Carousing Lawpoets
Here are some photos of a really nice party we had at 914 Fifth Street in Santa Monica back in 1986, probably. These are Lawpoets in full carouse. Pretty sedate.
John Hays graduated UCLA Law School same year I did, 1986. When we went up to get his diploma, of course, he characteristically pretended to stagger, as if he were Baudelaire, getting his meaningless credential while snogged on absynthe and opium. John was fun, crazy fun, like you can see in this picture. Once he assaulted me physically just for the thrill, and I assaulted him right back. It was a blast, though some eyeballs were bulging all around us until we broke into backslaps and expressions of punkish bonhomie.
John Hays revealing a familiar aspect of himself
Karen is a poet and peacenik sweetheart I met over the radio one night when she was reading poetry on KXLU radio and I called the station to talk to her. We had a nice talk, and kept talking by phone for a year before we met. She contributed several poems to the first Lawpoets Creation: Fin de Siecle.
Karen Holden and John Hays
Karen Holden and John Hays
Nancy lived in UCLA student housing when I lived there with my family and physically helped the first Lawpoets poetry reading happen, pitching in with mundane tasks like helping build the stage and set up the PA. She called about a year ago because she found her picture on my website. Maybe she'll call again. She's still in LA.
Nancy Braver and Karen Holden
Karen Holden and John Hays
Tom Brill is a UCLA alumnus, now in Santa Somewhere in California. We are best of friends, though only seeing each other every few years. He is the inventor, among other things, of a weird board game called Suicide, in which you roll an odd-sided die to compete for the privilege of killing yourself first by means of various methods — swimming with weights being my favorite. Tom's poetry is all through the Lawpoets collections.
Tom Brill
Robin Kaufer is my friend from UCLA law school years back. We rode motorcycles and studied together, and became members of the Church of the Ramones. She has two beautiful babies and lives in LA, working for the taxing authorities.
Tara, my exquisite wife, is the source of all the domestic bliss you see in the background of the photographs. The tiny kitchen was so spartan, with a bare, old-fashioned sink, but it was close and warm. On the windows, you can see the muslin curtains she sewed hanging on the handmade wooden curtain rods we made. We lived in the house only due to providence — Tara heard about the availability of the place through her job at Paul, Hastings, where she worked in the much coveted beachfront office location part time. A real plum job, then she plucks this house up to go with it! You can see that there's lovely green outside the windows. A great place for Lawpoets to carouse safely.
Tom Brill, Tara Carreon, and Robin Kaufer
Karen, John, Tom, Tara, Robin and Nancy (left to right)
Nancy Braver
Nancy Braver and Karen Holden
John Hays graduated UCLA Law School same year I did, 1986. When we went up to get his diploma, of course, he characteristically pretended to stagger, as if he were Baudelaire, getting his meaningless credential while snogged on absynthe and opium. John was fun, crazy fun, like you can see in this picture. Once he assaulted me physically just for the thrill, and I assaulted him right back. It was a blast, though some eyeballs were bulging all around us until we broke into backslaps and expressions of punkish bonhomie.
John Hays revealing a familiar aspect of himself
Karen is a poet and peacenik sweetheart I met over the radio one night when she was reading poetry on KXLU radio and I called the station to talk to her. We had a nice talk, and kept talking by phone for a year before we met. She contributed several poems to the first Lawpoets Creation: Fin de Siecle.
Karen Holden and John Hays
Karen Holden and John Hays
Nancy lived in UCLA student housing when I lived there with my family and physically helped the first Lawpoets poetry reading happen, pitching in with mundane tasks like helping build the stage and set up the PA. She called about a year ago because she found her picture on my website. Maybe she'll call again. She's still in LA.
Nancy Braver and Karen Holden
Karen Holden and John Hays
Tom Brill is a UCLA alumnus, now in Santa Somewhere in California. We are best of friends, though only seeing each other every few years. He is the inventor, among other things, of a weird board game called Suicide, in which you roll an odd-sided die to compete for the privilege of killing yourself first by means of various methods — swimming with weights being my favorite. Tom's poetry is all through the Lawpoets collections.
Tom Brill
Robin Kaufer is my friend from UCLA law school years back. We rode motorcycles and studied together, and became members of the Church of the Ramones. She has two beautiful babies and lives in LA, working for the taxing authorities.
Tara, my exquisite wife, is the source of all the domestic bliss you see in the background of the photographs. The tiny kitchen was so spartan, with a bare, old-fashioned sink, but it was close and warm. On the windows, you can see the muslin curtains she sewed hanging on the handmade wooden curtain rods we made. We lived in the house only due to providence — Tara heard about the availability of the place through her job at Paul, Hastings, where she worked in the much coveted beachfront office location part time. A real plum job, then she plucks this house up to go with it! You can see that there's lovely green outside the windows. A great place for Lawpoets to carouse safely.
Tom Brill, Tara Carreon, and Robin Kaufer
Karen, John, Tom, Tara, Robin and Nancy (left to right)
Nancy Braver
Nancy Braver and Karen Holden