Charlapalooza Memories

October, 2006. The gauntlet had been thrown, and Charla and I prepared for the mental gymnastics that were soon to follow. Two poets enter. . . well, two poets leave. As far as I know, no one’s brain has ever exploded from Charlapalooza. But only one poet will be victorious, their reward the knowledge that they have mastered the art of pulling a poem out of their ass. It didn’t matter that my highest level of poetic training was high school AP English, or that I had never willingly written a poem in my life. What mattered was the blood-thirsty fans that threw the most ridiculous topics at us, yet not once did I cry uncle– not even when the topic of BANANA HAMMOCKS was suggested.

What mattered was the mostly foolish but occasionally beautiful poetry that otherwise would have never existed.  What mattered was how much fun it was to spar with such a worthy opponent (let’s face it, I was outmatched). I will always remember my Charlapalooza with fondness, a day that my work production came to a grinding halt, but the creative juices flowed like. . . uh. . .well, they flowed.

And now, a snippet of my last surviving poem from Charlapalooza. The topic was: Sunday Drive.

Too strong to resist, despite “No Entrance!”

Especially this night, a full-moon Yule.

Small waves lap the sun-bleached remnants of trees–

Bones of giants aglow in Artemis’ rays.

From the shore, the sea calls me closer still.

Deep into Poseidon’s depths I must dive–

A turmoil of bubbles; I’m in his realm

Flying as sure as any bird in the sky.

Schools of fish perform intricate ballets;

Beyond the shelf’s edge, secrets of the abyss…

Always I seek; let the road never end.

READ MORE ON CHARLAPALOOZA:
 
Mind Key on Charlapalooza

Charla's blog on Charlapalooza
by Charla Dury

Charla's musings: The origins of Charlapalooza and what it means to me
by Charla Dury

Charlapalooza Memories
by Rebecca Godina

How Charlapalooza Rocked my world
by Danielle Rose

Meet Charla: Charla Dury's Mind Key Introduction
by Danielle Rose

Link to Charlapalooza:
https://fs22.formsite.com/mindkey/form1/index.html

How Charlapalooza rocked my world

Danielle Rose and Charla Dury in 2007

Strict guidelines, ridiculous suggestions, and sometimes tight forms totally stretched my creative muscle back in 2006 when I first (most willingly) fell victim to Charlapalooza.  First of all, I met and became great friends with Mind Key Member, and creator of Charlapalooza, Charla Dury.  Secondly, of my best poems—a few of which were subsequently published—ensued.  Not only that, but Charlapalooza gave my writing exposure I had never experienced.  A ton of new readers, a spot on a Blog Talk radio show, publication, and editor positions were all to follow as a direct result of my participation.   From there I was invited to and traveled to poetry festivals, further building my network and my social networking skills both in person and online. 

I suppose you could say that without Charlapalooza Mind Key as we know it wouldn’t exist.  And perhaps because so much of my growth and success came from my writing and my readers, I’ve turned to this again as a fail-safe way to bring the Mind Key Members success, and to bring the Community (all of you!) more of what you are looking for as you discover your personal legend.

It’s all about stretching ourselves, and today we’re stretching again.  We’re used to the stretch of writing under quick deadlines, and coming up with quality work for insane suggestions (in fact we revel in the opportunity), but now we’re wondering how the heck to make Charlapalooza work on a platform that’s completely unlike myspace.  We’re running it on multiple platforms.  We’re figuring out how to promote and garner interest on Facebook, via our blogs, a newsletter, a website, and through the Mind Key community.  It’s not easy, but we’re learning, and in the process of stretching and learning we’re better learning how to get the word out there about our passions… and how we can use our talents to help others.

So there you have it.  One incredibly awesome game, created by one incredibly talented lady, brought into a new age for the good of all…. It’s exactly what Mind Key is all about—passion, connection, and a fairly good amount of work and levity.  Nice job Charla!

Meanwhile, here’s a little peek at a couple of my poems from previous Paloozas.  There’s still time to leave a suggestion for this one (window for suggestions closes at 10pm EDT), and even if you don’t, I hope you will return later this week or early next to read more and leave some votes for your favorites (anyone and everyone is welcome to vote!).

This suggestion was a poem about this guy... without using the word "pink."

It’s SALMON I say, but no one listens,
as I pedal past their wide eyed children.
It keeps me warm! I argue, It’s a Ralph Lauren!
But no one cares, they only point and stare.

It’s a battle against cancer, but not of the breasts
It’s a guy thing, the newest race
unicycles for prostates! Salmon the new hue,
The suit a gift from Mom, how could I say no?

Pinkies extended in that secret greeting,
Who needs Avon, when we have ESPN?
Seeking donations, cycling for days,
it’s sure to be this year’s biggest convention.



This poem was a request to write about the suggestion “Labia.”  Interestingly enough it not only won that topic for the Palooza, but was later published in a literary journal.

The first soft kiss upon a child’s sweet head;
Lips roughly pulled aside
to make way for the newborn.

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READ MORE ON CHARLAPALOOZA:
 
Mind Key on Charlapalooza

Charla's blog on Charlapalooza
by Charla Dury

Charla's musings: The origins of Charlapalooza and what it means to me
by Charla Dury

Charlapalooza Memories
by Rebecca Godina

How Charlapalooza Rocked my world
by Danielle Rose

Meet Charla: Charla Dury's Mind Key Introduction
by Danielle Rose

Link to Charlapalooza:
https://fs22.formsite.com/mindkey/form1/index.html