|IlIlIW'8 IIAWS liy crow lillllfiil .31 Coming Out as a Poet feminist experience late- ly. I’ve been hanging out at the Rhombus Gallery for the past few months, which has been wonderfully energizing. Thanks to Jeff Miller and Cathy Resiner, local writers, musicians, and artists have had a terrific opportunity to per- form in public in a safe and nurturing environment. Rhombus has a funky (in the positive hippie sense), grass- roots-y feel to it right there in the middle of downtown Burlington. I’ve gone to open poetry readings, concerts by folk singers, comedy improv, and a relatively new form of performance art — “poetry slams.” Slam poets usually memorize their poems and then are “judged” by five random members of the audience who volunteer to give the poets scores by holding up numbered cards. The first twelve poets who sign up are only allowed three minutes to wow the audi- ence, and then the 6 winners of the first round get to recite another poem for the “play- offs.” The top three scorers win cash prizes. They are the row- diest poetry readings I’ve ever been to, and the place is so jammed you need to get there early. I hate competition especial- ly when it comes to art; need- less to say, I haven’t had the guts to perform. I remember the old days when Commonwoman, a radical fem- inist monthly, used to encour- age writers, photographers, Iliad the most endearing artirts, and cartoonists to sub- mit whatever. We felt it was our feminist duty to be as open as possible to budding creative endeavors of all kind as long as they weren’t blatantly sexist, racist or homophobic. The par- ticipants in the poetry slams are sometimes amazing, some- times not so great; but they all have courage to make them- selves vulnerable in front of I00 highly responsive listen- ers. I’ve been going to the slams with a poetry-writing friend of mine who is rather shy. Since this was a “chick slam” (only women readers) she finally decided to enter the contest, no matter how nervous she felt. I totally cheered her on, although I knew I wasn’t ready to stick my neck out yet. So there we were, crammed into the narrow, wooden seats as the place began to fill up. She was getting paler by the minute. I was in awe of her courage. She was fourth on the list of twelve. The first two poets were pretty flashy. They memorized their poems, were quite animated, and pleased thejudges. I began to shrink. How was my friend going to compete with that young, all-over-the-place ener- gy? My heart starting pound- ing. I was having sympathy pains. Her turn. She climbed over our legs and stood on the stage completely deadpan. With her poem in hand, she delivered the first couple of lines in a cracked and wavering voice. Then she looked up from the page, the tone of her voice became clearer, and she finished delivering her stark words as if she were a librarian who had a wild night-life. There was something com- pletely incongruous about her performance. Not only that, but she and I were the only middle- aged gals in sight. The audi- ence cheered loudly. She got a high score. I was so grateful I had a chance to share her strug- gle of working through her fears right before my very eyes knowing that the process was more important than the goal. That’s live feminism in action. Not only that, she competed in the second round and came away with first prize! Neither of us dreamed when we walked in there that she would wake up the whole room like that. What were these young women responding to? “Did they resonate with her high- dive into the fray? Did they long to hear a middle-aged woman’s voice that wasn’t hung up on male approval or obsessed with sex? My friend had something to say because she had had a hard life and sim- ply reported the truth, no frills but definitely with an edge of irony. This-~ is me, she said. Take it or leave it. We women still have such a long way to go towards complete self-accep- tance. What a privilege to have a place to go in town to try out our creative wings.V April 2000 Out in the Mountains 23 equal justice under law REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), a gay civil rights legal organization serving the six New England states for 21 years, is seeking a Regional Director of Development, reporting to the Director of Development and Finance, to be primarily respon- sible for major donor work outside of Eastern Massachusetts, including initiating corporate and foundation contacts. The Regional Director will also be responsible for coordinating regional events and direct mail with the assistance of GLAD’s Development Associate and Assistant. Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have 3-5 years of direct development experience with major donor work and some exposure to all aspects of non-profit development work. Some knowledge of and familiarity with the New England area and some supervisory experience are preferred. Ability and willingness to travel in New England 6-12 days a month or as needed. Salary: High $30’s to Low $40’s commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits. Please send resume and cover letter by April 28, 2000 to Mark A. Enselman, Development & Finance Director, 294 Washington St., Suite 740, Boston, MA 02108 When is the last time you had this much fun? .77&uy. fifie a flag. 860. 1 1 44 59 .7ndu».iL*u'a[ (Zucnue ‘ll-lifliotcul ‘Ucmurut The preferred candidate will : - be self-motivated and able to work well with customers as well as other Mountain Pride Media employees ~ Brattleboroi ~ Burlington ~ Montpelier I Mountain Pride Media is looking for Regional Ad Sales Representatives. We have immediate openings for Ad Sales Representatives in the following areas of Vermont: ~ Rutland ~ Saint Johnsbury ~ White River Junction - be able to meet all deadlines for newspaper and Web site production - have substantial access to a computer with internet service and e-mail, as well as word processing and spreadshefit proggams - be committed to the missions of Mountain Pride Media and Out In The Mountains, both of which aim to strengt en an maintain the communication within the LGBT community in Vermont. This position requires a minimum of 5 hours per week. Ad Sales Representatives receive commission as well as a small stipend to help cover expenses. For more information, contact Mountain Pride Media at _8o2-43_4-V6486 (option 3) or send an e-mail to personnel@mountampr1demed1a.org. Mountain Pride Media is the publisher of Out In The Mountains and www.mountainpridemedia.org.