[Wholesome Roc, Chicago, IL. Poetry Tostada 5/21/88 Tape #1]

Opened in 1987, Wholesome Roc Gallery and Cafe was an alternative art space that hosted exhibitions and events with and focused on queer Black artists in Chicago. This video is the first of two videos documenting a live poetry reading event called the "Poetry Tostada" in the gallery space.

00:01Copy video clip URL Video starts. A man named Al Lane leans against a car on the street outside of the Prop Theatre and Wholesome Roc Gallery and Cafe. There’s a conversation between the cameraman, Ken Hartmann, and Lane about Lane’s cable show, The Short Fat Bald Guys Rock and Roll Review on the Evanston cable channel. Camera pans to show the front of the Prop Theatre at 2360 North Clybourn Ave. The stage manager, Craig, stands in the doorway. The conversation continues interspersed with snippets of people walking on the sidewalk and entering the event space.

 10:34Copy video clip URL Cut to the inside of Wholesome Roc Gallery, where people are mingling. Shots of art on the walls and a walk-through of the space.

13:01Copy video clip URL Rick Tuttle introduces himself to Hartmann and shows him his recent painting exhibition at the gallery.  Tuttle discusses his creative process and being an up-and-coming artist. 

21:54Copy video clip URL Tuttle shows each painting up close one by one to Hartmann. 

28:53Copy video clip URL Cut to footage of an installation art piece of a sculpted figure sitting in front of a small television, two other sculpted figures stand behind the main figure. Close-up footage of each sculpture. 

46:13Copy video clip URL One of the hosts announces that the “Poetry Tostada” is about to begin, explaining that it is the one-year anniversary of the Poetry Tostada event. The camera pans around the room showing the crowd. 

47:50Copy video clip URL The first poet, Inzinga, takes the floor and introduces a call-and-response to the audience. She begins reading several poems. 

1:04:12Copy video clip URL Lavonne McAllister is called to the floor to perform “Playground, Playground”, a performance piece. Camera continues to pan around the crowd. 

1:08:54Copy video clip URL Close up of McAllister’s “Playground, Playground” artist statement and description. 

1:10:53Copy video clip URL “Playground. Playground” performance begins. 

1:34:33Copy video clip URL End of performance, camera zooms in on the windows of the gallery space. A new host joins and tells a story of a personal encounter that happened earlier in the day. 

1:36:55Copy video clip URL Another poet takes the floor to read six poems titled “Some Implications of Non-Violence in the Montgomery Resistance Movement”, “How Will the Enemies of the State Overcome Their Alienations in Toronto, July One-Four?”, “Cremate the Flag”, “Celebrating Israel at Forty Years”, “How Does a Poem Differ from a Newspaper Account?”, and “The Meaning of Home Fires Burning”

1:48:35Copy video clip URL The host returns and invites the next poet, David Young, to take the floor. The camera zooms in and out on Young as he reads, showing the writing on his papers. 

1:56:57Copy video clip URL Host calls the next poet, Joe, to read. Joe gives a brief backstory to his poem, explaining it is about the French poet Gerard de Nerval.

2:03:07Copy video clip URL Static end.