Number 155 Fall 2013 $9.95 James Broughton Celebrating Big Joy’s 100thOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO Issue 156 / Winter 2013 RELATIONSHIPS Submission Deadline: October 21, 2013 www.rfdmag.org/upload As we go to press with the Summer issue, we are aware that Gay people across America are awaiting news of the decisions to be announced by the Supreme Court regarding the so-called De- fense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8. This news will coincide with PRIDE events in late June and will have real affect as to the legal restrictions—or not—that our relationships face, especially regarding marital rights that are usually only afforded heterosexuals in this country. As we’ve been preparing this issue, we’ve also seen marital rights extended to gays and lesbians in Rhode Island and Minnesota. So this got us thinking about how we gay folks create relation- ships and want to dedicate an issue to multiple ways in which we bond, form relationships, and settle into domestic co-habitations. We are asking for your experiences through time about the significant others with whom you are co-habitating, have done so and the various ways these have occurred. Who is important to you? How did you meet? How has that relationship moved you toward domestic bliss (or drama); and what have you learned about yourself and our community in the process? We are looking for the multi-valent ways gay people inter-relate: families (with or without children), triads, polyamory, monogamy, daddy/boy, Master/slave, and intentional communal intimacies. Who is significant to you? Why? AND, when these relation- ships meet a point of no return, how and why do they break-up? What have we learned through these decades of Queer Libera- tion—which espoused the re-creation of significant others, but now is showing up looking more like hetero-normative marriages. Where are we going and what does this mean for us as a com- munity in the future? RFD 155 Fall 2013 1 Refulgent Fire Dazzles Vol 39 No 4 #155 Fall 2013 This issue is dedicated to telling some of the stories and sharing some of the work of James Broughton. Broughton would have turned a hundred on November 10th. So as a way of celebrating his centennial we’re sharing pieces by people who knew him, were inspired by him as well as sharing some of James’ work. Broughton had an amazing life which is documented in the recent film, Big Joy, we urge everyone to see it and see how Broughton sought his own path as an artist and as a human being shaping his own destiny. We share some of Stephen Silha and Eric Slade’s inspiration for the film. Broughton touched many communities and his influence on the people surrounding RFD has been immense and is still in many ways immediate. His urging to gay men to embrace their sexualities with gusto, laughter and deep passion is clearly a gift which endures. Many of his poems appeared first in these pages and we’ve been blessed to have such a fine poet share his work with us. We want to thank especially Joel Singer, Broughton’s executor for permis- sion to reprint his work. In the close to four years since RFD has moved to New England, we’ve been thankful for the amazing input and ideas from our readers. We believe the magazine has benefited from it and we hope you feel the same. Meanwhile, enjoy the issue and when in doubt twirl! —The RFD Collective Between the Lines Photo by Ray Baltar O XOXO XOXO XOXO2 RFD 155 Fall 2013 RFD is a reader-written journal for gay people which focuses on country living and encourages alternative lifestyles. We foster community building and networking, explore the diverse expressions of our sexuality, care for the environment, Radical Faerie consciousness, and nature-centered spirituality, and share experiences of our lives. RFD is produced by volun- teers. We welcome your participation. The business and general production are coordinated by a collective. Features and entire issues are prepared by different groups in various places. RFD (ISSN# 0149-709X) is published quarterly for $25 a year by RFD Press, P.O. Box 302, Hadley MA 01035-0302. Postmaster: Send address changes to RFD, P.O. Box 302, Hadley MA 01035- 0302 Non-profit tax exempt #62- 1723644, a function of RFD Press with office of registration at 231 Ten Penny Rd., Woodbury, TN 37190. RFD Cover Price: $9.95. A regular subscription is the least expensive way to receive it four times a year. Copyright © 2012 RFD Press. The records required by Title 18 U.S.D. Section 2257 and as- sociated with respect to this magazine (and all graphic material associated therewith on which this label appears) are kept by the custodian of records at the following location: RFD Press, 85 N Main St, Ste 200, White River Junc- tion, VT 05001. Mail