more on CLEBO RAINEY

HOW DID YOU GET YOUR POETRY CAREER GOING?

I started doing poetry readings in Deep Ellum. I started traveling a little. I met other people when slam poetry had just started, and I went to a slam in Tennessee. I said, ‘Dallas, we’re as good as anybody else. We need to get our own slam team.’ Because now they were starting to have national poetry slams. I was already becoming a famous local poet. I did some tours with Lollapalooza. They had a poetry stage, and so I was a Lollapalooza poet for a while.

HOW DID SLAM POETRY TAKE OFF IN DALLAS?

Noemi and I, basically together, started the Dallas Poetry Slam at Club Clearview. She was the organizer, fundraiser, scorekeeper, and I was what they call the ‘slam master’, which is the person who runs it. There was a long history of the established poetry scene hating slam because we were performers, and we were getting a lot of press. We were these street poets, and there was this big grudge against the two groups, but eventually, we started to cross-pollinate. I would bring them in to do features, and they would have us out to do things.

WHAT OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU PROUD OF?

LAUNCH NHG

Poetry slam grew, and we started going to nationals. At first we got our tails whipped. Finally, in Austin, we made the finals for the first time. In Seattle, in 2001, we won the National Poetry Slam Championship. We’re the only Texas team that’s ever won it. I was made a distinguished poet by the city of Dallas. I was on the Poetry in Motion series, and I had a poem that was on the DART buses and trains—so I retired.

WHAT ARE YOU UP TO THESE DAYS?

Two years ago, I went to work for Half Price Books. I’m thinking about going back to part-time and getting back into performing and teaching.

Grow organic culinary herbs to turn bland into delicious! Create impressive dishes, sauces and salad dressings for your family with fresh, easy-to-grow herbs such as basil, rosemary, thyme and sage

Spring Herb Jubilee April 2-3

4” Herbs only $1.99 ea. Sat-Sun only. Enter your best recipe in our Herb Salad Dressing Contest April 2nd. Details at www.nhg.com.

1st: $100 NHG GC + $50 Snappy Salads GC

2nd: $75 NHG GC + $25 Snappy Salads GC

3rd: $50 NHG GC + $15 Snappy Salads GC

FREE programs all weekend!

Sat. 1pm Starting an Herb Garden

Sat. 2pm Enhance Your Life with Herbs

Sun. 12pm-2pm Texas Worm Ranch

Learn to vermicompost & purchase worms. Sun. 1pm Building the Best Soil

April 9th –10th 2pm-5pm Dallas Flower Show View award-winning blooms.

April 16th 9am-Noon Daylily Sale

April 17th 10am-5pm Iris Flower Show

April 22nd FREE Earth Day Program!

11am-12:30 Bountiful Backyard Gardens

April 23rd-24th EASTER EGG SAVINGS HUNT Find eggs to save 10-30% off your purchase!

PETPAUSE old timer

HUNTER is a 19-year-old weenie dog who had back surgery four years ago, and he’s still going strong. His “human parents”, SCOTT and SHANNON CARREON of Oak Cliff, snapped this shot of him playing in the fall leaves last year.

WHAT GIVES?

Small ways that you can make a big difference for neighborhood nonprofits

ATTEND A PERFORMANCE AND LECTURE ...

... at Turner House. Opera singer Nicole McWilliams offers a program of Mexican bolero music from the ’40s and ’50s, accompanied by guitarists, from 7:30-9 p.m. Thursday, April 14. Photographs of Mexico by Dallas-based Carolyn Brown will be on exhibit. Tickets are $25 for Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts members and $40 otherwise. Tickets include refreshments, and proceeds go to building improvements at Turner House. More information is available at turnerhouse.org or by calling 214.946.1670.

EAT BARBECUE ...

... at the Tyler Street United Methodist Church Easter celebration from 12:30-2 p.m. April 17. An Easter egg hunt and piñata for kids 12 and younger is free. Barbecue lunches are $5-$10 and benefit youth summer missions. The church is at 927 W. 10th. More information is available at tsumc.org or by calling 214.946.8106.

KNOW OF WAYS that neighbors can spend time, attend an event, or purchase or donate something to benefit a neighborhood nonprofit? Email your suggestion to launch@advocatemag.com.