Yellow City Literary and Musical Revolution with Audience Participation August 9, 2004

The Yellow City Revolution in New York City. August 9th ? 7:00 PM ? Bluestockings in the Lower East Side, 172 Allen St - $5.00 Admission

Popular St. Louis zinester and fiction writer Carissa van den Berk will embark on a tour in late July/early August with Matthew Berliant and Rachel Jacobs.

Carissa van den Berk is the author of May It Come Quickly, published by Yellow City Press, a daring sequel to the young anarchist coming of age story, Yours for the Revolution.

Matthew Berliant is the author of escape ism, a compilation of radical poetry published by re/creations press this July, and mastermind of the Wide Open Collaborative Writing Labs.

Rachel Jacobs? groundbreaking ?Mechanical Kid? CD has just been released by Solution Records, featuring her unique blend of sultry lyrics rhapsodized in a current of acoustic punk.

The Yellow City Revolution Tour will consist of an audio-visual presentation of van den Berk?s new book, May it Come Quickly, with music by Rachel Jacobs, poetry by Matthew Berliant, a series of local zinesters (Emily Brandt/Take Back the News, Vikki/Tenacious, Lauren Jade/Parallel Lines, Dorothy/Cat and Girl, Jeffrey Yamaguchi/25 Simple Things) reading from their most recent zines, and a slew of sizzling interactive writing games designed to draw out the creative zeal in us all.
Carissa van den Berk?s new novel, May It Come Quickly (sequel to Yours for the Revolution) follows the story of Eugene and Penelope, two adolescent runaways who become embroiled in a fiery social justice movement of the future. In this haunting portrayal of a not-too-distant America, the never-ending War on Terror partners the government with corporate superpowers in a conspiracy to disenfranchise the American people, eroding civil liberties for their own aggrandizement. As the gap between rich and poor grows ever wider and the world sinks into economic depression, Eugene and Penelope strike on their own to find the moral high-ground in a world turned upside down. This evocative and thought provoking tale sends its protagonists on a harrowing journey through an Ashcroftian future that is as frightening as it is plausible. When our protagonists are accused of a bomb attack that parallels the Haymarket tragedy of 1886, we must ask ourselves whether we are indeed free, or are we in fact ourselves destined to relive the atrocities of our nation?s past.

Matthew Berliant?s book of poems, escape ism, contains work that is humorous and poignant, formal and cavalier. It begins with a strict adherence to traditional forms, the ?isms? of the poetry cannon, and then slowly dissembles into new and unique expressions of the kaleidoscopic world in which we live today. Broken into seven parts, including ?poems written for the page,? ?very short poems,? and ?I ran out of categories,? Berliant?s poetry is at once narrative and symbolic, fracturing words and then twisting them up until they encompass multiple levels of resonance and meaning. This work illuminates the way we all dream our worlds into being, editing what we see into what we will into possibility, revealing irrevocably who we are in the process.

About Carissa: Carissa started Screams From Inside, one of the first zines to be labled ?emo? in the early 90s in Minneapolis. There she lived, and froze to death for five years until she moved on to Philadelphia and New York, where she organized the Anarchist Clothing Collective and continued writing. She has been published in Dogprint, Heartattack, Clamor, Motion Sickness and numerous other publications. Carissa now studies law in St. Louis, and hopes to one day become a lawyer representing death row inmates. Carissa?s first book, Yours for the Revolution, was published by Bloodlink in 2001.

About Rachel: Rachel plays acoustic punk rock, with very personal and confessional lyrics. She has been playing guitar for eight years. She started out strictly playing electric, but after unsuccessfully trying to get a band together, she turned to acoustic guitar, where she could write songs that stood for themselves. She has toured the U.S. extensively, with
Michele Stultz, Kevin Egan and Kill Rock Star recording artists, Delta Dart. Discography: Five song ep on Octopus Head Records, ?Object of my Affection? CD/EP, and ?Mechanical Kid? CD on Solution Records which will be out soon.

Matthew Berliant: Matthew Berliant enjoys working with words almost as much as the spaces between them. He lives and works as an interactivist in South St. Louis where he explores re/creations of all kinds. He has a special love of typewriter keys and cast-off items in dumpsters and abandoned old houses. He works as a educator in the St. Louis public schools and is running for president for the year 2020?how well can you see YOUR future?