'Tasty Fixins'
Lucky Park Productions is about to begin its third calendar year of operations. In that time we have seen a handful of projects that satisfied the studio's special criteria: being accessible to everyone, being fun for us to make, and fun for you to encounter. Lucky Park is not a press but a family of arty initiatives that speak to imagination and the fullyenjoyed life. Our goal is to be as everyday as bread, as fortifying and as ultimately mysterious. We invite you to peruse our offerings and learn more about what we're up to, and how you can get involved.
'I Want Me Mum'
In December 2011, Lucky Park mounted the only performance ever of the splendiferous Bavarian Oratorio at a tea-tasting in Northeast Minneapolis. A year later, Critics are still searching for the right words to describe this unique melange of music, lyrics and yuletide cheer. In December of 2012, Lucky Park artists Syrkin and Klecko held the stays at The Ark Reading, a set of curious and ineffable writing about animals, with free bananas.
'Pretty Frisky'
It was also decided in 2010 to grandfather into Lucky Park Productions a series of titles published the year by Kraken Press of St. Paul. This would eventually add two remarkable tomes to the studio's list of . properties: Yukon Gold, a 2009 collected works by Finley, 500 pages long and,, unbelievably, a second 500page selected works, Don't Be Like the Moon. These and other titles were posted on Lucky Parks online bookshelf at Issuu.com. All titles are offered free of charge at this site.
'On The Pounce'
But the biggest Lucky Park project of all has been the launching of LIEF Magazine, an oversized, broadsidebased, online multimedia publication which has attracted musicians, artists, writers, composers, aphorists, storytellers, limerick writers, cartoonists and others to an incandescent happening for middlebrow artists and curious onlookers.
'Lookin' Good, Don't You Think'
Lucky Park got its formal start start in a booth at O'Gara's bar and tavern in Saint Paul, in October 2010. As with most of our projects, it was the brainchild of Danny Klecko, who envisioned a way of writing predicated not on literary models but on the model of rocks stars and the recording industry. It was decided that we would issue a set of four albums of written work, by a group of four who would also go by the name Lucky Park: Kim Ode, Dara Syrkin, Mike Finley and Danny Klecko.
'A Kitten's Prayer'
Within four months, four albums, clad in CD jewel boxes, hit the Internet and international markets: Big Ass Angels by Finley, 30Foot Pole by Klecko, The Genuine Article by Ode and Occasional Swerve by Syrkin. All appeared to be CDs, but were in fact short collections of writings, on a host of different topics. All scored at 9th grade reading levels on the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Scale. These were collections written to be understood and enjoyed.
'Silly Old Sleepy Head'
In August 2012, at the Minnesota State Fair, Klecko kicked off the very first Minnesota Blue ribbon Poetry Contest, awarding 12 beautiful, full-size blue ribbons to winners of the Kitchen Poets Vault food and culinary poetry prize. These awards put poetry on a plane with tractors and farrowing crates. Everyone had a terrific time!
'Poor Little, Sad Little Blue Bluesette'
Lucky Park hosts an annual get-together in the oven room at St. Agnes Bakery in Lowertown, St. Paul, a raucous celebration of voices and good food. This event occurs under the aegis of the Kitchen Poets Vault, and enjoys the support of the St. Paul Bread Club. At the heart of this feast for the min and senses is the conferring of the annual KPV Kerouac Award, for lifetime contribution to the lonely art of telling the truth. The winning poet is invited to read.
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Lucky Park Production
We hope you enjoyed looking at the kitties and hearing us brag about Lucky Park. Our proposition is a simple one – let's have imaginative fun together. We invite you to visit our website, our Lief launch page, our Facebook page, peruse our library shelf, and submit to our editors. Thank you and have a sumptuous 2013.