Larry Jaffe,
" the hardest working poet in Los Angeles,"
returns to New York City

by Stazja McFadyen

Larry Jaffe, author of Jewish Soul Food, has been called “the hardest working poet in Los Angeles,” and 1999 has been a landmark year. Dead End Street Productions signed him for the multimedia release of Jewish Soul Food. He traveled extensively with featured appearances at the Austin International Poetry Festival in April, a five-state “unprotected poetry world tour” over the summer, and a trip to the United Kingdom in the autumn.
[See “Larry Jaffe-Unprotected Poetry Tour-a report compiled by R.C. Travis,” in Poetic Voices, July 1999.]

A poet warrior, Jaffe has put his words to work in such collections as Will Work For Peace: New Political Poems from Zeropanik Press; “Maytag Heights” from Lummox Productions, to benefit Habitat for Humanity; and Heritage Blue: Poets Reading at East 13th Heritage House from PoetWarrior Press, to benefit Austin historical landmark Heritage House.

An expanding Internet presence now includes the Jaffe word Studio and Poets4Peace site, with contributions from poets internationally. In October, his PoeticLicense venue at the Moon Dog Cafe in Hollywood was picked up for live broadcasts once a month at www.greencafe.com.

Larry’s hard work is paying off.

After participating in the “Spirit in the Words” showcase in L.A. last September, Jaffe received an invitation to come to New York City. On December 5, DaimlerChrysler will fly Jaffe to his native New York, joining other award-winning poets from Detroit, Seattle, Philadelphia and New York for the “Spirit in the Words” poetry program. They will also attend Poets&Writers’ annual awards dinner, where DaimlerChrysler will receive Poets&Writers’ Presidential Citation for its poetry program, established in Detroit in February, 1994.

Since its first edition of “The Spirit in the Words” in 1997, DaimlerChrysler has published and distributed over 10,000 copies. A 1999 edition will include works by this year’s winning poets.

A poet since the age of 11, when he realized the air was made of letters, which he could breathe in and breathe out words, Larry Jaffe writes of poetry for people.