[the Writing of Kuypers]    [JanetKuypers.com]    [Bio]    [Poems]    [Prose]

Watch this YouTube video live at the Yammer Chicago mini-feature 11/17/99

Watch this YouTube video read live on her wedding day (May 7, 2000)

Watch the YouTube video from the show Stop. live 09/10/02 in Chicago

Or see the full “Stop” show including the performance of this piece, as a .mov file, an .mp4 file, or as a raw .ogv file, from the Internet Archive

Listen live from the 03/03/02 CD & the Chicago show 09/10/02 “Stop. Look. Listen.”, or order ANT track from this CD from iTunes.

Watch this YouTube video (6:31) studio session “etc.” book reading for audio CD 08/14/07

Listen: (5:51) to this recording from Fusion, or order this track - or any track - off the CD Fusion through iTunes.

Listen to this track from Kiki, Jake & Haytstack off the CD an american portrait, which can be ordered any time online at iTunes.

Order this iTunes track: from the poetry audio CDetc. ...Or order the entire CD set from iTunes: CD:

Watch the YouTube video live in Death ‘n’ Rebirth 07/11/10 at Beach Poets

Enjoy the full video of the Beach Poets Death ‘n’ Rebirth 7/11/10 show from archive.org... (on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuypers #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersmusic #janetkuyperssinging #janetkuyperschicago #janetkuyperspoetryshow #janetkuypersfeature

download the free chapbook Death ‘n’ Rebirth with all of the writing in the live show

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Against My Will”, “I Don’t Want To” and “How do I Explain It” (read for the future Oeuvre audio CD release) at Austin’s Recycled Reads Public Library book store 7/15/17 (video filmed from a Panasonic Lumix camera).

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Against My Will”, “I Don’t Want To” and “How do I Explain It” (read for the future Oeuvre audio CD release) at Austin’s Recycled Reads Public Library book store 7/15/17 (this video was filmed from a Sony camera).

See YouTube video from 4/29/18 of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Coquinas” and “How Do I Explain It” from her performance art collection book “Chapter 38 v1” before the official beginning of the Austin installment of the 2018 Poetry Bomb at the Baylor Street Art Wall (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersbookreading #janetkuyperspoetrybomb

See YouTube video from 4/29/18 of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Coquinas” and “How Do I Explain It” from her performance art collection book “Chapter 38 v1” before the official beginning of the Austin installment of the 2018 Poetry Bomb at the Baylor Street Art Wall (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersbookreading #janetkuyperspoetrybomb

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Looking For A Worthy Adversary” and “Fantastic Car Crash” from her show “the Cutting Room Floor”, then her poem “How Do I Explain It” from her show “Death & Rebirth”, all read from her poetry performance art show book “Chapter 48 (v1)” at “Recycled Reads” 11/17/18 (Panasonic Lumix T56; on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, & Tumblr).

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Looking For A Worthy Adversary” and “Fantastic Car Crash” from her show “the Cutting Room Floor”, then her poem “How Do I Explain It” from her show “Death & Rebirth”, all read from her poetry performance art show book “Chapter 48 (v1)” at “Recycled Reads” 11/17/18 (Panasonic Lumix 2500; on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, & Tumblr).

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poem “Equality Manifesto” (written February 26th, for the anniversary of the publication of the Communist Manifesto) from her poetry book “Every Event of the Year (Volume one: January-June)”, then her poems “This you Don’t Hate” (originally in v101 cc&d) and “How Do I Explain It” (originally in the cc&d v105-116 book Rinse and Repeat), both read from her cc&d volume 2 poetry collection book “a Wake-Up Call from Tradition”, live 2/22/20 at Georgetown’s “Poetry Aloud” (Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera; on Facebook Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr).

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poem “Equality Manifesto” (written February 26th, for the anniversary of the publication of the Communist Manifesto) from her poetry book “Every Event of the Year (Volume one: January-June)”, then her poems “This you Don’t Hate” (originally in v101 cc&d) and “How Do I Explain It” (originally in the cc&d v105-116 book Rinse and Repeat), both read from her cc&d volume 2 poetry collection book “a Wake-Up Call from Tradition”, live 2/22/20 at Georgetown’s “Poetry Aloud” (Panasonic Lumix T56 camera; on Facebook Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr).

How Do I Explain It I there are so many times when I have had so little hope and maybe that’s MY problem, not yours and maybe this is a bad way to start a poem so forgive me but the thing is, people keep trying to tell me that this is the hard part and I have been through so much haven’t I gone through enough? and I am beginning to think that well, maybe I DON’T deserve it and maybe bad things are MEANT to happen to me and how do I explain that to the average person? how do I explain what I am going through how do I explain the way I feel how do I explain it II I mean, I know I am a writer, so explaining this all should not be so hard but it is Describe the color blue to a blind man and see how you are at a loss for words How do you explain this all with quick wit and a shark tongue? III so they key here for me is that sometimes good things can happen when you least expect it and instead of my griping about it or feeling sorry for myself maybe I should just be happy with it IV and when people tell me that the sky looks REALLY blue today I just think, well, that is called SCIENCE, the sky is always blue and that answer that comment is that supposed to make me feel better? V and maybe when people tell me that every cloud has a silver lining well, maybe I should enjoy the silver lining every once in a while and when people complain that the grass is always greener on the other side well, maybe at times like those i should learn to like the view from this side because at least I get to see the green grass well, it’s just a theory cause maybe this ride ain’t so bad and maybe this SIDE ain’t so bad and maybe there is a chance for that other side for me and maybe i’ve had a taste of all that good stuff and you know, it occurred to me that the good stuff ain’t all that after all and that maybe there is someone out there like me and that maybe someone cares about me and maybe someone respects me and thinks I’m intelligent and beautiful maybe VI a couple of days ago john gave me some roses an even half dozen, something that didn’t even need to be wrapped by the florist well, that’s just my thought on the matter but john had an answer for me he told me that he gave me five roses for the five days he had known me and the sixth one well, was just for me because I deserved it and those were the words he used and that is what he said to me and I have received flowers from other men before and for all of this it was different because he said those words to me because he thought of me and that was almost worth more than the flowers maybe VII and yeah, I could go on and on and on about the fact that he is taller than me I can wear high heels in front of him and I won’t dwarf him and when he holds me it feels like I’m actually being held and not that I’m about to break the man I’m hugging into two pieces and maybe he was a marine and can hold his own and maybe he has travelled all over the place and seen different things and had different chances and yeah, maybe he carries all my stuff around in my apartment because it might be too heavy for me and yeah, I could get angry at that I could think that I can carry this myself that I’m not a poor helpless girl and that I don’t need no man VIII but for now for now I’m stuck in this happy mode remembering what it’s like where the grass is greener and enjoying in that silver lining and well, being happy that I can almost touch that green grass now cause I’m sick of hearing about the four-leaf clovers and the rainbows and the pots of gold and all that other crap that is supposed to make you happy IX and maybe I am just happy that someone gave me attention and gives me attention and that that someone cares about me I got that attention from someone who thought I was worth it from someone I thought was worth it and when you finally get to this point, when you think no one else can understand this feeling and all the references to growing grass an bubbles sand sunsets don’t quite cut it well, when you get to feel this way the way I feel well, how do you explain it Copyright Janet Kuypers. All rights reserved. No material may be reprinted without express permission.