Met History wrote:

> In a message dated 11/10/03 3:52:22 PM, [log in to unmask] writes:
>
>     I am a current member of a Trade Union.  (Yes No)
>
> I am a member of the National Writer's Union, which (get this) is a
> division of the United Auto Workers!   Apparently, when Oldsmobile
> shuts down, so do I!    Christopher "88" Gray

I was involved with the NWU during its formation and attended the first
National conference in Boston. I was a member of the "poets" brigade, or
whatever it was called I don't remember. It seemed to be something of a
strange idea that poets would organize based on "quality of life"
issues, like not getting poems stolen, or leveraging small press
publishers to do more than pay in free copies, or fighting to secure
multiple submissons as standard practice. The journalists looked at us a
bit askance. We even drafted a document of support for small presses to
sign -- as if any struggling poet would not publish wherever. There were
a lot of over heated arguments and pissing contests. What I got positive
out of the experience was a day spent at the UN talking to the writers
group there. They all wanted to know how to get published and figured
since I was from the Union that I might know the magic to get them
published. My stepfather interpreted my gig at the UN as a sign of
success. I took it as a free lunch and an afternoon off from the bus
depots in Harlem. The other thing I got out of the NWU was several cases
of left over Budweiser... we had a fund raising party and I had a
falling out with the more militant upper-class feminazis over if we
should or should not charge for slices of cheese. They had a budget
problem. I never went back figuring I would do better fixing old
buildings and writing when and what I felt like. My experience of the NY
poetry scene was a lot of pissing and moaning over not much... now, in
DC the scene was interesting, creative and supportive.

I did happen in the late 80's to attend a reading of Dana Gioia in NY. A
good poet. I spoke with him a bit and had a very short correspondence.
It was news to me when he got the post at the NEA and I think it is a
sign of a good thing in these troubling days.

The only union I belong to is the Free Pissers Union.

I tried to join the Stonemasons Union in the late 70's, but I ended up
elsewhere.

][<en

--
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
<http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>