
the hetero-fabulous are more than welcome (and the audience is usually
mixed), so don't get all hetero-shy or anything. Admission is free with
pass-the-hat for the artists.


NEW BISCUITS BAKING IN THE PARTLY DAVE OVEN ...

Mystical foreknowledge of upcoming Partly Dave Shows:

	 April 14, 2004 — "Super Heroes": In which Partly Dave and his guests
imagine that they have super powers, and what they might do with them.
Guests will include Cheryl Trykv, Scott Hermes, Ryan Walters, and more.
Plus super-powered, kryptonite-free music by The Sonnets.

	 May 12, 2004 — "Birthday Suit": Pieces about birthdays, nudity or
both. With a special strip-tease performance by surreal clothing
designer Craig Calhoun. Plus live "wall of strum" music by Even in
Blackouts.

	 June 9, 2004 — "The Pansy Kings' Summer Soiree": A delightful summer
evening of "queer vaudeville" with "The Sultans of Swish," in honor of
GLBT Pride month.


THE OBLIGATORY GLOW DOGS PLUG

Stop by my Sunday night DJ gig at Club Foot and get your weekly fix of
Devo, The B-52's, The Cars, Split Enz, Lene Lovich, The Clash, The Jam,
Madness, The English Beat, Bowie, Iggy, Lou Reed, T. Rex, Patti Smith,
The Waterboys, Roxy Music, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, The
Housemartins, The Smiths, Billy Bragg, Crowded House & Aztec Camera,
and all their spiky-haired, skinny-tied friends and neighbors.

	 WHAT: DJ Dave Awl spins New Wave & Cardy Pop
	 (Cardy Pop =  music to wear your cardigan by)
	 WHEN: Every Sunday night, 10pm-2am
	 WHERE: Club Foot, 1824 W. Augusta in Wicker Park, Chicago.
	 HOW MUCH: No cover! Cheap-o drinks. Bring your ID.

	 More info (including a map to Club Foot and a more extensive playlist):
	 http://www.ocelotfactory.com/danews.html#glowdogs

P. Dave
_________________________________
Ocelot Factory:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com

Reasons why you shouldn't go to sleep in that snowbank just yet:

1. Another Divine Evening at The Partly Dave Show (Wed. Feb 11)
2. Upcoming Partly Dave Shows (March & April)
3. "The Sea Means Business": What the Sea Means on e-poets.net (and now
available in PAPERBACK!)

ANOTHER DIVINE EVENING AT THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW: GATHERING OF THE GODS
III!

Prepare the incense and the sacred fires!

The gods are preparing to gather for yet another divine evening at The
Partly Dave Show ... the February 11 edition will be the third in P.
Dave's mythic "Gathering of the Gods" series, in which Dave and his
guests impersonate their favorite gods, goddesses and mythological
heroes.

This edition features a bevy of Neo-Futurist alumni, and a couple of
Oobleckians thrown in for good measure! Most pleasing to the gods! Even
more pleasing to the gods will be the sacred percussion laid down by
the all-women drumming ensemble BIG SMITH!

THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW: GATHERING OF THE GODS III

7 performers impersonate more of their favorite mythological figures

Featuring DAVE AWL as Balder the Beautiful
JEFF DORCHEN as Ganesh, Lord of Obstacles
CHRISTOPHER PIATT as Apollo, God of Music
JOHN PIERSON as Phoenix, the Firebird
STEPHANIE SHAW as Gaia, the Earth Mother
DIANA SLICKMAN as Athena, Goddess of War and Wisdom
DAN TELFER as Raven the Trickster

Plus music for the gods by
BIG SMITH

Wed. Feb. 11 at 8pm
at The No Exit Café
6970 N. Glenwood (Morse el stop)
$7 or pay what you can

http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave

NEW PRODUCTS HEADING FOR THE PARTLY DAVE SHOWROOM ...

A little sneak preview of upcoming Partly Dave Shows:

	 March 10, 2004 — "The Way of the Worrier": Pieces about worry,
anxiety, and insecurity. Plus the perfect antidote to all that angst:
happy carbonated pop to cheer you up, dispensed live by Analog Radio.

	 April 14, 2004 — "Super Heroes": In which Partly Dave and his guests
imagine that they have super powers, and what they might do with them.
Plus super-powered, kryptonite-free music by The Sonnets.

E-POETS.NET: "THE SEA MEANS BUSINESS"

The online poetry & spoken word hub known as e-poets.net included an
awfully nice item about my book What the Sea Means in its latest news
update, reviewing the book most favorably and saying all sorts of nice
things about its demented, reclusive author. You can read the piece
here:

http://www.e-poets.net/newswire/index.shtml
(scroll down to the second item)

It's nice to know that a year and a half out of the gate, the book is
still finding new readers and generating a little buzz here and there.
In fact, I've discovered that there's one silver lining to publishing a
book that gets no promotion, no advertising and precious little media
coverage -- since it never really *was* news, you don't so much have to
worry about it being considered "old news" once it's a year old. It's
still new news to all the people who have yet to hear about it!

Which leads me to another point. Big-deal books published by major
publishers come out in hardcover first, then a year later they come out
in paperback and there's the opportunity for a whole 'nother round of
publicity and media attention, and everybody who's been putting off
buying it because it was too darned expensive (and too bulky to carry
in a backpack) rushes out to buy the newly affordable and portable
edition.

And I thought, hey -- why should I miss out on all that?

With that in mind, I'd like to encourage you all to *pretend* that the
book is only just this month being released in paperback. Convince
yourself that for the last year and a half, it's been available only in
an exorbitantly priced, ox-stunning gold-letter edition that weighs
more than three severely overweight cats.

But now my friends, now: suddenly the sea has changed! Now this rare
literary pleasure that was previously affordable only to better
libraries and licorice millionaires, this black truffle among poetry
books, is suddenly available to the teeming masses! Now is the time to
buy armloads of newly cheap copies for all of your friends and
relations who need to be introduced to the joys of devil-may-care
surrealism and dactylic rhyme! And if you don't yet own a copy yourself
(understandable considering the hefty $250.00 price tag of the first
edition), now is the time to finally fill in that
What-the-Sea-Means-sized hole on your bookshelf.

Happy imaginary paperback release, everyone!

* You can order the book (and peruse reader reviews) on the Amazon page:
	 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0970745877/

* You can read excerpts from the book on Thoughtcat.com:
	 http://www.thoughtcat.com/poetryfiction.htm

THE OBLIGATORY GLOW DOGS PLUG

Stop by my Sunday night DJ gig at Club Foot and get your weekly fix of
Devo, The B-52's, The Cars, Split Enz, Lene Lovich, The Clash, The Jam,
Madness, The English Beat, Bowie, Iggy, Lou Reed, T. Rex, Patti Smith,
The Waterboys, Roxy Music, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, The
Housemartins, The Smiths, Billy Bragg, Crowded House & Aztec Camera,
and all their spiky-haired, skinny-tied friends and neighbors.

	 WHAT: DJ Dave Awl spins New Wave & Cardy Pop
	 (Cardy Pop =  music to wear your cardigan by)
	 WHEN: Every Sunday night, 10pm-2am
	 WHERE: Club Foot, 1824 W. Augusta in Wicker Park, Chicago.
	 HOW MUCH: No cover! Cheap-o drinks. Bring your ID.

	 More info (including a map to Club Foot and a more extensive playlist):
	 http://www.ocelotfactory.com/danews.html#glowdogs

P. Dave
_________________________________
Ocelot Factory:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com

Delicate, sparkling icicles of information dangling from the eaves of
this very message:

1. Partly Dave Show is back! Wed. January 14 at No Exit Cafe
2. Techie Wanted! Partly Dave seeks technical director -- paid position!
3. The Adobe Illustrator CS Wow! Book, hot off the presses
4. New Toys for Glow Dogs still glowing and spinning like a radioactive
terrier

HIATUS SCHMIATUS! PARTLY DAVE SHOW IS BACK, JANUARY 14

We interrupt the cold, dreary January you were planning on having to
provide you with the following joyful bright spot: Partly Dave's fall
hiatus is officially behind us and the show is relaunching for its 2004
season next Wednesday night, January 14 at 8pm, at The No Exit Cafe
(same place we were before). After that we'll be back on our familiar
"second Wednesday of each month" schedule.

The January show features a number of wildly popular Neo-Futurist cult
figures, like PHIL RIDARELLI and JOHN PIERSON and DIANA SLICKMAN. Not
to mention that LA celebrity JEFF DORCHEN and, as always, the
dependably pleasurable CHRISTOPHER PIATT. The theme is "Hooray for
Anthropomorphism!" -- it's basically going to feature lots of puppets
and singing toasters and other inanimate objects coming to life
(because I figure it's January and people in Chicago are depressed and
want something fun and diverting like ... lots of puppets!)

The band for this edition is really fun, too -- they're called NOISE
CONSPIRACY and they do hilarious cover versions of Neil Diamond songs.
If you can imagine what it would sound like if They Might Be Giants
covered a bunch of Neil Diamond songs, you'd have something like Noise
Conspiracy. I guarantee they're very entertaining!

You might notice that we're raising the suggested donation just a tad,
to $7, but never fear: the door policy is still "pay what you can," so
don't stay home because you're poor. It can be free if you're broke, or
cheaper if you're cheap. Why are we raising the suggested donation? To
pay for a few amenities to help the show run more smoothly, like the
new technical director we're looking to hire. (See Want Ad below!)

Here's all the 411:

The Partly Dave Show:
HOORAY FOR ANTHROPOMORPHISM!

(A celebration of personification)

Puppets! Talking lawn ornaments!
Singing toasters!

Hosted by DAVE AWL

With performances by
JEFF DORCHEN, JOHN PIERSON,
PHIL RIDARELLI, DIANA SLICKMAN,
& CHRISTOPHER PIATT

Plus live music by
NOISE CONSPIRACY

Wed. January 14 at 8pm
at The No Exit Café
6970 N. Glenwood (Morse el stop)
$7 or "pay what you can"

http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave

PARTLY DAVE SEEKS TECHNICAL DIRECTOR -- PAYING POSITION!

So, as alluded to above, we here at Partly Dave International
Enterprises are looking to hire a technical director to help run the
show. Our official "Want Ad" is below -- please feel free to forward it
to anyone you think might be qualified and available.

WANTED: Talented light & sound tech person for The Partly Dave Show, a
monthly fringe cabaret show featuring musicians and spoken word
performers. Duties will include working the sound board and maybe some
lighting for the show, helping bands with set-up and breakdown, and
whatever other technical and practical help you can provide to get the
show going and help it run smoothly. Pay starts at $25 per show. Fringe
benefits include getting to know and work with some of Chicago's best
fringe performers and musicians. We're looking for someone reliable,
competent, helpful and relatively unflappable. Someone who genuinely
enjoys the fringe performance scene. Someone really good with sound in
particular, who knows how to get decent sound out of dodgy equipment,
and preferably someone who's worked with bands and musicians a lot. The
sort of person who instinctively knows which cord is which, which hole
the guitar plugs into and which hole the mike plugs into, and what's
causing that annoying feedback, and how to make the vocal mike stop
sounding like it's filtered through a layer of wet mud, and what all
those little knobs and levers on the equalizer are for  -- you know,
that kind of stuff. If that sounds like you or someone you know, call
Dave at 773-784-0417 or email dave@...

ILLUSTRATOR CS WOW! BOOK AVAILABLE NOW

Heads up to all my friends who are art directors, graphic designers,
visual artists and anyone else who might use Adobe Illustrator. This
year I was once again on the writing team for the new edition of
Peachpit Press's Wow! Book devoted to Adobe Illustrator.  The book is
packed with step-by-step lessons and galleries to help you create
impressive artwork with the latest release, Adobe Illustrator CS. I was
in charge of revising the introductions to most chapters, and also
wrote the "What's New in Illustrator CS" section at the front of the
book.

The Adobe Illustrator CS Wow! Book by Sharon Steuer (and her writing
team) is in bookstores now, and you can find it on Amazon.com here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0321168925/

THE OBLIGATORY GLOW DOGS PLUG

Stop by my Sunday night DJ gig at Club Foot and get your weekly fix of
Devo, The B-52's, The Cars, Split Enz, Lene Lovich, The Clash, The Jam,
Madness, The English Beat, Bowie, Iggy, Lou Reed, T. Rex, Patti Smith,
The Waterboys, Roxy Music, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, The
Housemartins, The Smiths, Billy Bragg, Crowded House & Aztec Camera,
and all their spiky-haired, skinny-tied friends and neighbors.

