The Lenin Poems

RISE UP TO THE CALL FOR POETRY
WRITE THE LENIN POEM
The Fremont Lenin has long needed a poem. A poem in bronze, a verse to lift and root, to explain, to challenge. Emma Lazarus saw the Statue of Liberty as a beacon to the world. When you look at the Fremont Lenin, what do you see? This isn’t a call. This is a challenge! Write the Lenin Poem. Now accepting commemorative poems for the Lenin Statue. All ages, languages and genres accepted, but plaque-sized please, bronze ain’t cheap. There is no strict word count. The winning poem will be cast in bronze and the (best of the) rest will appear in a chapbook.

HOW TO SUBMIT
Send your poem as an attachement to mimiallin@gmail.com with the subject line “The Lenin Poems.” Or by first class mail to: A. K. Allin, 600 N 36th St. #210, Seattle, WA 98103. Include your name and contact info on each page. No materials will be returned. Do not send your only copies. Authors retain all rights. Deadline: 1 April 2009.

PUBLIC PERFORMANCE
A “public pouring” of The Lenin Poems will take place on 4 July 2009 at The Lenin Statue in Fremont. The statue may go, but the poem, the poem will stay.

POETRY JUDGES
A. K. Allin, Gregory Crosby, Vanessa DeWolf

DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Wikipedia’s Statue of Lenin (Seattle)
Artists' Republic of Fremont: Lenin Statue
Lenin Statue at Roadside America

The Healthy Art Commission

Dear Artist,

I know you. You're working too hard, you're doing too much, you're skipping meals, eating out, forgoing exercise. And you don't have health care. You don't even bathe as often as you should!! Who is going to take care of you?!

Living too is an art. And a healthy artist is a sustainable artist. The Art Doctor has been sent to you by The Healthy Art Commission who hopes to raise awareness about the issues of health, art and sustainability. This is an artist-driven project with artist-receiving rewards. We hope you’ll consider taking part. All you have to do is.... something GOOD FOR YOU. Click on the form above, read all the possibilities and go do yourself some good. Begin anytime. Undergo any pleasure. Document it. Then send me a note. In return, I will recognize you in a performance. The performance will be small, public and rife with ritual. Include a return address and I'll send you a record of it. In your own way, you will be taking care of me.

The Healthy Art Commission hopes to set up a new model whereby artists can begin to take care of one another and steer each another towards healthy, sustainable art. If you know an artist who should see this, forward it on.

Sincerely,
The Art Doctor