for our Brothers Behind Bars project should be sent to P.O. Box 68, Liberty TN 37095. On the Covers Front : James Broughton by Ken Paul Rosenthal Back : “Bumble Bees” by TimoNanda Production Managing Editor: Bambi Gauthier Art Director: Matt Bucy Editor: Paul Wirhun Prison Pages Editor: Myrlin Special Thanks To Franklin Abbott Stephen Silha Joel Singer Submission Deadlines Winter–October 21, 2013 Spring–January 21, 2014 See inside covers for themes and specifics. For advertising, subscriptions, back issues and other information visit www.rfdmag.org RFD 155 Fall 2013 3 Painting by TimoNanda CONTENTS This Then Is The Wheel ........................Alex Gildzen ....................5 Broughton Fountain ...........................Jack Foley .......................6 James Broughton Gave Me A Pearl Necklace ......Don Shewey ....................10 My Big Oy ....................................Andrew Ramer .................11 James Broughton, Love’s Guru ..................Janine Canan ...................12 Big Joy’s Best Performance ......................Julia A Blessing .................18 The Word for No Is Yes ........................Franklin Abbott .................19 James Broughton and the Sisters ................Sister Soami ....................23 “Your Business It To Make Something That Neither You Nor I Have Ever Seen Before” ...........................Eric Slade & Stephen Silha .......24 LoveSpirit: A Poem Inspired By James Broughton .Mushroom .....................27 A New Year’s Sermonetta for Our Sistster ........James Broughton ................28 James Broughton, The Radical Faerie Poet & Filmmaker ..........Rosemary for Remembrance/Steve Muchnick ......30 Juicy .........................................Dharma ........................35 Ode to Gaeity .................................JB .............................37 ida ...........................................Christopher Soto ................38 Closet Safe ....................................William Paul Plumlee ............40 I Rise in Your Wake ............................William Paul Plumlee ............41 Wonderland ..................................Donny Ingraham ................43 Birthday ......................................Christopher O. McCarter ........44 Priapric Godfather .............................James Broughton ................46 Hymn for Inanna ...............Feathers Sometimes Ashley Phoenix (Iziburu) ......47 The Bed Project: An Homage to Big Joy ..........Stella Maris ....................48 What’s It Like to be Away With the Faeries .......Wood Pigeon ...................49 The Iraqi Hairdresser and the Ethics of Recording Life Experience ...........James Benedict .................50 Collecting Seeds—Creating Community .........Mark Beehre (Alchemist) ........52 Save the Date .................................Scott Mainprize .................55 Putin’s Russia .................................Kosoko M Jackson ..............59 Brother’s Behind Bars ..........................Myrlin .........................61 Artists in this Issue Ken Paul Rosenthal . . . . Front Cover Ray Baltar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 TimoNanda . . . . . . . Back Cover, 3 Harry Redl . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6, 12 Bob Lopez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 LaMorte-Blessing . . . . . . . . . 18, 23 Joel Singer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Stevee Postman. . . . . . . . . . . .23 Max St. Romain . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Kitten Calfee. . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Gordon R. Barnett . . . . . . . . . . 29 Mushroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Robert Haller . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Marc Geller . . . . . . . . . . . .32-33 Robert Girard . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Jim Jackson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Cory Thorell & Colton Baumgartner . . . . 39, 42 N.T. Vesperion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Angus English . