Drunken Masters, which is part of the larger series of cultural events 90x90LA, invites writers to present their work to a group of sauced professionals who provide instant critique.

by Robin Grearson

From: Hyperallergic

LOS ANGELES — On my way to Drunken Masters earlier this month in downtown Los Angeles, I imagined the reading series would be a sort of scaled-down American Idol: several writers present their work to a group of sauced professionals in the same genre who provide instant feedback and critique. The relevance and quality of feedback depends, however, as much on each master’s wisdom as their capacity to hold liquor. And, unlike the talent show, Drunken Masters isn’t a tournament, so there’s no voting or elimination. The distinction creates an event that feels like an inclusive and informal (very informal) writing workshop, minus the school desks and bad lighting.

Comedians and screenwriters have presided over previous editions of Drunken Masters, but this time it was the poets’ turn to face accomplished poets Rocio Carlos, Joseph Rios, and Hari Alluri at Wolf & Crane, a Japanese whisky and craft-cocktail bar in Little Tokyo.

. Produced by Writ Large Press with help from volunteers and friends, 90x90LA is a summer-long run of 90 free cultural discussions and literary events over 90 days, in and around LA, running from July through early October. This is the second time Writ Large has produced the event in Los Angeles; the first iteration was staged back in 2014, inside Traxx bar at Union Station. Anyone is welcome to submit to Drunken Masters, which has been taking place on “various Mondays” throughout the summer. Introducing the night, Writ Large publisher Chiwan Choi summed up Drunken Masters as “people at different stages of their career in one room, critiqued by a bunch of drunk writers.” With that, and a request to please feed the poets (whiskey), 90x90LA Night 48 began.

Josette Siqueiros asked listeners to close their eyes while she read her opening poem, “Molecules for Global Change.” The song “In the Mood for Love” played through the sound system underneath. The poem itself, which Siqueiros wrote for 100 Thousand Poets for Change, summoned the power of poetry to effect social change. After reading a second poem, she remained standing for about 20 minutes while the masters offered their feedback. Rocio Carlos focused on opportunities to boil a poem down to its essence and shared an insight: “Poetry should give that little wound of sorrow or joy,” she said, but noted that Josette’s second poem, “Hundreds of Frogs,” didn’t do this for her. Joseph Rios asked how the poem and the music and the film, In the Mood for Love, might be connected. He suggested tightening the associations to help the audience. Hari Alluri followed with comments that echoed what others had mentioned. When the masters had finished their discussion, as in a writing workshop, each of them handed their copies of Josette’s poems back to her, with apologies for sloppy handwriting. Read Rest of Article Here