QUIET LIGHTNING: the secret of hermes
With a forthcoming series at the Conservatory of Flowers called The Greenhouse Effect just around the corner, Quiet Lightning filled The Emerald Tablet for their second North Beach performance and a stellar July 4 turnout. Of the 12 readers, 9 had never read at Quiet Lightning before. So what? Join the swarm. We’re making the best possible honey we can.
So many people talk about North Beach as the epicenter of San Francisco’s literary history. With good reason. But what will they say of this time? Well… there was literature from park to park. There was literature in everyone. Poetry can be found in every species; there is some in every bush, tree, and rock (and perhaps they will give examples, linking to our Youtube and Vimeo channels). Hell, they might say, there was even poetry in their journalism!
But even if they don’t say that, we will try to give them reason to. Voices evolve. So do feelings. So what? Below you will find snapshots of the last Quiet Lightning before the first-ever series — both for QL and in the state’s first greenhouse. Historic? You bet. In the future, long after we are gone… who knows? Maybe, just maybe, they will say: oh! if you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to go in the summer; there is poetry in the flowers, and flowers in the air.
What else did this show tell us? North Beach is on the rise again, and with The Emerald Tablet right there across from Caffe Trieste, lightning might collide with history more often. Oh. And if the crowd at the Em Tab is any indication, history isn’t over.
Stay tuned… the birds and the bees say QL will soon announce their roster for the first show of the series. And hold the date: August 1. Have you read this?
Nicole McFeely w/ Maureen Blennerhassett