Liesl Garner: Poet (this evening,) -how about a nice literate swiss amidst all the hype, din, and spooky?

Fresnans, the Clovesque, and 'other.'
-Lend me your ears...
-okay, eyes.
(roll them at me, I promise to roll them back.)

We gots tons of stuff ta do this weekend... (not to mention work.)

Big concert celebrating KFSR's 25th tomorrow night,
Big fundraiser on sunday for Rogue,
other concerts,
lotsa parties with people celebrating a day of dark metaphysical earmark...
(I am amazed at how much adults go out for halloween in these parts...)

I'd like to tell you of something,
someone and her works, actually,
and would march her right up there to the head of the class just to remind you that some of the better things in life are not endlessly promoted, and don't climb into your face every ten minutes.
(Nor do they require tons of money,
but will reward your paid attention handsomely.)

Liesl Garner:
-is a girl who grew up in California (in the area I think, not sure...)
-has played in the band in highschool or college (or both,)
-has family that she's close to,
-friends locally,
-businesswoman
-has her own poets website (and prayer circle.)
-VERY married to a fella who deeply understands and loves trees of varying heights,
-part of a local faith community (church,)
-and stands about as tall as I in flats (looking far better at it, actually,)
-also has at least one teenager, a bun in the oven, and a few (or many,) kids of various ages between.

She's also an excellent poet.
(yep, 'standing O' on her freshman effort at Rogue last spring, (I was there sellin' tickets...)

-What I love about her stuff?
It sneaks up on you,
then it just stands there elegant, eloquent, and unassuming.
(Kind of how she does... not easy for tall people, we not only suck as jockeys, but make lousy sneaks...)
Liesl just does this effortlessly.

Whereas so many people who write poetry:
-start in crisis mode,
-charge like a tattooing needle into disasterous acts and thoughts about everything from politics, gender, social injustice, (and myriad issues that make social workers eyes glaze over while muttering 'armageddon,')

Liesl (instead,) writes about her life,
those she loves,
her town,
and simply what it means to be her, and to care about others.
That's it.
That's enough.
(There's no wondering if she's going to be found running stark raving mad through the streets of SoHo or Visalia,
or require an oil-tanker's supply of anti-psychotics,
go off and join some militant-violent-angry-luddite group who wears only plaid and tosses frozen cabbages through Chevy Dealer's windows, screaming about the atrocities of blending cotton and rayon in some far removed section of Norway or South Dakota or something.)

...You don't have to wash your ears or eyes out when she's finished.

She just writes good poetry about regular life,
reveals that it's quite interesting,
passionate,
and is worth reflecting on.
(Genius move, actually, 'Poet without Malice.'
Who'd have thought that a nice alternative to alternative would be so refreshingly alternative?)

I've been reading her stuff for a little over a year.
It's a small guilty pleasure of mine to see her working away, altering this and that, occasionally gutting whole passages, bringing different emphasis and meaning into focus with the slightest of gestures, and then saying,
'...um, Eric, you know how to write, what do you think?'
-right.

(It's sorta like when women have kids,
or how they communicate just the right diplomatic thing at the most amazing of times,
(or not,)
and simply be just that,
-women.)

Guys?
havn't a clue.
We just sit there, having labored over something in an alchemic clot of sinister missing-links, trying to capture something, (usually by clubbing it into submission,)

-a girl walks up, writes a few things down, quietly submits it to be read, (with an honest, 'excuse me, does this help?')
--and proceeds to level the joint as effortlessly as a bluebird doing a barrel-roll while flying across your back yard at dusk.

That's Liesl.

What I love about her work?
-is it's honesty.
It's genuine and addresses issues that she's been through and has thought about, (alot.)
It's vulnerable in that she does not overstep itself and front a bunch of solutions and battle cries in protest of 'whatever.'
It's hopeful in that: like the woman just standing there?
-she will tell you how Faith and this life have worked back and forth,
-and she will not put you into something that she herself does not trust, as a friend, a daughter, a neighbor, a sincere girl, a wife, and a mom.

There's no pretension to her work whatsoever.
(Unlike a lot of poets, you don't have to dress up, be pissed at the sky,
smoke clove cigarrettes,
and affect some other era and lingo in effort to be 'cool.')
Her stuff is genuine and accessable,
offered up with dignity to whomever would like to hear and read it,
(which, *other poets pay attention* IS cool.)

Because of her incredibly jammed schedule, (mom, wife, house and business manager,
-and quite preggers at the moment?)
She doesn't wander out to read her stuff publically a whole bunch.

When she does?
She doesn't really toot her own horn a whole lot.
The event, (compared to the three ring circus that can be Fresno... (shocking, I know,) can
be a little on the quiet side,
But
-is totally something to catch,
and always has a lot of class.

This evening (Thursday) at ashtree Studios, as part of the Rogue Year Round shows (last one of this year, actually,) she'll be sharing her works again, as part of the two-part show ('Come now, I will test you with Pleasure,' (hers,) and 'Poet vs. Songwriter.')

(I have No idea as to who's up first.)

Doors open at 6:30, Shows start at 7:00.
'Ashtree Studios' is Aileen and Tony's place (a class act in and of itself,)

Come out,
avoid the din for a couple of hours,
and walk out at the end of evening muttering
'...ya know, that was pretty cool, I'm glad I did that.'

(Knock 'em dead, Liesl.)

-Eric

'Rogue Year Round Weekend' (Friday, October 26th, 7pm)
Ashtree Studios 1035 N. Fulton, in the Tower District,
$10/person, doors open at 6:30pm - no latecomers after show starts
(A night of poetry, comedy and music!)

This evening is rated PG.