	 WHAT: DJ Dave Awl spins New Wave & Cardy Pop
	 (Cardy Pop =  music to wear your cardigan by)
	 WHEN: Every Sunday night, 10pm-2am
	 WHERE: Club Foot, 1824 W. Augusta in Wicker Park, Chicago.
	 HOW MUCH: No cover! Cheap-o drinks. Bring your ID.

	 More info (including a map to Club Foot and a more extensive playlist):
	 http://www.ocelotfactory.com/danews.html#glowdogs

WHAT THE SEA MEANS INFO ...

* You can order the book (and peruse reader reviews) on the Amazon page:
	 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0970745877/

* You can read excerpts from the book on Thoughtcat.com:
	 http://www.thoughtcat.com/poetryfiction.htm

P. Dave
_________________________________
Ocelot Factory:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com

Two naked grabs for attention in one shy little email:

1. Osiris in a Thong? Anti-GMO Benefit TONIGHT (Thurs. 9/18)
2. Tips for Apartment Tipsters

First off, if you missed Gathering of the Gods II at The Partly Dave
Show last week, you have a second chance to see my Osiris monologue at
what promises to be one of the most *interesting* parties you'll ever
attend. I'll be performing it tonight at around 10pm, at a benefit for
a very colorful anti-biotech group named T.H.O.N.G. (Topless Humans
Organized for Natural Genetics).

T.H.O.N.G. are a group of activists who organize, um, birthday-suit
protests against the GMO's (genetically modified organisms) that a
number of LNC's (large nasty corporations) have been sneaking into our
food supply for several years now.

Their slogan? "Putting our bodies between your mouths and biotech."

Since my Osiris piece touches on themes of food, the body, and genetic
engineering, the folks at T.H.O.N.G. felt like it was a natural fit for
their soiree, and invited me to perform. Never one to turn down an
audience, or an invitation to a party where there might be naked
people, I took them up on it.

Do you honestly need to hear more? Beats watching re-runs of Will and
Grace all to heck. And for the Planet-Earthlings in the crowd, it
should be over in plenty of time to go New Wave dancing at Neo.

(By the way, I can't stress clearly enough that whatever else may
transpire, Osiris and I will be keeping our clothes on. So there's
really nothing to be afraid of.)

Here's the hard data:

> eat. art. naked.
> T.H.O.N.G.
>
> 9/18/03
> 9pm-2am
> Buddy Space, Wicker Park
> 1542 N Milwaukee 2nd Floor
> $5-$15 sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds. 
>
> No nakedness required, but body painting is pretty darn fun......
> Proceeds to benefit creative resistance efforts to biotech in October
> http://genewise.org
>
> ****something insidious is inside you. dulling your
> senses.  sapping your energy.  stealing your sex
> drive.  changing your cellular makeup to fit its
> design.  it's happening all around you.  every day. on
> every corner.  at every meal.
>
> AND YOU'RE CONVINCED IT'S GOOD FOR YOU.
> it's biotech. and it's bad.
> You've been eating it for over 8 years....untested, unlabled.
> Everybody else in the world had their blinders off.
> Except for the USA.
> Home to these corporate criminals who develop biotechnology and patent
> our DNA, and the DNA of many other life forms for pure PROFIT.
>
> THONG targets these social and culinary criminals (like K-r-a-f-t Food
> Corporation) through topless performative direct action.
>
> This is a celebration of the senses.
> Come for the food.
> Come for the scene.
> Bring your friends.
>
> Organic is hot.
>
> http://genewise.org
> http://www.barewitness.org/thong.html
> Contact Natalie at 773-507-4776 revoluution@... with questions.

TIPS FOR APARTMENT TIPSTERS ...

Hey, when I mentioned in my previous message to this list that I'm
losing my current apartment, a number of people very helpfully sent me
leads on apartments. For anyone else out there who's interested in
helping me find a new home, I figured I'd help you help me more
helpfully by filling you in on the parameters of my search.

What I'm looking for is a one-bedroom apartment that's available
starting November 1st, preferably in either the Andersonville or
Lakeview areas. And the following three criteria are of the essence:

	 -- Must be cat-friendly, 'cause Dragon Lady's coming too
	 -- Must be no more than about two blocks from Clark Street, because
the 22 bus is my chariot
	 -- Must have laundry facilities in the building. (Not imaginary ones,
either. Nice try.)

Everything else is up in the air. If you know of a nice apartment that
meets those criteria, give a yell.

P. Dave

_________________________________
Ocelot Factory:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com

End-of-summer breezes for September:

	 1. The Partly Dave Show: Gathering of the Gods II (Wed. Sept. 10)
	 2. Partly Dave's Fall Hiatus and January Rebirth

DON'T MYTH IT AGAIN! THE GODS GATHER AGAIN THIS WEDNESDAY ...

Hey kids, what's that sound?

Why, it's the sound of the mighty Partly Dave conch horn, blowing
across the distant mountaintops to herald ...
GATHERING OF THE GODS II!

Partly Dave die-hards will remember that last April, I asked six of my
Partly Dave performers to impersonate their favorite mythological
figures (gods, goddesses & the occasional foolish mortal hero) for an
edition called Gathering of the Gods. The resulting evening was even
more divine than expected, and we immediately began plotting the sequel.

And so, it is with immense pleasure and much burning of rare incenses
that I announce ... Gathering of the Gods II!

	 Featuring DAVE AWL as Osiris of Egypt
	 RACHEL CLAFF as Persephone, Queen of the Underworld
  	 CHRISTOPHER PIATT as Achilles, the famously flawed hero
  	 JOHN PIERSON as Loki, Norse god of mischief
	 STEPHANIE SHAW as Skadi, Norse goddess of skiing (!)
  	 DIANA SLICKMAN as "Surprise Mystery Deity"
  	 EDWARD THOMAS-HERRERA as Dionysus, god of wine

	 Plus live acoustic pop-punk music for the gods by
  	 EVEN IN BLACKOUTS

	 Wed. September 10 at 8pm
	  at The No Exit Café
  	 6970 N. Glenwood (Morse el stop)
	  $5 or pay what you can

You'll want to make sure you don't miss this edition, not only because
it will be the stuff of legend, but also because it will be the last
edition of Partly Dave before we go on break for the fall. (Keep
reading for more about that.)

WHAT'S ALL THIS ABOUT A HIATUS, PARTLY DAVE?

So here's the deal, kids: after the September edition, Gathering of the
Gods II, Partly Dave is going to be taking a few months off over the
fall, 'cause Dave is losing his apartment to condo developers and needs
to find a new place to live (after nearly a decade in his current home
... this is going to be a major headache).

But fear not, my stalwarts! The Partly Dave Show will be back in your
life no later than January of 2004, once Dave has pieced his shattered
life back together.  This first year of Partly Dave has been ten hoots
on a five-hoot scale ... we've been blessed with nine editions of
packed houses, titillating topics, surprising spoken word and musical
performances and yes, more fun than a Winnebago full of lemurs. You can
look forward to more of Partly Dave's strangely intoxicating
cabaret-variety cocktail when the show returns in January.

THE OBLIGATORY GLOW DOGS PLUG

Stop by my Sunday night DJ gig at Club Foot and get your weekly fix of
Devo, The B-52's, The Cars, Split Enz, Lene Lovich, The Clash, The Jam,
Madness, The English Beat, Bowie, Iggy, Lou Reed, T. Rex, Patti Smith,
The Waterboys, Roxy Music, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, The
Housemartins,
The Smiths, Billy Bragg, Crowded House & Aztec Camera,
and all their spiky-haired, skinny-tied friends and neighbors.

	 WHAT: DJ Dave Awl spins New Wave & Cardy Pop
	 (Cardy Pop =  music to wear your cardigan by)
	 WHEN: Every Sunday night, 10pm-2am
	 WHERE: Club Foot, 1824 W. Augusta in Wicker Park, Chicago.
	 HOW MUCH: No cover! Cheap-o drinks. Bring your ID.

	 More info (including a map to Club Foot and a more extensive playlist):
	 http://www.ocelotfactory.com/danews.html#glowdogs

WHAT THE SEA MEANS INFO ...

* You can order the book (and peruse reader reviews) on the Amazon page:
	 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0970745877/

* You can read excerpts from the book on Thoughtcat.com:
	 http://www.thoughtcat.com/poetryfiction.htm

P. Dave

_________________________________
Ocelot Factory:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com

Hey everyone,

Here's the chubby (because why be stingy and only give you the skinny?)
on this month's edition of The Partly Dave Show! It happens Wednesday,
August 13 -- Hey, that's next week!

THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW: I Travel will showcase tales of travel, to places
real and imagined. Fittingly enough, the bill includes an out-of-town
guest: the amazing Blair from Detroit's Urban Folk Collective.

As if that weren't enough to set you a-twitter, this show will also
feature a special sneak preview reading from Ayun Halliday's
forthcoming travel book No Touch Monkey! And Other Travel Lessons
Learned Too Late, to be released this November. Ayun can't be with us
in person, 'cause she's busy fanning herself with a tulip on Cape Cod
like the good New Yorker she is, so she's annointed the mighty Diana
Slickman to read us an advance excerpt from the book. Which adds a
whole 'nother level of entertainment, mmkay?

All of you Genevra-maniacs out there will thrill to see Genevra Gallo
taking over the show's musical slot, in a sibling-revelry combo with
her brother Brent. (Those of you who saw the Hope & Nonthings Authors
Showcase last December got a little taste of their musical chemistry
... which made me determined to nab them for the P. Dave Show.)

All that plus Connor Kalista, Christopher Piatt and some guy named Dave.

The plain facts:

	 THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW:
	  I Travel

	 Around the world in 80 minutes.*
	  * Give or take a little.

	 Hosted by Dave Awl

	 With performances by
	 Blair (of Detroit's Urban Folk Collective),
	 Diana Slickman, Connor Kalista,
	 & Christopher Piatt,

	 Plus a sneak preview reading from Ayun Halliday's
	 forthcoming travel book No Touch Monkey!

	 Live music by
	 Genevra Gallo & Brent Roman

	 Wed. August 13 at 8pm
	  at The No Exit Café
	  6970 N. Glenwood (Morse el stop)
	  $5 or pay what you can

	 More info: http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave

BACKSCRATCHING

In case you haven't stumbled across it in your own travels, there's a
fresh new Web site in town called Gaper's Block, devoted to keeping all
the savage young modster kids hip to all the "now" happenings of
today's solid gone scenester scene here in Chicago.

Or something like that. Gaper's Block is basically a group weblog
written by a team of creative types who update it every day with
events, news tips, fun links, and other items of interest. I've been
enjoying their take on Chicago life and they've been giving nice
writeups to The Partly Dave Show (not to mention The Neo-Futurists), so
I thought I'd return the favor. Check it out at:

	 http://www.gapersblock.com/

And while I'm at it, if you want a smart and entertaining perspective
from the *other* side of the Atlantic, check out my London pal Richard
Cooper's site Thoughtcat at:

	 http://www.thoughtcat.com

(And here I have to note that my feline companion Dragon Lady has been
behaving like a total rock star ever since she was Thoughtcat's
featured cat a few weeks ago ...)

THE OBLIGATORY GLOW DOGS PLUG

	 I'll be taking Sunday night the 17th off from my regular weekly New
Wave DJ gig at Club Foot ... 'cause I'll be out of town for a wedding.
(In fact, apparently I'm *performing* the wedding ... unless that was
just a crazy dream I had where I actually agreed to do that.) Anyway,
I'll be spinning at Club Foot this Sunday, gone the 17th, and back in
action Sunday the 24th.

So come see me any Sunday but the 17th, and get your weekly fix of
Devo, The B-52's, The Cars, Split Enz, Lene Lovich, The Clash, The Jam,
Madness, The English Beat, Bowie, Iggy, Lou Reed, T. Rex, Patti Smith,
Roxy Music, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, The Housemartins, The Smiths,
Billy Bragg, Crowded House & Aztec Camera, and all their wacky friends
and neighbors.

	 WHAT: DJ Dave Awl spins New Wave & Cardy Pop
	 (Cardy Pop =  music to wear your cardigan by)
	 WHEN: Every Sunday night, 10pm-2am
	 WHERE: Club Foot, 1824 W. Augusta in Wicker Park, Chicago.
	 HOW MUCH: No cover! Cheap-o drinks. Bring your ID.

	 More info (including a map to Club Foot and a more extensive playlist):
	 http://www.ocelotfactory.com/danews.html#glowdogs

WHAT THE SEA MEANS INFO ...