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Mark Behere (Alchemist) . . . .52-54 Jai Sheronda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Trixi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 RFD 155 Fall 2013 5 1968 at Stag Bar d.a. levy plays with his rigatoni he gives his meatball to Mary Leed poetry isn’t art he tells us it’s communication 1971 on the Commons Allen Ginsberg squeezes harmonium while singing Blake thru crowd of seatd students comes Gary Snyder to surprise his old friend performance stops for joyful embrace 1976 in Twin Lakes Thomas Meyer dives into pool our bare bodies touch under water Jonathan Williams reaches for his Rollei 1981 on Morris Rd James Broughton works on a poem while Joel Singer dices avocado for our cheese omelet we laugh during dinner then they go hand in hand to bed —Alex Gildzen, from his work-in- progress Ohio Triangle This Then Is The Wheel Photo courtesy Joel Singer6 RFD 155 Fall 2013 I was interviewing Michael Lerner, a politically active rabbi, on my radio show (“Cover to Cover,” Wednesdays, KPFA). When I asked Rabbi Lerner about death, the usually brilliant and opinionated editor of Tikkun suddenly became vague—as if he didn’t understand the concept. “Death?” he asked. His answer made me think of my dear friend, James Broughton. James—not easy to write about him. Where to begin? There are so many incidents, so many feel- ings. Scarcely a day passes when I don’t have some kind of thought of him. His image, his poems are on the walls of my house—more are in my memory. Dear James, a lovely, deeply funny, deeply deep man. We met in the mid 80s, probably 1985. I was running a poetry series at Larry Blake’s restaurant on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. The restaurant was located near the university and was a popular student hang-out. But my series had little that was academic about it. It was successful, however, and featured a very wide range of poets. One of these was Robert Peters—up from Los Angeles and ap- pearing in full drag as Elizabeth Bathory, his “Blood Countess.” Peters asked me whether I’d like to be in- troduced to James Broughton. I said, “Sure,” though I was only vaguely aware of James’s work. I had heard of his films and had read the excellent early poems published in Donald Allen’s 1960 anthology, The New American Poetry. I also knew that he was a gay man—but I don’t think I knew much more than that. Wonders awaited. James read for my series many times—including one memorable occasion when the series day fell on November 10, 1987, James’s 74 th birthday. My first experience of him was at a lunch: he invited me over for one of those incredibly deli- cious gourmet feasts regularly prepared by his lover, Joel Singer. Though at that time I was a very little-known poet—and straight!—both men made me feel not only at ease but extremely comfortable in their presence. James spoke to me as if I were an old friend. One of the interesting things about him was the fact that, though he was a deep and lifelong believer in “love,” he was never sentimental or treacly. His wit and intellect cut through the false faces of love and went directly to its deep heart. By this time I had read—and adored—his Androgyne Journal. I knew he was in some ways a “Jungian.” I remarked to James, “I like Jung but the problem with Jungians is that they often seem to skip over the body in their zeal to arrive at the archetypal.” James smiled and answered with his ironic drawl, “Tell me about it!” Then James and Joel set me in a little room with a film projector in it. They started up Testament (1974) and left me to see it. I emerged starry-eyed. I had seen something stunningly beautiful and incredibly rich. What a movie! At once personal—even self-deprecatory—and magical, alive with transformation. I loved film and had published articles about it, but this was the vita nuova. James wrote of Testament: I spun what I thought would be my final film: a self-portrait bouncing me from my babyhood to my imagined death. To summarize the quest for erotic transcendence that animated all my cinema I mixed film clips, still photos and staged scenes. I was assisted at the camera by an ingra- tiating redhead named H. Edgar Jenkins. At the film’s beginning I am seen rocking in a chair by the Pacific Ocean, questioning my life: I asked the Sea how deep things are. O, said She, that depends upon how far you want to go. I mentioned to him once that the word “testa- ment” was connected by etymology to the word “testicle.” “Is it!” he said, interested. O ver the years I knew James, I wrote many articles about him and interviewed him often. He was a regular guest on my radio show. I loved his work and was very pleased to discover that he enjoyed mine. One of the features of my poetry readings is the presentation of choral pieces read by my wife Adelle and me. James—unlike some of my other friends—immediately understood the significance of these pieces and dubbed them “an- drogynous,” a very important word in his cosmos. I introduced James at many of his events. For one I wrote something particularly special. James knew that Adelle and I had been singing a slightly parodic version of the old waltz, “Sweet Rosie O’Grady.” Adelle ended the song with a little tap dance—a bit of waltz clog. James asked me to rewrite the words of the song to introduce him on the stage of the Cas- Broughton Fountain by Jack Foley Photo by Harry RedlNext >