© Mark Savage
My portrait of the poet Douglas Kearney. I believe this was taken around 2008 at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood where Kearney was performing one evening. The Geffen Playhouse allowed me set up my portable studio to take portraits of a few of the poets that evening. This portrait is one of many that I have taken of Los Angeles poets since I began documenting the scene back in the mid-90's.

Two Portraits I Really Like

These portraits of A.K. Toney and Rochlin were taken one afternoon in 2008 at Ave 50. It's a great studio- drop by if you get a chance.

I photographed roughly a dozen poets on that day. Some I shot in color, while others were photographed in B&W, all film- Fuji and Ilford. I used my Mamiya 645 medium format with a standard lens.

I've been photographing Los Angeles poets for about 15 years now. About 100 of the 150 writers I've photographed so far can be seen on my site, Souls & Passions, The Poets of Los Angeles. I'm working on my first book of black and white portraits from this photo documentary. A book of my color portraits will subsequently be published.

Jim Bolt to Perform at the Reception of Mark Savage’s “Souls and Passions, the Poets of Los Angeles” Gallery Opening in Buena Park

The always entertaining Jim Bolt will perform at the reception of my gallery opening Thursday, April 8^th, 2010 at Buena Park City Hall Council Chambers 6650 Beach Blvd. Buena Park, CA 90620. The reception is from 7 pm to 9pm where 32 black & white portraits (selected from over 150) of my seemingly never ending documentary of Los Angeles poets are on exhibit from March 11^th- April 29^th. 

Bolt is a performance-poet... with the emphasis on performance. His work is a fusion of thought, emotion and physical energy. As one of the pioneers of performance-poetry, Jim has been featured on MTV, performed at the Lollapalooza rock festival, slammed at the National Poetry Slam and traveled as far as Portugal and Tokyo with his passionate and original style of communication.

Check out Jim Bolt’s website at  http://www.rockpoet.com

Other fantastic poets that are scheduled to read that evening include Deborah Edler Brown, Imani Tolliver, Mauro W. Monteiro, Rachel Kann, and Rick Lupert. The readings are scheduled to begin at approximately 7:45 pm.

Mark Savage’s “Souls and Passions, the Poets of Los Angeles” Exhibiting in Buena Park, CA

32 selected prints from Mark Savage’s “Souls and Passions, the Poets of Los Angeles” are on display at Buena Park City Hall Council Chambers 6650 Beach Blvd. Buena Park, CA 90620 March 11th - April 29th. 

Opening reception Thursday, April 8th, 2010 7pm to 9pm. Readings by Deborah Edler Brown, Imani Tolliver, Jim Bolt, Mauro W. Monteiro, Rachel Kann, and Rick Lupert.

Since 1997, I've taken over 150 portraits of Los Angeles poets- some in color and others in black & white, some studio, while others were taken on location. And because the gallery space is limited, I decided to have a show that was tighter in scope, and more selective rather than broad ranging. My last show at Beyond Baroque in Venice, CA in 2002 was huge- over 100 portraits and a little overwhelming. This black & white show is more cohesive and has a good feel to it. You can actually step back and take it all in. 

Contact me at MarkSavagePhoto@AOL.com if you are interested in purchasing signed prints or posters.

Here's a list of portraits that are on exhibit:

Alicia Vogl Sáenz

Brendan Constantine

Carmen Vega

Deborah Edler Brown

Elizabeth Iannaci

Erica Erdman

FrancEye

Holaday Mason

Imani Tolliver

Iris Berry

Jack Brewer

Jenoyne Adams & Michael Datcher

Jim Bolt

Jim Natal

John Harris

Karen Noelle Seeberg

Linda Gamboa

Mark Salerno

Mauro W. Monteiro

Merilene M. Murphy

Michelle Pilar Hamill

Mike Mollet

Paul Vangelisti

Rachel Kann

Rick Lupert

Robert Arroyo

Ron Koertge

Sarah Maclay

Scott Wannberg

Suzanne Lummis

Terry Stevenson

Wanda Coleman

The direct link to the City of Buena Park's press release for the gallery show.

Many thanks to the City of Buena Park and the fine arts staff: Imani Tolliver, Cultural and Fine Arts Supervisor, and Sonia Godoy, Cultural and Fine Arts Coordinator. I really appreciate all of the work both of you have put into this show- from press releases to hanging the art work. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.