HAL at the Chengdu Literary Festival

HAL was kindly invited by The Chengdu Bookworm to bring our arrogant big city SH poetry to the land of the pandas, and as you will see from the pictures the result was just as rock’n roll as anyone would imagine.

So. HAL rolled down into Chengdu for a slam with the writers from MALA, the literary group of the Chengdu Bookworm, putting them toe to toe with 4 of the toughest Shanghai poets alive. The audience was treated to three rounds of slamming under the watchful eye of MC Jason Lasky. Poets told tales of lewd taxi drivers, got lyrical on the lack of jobs for Chinese college students—seriously—and the final three poets threw down on which city actually rocks, the ‘Du or the ‘Hai. Continue reading…

“Party like it’s 1984” Available for Order Worldwide

Get your mitts on this: Party like it’s 1984: stories from the people’s republic of is now available for ordering worldwide from Powell’s Books.

Party like it’s 1984 is also available at these venues in the US:

Chicago – Myopic Books
– Quimby’s Books

Portland – Powell’s City of Books

Eight Writers Rose to the Occasion for Shanghai Erotic Fiction

Dena Rash Guzman got cold Shanghai all hot and bothered.

On Thursday, February 17^th, HAL teamed up with That’s Shanghai and pleasure object creators Lelo for Shanghai Erotic Fiction, a delightful evening of erotic fiction at Glamour Bar on the bund.  Spirited revelers kept their lips wet on appropriately themed drink specials and free vodka shots passed around throughout the night.  Eight erotica readers tickled the passions and funny bones of the bulging crowd of nearly 200 listeners.  Lucky draws from Lelo and Glamour Bar from artist and event promoter Bree Harrison’s sexy box kept the audience enraptured between readings.  At the end of the night, three deserving authors strolled away with elegant pleasure objects from Lelo.  Sam Gaskin won audience favorite for his piece “No Sexceptions,” which proved that no barrier can stand between a man and the southern hemisphere of his lover’s boob.  Yeah, that’s what he did.  Coming all the way to the [Lady of the Evening] of the Orient from Sin City, Dena Rash Guzman’s rapport with the audience won her best performance with an excerpt from her piece “Ballad of a Chinese Paper Fan.”  Those of us wondering if a powerful tartan-wearing man of the Scottish Highlands could woo a lady of the East as well as he would a lady of the West who picked up the latest Harlequin romance at the super market were treated to Sam Childley’s answer in “A Scottish Lord in Shanghai,” “That’s Shanghai’s” choice for literary merit.   Thanks to all who came and to those who showed up for a great evening with eight very talented writers.

Join us for more great nights in March for Shanghai BARd Fight—a series of three lit events in bars around Shanghai as a part of Split Works’ JUE Festival.

Pictures and stories below…. Continue reading…

Erotic Fiction Shanghai This Thursday

This Thursday at 8pm at Glamour Bar, Urbanatomy and HAL invite you to come out and be turned on at an arousing evening of Erotic Fiction! Including Shanghai’s dirtiest boys and girl on stage. For this event we’ve even flown in Las Vegas/Portland based pinup-model, underground poetess, and H.A.L. author Dena Rash Guzman.Wet your lips with drink specials, enter the lucky draw for a chance to win posh “pleasure objects” from Lelo or vouchers for Glamour Bar, and let the sensual beats from DJ Pony Boy Clement to get you into just the right mood.

No entry fee, so don’t be nervous.  Cum on out and enjoy this Thursday evening at 8pm at Glamour Bar.

Until then, get all hot and bothered reading submissions on HAL and Urbanatomy.

EROTIC FICTION SHANGHAI

EROTIC FICTION SHANGHAI – A February Urbanatomy/HAL Event at the Glamour Bar

In keeping with HALs intergalactic mission to spread wholesome uplifting literature to enlighten the soul and cleanse the spirit we’re now turning our pens toward literary erotica. Get your rods out, fill ‘em with HB and blast something steamy and hot onto the old legalpad/A4 because we’re teaming up with That’s Shanghai and Glamour Bar for an evening of titillating readings. Tentative date is February 17th. Mad posh bling bling expensive sex toys provided by Lelo will be up for grabs. Pieces should be set in Shanghai, be of high literary merit and literally highly arousing.

No more than 1000 words.

Deadline for submissions is January 3rd.

Send to: editor@haliterature.com

The Queen of SLAMHAI!II Susie Gordon

Queen of SLAMHAI! Susie Gordon

Another year almost gone by, and another winner of the infamous SLAMHAI! Competition was tight this time around, not the least as ruling champion Mark Butler came back all the way from his cozy cocktail fueled comfort down in Thailand to defend the title. 10 poets started out in round 1, one stronger than the other. Susie Gordon, the flying Lasky brothers, Ginger wRong Chen, Mark Butler, Katrina Hamlin, Danielle LeClerc, Darcy Fischer, Willow Neilson, Hunter Braithwaite and Tom Mangione…

Continue reading…

Superstars of SLAMHAI! 2010

September 22nd saw the first ever SLAMHAI! go down with a proud line-up of 6 poets, and a friendly though surprisingly dirty minded audience (you know who you are). All to our delight, goes without saying. We put our poets through three stages, producing highlights such as Kathrina slammin’ Bring da Ruckus, and Estelle improvising verses on pulling her skirt up in the world’s finest squatter toilets. Not to forget misfit Morris, Hunter (where is it?!), and Butler, whose musing on lesbians are a bit shocking even for this site (or even the Internet…) And last not least, our own Susie Q:

And everyone says
That poetry’s for losers, geeks, library goons,
But I’d rather have this than those modern tunes
Give me Ginsberg, give me Eliot (I don’t want to be an idiot).
It’s the papercuts that matter
When you think about it.

We couldn’t have said it better. Big thanks to all of you, poets and audience, for helping us make SLAMHAI! one of the coolest evenings Shanghai has seen since the glory days (Ho-Tom, Christian, Simon, Morgan, and Brother J – love you guys!). See you around Christmas for the next one, drop us an Email to get on our mailing list, editor@haliterature.com

Love
B.

Continue reading…

Poets take note

That’s right H.A.L. people, the first ever Slamhai is nigh, and it’s high time to sign up for a shot at glory! Send us an Email at editor@haliterature.com for more info, or simply send us a sample of your works. All styles and sizes are welcome, so get creative!

Poets wanted for the H.A.L. 2010 Poetry Slam

H.A.L. is looking for performance-based poets to compete in a poetry slam. If you think you got the chops to get up and stage and rock the mic like a vandal contact Butler at greatwhitebuddha@gmail.com , or at editor@haliterature.com

Please send 3 short battle ready poems to the point, to the point no faking, with a brief bio including your name and contact info following the selected poems. Each poem should be a 150 words or less. If you got the mad skills an interview will be arranged to showcase a few pieces for us and if you are indeed a manically nefarious master of the spoken word you will be chosen to compete against other wordsmiths in a no holds barred battle of the bards!