* You can order the book (and peruse reader reviews) on the Amazon page:
	 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0970745877/

* You can read excerpts from the book on Thoughtcat.com:
	 http://www.thoughtcat.com/poetryfiction.htm

P. Dave
_________________________________
Ocelot Factory:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com

Jollies for July in this very email:

	 1. Partly Dave Show: Patriotically Incorrect (Wed 7/9 -- that's next
week already!)
	 2. Pansy Kings Recap, Critic's Choice, etc.

THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW: PATRIOTICALLY INCORRECT, WEDNESDAY JULY 9 AT 8PM

	 What is patriotism? Who gets to decide what is and isn't patriotic
behavior? And is it unpatriotic to criticize one's country — or is it
maybe just possible that true patriotism *includes* the duty to
criticize one's country and its leadership when they go astray?

	 Well, you probably know what my answer to that last question is -- but
if you come to next week's edition of The Partly Dave Show, you'll get
to witness some wonderful examples of dissent-as-patriotism from a bevy
of terrific guests. Including none other than the mighty SCHADENFREUDE
sketch comedy group, whom I've been trying to get for the P. Dave show
since forever, and I'm lucky to have nabbed them before they become the
international radio stars we all know they're destined to become.
(Their radio show premieres on WBEZ in Chicago this Sunday night! See
<http://www.schadenfreude.net/> for all the details!)

	 Also on the bill are playwright and monologuist CHRISTOPHER PIATT, the
fabulous KAREN CHRISTOPHER (of the Goat Island performance group and,
way back in the mists of time, The Neo-Futurists), poet KEN HUNT (a
Grinder/Homolatte favorite), and the world's most lovable high school
teacher, LYNNE SHOTOLA. Live music will be provided by
folksinger/comedian KITKO, and by CHRIS SCHOEN (of Theater Oobleck). If
all goes as planned, there will also be a representative of the
Illinois ACLU on hand to sign up new card-carrying members.

	 As for me, because it's summer re-run season, I'm going to be
remounting my Lawn Ornament Theater tribute to Watership Down,
"Watersh*t Creek," in which the gentle rabbits of Watership Down come
face to face with the most patriotic rabbit ever, General Woundwort
Bush. It got such a great response at the Flower Power show in May I
figured I'd give more people a chance to see it -- but even if you've
seen it before, this will be a "new & improved version" with, you know,
probably even more hraka jokes. Because you just can't have enough
hraka jokes.

	 THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW: PATRIOTICALLY INCORRECT Wed., July 9 at 8pm
	 $5 or "pay what you can."
	 At The No Exit Café, 6970 N. Glenwood
	 (right near The Heartland, just off the Morse el stop) in Chicago.

	 As always you can visit the home page for The Partly Dave Show, with
all sorts of info, including a Partly Dave Show FAQ to answer all your
little questions.
	 http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave

PANSY KINGS RECAP:

	 What you missed if you missed last month's "Return of The Pansy Kings"
at Partly Dave: The audience enthusiastically selected KEISHLA'S GIFT
AND DANCE as the ideal sponsor for some theoretical future Pansy King's
Cotillion, although the BECAUSE OF YOU HAIR ENHANCEMENT CENTER gave
Keishla a run for her money. (We also got a cameo "bag & wig" moment
from David Kodeski in the house.) Edward Thomas-Herrera served us
another in his snappy highly entertaining series of poems about people
what done him wrong. Kurt Heintz tendered a wise and witty report to
the board of his personal corporation. Robert Rodi gave us a funny and
very touching interview with his idea older self. I read a new short
story called "Love The Shirt" about a man whose shirt is more popular
than he is. Murray McKay performed an excerpt from his mind-bending
multi-media sound performance "SIX." Jay Torrence gave us two
brilliantly on-fire pieces including the tender tale of the Lip-Sync
Boy. And Scott Free wrapped up the night with a Homolatte-licious
musical set.

	 Also, for those of you who don't have access to the Chicago Reader, we
did indeed garner a Critic's Choice courtesy of Mr. Justin Hayford.
Here's what it said:

> It was nearly a decade ago that the Pansy Kings first swished their
> way onto the local performance scene. Creator Dave Awl brought
> together the poofiest of Chicago's cognoscenti in October 1994 for The
> Pansy Kings' Cotillion , an evening of songs, stories, videos, drag,
> finger snaps, and general mincing. That first outing was such a smash
> that the Pansy Kings followed it up two months later with their
> Holiday Pageant , which featured as a bonus Awl's homemade wassail. By
> 1996 the Pansies could fill the Park West; among other moments of
> campy fabulousness, monologuist Edward Thomas-Herrera, video maker
> Kurt Heintz, and novelist Robert Rodi took the "Billie Holiday
> Challenge" and vied for big prizes with competing impressions of the
> jazz diva. By the end of the next year, however, Awl was worn-out. "It
> was all incredibly high maintenance," he says. "I'd spend an entire
> year planning a one-weekend event." He also feared being pigeonholed
> as the Sissy Performance Artist. So he took a few years off, did a
> one-man piece on nonsissy issues, released a book of poetry, then
> returned to the variety-show format earlier this year with his
> monthly, deliberately low-maintenance Partly Dave Show . This month he
> welcomes back many of the original Pansy Kings, including Heintz,
> Thomas-Herrera, and Rodi. A few newly crowned nellies chime in as
> well, among them performance artist Murray McKay, singer Scott Free,
> and Neo-Futurist Jay Torrence. This time Awl doesn't even know what
> his guest artists are doing. "The show will be very spontaneous and
> unpredictable," he says. "People may be doing pieces they finished the
> night before." No Exit Cafe, 6970 N. Glenwood, 773-743-3355.
> Wednesday, June 11, 8 PM. $5 or "pay what you can." --Justin Hayford

WANNA GET YOUR NEW WAVE GROOVE ON?
Stop for my weekly DJ gig at Club Foot, New Toys for Glow Dogs.
Info here: http://www.ocelotfactory.com/danews.html#glowdogs

STILL WONDERING WHAT THE SEA MEANS?
Copies of my book of poems, stories and monologues are available via
Amazon.com here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0970745877/

mad love,
P. Dave
_____________________________________________________
The Partly Dave Show:
Not your everyday horse-frightening cabaret experience.
http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave

Moonbeams for June, about which to swoon, in this very email:

	 1. The Return of the Flamin' Pansy Kings, for Pete's Sake Already!
(Wed 6/11)
	 2. Partly Dave Flower Power Recap
	 2. Queer Is Folk Festival (Sat 6/7)
	 3. Women & Children First Annual GLBT Pride Reading (Tues 6/24)

THE LONG-PROPHESIED RETURN OF THE PANSY KINGS AT THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW
	 No, there isn't a giant yak hiding in your ear trumpet and distorting
your hearing. You heard right, girlfriend! After six years in
mothballs, the Pansy Kings (whom Justin Hayford of The Chicago Reader
dubbed "The Sultans of Swish") are brushing up their fey ways and
reuniting on stage for their first official performance since 1997.
It's all happening as a special GLBT Pride month edition of The Partly
Dave Show!

	 A word to the wise ... a little birdie tells me this performance may
be getting some high-profile publicity ... as it is, Partly Dave Shows
are usually pretty packed (since No Exit only seats about 40-50 people
and their beverages comfortably), but this one's gonna bust our
attendance records if I'm still Madame Spooky (and I am). So you might
wanna be prepared for an SRO-type experience ... and showing up early
probably wouldn't hurt. (No, I don't take reservations, what do I look
like, some huge volunteer-army theater machine like The Neo-Futurists?)

	 Although it would be impossible to squeeze every flamboyant flaming
genius who ever appeared with The Pansy Kings into one P. Dave Show, we
do have a quorum of the regulars: playwright & poet Edward
Thomas-Herrera (Death on a Pink Carpet), e-poets guru Kurt Heintz,
novelist Robert Rodi, and performance artist Murray McKay (whom you
might remember as drag elf Dingle Barrie, but he's ditching the helium
tank for some grown-up performance art this time around).

	 Joining us will be a couple of first-time Pansy Kings: musician Scott
Free (god of Homolatte) and that hot new Neo-Futurist pin-up boy Jay
Torrence.

	 Showtime is 8pm on Wed., June 11.
	 Admission is $5 or "pay what you can."
	 At The No Exit Café, 6970 N. Glenwood
	 (right near The Heartland, just off the Morse el stop) in Chicago.

	 As always you can visit the home page for The Partly Dave Show, with
all sorts of info, including a Partly Dave Show FAQ to answer all your
little questions.
	 http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave

PARTLY DAVE FLOWER POWER RECAP

	 Hey, in last month's email, folks seemed to appreciate the quick recap
of the previous Partly Dave Show, since some of you are
geographically-challenged, stuck in basketweaving classes or otherwise
unable to attend. So here's what happened in the May Flower Power
Edition if you missed it: I launched the show with a floral invocation
by e.e. cummings, after which Neo-Futurists Rachel Claff & Chloe
Johnston put the culture in "horticulture" with a beautifully-written
duologue  called "The Avant-Gardeners." Christopher Piatt passed out
lollipops from the plastic bag they put his personal effects in when he
got busted at the peace demos, and then read his witty and moving open
letter to G. W. Bush, which thanks to the miracle of the Web you can
read on the e-poets site at:
<http://www.e-poets.net/PlainText/page03-001.shtml>

	 After which I premiered the Lawn Ornament Theater tribute to Watership
Down entitled "Watersh*t Creek," in which a bunch of peace-loving lawn
ornament rabbits find themselves confronting the likes of General
Woundwort Bush and Rush Foxpaws.
Nina Corwin strapped on her guitar and gave us a thoughtful and
thought-provoking poetic monologue mixed with snippets of old anti-war
songs. We ended the spoken-word part of the night with an appropriate
send-off from Rilke: "Look at the flowers, so faithful to what is
earthly ..."

	 And of course, the ever-fabulous Sonnets (filling in at the last
minute) triumphed over vocalist Victor's painful throat condition to
give us two delightful bouquets of songs, including exuberant
renditions of The Yardbirds' "Shapes of Things to Come" and the Fabs'
"A Day in the Life."

QUEER IS FOLK FESTIVAL 2003

	 This year, host and curator Scott Free has decided to sneak a few
spoken-word artists onto the bill for the fabulous Queer Is Folk
Festival, his superb showcase for GLBT folk artists. The irrepressible
Sukie De La Croix of Windy City Times calls it "Peter, Paul and a whole
bunch of Marys."  I'm one of the lucky talking Marys who will be doing
a short piece somewhere in there amidst the singing and strumming Marys.

	  In addition to your host Scott Free, the lineup includes the
illustrious Ferron, Dylan Rice with Chuck Panozzo of  Styx, Kitko,
Sonia of Disappear Fear, and Urban Folk Collective.

  	 Tickets are available via Ticketweb.com,  Women & Children First
Books and the Old Town School at 773-728-6000.

	 Queer Is Folk Festival 2003:
	 Saturday, June 7, 2003 at 7pm
	 at The Old Town School of Folk Music,
	 4544 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago.

ANNUAL GLBT PRIDE READING AT WOMEN & KIDS

	 One of my favorite Pride-month traditions is the annual reading of
queer Chicago writers at Women & Children First Books in Andersonville.
This year's edition is Tuesday June 24 at 7:30pm. I'll be reading
something from What the Sea Means, along with fellow featured readers
Aldo Alvarez, Yvonne Zipter, Kurt Heintz, and Jason Schupp.

	 There'll be an open mike, too: call ahead (773/769-9299) if you want
to be guaranteed a slot on the schedule.

	 Annual LGBT Pride Reading & Open Mike
	 Women & Children First Bookstore
	 June 24, 7:30 p.m.
	 5233 N. Clark St - 773/769-9299

THE OBLIGATORY GLOW DOGS PLUG

	 My Sunday night New Wave night at Club Foot is growing and glowing
like some radioactive monster ... thanks to everyone who's been
dropping in for their weekly fix of Devo, The B-52's, The Cars, Split
Enz, Lene Lovich, The Clash, The Jam, Madness, The English Beat, Bowie,
Iggy, T. Rex, Patti Smith, Roxy Music, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, The
Housemartins, The Smiths & Aztec Camera.

	 WHAT: DJ Dave Awl spins New Wave & Cardy Pop
	 (Cardy Pop =  music to wear your cardigan by)
	 WHEN: Every Sunday night, 10pm-2am
	 WHERE: Club Foot, 1824 W. Augusta in Wicker Park, Chicago.
	 HOW MUCH: No cover! Cheap-o drinks. Bring your ID.

	 More info (including a map to Club Foot and a more extensive playlist):
	 http://www.ocelotfactory.com/danews.html#glowdogs

P. Dave

------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------
Now available from Hope and Nonthings Publishing...

