Poetry in Motion at L.A. Bars--and Even Bathrooms

Racks of free postcards advertising everything from vodka to blue jeans have become fixtures at urban bars, restaurants and coffee houses. And now, the group Writers at Work is hoping the postcard medium will help generate excitement about . . . sonnets?

The Silver Lake-based organization, which has offered workshops and editorial services for writers since 1997, has commissioned eight local poets to write sonnets for distribution in 291 free postcard racks throughout the city. (The poems are also published on the Web at https://www.writersatwork.com.)

For the verse-challenged, a sonnet is a 14-line poem thought to have been invented in the 13th century. Sonnet comes from the Italian sonetto, “a little word or song,” and the form was popularized by William Shakespeare.

Terry Wolverton, founder of Writers at Work and one of eight writers contributing to the project, said the sonnet is “an order or organizing principle that asks the poet to raise an issue and reflect on it.”

The sonnets address current-day concerns, such as AIDS, bicultural romance or the experience of immigrant children, described by William Archila in this excerpt from “An Empty Classroom, Lincoln Heights”:

Four dull windows resist the rain outside.

One can hear sirens wailing like a red angry god.

The slamming of lockers and pencil sharpeners have stopped.

One, three, five crumpled papers, all balled into rocky planets, circle a trash can.

A child has chalked on the board letters that bend like her mother at the sewing machine.

“A lot of people are scared by the idea of poetry, but when they see it, they like it,” said Wolverton. “I love the idea of putting sonnets in public places, where people are not expecting to encounter them. You’re out having dinner, get up and go to the bathroom, and suddenly, there’s a poem!”

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After-market Puma sneakers with their side swirls encrusted in rhinestones may be all the rage, but smart girls know they don’t have to pony up $365 at Tracey Ross for a pair. Melissa Hufjay, a publicist in Los Angeles, is one of many trendoids singing the praises of the Bedazzler, a $16.95 gadget that can stud almost anything. (Hufjay’s latest project was bedazzling a Lakers jersey.)

The crafty tool has been advertised on late-night TV for years, but it’s also for sale in stores.

“We can’t keep them in stock,” said George Karbashyan, manager of King’s Road Beads in Los Angeles. “People are using them to stick rhinestones on T-shirts and jeans. It’s very ‘in.’ ”

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Women have been flocking to movie theaters to see Russell Crowe’s tough-guy turn as Roman General Maximus in “Gladiator,” but the sexy actor may be less macho than he appears to be on screen, according to the London Daily Express.

Sources at London’s Globe Theatre, which provided the armor for the movie, said Crowe requested a special lightweight suit because he couldn’t move around in the real stuff, according to the newspaper. (This was despite the fact that the other cast members, including Oliver Reed, who died during filming, sported much heavier gear, the Daily Express said.)

Well, I don’t care what Crowe wears. And you can’t tell the difference on screen anyway. No matter what kind of wrapper it comes in, eye candy is eye candy.

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Booth Moore is at [email protected].