24WORDS
The Equal Rights Cabaret
Book and Lyrics by Charles Kouri
Music by Gary Bragg with additional songs by Dean Schlabowske
October 2021
What triggered your interest in creating poems?
In April 2020, as Chicago was under a stay-at-home order, I wrote a poem about the joy of seeing people on the new in Italy singing from balconies and people making music from wherever they could. I posted the poem to Facebook and then continued posting a poem each day for 304 days. It was a kind of journal in poetry form and every day was a cycle of writing, posting and getting some feedback. It was a good routine for me but also unfamiliar because, for about 10 years I’d been writing scripts and lyrics for musicals, where the time between creating a piece and seeing it performed is years.
Who are your favorite poets?
In writing musicals about women’s rights, I’ve become a fan of poets that shaped the women’s movement, including Maya Angelou, Muriel Rukeyser, Sylvia Plath, Judy Gahn, and Sappho. Before that, I was really into lyricists and like the work of Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith, Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits, Bernie Taupin, and Pete Townsend. And, growing up in a Lebanese family, Khalil Gibran was a favorite.
What inspires you? Other poets, painting? music?
When I was writing a poem each day, I often played music while reading news, and that would lead to exploring a topic or trying to describe my experience of that day. So much of the news was about upheaval, protests and injustice that many of the poems were about my own unlearning and learning of history, and exploring my experience of the pandemic.
Where have you published?
I’m in the process of producing a set of books with the 301 poems I wrote over a year, and also developing a performance piece based on the books.
Are you in a feedback group that meets regularly? If so, How often?
My feedback has primarily been from Facebook, where I posted each day. It was motivating to get the comments and likes, and I developed a small group of people who would give feedback privately. Now that the poems are going into a book and perhaps onto a stage, there’s a chance to rewrite and present them in a new way.
We know every poem is different but--on average--how many revisions does one of your published poems require?
About three or four major revisions and a lot of tinkering
24WORDS, The Equal Rights Cabaret
Do you gear some of your work toward performance poetry rather than the written form? Why or why not?
Having written musicals, I’m always thinking about performance, like how the words might sound or even sing. Which is limiting. So the more I learn about poetry forms and structures — and reading poems that are so well crafted — I’m able to think outside my box. One of the things I’ve enjoyed about P&P is learning about the art form and seeing how people have developed their own projects.
How long might you struggle with a poem that doesn’t seem to want to come together?
If a poem is not coming together I’m more likely to let something go and start something new. But, I was told by a friend, don’t throw anything away, so even if I can’t make a poem work, there may be lines that can fit somewhere else.
Is there a special person in your life you’re inclined to share your work with? Explain.
When I’m writing lyrics, I share drafts with composers and singers. With poetry, it’s always my partner, Tracy. I always ask: What did you think? And she’ll give me one or two words that are completely telling.