So, what made you set up Beatstreet?

Well, I didn't, actually – it was Robert Grant but seeing as he's overseas I suppose I could take the credit. But no, it was all his idea, he started Beatstreet up coz he knew this guy in Mitte who owned a restaurant and this guy was like: "Do you wanna start a poetry reading?" So he did and that was really cool until one day Rob phoned the dude up and he was like: "Oh, sorry, I just sold it." So we phoned the new owner up – and the new guy was totally okay with it and we went there and he was renovating right? And so we did it in his basement. And afterwards, he just kept on bringing us trays and trays of beer – they just kept on coming – and then at the end of the night he just hit us with a bill for €80.

Yeah, that wasn't so cool.

Apparently it happens in Berlin all the time, loads of people say it happened to them.

Well, I'd say that – wait a minute, do they mean literally as in boys? I don't know that that's true. I wouldn't say that. We book people from all over the world, people we don't know, I don't think that's true. Hey, what else do they say about us?

I think that's a typical Beatstreet experience, being pretty drunk.

Since June 2007. Before that I was in Chicago, working with teenage poets, for a non-profit association. I came over here because of my partner – she had problems with her Green Card in the States. She's German, she's from Görlitz, n Saxony.

I love Berlin. I mean, it took me a while to find my place and all but now I am basically realizing that everything I thought about Berlin just isn't true. Which is great, you know. I'm an acoustic musician and I've found a really fantastic music community here. I think it's great.

It's not great.

Organizing, teaching – I teach Creative Writing. I taught Creative Writing in the United States for four years.

Yeah – great idea. Any suggestions?

There are people who make money from poetry, for sure, but from teaching it, really. I mean, there are some real hardcore performance poets who eek out a living from performing but most people teach. And I think that's a good thing, by the way, it perpetuates the art form.

Yeah, I have, actually. I performed at Kato.

Er, no, I didn't go down really well, actually. Like, the German slam scene is really funny, and I'm not that funny, my poetry isn't really funny. So they just didn't buy it. But you know, slam is slam, but it's not really my scene. It's not just the element of competition I don't like – but the whole environment doesn't really suit my stuff.

Well, one time I booked, six poets from the Netherlands – and they were not really your dynamic, loud, performance type poets, I guess you could say – but when we got there that night, there was no PA. The PA was gone, man – someone had borrowed it. So the performers were competing with the bar – and it's only separated by a curtain – there were loads of tourists in that night. And basically you couldn't hear them, yeah, I'd say that was the worst thing.

I feel really bad for her in a way – just in a way, you know, coz she got duped. She thinks they picked her coz she's good and stuff and really she's just a puppet. But I don't feel that bad. Getting rape victims to pay for their own rape kits and stuff – her philosophy on reproductive rights is just so wrong. The situation's so twisted.

Oh, no, oh no, I'm so obsessed with the US election right now I don't have time to pay any attention to the German scene.

The Halloween show – Oct. 31 at Coffee Karma on Sonntagstraße. Don't be scared to say it's gonna be the most amazing Halloween night in Berlin – ever. Lady Gaby'll be reading Sylvia Plath, I'll be reading Edgar Allan Poe, it's going to be the greatest...we'll have music by The Cowboy Killers. And if you wear a Halloween costume, you can get in free!

· The English Comedy Night at Kookaburra

This month starring special guests the Laugh Olympics kid, Tamara Ingram, Sanjay Shihora, and all presented by Kim Eustice

Tickets: 030/48 62 31 86, 10/8 € Concessions for English Students

Tuesday 7th October, 8.30 pm, Comedy Club Kookaburra, Schönhauser Allee 184, 10119 Berlin-Mitte, U-Bahn U2 Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Bus 240, Tram M8

Creative Writing Group Monthly Meeting

Read out your own texts for constructive discussion (fiction, verse, verse translations). Please bring 15 copies.

Friday, 10th October, 7 pm, Buchhändlerkeller, Carmerstrasse 1, 10623 Berlin (near Steinplatz).

· FUEL spoken word and performance night

Featuring comedy, poetry and short stories from Jacinta Nandi and friends and live music from Romanian special guests NU & APA NEAGRA – OMAG (see www.lollipopshop.de for more info and links to listening samples)

Sunday 12th October, 9pm start, Schokoladen , Ackerstr 169, Berlin-Mitte

· English Theatre Berlin Impro Theatre: Scratch

Rapid Fire Theatre / Canada presents a fully improvised two man show that features tons of characters and multiple storylines all twisted together into one thrilling conclusion.
with Kevin Gillese and Kurt Smeaton
English Theatre Berlin, 8 pm, F40, Fidicinstrasse 40, 10965 Berlin (Kreuzberg)

16.10.2008 & 17.10.2008

· Wonderbar: a night of performances, spokenword and live music

hosted by lady gaby
with: Depressivo & R.J.Schlagseite

Friday 17th October, 9pm start, Wonderbar, Wienerstr 45 Berlin-Kreuzberg

COMEDY: The Laugh Olympics

Every third Tuesday in the month, the Laugh Olympics is held at Kookaburra Comedy Club on Schönhauser Allee! See: www.laugholympics-berlin.de

Tuesday, 21st October, 8.30 pm, Kookaburra Comedy Club, Schönhauser Allee 184, 10119 Berlin-Mitte, Tickets 10€ / 8€ students, For advance sales or group sales, call Brian Kapell (0173) 649 0106

· Exberliner magazine’s Wednesdays at Burger

This month it’s definite...Clare Wigfall (The Loudest Sound and Nothing, Faber) will be reading at the Exberliner’s regular last-Wednesday-of-the-month event at the notorious Kaffee Burger. Clare is meant to be a really fantastic writer, and she once told me that as a kid she collected pictures of Page 3 girls under her bed.
www.exberliner.com / www.myspace.com/clarewigfall

29th October, 9 pm, Kaffee Burger, Torstrasse 60, Mitte, U-Bhf Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz

BeatStreet Poetry: A Nightmare on BeatStreet

This month Beatstreet is putting on a special Halloween event – i.e BeatStreet regulars will be dressing up as their favourite dead poets and reading from those poets’ works. Host Rob Grant will be reading Charles Bukowski, Berlin performance poet Moon will be doing Jack Kerouac…Erin Teegarden will be reading Anne Sexton and co-host Mike is reading Edgar Allen Poe. There will also be music and an after-show party with The Cowboy Killers. It’s going to be a fancy dress party gig, so anyone dressed up gets in for free!

Friday 31st October, Coffee Karma, 9pm, Sonntag Strasse 30, S-Bahn Ostkreuz

· My English Class – special gig

Your MEC faves will also be competing with Beatstreet this month, as we are going to be putting on a Halloween special. Only the exact location has yet to be decided – check www.myspace.com/myenglishclass for details closer to the date. But there will be one, we promise!

· And don't forget Jacinta's blog: www.bitchslutcuntgirlwoman.blogspot.com