Jose Padua: What I Keep Coming Back To
One of my fondest memories of my mother is this— seeing her on the corner of Mt. Pleasant and Hobart when I’d caught up with her and my dad after … Continue reading
Jose Padua: The Pursuit of Happiness
It was the 60s way before the summer of love when after being turned away from the entrance to Mayo Beach because we’re people of color, or, specifically, as the … Continue reading
Jose Padua: The Complete Failure of Everything
We got there right before the guy who ran the slam started coming around with the sign up sheet, and as he walked by I said to him, “I’ll try … Continue reading
Jose Padua: Toward a Philosophy of Tight Pants
Originally posted on Shenandoah Breakdown:
On one of my first mornings at our new hundred year old house in a small town with my wife at work in the city…
Jose Padua: Driving Around Wondering If The Cops Will Stop Me For Playing Classical Music Too Loud
Driving home from the store blasting the third movement of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major as performed by the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra I look into the glare of … Continue reading
Jose Padua: Exile from Mayberry
After having returned to Washington I found myself watching television all the time. I’d watch Late Night with David Letterman every night, waiting for him to do one of those … Continue reading
Jose Padua: The Bartertown Ball
When I got into Washington my friend Eddie met me at the train station and took me directly to Neal’s. Neal had drafted Eddie to be the master of ceremonies, … Continue reading
Jose Padua: The Birth of the Spoken Word Demon
I’d been back in Washington for a month when, standing by the magazine racks at Tower Records, I spotted someone I knew on the cover of High Times. It was … Continue reading
Earth Shattering News and Catastrophes Considered While Listening to The Genius of Love
Originally posted on Shenandoah Breakdown:
I think of us and how my mind puts us so easily in peril. It’s like we’re in some silly horror film, an old-fashioned cinematic…
Jose Padua: Becoming a Poet
Ever since I can remember I wanted to be a poet, and in the early 80s I began sending my poems out to magazines in the hopes of making the … Continue reading
Jose Padua: How I Tried To Escape The Sick World Of Poetry
The rules were that you had to give your name and occupation before reciting your first poem. Naturally, I tried to evade this unnecessary formality which to me seemed akin … Continue reading
How I Escaped the Drug-Sniffing Dog from Holland and Other Tales of the Night
Originally posted on Shenandoah Breakdown:
When we heard that Souled Out was providing the music at last month’s National Night Out activities at the gazebo, we decided right away to…
Jose Padua: Aquarius, And My Name Is Ralph
I’m sitting at a table in a nightclub during the disco 70s with my friend Paul and his older friend who’s also named Paul who’s about five feet tall and … Continue reading
Jose Padua: Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
After writing an essay in my freshman English lit classin which I discussed James Joyce’s Ulysses as the nextlogical step for narrative after Ford Maddox Ford’sThe Good Soldier, my professor, … Continue reading