What the Sea Means: Poems, Stories & Monologues 1987-2002
by Dave Awl

Info: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0970745877/

Dear FOPDs (Friends of Partly Dave) ...

There's been a slight change of plans regarding this Wednesday's Flower
Power Edition of The Partly Dave Show. My previously announced band for
this month, Stewed Tomatoes, have had to cancel due to a death in the
family. Needless to say, I've offered them my condolences and will
re-book them for a future edition of the show.

In the meantime, none other than the mighty SONNETS have rushed to the
rescue as my fill-in Flower Power band! Victor, Chuck and Daisun will
be decking themselves out in floral-wear and putting their own
distinctive mod-power-pop twist on the notion of flower power. Those of
you who caught The Sonnets performing in the Bowie Birthday Bash
edition of Partly Dave last January know that you couldn't wish for
groovier substitute teachers to school you in the pistil (and stamen)
packin' ways of May.

I am a lucky Partly Dave indeed. As a reminder, all crucial data about
the Flower Power Show are at the end of this message.

One other thing: Getting ready for the show has left me little time for
a proper birthday celebration on my actual date of birth (yesterday by
the time most of you read this), so I'm planning on a little belated
birthday outing on Wednesday after the show. Anyone able to stay awake
past 11pm, who wants to stick around after The Partly Dave Show and
wait while I pack up, will be welcome to come along. We'll repair to
some latenight restaurant easily accessible from the nearby Red Line
(maybe Leona's down in Lakeview?) for midnight snacks and merry-making.
(Automotivators can meet us there once we settle on a destination.)
Just let me know Wednesday night that you're interested in coming
along, and I'll make sure we don't leave without you.

Okay, then!

* * * THE FLOWER POWER FACTS:* * *

WHAT:  THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW:  The Flower Power Edition!
		 Pieces about flowers, springtime ... and war.

WHO:  Hosted by Dave Awl
		 Featuring live music by THE SONNETS

		 & performances by
		 Neo-Futurists Rachel Claff & Chloë Johnston,
		 poet Nina Corwin (of Word Gourmet),
		 & playwright Christopher Piatt

WHEN: Wed. May 14 at 8pm

WHERE:  The No Exit Café
		  6970 N. Glenwood (Morse el stop)

HOW MUCH:  $5 or pay what you can

MORE INFO:
Partly Dave Show: http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave
The Sonnets: http://www.geocities.com/vsonnets/

horticulturally yours,
Partly Dave

_____________________________________________________
The Partly Dave Show:
Not your everyday horse-frightening cabaret experience.
http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave

Delicate, springlike buds of information blossoming in this very email:

	 1. The continuing adventures of What the Sea Means
	 2. Homolatte (aka Grinder Cabaret) this Thurs. May 8
	 3. The Partly Dave Show: The Flower Power Edition! Wed. May 14
	 4. Psst ... The Return of The Pansy Kings June 11

THE CONTINUING ADVENTURES OF WHAT THE SEA MEANS

	 I'll start with a couple of What the Sea Means items. First off, my
publisher John Pierson, the mighty publishing baron behind Hope and
Nonthings, is interviewed in the current issue of Punk Planet magazine
(May/June 2003), available at an evil corporate chain store near you. I
get name-checked, along with Faustian genius Mickle Maher and of course
The Neo-Futurists. Oh, and you can't quite make it out but that pin
John in wearing in the accompanying glamour photo is a Partly Dave Show
button.  ; )

	 Also, y'all might remember me mentioning in my last email that the
Bradley University speech team had created a competitive reader's
theater using material from What the Sea Means (specifically the
"Talking to Myself" monologues). I'm pleased to report that the
reader's theater took the top prize at the NFA national tournament in
April.

COMING HOME TO HOMOLATTE THIS THURSDAY, MAY 8

	 One of my favorite places to perform in Chicago is  Scott Free's
friendly & relaxed Grinder Cabaret. In fact, I freely admit that it was
the wonderful vibe Scott created at Grinder that inspired me to launch
The Partly Dave Show.

	 Grinder has had a sudden name change and is now known as Homolatte,
but it's still home to me and I'm looking forward to performing there
this very Thursday night, May 8. I'll be on a bill with musician Eric
Prybis, and of course Mr. Free.

	 As the name implies, Homolatte is a showcase for the homo-fabulous
community, but the audience is mixed and the hetero-fabulous are more
than welcome, so don't get all hetero-shy or anything. Admission is
free with pass-the-hat for the artists. Showtime is 8pm (show runs
about 90 minutes) at No Exit Café, 6970 N. Glenwood (right near The
Heartland) in Chicago. No Exit is right by the Morse stop on the Red
Line and there's free parking at Glenwood & Estes (two blocks north -
Trilogy parking lot). No Exit serves a light menu of soups, pastries,
etc., plus coffee and other fabulous beverages including my favorite,
Green River sodas.

GET YOUR FLOWER POWER ON AT THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW, WED. MAY 14

	 Hey, as a card-carrying pansy and flower-twirling Taurus, I can't
ignore the fact that it's "May flowers" time here in Chicago. So the
May edition of my monthly cabaret variety show features a floral theme,
with an evening of pieces about flowers, springtime ... and war.

	 The Partly Dave Show: The Flower Power Edition! will feature live
music by the all-women psychedelic band STEWED TOMATOES, plus
performances by Neo-Futurists RACHEL CLAFF (Curious Beautiful) and
CHLOE JOHNSTON (The Emmett Project), poet NINA CORWIN (of The Word
Gourmet poetry series), and transplanted NYC playwright CHRISTOPHER
PIATT (who will be regaling the audience with a piece about his arrest
at the downtown peace demonstrations).

	 There's also gonna be original flower-power-themed artwork by local
artist MOLLY CRANCH on display. And of course me hosting the whole
shebang. Still figuring out what I'm gonna do but I have this funny
feeling it's going to involve lawn ornaments.

	 Showtime is 8pm on Wed., May 14. Admission is $5 or "pay what you can."
	 At The No Exit Café, 6970 N. Glenwood (right near The Heartland, just
off the Morse el stop) in Chicago.

	 As always you can visit the home page for The Partly Dave Show, with
all sorts of info, including a Partly Dave Show FAQ to answer all your
little questions.
	 http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave

	 Finally, I can't help noting that last month's "Gathering of the Gods"
edition of Partly Dave was every bit as divoon as I hoped, and it was
such a howling success that I'm gonna make it a recurring Partly Dave
Show theme. It was all too perfect: Stephanie Shaw as a beautifully
voracious Kali; Dan Telfer as the neurotically voyeuristic Actaeon and
Diana Slickman as the majestically indignant Diana the Huntress; John
Pierson's brilliant meta-textual tricksterism as Mercury the
messenger's messenger; and Rachel Claff as a ravishingly soused and
pissed-off Aphrodite. Watch for the next Gathering of the Gods this
fall -- only a very foolish mortal would miss it.

THE RETURN OF THE PANSY KINGS, JUNE 11

	 Psst ... Pansy Kings fans in flamboyance withdrawal will want to mark
their calendars now for the June 11 edition of The Partly Dave Show --
The Return of The Pansy Kings! Yup, in honor of Pride month it's a
mini-Pansy Kings reunion, featuring Edward Thomas-Herrera, Kurt Heintz,
Murray McKay, Scott Free and others to be announced.

THE OBLIGATORY GLOW DOGS PLUG

	 My Sunday night New Wave night at Club Foot is going strong ... thanks
to everyone who's been dropping in for their weekly fix of Devo,
Madness, Split Enz, Iggy Pop, T. Rex, Patti Smith, Roxy Music & Aztec
Camera.

	 WHAT: DJ Dave Awl spins New Wave & Cardy Pop (music to wear your
cardigan by)
	 WHEN: Every Sunday night, 10pm-2am
	 WHERE: Club Foot, 1824 W. Augusta in Wicker Park, Chicago.
	 HOW MUCH: No cover! Cheap-o drinks. Bring your ID.

	 More info (including a map to Club Foot and a more complete playlist):
	 http://www.ocelotfactory.com/danews.html#glowdogs

P. Dave

------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------
Now available from Hope and Nonthings Publishing...

What the Sea Means: Poems, Stories & Monologues 1987-2002
by Dave Awl

Info: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0970745877/

Brightly-colored diversions announced in this email:

	 1. What the Sea Means excerpts online at Thoughcat.com ...
	 2. Dyke Mic Benefit Friday 4/18
	 3. New Wave Easter this Sunday at Club Foot!
	 4. The Partly Dave Show: Flower Power Edition!

WHAT THE SEA MEANS EXCERPTS ONLINE ...

I'm honored to announce that some excerpts from my book What the Sea
Means have been published on Thoughtcat.com, a new site created by
British writer Richard Cooper. (Some of you might recognize him as the
mastermind behind the SA4QE Web site, which documents the loveably odd
way that Russell Hoban fans celebrate Hoban Day each year. There you
can check out the yellow paper trail I personally blazed through
Andersonville and Wicker Park this past February.)

Thoughtcat is somewhere between an online magazine and a Weblog, and
publishes the work of featured writers in a section called "Guestcats,"
which is where you'll find the What the Sea Means excerpts: three poems
and one story.

Relevant links:

	 Thoughtcat home page: http://www.thoughtcat.com
	 (Click "Guestcats" at left for WTSM excerpts)

	 SA4QE site: http://www.thoughtcat.com/sa4qe/

While I'm on the subject of  What the Sea Means, I'm further honored to
report that The Bradley Speech Team (my alma mater) has put together a
Reader's Theater using material from the book, which took the top prize
for Reader's Theater at the Illinois State Tournament this year, and is
in competition at the NFA national tournament as we speak! It will also
be entered in the National Readers Theater Tournament this May.

	 What the Sea Means: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0970745877/

DAVE AWL IS STILL A GREAT BIG LESBIAN... LIVE ON STAGE!

Hey, tomorrow night, Friday April 18, I'm going to be performing in a
Dyke Mic benefit showcase up at The No Exit Cafe. All the proceeds will
go to help send a contingent of Dyke Mic performers to perform at
Ladyfest South.

Other performers on Friday night's bill will include Katherine Zwick,
JT Newman, Kay Barrett, Maria Mccray, Scott Free, Kurt Heintz, Nikki
Patin, Lisa Hemminger, Lisa Samra, Samaiya Ewing, and Ken Hunt.

No Exit Cafe, 6970 N. Glenwood, 773-743-3355. For some reason I haven't
been able to track down exactly when the show starts, but performers'
call is at 6:30 so I'm guessing the show is...oh..7:30 or 8pm?

NEW WAVE EASTER EGGS AT NEW TOYS FOR GLOW DOGS

Okay, so I got so excited about doling out Easter candy at my weekly
New Wave night that I started a week early. Anyway, the New Wave Easter
eggs were a big hit last Sunday, and the bunny bucket will be back
again this week -- so stop by Club Foot on Sunday night for New Wave,
Cardy Pop and colorfully wrapped goodies.

	 WHAT: DJ Dave Awl spins New Wave, Punk, Glam Rock, Britpop & Cardy Pop
	 WHEN: Every Sunday night, 10pm-2am
	 WHERE: Club Foot, 1824 W. Augusta in Wicker Park, Chicago. (Just east
of Damen.)
	 HOW MUCH: No cover! Cheap drinks. Bring your ID.

THE EARLY SCOOP ON PARTLY DAVE FOR MAY: FLOWER POWER, BABY!

The May 14 edition of The Partly Dave Show will be the Flower Power
edition: pieces about flowers, springtime...and war. Performers will
include the return of the fabulous Christopher Piatt (performing an
eight-minute musical about being arrested at the anti-war
demonstrations downtown), plus others still to be announced, and music
by a fabulous all-female psychedelic group called Stewed Tomatoes, who
I caught performing at The Big Goddess Powwow and they rocked my world
so hard I booked them on the spot.

More details to come in the next installment...

Peace and malted milk robin's eggs...
Dave

_________________________________
Ocelot Factory:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com

April-fresh distractions announced in this email:

	 1. April 9 edition of The Partly Dave Show: Gathering of the Gods
	 2. New Toys for Glow Dogs at Club Foot
	 3. Still Flogging What the Sea Means...

THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW: GATHERING OF THE GODS --  APRIL 9

Okay, so next Wednesday's Partly Dave Show is gonna be even more
*divine* than usual. That's because the April edition of The Partly
Dave Show is called "Gathering of the Gods," and it features half a
dozen performers impersonating their favorite mythological figures --
gods, goddesses and heroes.

