Los Angeles’ literati gathered at the Poetic Research Bureau in Silver Lake last Wednesday in celebration of Jack Skelley’s book launch of The Complete Fear of Kathy Acker. The awaited book is his first-ever complete edition of excerpts detailing the anarchy of 1980s Los Angeles through the eyes of a much younger, manic narrator.

Crowd at The Poetic Research Bureau

 

The room filled and flowed with the city’s most notable literary underground figures and fans of all ages—a convergence of the city’s past colliding with its ecstatic future. New York’s Lily Lady was MC for the night. Donned in an oversized button-down shirt and fishnet stockings, she led the room with her quips and candid storytelling. 

 

Jackie Wang

 

John Tottenham

 

Readers included Jackie Wang, who lulled the audience into a dream-like state as she played her harmonium alongside reading her poetry. On next was John Tottenham, who charmed the room with his distinct style of pulling out tiny, nearly crumpled pieces of paper to read aloud each of his disgruntled poems. At times, unfolding a new poem, then abruptly stuffing it back into his pocket to fish out another. The crowd seized in laughter. Benjamin Weissman and Amy Gerstler, long-time friends of Skelley’s, also read to support the evening.  

Jack Skelley at 2220 Arts/Poetic Research Bureau

 

Skelley closed the night with excerpts from his new novel, including one scene detailing a chaotic crusade through Venice in which his narrator is led to a risqué movie set run-in with Marie Osmond and William Shatner. 

 

Jack Skelley with video by Lydia Sviatoslavsky

 

He then switched gears into a multi-media sector of his performance, where abstract, collage-like visuals by Lydia Sviatoslavsky flooded the projector screen behind him. Cloaking him in a shadow cast over by dream-like colors and sequences, accompanied by an ambient soundscape by Stephen Spera, the room was hypnotized as Skelley read introspective mediations on love, mortality and sex. 

After his performance, Skelley asked the crowd “Does everybody know who William Shatner is?”—a question clearly directed towards the Gen Z faces sprinkled throughout the crowd. 

A hum of nods and chuckles responded with “Yes!”

All photos by Damian Dovarganes.