This anthology is a project celebrating The Alternative New Year's Day Spoken Word / Performance Extravaganza - the 2014 event marking the 20th Anniversary of this uniquely New York tradition. The collection features the diverse work of many of the participants in what is recognizably a very verbose affair; from the seasoned wordsmith, to the literarily licentious, to the cerebrally provocative. A.N.Y.D.S.W.P.E. takes place every year in New York City's historic East Village. Hundreds of people funnel into the venue during an eight hour marathon reading on January 1st. To make the 20th...

A.N.Y.D.S.W.P.E. / Our 22nd year for the Alternative New Year's Day Spoken Word / Performance Extravaganza event, and our third year celebrating with an anthology The talent is overflowing and the pages of this volume burst forth yet again as more than 80 poets and writers give up their words to be sacrificed on the hallowed altar of the Ars Poetica. No doubt both you and the Muses will find their offerings satiating. Where are the masters of word and verse to go from here? Only to fame and glory, my friends Only to fame and glory ...Or your bookshelves. That will be nice, too.

Foreword I must have already been fifteen or sixteen by the time I was first confronted by J. D. Salinger's story "Franny," whose setting is over lunch with a boyfriend, Lane, prior to his presumably Ivy League mater's football game against Yale. When she returns to their table after recovering from an episode of dizziness and nausea, he questions her about the small book she has been carrying. She nonchalantly responds that it is titled The Way of a Pilgrim, the story of how a Russian wanderer learns the power of "praying without ceasing." The prayer in play is "The Jesus Prayer," the mantra...

Our 23rd Event And Our 4th Anthology... Amazing Every year I reconsider the broad strokes and possibilities, and the staff gathers in early winter to talk about new directions and bridges to cross. A major part of our planning is to reach out to new guest curators for assistance in keeping the channels open to new voices and sounds. We also hope to bring in artists we've missed, neglected, or not had back in a while. This year I am especially thrilled by the multitude of new performers that have been added to event. When the Alternative New Year's Day Spoken Word / Performance Extravaganza...