All ye who attend shall thrill to the awesomely divine sight of:

  	 RACHEL CLAFF as Aphrodite the love goddess!
  	 JOHN PIERSON as Mercury the fleet-footed!
  	 STEPHANIE SHAW as Kali, goddess of destruction!
	 DIANA SLICKMAN as Diana the huntress!
  	 DAN TELFER as Actaeon the hunter!
  	 and DAVE AWL as Ceres the grain goddess!

Needless to say, this is, um, not to be mythed. (Ouch.)

And as if all that weren't enough, the assembled deities (and human
audience members) will be divinely entertained by an acoustic
rockabilly combo consisting of PAUL GILVARY (of SongBokays.com), AL
SIMON (of the Rebel Rousers) and JANE BLASS (of The Sweat Girls),
playing songs about Pan, Venus, Mercury and other gods.

	 WHAT: 	 The Partly Dave Show: Gathering of the Gods
	 WHEN: 	 Wednesday, April 9, 2003, at 8pm
	 WHERE:  The No Exit Café, 6970 N. Glenwood, Chicago (just off the
Morse el stop)
	 HOW MUCH:  $5 or "pay what you can."
	 MORE INFO:  http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave

Prepare to tremble in awe...and enjoy the show, mortals!

NEW TOYS FOR GLOW DOGS: EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT AT CLUB FOOT!

Hey, thanks to everyone who's stopped in to Club Foot to hear me
spinning New Wave and related music on Sunday nights...and to everyone
who's promised me they'll show up soon.  ; )  For all the rest of you
here in town, remember that Monday mornings are why the goddess created
sick days. Come visit me! I'm good with requests, too.

Anyway, New Toys for Glow Dogs is going strong and Club Foot even ran a
nice big ad for it in Section Three of last week's Chicago Reader.

Also note that I will be DJ-ing on Easter Sunday, 4/20, and will be
doling out brightly-colored plastic eggs filled with goodies to the
first, oh, let's say three dozen people who come rattle my cage. Just
because Easter candy rocks. (Much better than Halloween candy, IMHO.)

	 WHAT: DJ Dave Awl spins New Wave, Punk, Glam Rock, Britpop & Cardy Pop
	 WHEN: Every Sunday night, 10pm-2am
	 WHERE: Club Foot, 1824 W. Augusta in Wicker Park, Chicago. (Just east
of Damen.)
	 HOW MUCH: No cover! Cheap drinks. Bring your ID.

THE OBLIGATORY REMINDER THAT WHAT THE SEA MEANS EXISTS...

Profuse thanks to Dave Short, who took me up on my plea last month to
help promote my book What the Sea Means on Amazon via the Listmania
feature. The list Dave created reveals shockingly good taste that goes
well beyond my silly little book...hey, who wouldn't want to be on a
list with Neil Finn, Carl Jung, Barbara Ehrenreich and Jane Siberry?

You can check it out here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/listmania/list-browse/-/
3FA9E7PO9YJIJ/

As always, the What the Sea Means page is here:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com/seameans

Thanks for reading!

Wishing you all...yes, peace.
Dave

_________________________________
Ocelot Factory:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com

So, in my most recent post to this list I said that once the schedule
was worked out I might be DJ-ing one or two Sundays a month down at
Club Foot in Wicker Park, here in Chicago.

Then, after Sunday night, my second time there, I got promoted to
regular Sunday night DJ!

So that means I'll be spinning NEW TOYS FOR GLOW DOGS, my fiendish
six-way mix of New Wave, Punk, Glam Rock, Ska, Cardy Pop & Britpop,
each and every Sunday night from 10pm-2am.

(With the exception of March 16th, when I won't be starting till 11pm
because I'm seeing Joan Baez that night. Yes, I love New Wave *and*
Joan Baez. Deal with it.)

Come visit me this Sunday, or any Sunday. I'm good with requests.
There's no cover and drinks are cheap. 21 & over, billiards in the
back. What better reason to call in sick on Monday?

Club Foot is located at 1824 W. Augusta, near Damen -- just a couple
blocks from Leona's.

If you need a map, just go to http://www.mapquest.com and type in
1924 W. Augusta in Chicago.

thanks!
DJ Partly Dave
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Next edition of THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW: Mar. 12 at No Exit Cafe
Not your everyday horse-frightening cabaret excursion.
---> Info: http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave

Shocking new revelations about my doings in March:

	 1. The Partly Dave Show: In Search of Lost Time (Wed. March 12)
	 2. I'm spinning records tomorrow (Sunday, 3/2) at Club Foot
	 3. What the Sea Means update: Calling all Listmaniacs

THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW: IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME

	 The March 12 edition of The Partly Dave Show steals a bite
from Proust's madeleine, with an evening of pieces about time and
memory - including the screening of an original home video by
Tony-winning Urinetown playwright Greg Kotis.

	 THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW: In Search of Lost Time
	 Hosted by Dave Awl

	 Featuring Music by Ellen Rosner,
	 & Performances by Post-Neo-Futurist Scott Hermes,
	 Writer & Comedian Dan Kaufman, & Sweat Girl Dorothy Milne

	 Plus the World Premiere of "Goodbye Dodge Shadow,"
	 a short home video by Tony-winning Urinetown playwright Greg Kotis!

	 Wed. March 12 at 8pm
	 at The No Exit Café
	 6970 N. Glenwood (Morse el stop)
	 $5 or pay what you can

	 More info: http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave


NEW TOYS FOR GLOW DOGS: SPINNING RECORDS AT CLUB FOOT!

	 Hey, thanks to everyone who turned out for my DJ debut at
Club Foot in Wicker Park a couple weeks ago, I've been asked back!

	 It's short notice I know, but tomorrow night -- that's
Sunday, March 12 -- I will once again be spinning my own hair-raising
cocktail of New Wave, Glam Rock, Punk, Cardy Pop* & Britpop, from
10pm-2am. There's no cover and drinks are cheap. How can you stay
away?

	 Even better, it looks like I'll be getting a regular monthly
spot at Foot, one or two Sundays a month. I'm gonna call it NEW TOYS
FOR GLOW DOGS. Don't bother asking why.  I'll share the schedule when
I know it.

	 Club Foot is at 1824 W. Augusta in Wicker Park. Just a couple
blocks east of Damen.

	 *BTW, last time I got a lot of people asking "What the Sam
Hill is 'Cardy Pop'?" or words to that effect. Sorry. Cardy pop was a
term used by English music rags in the 80s to denote, you know, music
to wear your cardigan by. E.g. Style Council, Housemartins, Aztec
Camera, Billy Bragg, Lloyd Cole, Crowded House, early Everything But
the Girl...that sort of thing.

WHAT THE SEA MEANS UPDATE: CALLING ALL LISTMANIACS...

	 Profuse thanks to all of you who are continuing to spread the
word about What the Sea Means. Although it's no longer technically a
"new" book (hey, it came out *last year*), I'm continuing to get
lovely emails from people who are still discovering and reading it.

	 So the response is great from people who actually find out
about the thing and read it...but getting the word out about the book
is an uphill battle. With that in mind, I have a little favor to ask.
If any of you out there feel like killing 10 minutes sometime soon,
and are familiar with Amazon.com's Listmania feature, I'd be grateful
if you'd consider setting up a list or two that includes What the Sea
Means.

	 Basically, Listmania lets you set up a list for other people
to read, recommending various books and/or records you like. The
theme of the list can be as simple as "Books I Like" or as specific
as "The 10 Best Chinese Ska Albums Released in 1994." You just fill
out a little form with the item numbers and brief comments, and then
when people search for one item on the list, the list may show up and
if they click on it they can find out about other things in a similar
vein.

	 I did shamelessly set up one list myself, "Best of the
Chicago Fringe," in which I roped together books by various
Neo-Futurists, Oobleckians, and people from the local poetry scene.
But since self-promotion only goes so far, I'd be grateful for anyone
out there who feels like making a list of their own that includes my
book. Some suggested themes:

	 -- Contemporary Poets I Like
	 -- Great Material for Speech Teams
	 -- Favorite Gay Authors
	 -- Books to Read on Public Transportation
	 -- Deeply Weird Guys I Know from Peoria
	 -- My 10 Favorite Homosexual Vegetarian Surrealist Pagan Insomniacs

	 ... or something else.

thanking you profusely,
Dave

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ocelot Factory:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com

Happy February, everyone. Here are three news items, tendered in the
Aquarian spirit. The first two are Chicago-based but the third is
quite international...

	 1. The Partly Dave Show: The No Logo Edition (Feb. 12)
	 2. I'm a DJ debutante! ... Spinning records Sun. Feb. 16 at Club Foot
	 3. Mysterious Hoban Day activities exposed!

1. The Partly Dave Show: The No Logo Edition -- Wednesday, February 12

	 The second installment of my new monthly show, up at the cozy
No Exit Cafe in Rogers Park, is shaping up to be a real doozie. The
theme this time out is No Logo, inspired by Naomi Klein's fascinating
book of the same title, which examines the insidious effects of
corporate branding run amok on our culture. For a great excerpt from
No Logo, see:
http://books.guardian.co.uk/firstchapters/story/0,6761,402483,00.html

	 In the book, Klein makes the important point that branding,
advertising and the use of logos are not inherently evil: what's out
of control is the way they're currently used by mega-brand
corporations to disguise sweatshop labor conditions and environmental
destruction, while jacking up consumer prices and reducing quality.
Not to mention the ongoing pollution of the "mental environment."
With that in mind...

	 You Are Not What You Buy.

	 The Partly Dave Show: The NO LOGO Edition

	 Pieces about branding, advertising
	 and corporate brainwashing,
	 inspired by Naomi Klein's book No Logo

	 Hosted by Dave Awl
	 Featuring music by John Greenfield,
	 A puppet show by Dave Baton-Rouge of Theater Oobleck,
	 & performances by Sheila Donohue, Joan Jett-Blakk,
	 & Christopher Piatt, plus sticker art by Rachel Claff

	 Wed. Feb. 12 at 8pm, at The No Exit Cafe
	 6970 N. Glenwood (Morse el stop), Chicago
	 $5 or pay what you can

	 More info www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave

2. Spinning Away: My first solo DJ night is Sunday, Feb. 16 at Club Foot!

	 Sunday night, February 16 will mark my official debut as a DJ
-- I'm gonna be flying solo at Club Foot on Augusta, down in Wicker
Park. I'll be spinning records from 10pm - 2am. There's no cover,
drinks are pretty cheap, and the crowd is fun and easygoing. (It is
21 & over, of course.)

	 Club Foot is located at 1824 W. Augusta, near Damen -- right
by the Leona's on Augusta. (Augusta is between Division and Chicago
Avenue).

	 Needless to say, this is kind of a "try-out" situation. If I
can draw a crowd, I may get to DJ more often. So each and every one
of you who turns out for this will earn my undying gratitude, not
that you don't have it already, just for, you know, being you.

	 What kind of stuff am I planning to play?

New Wave: B-52's, Devo, T. Heads, Blondie, Cars, Elvis Costello, Lene
Lovich, Split Enz

Glam Rock: Bowie, T-Rex, Lou Reed/Velvet Underground, Sweet, Roxy
Music, NY Dolls

Cardy-Pop: Housemartins, Smiths, Billy Bragg, Crowded House, Style
Council, Aztec Camera

Ska-Pop: Madness, English Beat, General Public, The Specials

Punk: Ramones, Clash, Jam, Buzzcocks, X, Dickies, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith

Britpop: Suede, Blur, Pulp, James

Contemporary-ish: Flaming Lips, Yo La Tengo, Belle & Sebastian,
Magnetic Fields,
Badly Drawn Boy, The Strokes & The Hives

	 Oh, and I'm planning on playing lots of Brian Eno, just
'cause I'm in an Eno mood.

3. Mysterious Hoban Day Activities Exposed!

	 As many of you know, I run the authorized Web site for
Russell Hoban, one of my all-time favorite writers. And I also
founded an online community of Hoban fans called The Kraken. Members
of The Kraken have taken to celebrating Mr. Hoban's birthday (Feb. 4)
each year with a mysterious happening known as the SA4QE, conceived
of by my good friend (and fellow Neo-Futurist alum) Diana Slickman,
and executed by Kraken members around the world.

	 This fun little observance even managed to catch the
attention of a reporter for The Guardian who wrote a profile of Russ
last fall. You can find out more about what we're up to at the
official SA4QE site, which Richard Cooper created to document the
event:
http://www.thoughtcat.com/sa4qe

	 Wow...Thanks for reading all the way to the end of the email!

best,
Dave
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New from Hope and Nonthings Publishing...
What the Sea Means: Poems, Stories & Monologues 1987-2002
by Dave Awl
---> Info: http://www.ocelotfactory.com/seameans

First, a wildly Happy New Year to you all!

And while we're talking about of beginnings, those rumors you've
heard are true -- this Wednesday night, January 8, is the grand
premiere of my new monthly cabaret variety show, The Partly Dave
Show, which will happen the second Wednesday of each month at The No
Exit Cafe (6970 N. Glenwood, Morse el stop) in Rogers Park. Showtime
is 8pm.

Here's the shiny new Web page for The Partly Dave Show, where you can
see my snappy new logo and get all the in-depth info your little
heart craves:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave/

It's gonna be, as my Web site says, "more fun than a Winnebago full
of lemurs," and the lineup for this first show is terrific -- it
includes performances by fiendishly talented playwright Bryn Magnus,
NYC Neo-Futurist Rob Neill (pause while teenage girls scream), Kate
Anderson of Example: None fame, the always-popular poet Greg Gillam,
and my frequent collaborator Kurt Heintz of The Pansy Kings. And of
course yours truly, Dave Awl, hosting the whole shebang.

Since this installment lands on the birthday of the immortal David
Bowie, the theme is "Bowie Birthday Bash" -- pieces about, inspired
by, or referencing Bowie. Kurt's working on some DB-inspired video
and we have the amazing Chicago mod-pop-punk band The Sonnets playing
Bowie songs and originals.

Best of all, the admission is $5 or "pay what you can," so no need to
stay home just 'cause you busted your piggy bank over the holly daze.
And don't be afraid to show up hungry...No Exit serves a full cafe
menu. The food is terrific, veggie-friendly and CHEAP.

Please come join me for the launch of The Partly Dave Show and help
me get this thing off the ground right. Here's the at-a-glance info:

	 It's an alligator.
	 It's a space invader.
	 It's a rocking, rolling bitch for you.

	 It's...

	 THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW:
	 Bowie Birthday Bash!

	 Hosted by Dave Awl
	 Featuring Music by The Sonnets,
	 Video by Kurt Heintz, &
	 Performances by Kate Anderson, Greg Gillam,
	 Bryn Magnus & Rob Neill

	 Wed. Jan. 8 at 8pm
	 at The No Exit Café
	 6970 N. Glenwood (Morse el stop)
	 $5 or pay what you can

	 "You better hang on to yourself..."

	 More info: http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave/

wholeheartedly,
(Partly) Dave Awl

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coming January 8: THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW...
Not your everyday horse-frightening cabaret excursion.
---> Info: http://www.ocelotfactory.com/partlydave

Yikes! You can tell it's December because there's so much going on.
I've got two shows coming up this week, and starting in January I'll
be launching my monthly cabaret show, The Partly Dave Show at The No
Exit Café.

	 Contents below:
	 1. Hope and Nonthings Authors Showcase (This Wednesday 12/11)
	 2. Faster, Poet! Spill! Spill! (This Saturday 12/14)
	 3. The Partly Dave Show (Second Wednesdays, starting January 8)

	 As always, you can find all the info on my book What the Sea Means at:
	 http://www.ocelotfactory.com/seameans

1. HOPE AND NONTHINGS AUTHORS SHOWCASE
Wednesday, December 11 at 8pm
at The No Exit Café, 6970 N. Glenwood (right near The Heartland) in Chicago.

	 This Wednesday night I'll be hosting an evening of writers
published by Hope and Nonthings reading from their books, including
myself. I'll be reading from What the Sea Means, and the bill will
also include members of The Neo-Futurists reading from Neo Solo, plus
Mickle Maher of Theater Oobleck, John Pierson, and a musical
performance by John's acoustic pop punk band Even in Blackouts. If
you didn't make it to my book release party in September and want to
hear me read from What the Sea Means (or if you were there but want
more) here's your second chance!

	 Admission is free. Food, books and CDs for sale!

	 No Exit is right by the Morse stop on the Red Line and
there's free parking at Glenwood & Estes (two blocks north - Trilogy
parking lot). No Exit serves a light menu of soups, pastries, etc.,
plus coffee and other fabulous beverages including my favorite, Green
River sodas.

	 By the way, in case you missed it, there was a lovely article
about Hope and Nonthings by the lovely Justin Hayford in last week's
Chicago Reader...featuring a very glamorous picture of John Pierson &
Diana Slickman. Section one, p. 12. (I'd post the link if it were
online, but sadly, it isn't.)

2. FASTER, POET! SPILL, SPILL!
Saturday, December 14 at 11pm
at Bailiwick Arts Center, 1229 West Belmont in Chicago.

	 I'll be participating in this "poetry game show" hosted by
J.T. Newman, Jason Schupp and Kirk Williamson as a benefit for About
Face Youth Theatre. Apparently us poets will be performing two-minute
poems in a game show format with "penalties and prizes." Others on
the bill include Kurt Heintz, Gregg Shapiro, Aldo Alvarez and about a
dozen others. Admission is $3.

3. Coming in January: THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW
Second Wednesdays at 8pm
at The No Exit Café, 6970 N. Glenwood (right near The Heartland) in Chicago.

	 Starting in January, I'm going to be hosting a monthly
cabaret show at No Exit called THE PARTLY DAVE SHOW. The shows will
feature a mix of music and spoken word performers, and I'm currently
planning for each show to have a theme. It'll happen the second
Wednesday of each month, at 8pm at The No Exit. The January 8, Feb.
12 and March 12 shows are definite and if the shows go well, the
series may continue all year.

	 Since the first show falls on David Bowie's Birthday, the
theme is gonna be "Bowie Birthday Bash!" Featuring performances about
or referencing ol' Ziggy and his other alter egos. I'm still
finalizing the bill but it will definitely include one of Chicago's
most mod-a-licious bands, The Sonnets, covering Bowie songs, as well
as my old pal Kurt Heintz and other performers to be announced. Stay
tuned for more information!

Dave
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New from Hope and Nonthings Publishing...
What the Sea Means: Poems, Stories & Monologues 1987-2002
by Dave Awl
---> Info: http://www.ocelotfactory.com/seameans

Unspeakably titillating developments covered in this briefing:

	 1. What the Sea Means Update
	 2. I'm hosting: H&N Authors Showcase  (Dec. 11th)
	 3. I'm DJ-ing: 80's Prom Night at Phyllis' Musical Inn - this Saturday!

Keep reading for all the shocking details on the items above...

WHAT'S UP WITH WHAT THE SEA MEANS...

Thanks to everyone for continuing to buy, read and spread the word
about my book What the Sea Means. It's continuing to rack up lovely
reader reviews on Amazon.com, which you can check out here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0970745877/

Meanwhile, if you missed the What the Sea Means book release party
and are still itching for an opportunity to hear me read from it (or
if you were there but you want a double dose), you're gonna get your
chance, buster, at the...

HOPE AND NONTHINGS AUTHORS SHOWCASE, DECEMBER 11

Here's a hot little news flash: starting in January, I'm going to be
hosting a monthly cabaret show at the No Exit Cafe, called THE PARTLY
DAVE SHOW. You'll be hearing lots more about those shows in the
coming weeks... in the meantime, as a warm-up for my cabaret hosting
skills, on Wednesday December 11th I'll be hosting a Hope and
Nonthings Authors Showcase at the No Exit.
You'll get a chance to hear a number of authors published by Hope and
Nonthings reading from their books, including yours truly. Here are
the specs:

WHAT: Dave Awl hosts an evening of authors reading from their books
published by local small press Hope and Nonthings. Plus a musical
performance by the band Even in Blackouts!

WHEN: Wednesday, December 11 at 8pm

WHO: The lineup includes:

* Members of The Neo-Futurists read from their book Neo Solo: 131
Neo-Futurist Solo Plays

* Mickle Maher reads from An Apology for the Course and Outcome of
Certain Events by Doctor John Faustus on This His Final Evening and
The Hunchback Variations

* John "Jughead" Pierson reads from his unpublished novel Weasels in a Box

* Dave Awl reads from What the Sea Means: Poems, Stories & Monologues 1987-2002

* Acoustic pop-punk band Even in Blackouts play songs from their CD
Myths and Imaginary Magicians

WHERE: No Exit Cafe, 6970 N. Glenwood (near The Heartland Café) in
Chicago. No Exit is right by the Morse stop on the Red Line and
there's free parking at Glenwood & Estes (two blocks north -
Trilogy parking lot). No Exit serves a light menu of sandwiches,
soups & pastries, plus coffee and other beverages.

HOW MUCH: Admission is free. Food, books and CDs for sale!

See you there, teddy bear.

COME DANCING: 80'S PROM NIGHT AT PHYLLIS' MUSICAL INN

Hey, if you're looking for a fun place to dance this Saturday night,
have I got a party for you! I'm gonna be DJ-ing, along with my
friends Sandie, Vee and Dave Roberts of Planet Earth fame, at a
prom-themed 80s' Dance Party at Phyllis' Musical Inn.

Here's your chance to have the Prom night you always wanted -- tacky
formal wear, wacky New Wave music, and no icky chaperones!

The schedule: from 8pm to midnight Sandie, Vee & I will be spinning
dance music, with the band Surly playing at 10pm. From midnight to
3am Dave Roberts will work his Planet Earth magic.

WHERE: Phyllis' Musical Inn, 1800 W. Division.
WHEN: This Saturday, November 23. 8pm-3am.
HOW MUCH: $3 cover. 21 & over.

Dig out your favorite semi-formalwear and come dancing! It's only natural!

Dave








--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New from Hope and Nonthings Publishing...
What the Sea Means: Poems, Stories & Monologues 1987-2002
by Dave Awl
---> Info: http://www.ocelotfactory.com/seameans

Flaming arrows in this quiver:

	 1. I'm hosting New Wave Halloween at Planet Earth
	 2. What the Sea Means news & reviews
	 3. Windy City Radio interview archived online

1. NEW WAVE HALLOWEEN AT PLANET EARTH!

Okay, so you know Planet Earth, that weekly New Wave Club night I go
to every week, do advertising & promotions for and generally won't
shut up about? Well, they asked me to emcee the New Wave costume
contest at this week's special Halloween edition. That's Thursday
night the 31st, of course. The contest is simple -- dress up as your
favorite New Waver, grand prize is $100. If you've ever had the urge
to dress up in yellow Devo coveralls or a beehive wig or little
Thomas Dolby spectacles (or maybe all three at once), or you just
think you look like Danny Elfman, or maybe you could dress up as that
armadillo from The Clash's "Rock the Casbah" video, here's your
chance to maybe win a hundred clams for your trouble. Judging is at
12:30am, contestants need to be registered by midnight. Hey, maybe
you just want to drop by and witness the spectacle (and skank to
Madness with me afterwards). Whether you enter the contest or not,
Planet Earth is always the wildest planet around. Check out the
Planet Earth Web site at http://www.planetearthchicago.com for all
the details.

2. WHAT THE SEA MEANS CLIMBING THE CHARTS LIKE A LEMUR UP A GREASED
DRAINPIPE...

So last week, the Amazon.com sales rank for What the Sea Means was
something like 2,300,000. Not so hot, huh? Well, hold on, sailor,
that was before all you legions of Dave Awl fans around the world
weighed in. Now, after a week of heavy email self-promotion and brisk
sales, WTSM's Amazon rank has risen to -- are you ready? --
1,600,259. That's right, I have now CRACKED THE TOP TWO MILLION. I
will refrain from typing expressions like "Boo-ha" because I don't
even know what that means, but I hope you all are drunk, drunk, drunk
with your sheer purchasing power.

Speaking of Amazon -- New Zealand-based fiction writer and journalist
Chris Bell, whom I've gotten to know from the Russell Hoban online
community The Kraken, posted a fabulous reader review of What the Sea
Means and I got such a kick out of it I thought I'd share it here.

>How to captivate someone with a short attention span, October 16, 2002
>Reviewer: kleinzeit from Auckland, New Zealand
>
>The wonders of Dave Awl's book became apparent to me within 12 hours
>of it taking its place on my Kramer-style coffee table. A friend,
>not one normally to be seen within page-turning distance of a book -
>let alone to be seen sitting still on the sofa for longer than a
>nanosecond - suddenly (and without prompting) began reading aloud
>some of these stories, poems and monologues. Then she started
>laughing. Soon, she was recommending stories for me - I hadn't even
>begun reading 'What The Sea Means' at this point. Soon, we were
>passing the book back and forth, each reading aloud, exchanging "the
>good bits" (and there are many), and suggesting the book would make
>an excellent Christmas present for our friends.
>
>OK. I'm biased. But I highly recommend, in no particular order: 'A
>Perfectly Empty Room' (story); 'The Idea of You' (monologue);
>'Glastonbury' (poem); 'What The Sea Means' (poem); and a poem about
>Magritte, which I can't seem to find in the index but which I know
>has to be there ... Reading this book wouldn't be complete without
>its own little mysteries.
>
>In a nutshell, word paintings that are surreal and full of
>revelations. Best of all, at the back of the book is a section of
>notes. It answers questions you haven't asked yet and poses some you
>wish you had.
>
>Diving into Dave Awl's work is like discovering a continent or a
>magical island: You thought it might be there but you didn't dare
>hope it would be this weird, this different.
>Do your brain cells a favour.

As usual, all the info on What the Sea Means and how to order it is here:
===>  http://www.ocelotfactory.com/seameans/

3. WINDY CITY RADIO INTERVIEW ARCHIVED ONLINE

Okay, so the good news is my Oct. 6 appearance on Windy City Radio is
now available in the show's online archive. The bad news is the file
is a little garbled in places, or at least it was when I tried
listening to it -- I'm not hep enough to the ways of RealAudio to
know whether that means the file itself is mangled or just my
particular download got scrambled. But if you want to check it out,
it's here: http://www.windycityradio.com/archives.html
...click on the Oct. 6 show in the left-hand menu for "Windy City Radio."

***
Parting thought:
What's #1 on my wish list for November? A REGIME CHANGE, right here
in the U.S. of A.
Please don't forget to vote on November 5th.

Dave
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New from Hope and Nonthings Publishing...
What the Sea Means: Poems, Stories & Monologues 1987-2002
by Dave Awl
---> Info: http://www.ocelotfactory.com/seameans

Burning issues and wildly-important news alerts covered in this email:

	 1. I'm on Windy City Radio this Sunday, October 6
	 2. Read the interview in Windy City Times
	 3. Where to get my new book on the Web, by mail order and in stores
	 4. Three more weeks of Too Much Light...

	 Keep reading for more detail on all of the above.

LOCAL WINDBAG DAVE AWL TO APPEAR ON WINDY CITY RADIO...

	 Yes, I'll be interviewed on Windy City Radio this Sunday
night, October 6th. Windy City Radio is a weekly program for, you
know, the homo-fabulous community (but the hetero-fabulous are
allowed to listen too). I'll be talking about my new book What the
Sea Means, naturally.

	 Windy City Radio happens every Sunday night on WCKG -- that's
105.9 FM here in Chicago. I'll be on somewhere between 10:30pm and
midnight. For those of you out of the listening area, I believe the
programs are archived online -- if my appearance is available in that
way I'll post the link to this list eventually.

WINDBAG ALSO INTERVIEWED IN WINDY CITY TIMES NEWSPAPER...

	 Oh, and I also got interviewed by Gregg Shapiro for Windy
City Times. Gregg said some very, very nice things about the
book.(Oh, and he said I was "Awl That." He's such a clever boy.) That
interview is online and you can read it right here:
	 http://www.wctimes.com/0outlines/sept25w02/Awl.html


...AND NOW, THE PART YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR:
HOW TO GET YOUR VERY OWN COPY OF WHAT THE SEA MEANS!

	 Okay, here's how to get your copy of What the Sea Means,
which is now available far and wide. (Near and close, too, if that's
your preference). And as always, you can read all about the book and
find all the ordering info here:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com/seameans/

1. Where to find it online...

	 For those who want credit card convenience, or if you're
outside the US, you can order it directly from Amazon.com here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0970745877/

	 (If that link doesn't work for any reason, just search for "Dave Awl"

2. How to get it by mail order...

	 For those who like to cut out the corporate middlemen, you
can order the book direct from the publisher, Hope and Nonthings
Publishing, by sending a check or money order for US $12.95 (includes
shipping for domestic orders; foreign orders please inquire first) to:

	 Hope and Nonthings
	 P.O. Box 148010
	 Chicago, IL 60614

	 Please make your check or money order out to "Hope and
Nonthings." Inquiries about foreign orders or other matters can be
directed to john@....

3. Where to find it in stores...

	 The following stores in Chicago are known to be carrying What
the Sea Means. Others (hopefully in other cities, too) will be added
as they become known to us.

	 * Women and Children First - 5233 N. Clark Street, Chicago
	 * Unabridged Books - 3251 N. Broadway, Chicago
	 * The Neo-Futurarium boutique - 5153 N. Ashland, Chicago
	 * No Exit Café- 6970 N. Glenwood, Chicago

	 The following stores are a pretty good bet:

	 * Act I Books - 2540 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago
	 * Quimby's - 1854 W. North Avenue, Chicago

	 If you don't see the book at one of these stores, be sure to
ask for it! You never know what category it might be hiding under. If
none of these stores are in geographical range, please consider
marching into your favorite bookstore armed with the ISBN number
(0-9707458-7-7) and asking them to special order it.

BACK IN TMLMTBGB THROUGH OCTOBER 20

	 If you want to catch me on my sentimental journey back into
the ranks of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, you have three
more weekends. I highly recommend the Sunday 7pm performances because
they're the easiest to get into. You'll also get a chance to catch
some of the rising new stars of Too Much Light, including the
fiendishly funny Jay Torrence, the fiendishly smart Joe Dempsey, and
the fiendishly silly Ryan Walters. If you need any more info on Too
Much Light (or have been living under a patio animal and don't know
what it is) visit http://www.neofuturists.org

mad love to you all, everywhere,
Dave




--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New from Hope and Nonthings press...
What the Sea Means: Poems, Stories & Monologues 1987-2002
by Dave Awl
---> Info: http://www.ocelotfactory.com/seameans

Hey guess what? I'm gonna be back in Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go
Blind, for the first time in more than a year, for four weeks
starting Sept. 27.

Hey guess what #2? The release party for my book What the Sea Means
is this Saturday, Sept. 21 at 3pm, in case it was gonna slip yer mind.

Hey guess what #3? Neo Solo is now available for purchase and worship!

Hey guess what #4? I'm performing at Grinder Cabaret the following
Thursday, Sept. 26. You can get books there, too, and of course I'll
be reading from What the Sea Means.

All of these hot topics are covered in slightly more detail below...

	 DAVE AWL BACK IN TOO MUCH LIGHT? YEAH, YOU HEARD ME.

Partly to plug my new book, and partly because I want to play with
the new kids, I'll be making my grand return to TMLMTBGB for the
first time since the 2001 Pride show. I'll be in the show starting
Friday, Sept. 27, and there the next four weeks, through Sunday Oct.
20. Come see the show and say hi! (And yes, it's one more place you
can pick up a copy of my book.)

	 ONE MORE PLUG FOR THE BOOK RELEASE PARTY...

I know you've got it on your calendar already. My new book What the
Sea Means: Poems, Stories & Monologues 1987-2002 will be celebrated
with an orgy of poetry reading and guitar strumming this Saturday
afternoon, Sept. 21, at 3pm, at The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland
(at Foster) in Chicago.

Also, I hear an unconfirmed rumor that there will be LOTS OF
DELICIOUS FOOD from a certain local trattoria but you didn't hear
that from me.

Full details about the book are here: http://www.ocelotfactory.com/seameans

Hey, this thing is for real. We just received the shipment of books
at The Neo-Futurarium this afternoon and they sure do look purty.
Maybe someday I'll actually read all those words.

	 NEO SOLO NOW AVAILABLE! BUY IT ONLINE, IF YOU WANT.

Remember that *other* book I told you about? The fabulous new book
collection of monologues and solo plays from Too Much Light, NEO
SOLO, is now available! Believe me, it's an awesome reading
experience, packed full of work by literary giants like Kotis and
Hermes and Slickman and Strus and Kodeski and Halliday and...oh, you
get the point. There are 25 giants and 131 scripts, for Pete's sake.
And yeah, I've got six pieces in there, too, up to and including "I'm
a Secretary!" You can get it at the theater, mail order it via the
Hope and Nonthings site, <http://www.hopeandnonthings.com>, or read
all about it on the Amazon page here:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0970745885/
(If that link doesn't work, just go to Amazon.com & search "Neo Solo," okay?)

	 GRINDER REMINDER...AND IT'S THE 26TH, NOT THE 27TH.

In a recent plug for my upcoming appearance at Grinder Cabaret, I
accidentally gave the date as "Thursday the 27th." But it's not the
27th, because the 27th is a Friday, and -- I'm sure you're way ahead
of me on this -- Grinder is always on a Thursday because THURSDAY IS
THE TRULY GAY DAY. Or something like that.

Anyway, if for any reason you can't make my official book release
party for What The Sea Means this Saturday afternoon, please come
check me out at Grinder which I'm considering my "auxiliary book
release party." See how that works?

Grinder is a weekly performance series started by its host, Scott
Free. The performers are queer but the audience is everyone and
anyone, so don't get all hetero-shy or anything. Each week one
poet/writer and one musician/band are featured. This time I'll be on
a bill with Anthony Whitaker. Admission is free with pass-the-hat for
the artists. It's every Thursday evening at 8pm (show runs about 90
minutes) at No Exit Café, 6970 N. Glenwood (right near The Heartland)
in Chicago. No Exit is right by the Morse stop on the Red Line and
there's free parking at Glenwood & Estes (two blocks north - Trilogy
parking lot). No Exit serves a light menu of soups, pastries, etc.,
plus coffee and other fabulous beverages including my favorite, Green
River sodas.

my undying, courtly love to you all --
Dave
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------
"There is not one human problem that could not be solved
   if people would simply do as I advise."
--Gore Vidal

==> Ocelot Factory:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com

Hurrah! At long last there's a firm release date for my book,  What
the Sea Means: Poems, Stories & Monologues 1987-2002. On September
21, 2002 at 3pm US Central time, we'll be having a big ol' release
party at The Neo-Futurarium in Chicago. Keep reading for all the
details...

Incredibly Titillating News Items in This Message:

	 1. Book release party & book info
	 2. Info about a completely different book I'm in (Neo Solo)
	 3. Sept. 27 appearance at Grinder Cabaret
	 4. "Sissies" on This American Life -- yet again

1. Book Release Party September 21! And the Vital Statistics...

The wild, shocking, decadent book release party for What the Sea
Means will take place Saturday, September 21st at 3pm, at The
Neo-Fututarium in Chicago, and you're invited! Yes, you! I'll be
reading from and signing copies of the book, and John Pierson's
fabulous "wall of strum" acoustic pop punk band Even in Blackouts
will be playing a live set as well. (You might know John as "Jughead"
from Screeching Weasel, or you might know him as playwright and
publishing magnate ian pierce, or you might just know him as, well,
John from Too Much Light.) The Neo-Futurarium is at 5153 N. Ashland,
corner of Ashland and Foster in Chicago. Admission is free. (I'm
thinking about holding some sort of virtual "online release party"
for those of you not in the Chicago area...more on that if & when I
figure it out.)

Crucial data on the book itself:

Publisher:  Hope and Nonthings Press
Publication Date:  September 21, 2002
Cover price:  US $12.95
Pages:  192
ISBN #: 	 0-9707458-7-7

You can check out the book cover and read all the jacket copy on the
What the Sea Means page:
---->   http://www.ocelotfactory.com/seameans

Where to find it: What the Sea Means will be available online through
Amazon.com (and hopefully Powells.com), as well as at bookstores
including (here in Chicago) Women and Children First Books, Act I
Books, and The Neo-Futurarium, plus others to be announced. More
information about ordering and stores that have it in stock will be
posted to this list as it's confirmed. Stay tuned...

2. Yet another book -- Neo Solo: 131 Solo Plays from Too Much Light
Makes the Baby Go Blind

It's been a jaw-dropping nine years since the first book collection
of scripts from Too Much Light was published, and believe it or not,
Neo Solo has been (stuck) in the pipeline since 1993. At long last,
thanks to the heroic efforts of editor Diana Slickman, the
long-awaited book of monologues and one-person plays from TMLMTBGB is
about to see daylight. I don't know the exact release date yet but
it'll be soon -- probably even before What the Sea Means is out. Neo
Solo has work by 25 different Neo-Futurist authors, including yours
truly, and at least one of my pieces in it is not included in What
the Sea Means. Neo Solo will be available from all the same places as
What the Sea Means, so skip back up and re-read that section if you
need to. More info when I get it.

3. Appearing live at Grinder Cabaret, Sept. 27

Probably my favorite place to perform in Chicago these days is Scott
Free's wildly popular Thursday-night cabaret series Grinder,
currently at the No Exit Cafe. I'll be making another appearance
there less than a week after the release of WTSM, so you know I'll be
performing material from that. I'll be sharing a bill with musician
Anthony Whitaker.

Grinder is a weekly queer performance series started by its host,
Scott Free. Each week one poet/writer and one musician/band are
featured. Queer-themed subject matter, in prose or in song, is
encouraged, but not required. Admission is free with pass-the-hat for
the artists. It's every Thursday evening at 8pm (show runs about 90
minutes) at No Exit Café, 6970 N. Glenwood (right near The Heartland)
in Chicago. No Exit is right by the Morse stop on the Red Line and
there's free parking at Glenwood & Estes (two blocks north - Trilogy
parking lot). No Exit serves a light menu of soups, pastries, etc.,
plus coffee and other fabulous beverages including my favorite, Green
River sodas.

4. This American Life can never, ever get enough of "Sissies"

Apparently, back in early July, the insanely popular NPR show This
American Life replayed, yet again, the infamous "Sissies" episode on
which I appear. How do I know this? Because I immediately received
emails from 372 dear friends I haven't seen or heard from since the
days when I resembled Pugsley from The Addams family, with a worse
haircut. "Sissies" first aired in December of 1996, but in those days
TAL was just starting out and not many people heard it. Since then
"Sissies" has been replayed at least once a year, and every time it
happens I hear from more people and assume that there's no one left
on earth who hasn't heard it...until the next time they play it. So,
if you're one of the three people left in this quadrant of the Milky
Way who hasn't heard that show yet, and you want to, you can listen
to it online as long as you've got RealAudio installed. Here's the
link: http://www.thislife.org/pages/archive96.html#46

When you get to the TAL site, just click on the little blue RealAudio
button in the upper left. (If it doesn't work, you need to install
RealAudio...there's a link to do that at the top of the page, just
scroll up.)

The show features me talking about my New Wave high school days, and
my evolution from put-upon-pansy to pansy punk. The episode also
features John Connors, Mubarak Dahir, and Dan Savage...my segment is
about 40 minutes into the show.

Okay, that's enough out of me for one day.

thanks for listening,
Dave

P.S. As always, if you want help removing yourself from this silly
old list, just say the word. The word is "glyptodont."
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------
"There is not one human problem that could not be solved
   if people would simply do as I advise."
--Gore Vidal

==> Ocelot Factory:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com

Psst. Just a reminder that this coming Tuesday I'll be appearing at
Women & Children First Books here in Andersonville, as part of their
annual Pride month poetry reading. Two public appearances in less
than a month? HE'S ON FIRE!

Selections from the still-forthcoming What the Sea Means will be read.

Note that the all-star bill for this year's reading also includes
erstwhile Pansy Kings Kurt Heintz and Gregg Shapiro, plus wildly
talented pals like Cin Salach and Yvonne Zipter, and Grinder Boys
Scott Free & Kirk Williamson.

Here's the 411:

>Tuesday, June 25, 2002, 7:30pm - 2002 Annual Pride Month Poetry Reading
>at Women and Children First Books, 5233 N. Clark Street, Chicago
>
>Head over to Andersonville's fabulous independent bookstore for the
>yearly Pride month poetry reading and open mike. This year's
>scheduled writers include: Dave Awl, Kurt Heintz, Karen Lee Osborne,
>Cin Salach, Gregg Shapiro, Gerard Wozek, Kirk Williamson, and Yvonne
>Zipter; musician Scott Free will also appear. The open mike slots
>are limited to two minutes. If you want to be guaranteed a spot on
>the schedule, call ahead at 773-769-9299. Bring a poem or short
>piece of prose and plan on showing up at the store between 7:00 and
>7:15.

Distant Early Warning: I'm scheduled for a return appearance at Scott
Free's fabulous Grinder Cabaret on Thursday, September 26th. By that
time my book should be out, so you can pretty much bet I'll be
hawking it there...

Dave
--
_______________________________________________
Ocelot Factory:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com

Hey everyone,

Just a quick correction to my item about Cabaret Erotique, the Dyke
March Benefit tomorrow (Friday) night. It's been moved from Bailiwick
to The Theater Building, at 1225 W. Belmont.

The Theater Building is right next door to Bailiwick, so
theoretically anyone who goes to Bailiwick by mistake won't have too
hard a time finding their way to the correct location.  ; )

10:30pm, $10 admission, I'm performing -- what more do you need to
know? E-mail me with any questions.

Dave
--
_______________________________________________
Ocelot Factory:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com

Hey everyone...

Though I'm still working hard getting What the Sea Means ready for
publication, I have a couple of performances coming up in honor of
Pride month. Here's the rainbow-sherbet scoop:

* DYKE MARCH BENEFIT -- Friday, May 31, 2002 at 10:30pm
at the Bailiwick Arts Center, 1229 W. Belmont, near Belmont and Racine

Dykediva.com and the Lesbian Theater Initiative of the Bailiwick Arts
Center present an evening of performance and erotic works by some of
the city's best queer artists. All proceeds from the evening's
performance will benefit Dyke March 2002. Hosted by J.T. Newman
(co-host of the Dyke Mic) and Scott Free (host of the weekly queer
words + music show, Grinder), with spoken word artists Dave Awl, Ari
Banias, Kay Barrett, Sharmili Majmudar, and Keturah Rogers, plus
music by Lyanna Figueroa, Lisa Hahn (co-host of the Dyke Mic and the
Inner Town Pub open mic), Emily White, and Tom Yore.

* ANNUAL PRIDE MONTH POETRY READING 2002  -- Tuesday, June 25, 2002, 7:30pm
at Women and Children First Books, 5233 N. Clark Street, Chicago

Head over to Andersonville's fabulous independent bookstore for the
yearly Pride month poetry reading and open mike. This year's
scheduled writers include: Dave Awl, Kurt Heintz, Karen Lee Osborne,
Cin Salach, Gregg Shapiro, Gerard Wozek, Kirk Williamson, and Yvonne
Zipter; musician Scott Free will also appear. The open mike slots are
limited to two minutes. If you want to be guaranteed a spot on the
schedule, call ahead at 773-769-9299. Bring a poem or short piece of
prose and plan on showing up at the store between 7:00 and 7:15.

WHAT'S UP WITH THE BOOK?

Well, it's not gonna be out by June like I hoped. Music industry red
tape is going to cost us 3-6 weeks while I wait for permission to
quote a couple of lines from songs. In the meantime, we're getting
the book laid out all nice and neat...and in all honesty the extra
editing time probably means a better final product anyway. My best
guess now is that the book will be out in August or September. Stay
tuned!

Info on What the Sea Means: http://www.ocelotfactory.com/seameans
Dave Awl News: http://www.ocelotfactory.com/danews.html

best,
Dave



--
_______________________________________________
Ocelot Factory:
More fun than a Winnebago full of marmosets!
http://www.ocelotfactory.com

Hey everyone,

It's been six months (!) since I've sent anything out on this list,
so I figured y'all were long overdue for an update...and since I'm in
the final stages of getting my book ready to go to the printer, it
seems like a good time to fill you all in on that.

By the by, you may have noticed I've changed the name of this list
from the somewhat oblique "Parakeet Report" to the rather more
Tell-It-Like-It-T-I-Is name "dave-awl-news." It's not exactly clevah
but the Parakeet thing seemed potentially confusing to those who
don't read Wallace Stevens on the train (and perhaps even to those
who do).

Also, in the past I've scrupulously avoided putting anyone on this
list myself, preferring to let people sign up of their own volition,
but this time around I've taken the liberty (so that's who took it)
of dumping in a few names of people I thought would like to be clued
in about this whole book deal. If you hate Yahoo Groups on general
principles or something, info on how to unsubscribe is at the bottom
of this message -- or just ask me and I'll be glad to remove you.
(Well, maybe not "glad" -- but I'll smile through the tears and do it
anyway.)

Okay, BOOK NEWS. Here's what I can tell you so far:

Title:   What the Sea Means: Poems, Stories and Monologues 1987-2002
By:     Dave Awl, silly
(That's what it's going to say on the cover, "Dave Awl, silly" ...
it's an honorary title.)
Publisher:  The deadly chic Hope and Nonthings Press
<http://www.hopeandnonthings.com>
Pages:  probably somewhere between 125-175

Release Date: Ah, there's the rub. It all depends on how fast I can
get it to the printer...I'm hoping it'll be out by May or June at the
latest. Needless to say, if you're on this list you'll know as soon
as the release date is settled. I'll be planning a release party, of
course, so watch for your invite. (And once the book is out, I'm
planning to hit the poetry reading circuit as much as I can, so my
performance calendar should be getting a little more lively in the
coming months.)

What's in it?:  At the moment, the plan is to divide the book into
the following four sections:

I.   What the Sea Means (new poems, 1998-2002)
II.  Big Glass Jar (monologues and stories from Talking to Myself,
Pansy Kings, Spin 1/2, Too Much Light, etc.)
III. Night Diaries (poems 1995-1997)
IV. The Desires of Glass (poems 1987-1994)

I'm hoping to get a few advance excerpts up on the Web soon, and when
they do I'll let you all know. They'll go up on the official What the
Sea Means page at:
	 http://www.ocelotfactory.com/seameans

A LITTLE BACK-SCRATCHING WHILE WE'RE AT IT...

Okay, while I've still got you (assuming I do), I also want to slip
in a plug for a book by a friend. Ayun Halliday, my old pal and
fellow Post-Neo-Futurist, has a book being published in May called
The Big Rumpus. Since I'm her Webmaster (see
http://www.ayunhalliday.com), I've been privileged to peruse an
advance galley and let me tell you sisterbrothers, it gets five hoots
on a four hoot scale. It's an adventures-in-childrearing sort of
thing, but Ayun's writing style is so witty and hilarious that I
couldn't put it down, and I have nothing whatsoever to do with these
toddler dramas. I mean, I'm a happily child-free gay man and somehow
she made the details of childbirth and nursing and weaning and so
forth absolutely fascinating to me. Imagine how much you'll enjoy it
if you actually have kids, or ever plan to! The mind boggles. Anyway,
advance copies can be purchased at Powell's.com, Amazon.com, etc. and
there's a nice review up on the Amazon.com page for it here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580050719/qid%3D1015224322/ref%3Dsr%5F11\
%5F0%5F1/002-2539178-2743264

...assuming that link comes through intact. Otherwise just go to
Amazon.com and search for "Ayun Halliday."

Okay, enough for this episode. Stay tuned...

Dave
--
_______________________________________________
"My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners
for four, unless there are three other people."
--Orson Welles

==>The new, improved Ocelot Factory:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com

First, since this is the official first post on The Parakeet Report
Yahoo Group, let me say thanks to everyone who's actually joined this
mailing list. Not to get too Sally Field about it all, but it's nice
to know people are interested in what I'm doing.

As some of you know, I'm working on a book of poems and monologues to
be published in early 2002. So I'm not doing a lot of performing
these days, but I do have one appearance coming up. This coming
Thursday, Sept. 27, I'll be returning to Grinder, Scott Free's weekly
showcase for queer writers and musicians at the Coffee & Tea Exchange
on Thorndale in Chicago. Showtime is 8pm and it usually winds up
about 9:45pm. I'll be performing pieces from the forthcoming book,
and maybe a comic monolog or two. The musical part of the bill will
be Russel Brown O'Brien, whom I don't know anything about but I'm
sure he's quite talented. Anyway, Grinder is usually a very fun
event, it's free, and all are welcome.

Here's the 411 on Grinder:

WHAT:  Grinder is a weekly queer performance series started by its
host Scott Free. Each week one poet/writer and one musician/band are
featured. Admission is free (with pass-the-hat for the artists).

WHEN: Thursday September 27 at 8pm (show runs about 90 minutes)

WHERE:  At the Coffee and Tea Exchange, 1100 W. Thorndale in Chicago
(practically next door to the Thorndale stop on the Howard line).
There's free parking in the Swift school parking lot across the
street.

After Grinder I will of course be heading down to my usual Thursday
night haunt, DJ Dave Roberts' Planet Earth. Planet Earth is Chicago's
best New Wave/Punk/Ska/New Romantic club night. In addition to being
a die-hard regular there, I write and edit content for the Planet
Earth Web site, run their online community and help with promotions.
(You can check out the site at http://www.planetearthchicago.com. And
if you're thorough, you might just spot me lurking in a dark corner
or two.) So if anyone's in the mood to go dancing to Madness, Bowie,
Blondie and Devo after Grinder, you'll be welcome to c'mon along.

thanks for listening,
Dave
--
_______________________________________________
"My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners
for four, unless there are three other people."
--Orson Welles

==>The new, improved Ocelot Factory:
http://www.ocelotfactory.com