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

See a YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Everyone Will React”, “brittle”, “Your Burden”, “Under Our Own Feet”, “Quiet as a Painting”, “Until all the Pieces Connect”, “Understand the Power”, “Usual Conquest Style”, “Exploit the Island”, and “Kiribati” from the v178 issue of the Down in the Dirt magazine 12/20 book “Spartacus” 12/2/20, during the usual time for Austin’s “Community Poetry” open mic (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera, and posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuypers

See a Facebook live video stream of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Everyone Will React”, “brittle”, “Your Burden”, “Under Our Own Feet”, “Quiet as a Painting”, “Until all the Pieces Connect”, “Understand the Power”, “Usual Conquest Style”, “Exploit the Island”, and “Kiribati” from the v178 issue of the Down in the Dirt magazine 12/20 book “Spartacus” 12/2/20, during the usual time for Austin’s “Community Poetry” open mic (this video was filmed and streamed with a Samsung S9 camera). #janetkuypers

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Uprising for Revolution” from the cc&d 12/20 v304 book “Reptile Lust”, “Exploit the Island” from the Down in the Dirt 12/20 v178 book “Spartacus”, and “Us, Actually Touching” from “the 2021 poetry review date book” at the beginning of the “Poetic License virtual open mic 12/6/20” she hosted through a Zoom meeting and a Facebook event page, which led to John Yotko reading his poem The Deer, and then Zoom host John F. McMullen reading the intro of, and Janet Kuypers read his poem Gods, both also read from “the 2021 poetry review date book” (this video was filmed from a from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera; on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr). #janetkuyperspoeticlicense

See a Facebook live video stream of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Uprising for Revolution” from the cc&d 12/20 v304 book “Reptile Lust”, “Exploit the Island” from the Down in the Dirt 12/20 v178 book “Spartacus”, and “Us, Actually Touching” from “the 2021 poetry review date book” at the beginning of the “Poetic License virtual open mic 12/6/20” she hosted through a Zoom meeting and a Facebook event page, which led to John Yotko reading his poem The Deer, and then Zoom host John F. McMullen reading the intro of, and Janet Kuypers read his poem Gods, both also read from “the 2021 poetry review date book” (this video was filmed & streamed from a Samsung S9 camera). #janetkuyperspoeticlicense

See the YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Key to a Storyline” (written 12/21, on and for National Short Story Day), “Overturn the Futility” (written 12/22, on and for the 1849 date Fyodor Dostoyevsky was supposed to be killed for crimes against the Czar), “Vaulted to Silhouette the Sky” (written 12/23, on and for the 583 date the Maya queen Yohl Ik’nal is crowned ruler of Palenque), “Usual Conquest Style” (written 12/24, on and for the 1777 date that Kiritimati, AKA Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook), “Exploit the Island” (written 12/25, on and for the 1643 date that Christmas Island was discovered), “Lost Cross” (for Christmas), and “Dilemmas in Gift Giving” (for Christmas) from the Janet Kuypers poetry book “Every Event of the Year (Volume Two: July-December)” for The Café Gallery 12/23/20 Book Reading in The Café Gallery Book Reading series (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera; posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr). #janetkuypers #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersbookreading #janetkuypersthecafegallery

See a Facebook live video stream of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Key to a Storyline”, “Overturn the Futility”, “Vaulted to Silhouette the Sky”, “Usual Conquest Style”, “Exploit the Island”, “Lost Cross”, and “Dilemmas in Gift Giving” from the Janet Kuypers poetry book “Every Event of the Year (Volume Two: July-December)” for The Café Gallery 12/23/20 Book Reading in The Café Gallery Book Reading series (this video was filmed and streamed from a Samsung S9 camera). #janetkuypers #janetkuyperspoetry #janetkuypersbookreading #janetkuypersthecafegallery

See a YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Usual Conquest Style”, “Exploit the Island”, and “Kiribati” from the v178 “Spartacus” installment of the Down in the Dirt issue collection book “Late Frost” from Scars Publications for “The Café Gallery 2/17/21 Book Reading” in The Café Gallery Book Reading series (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix 2500 camera, and posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr).  #janetkuypers   #janetkuyperspoetry   #janetkuypersbookreading #janetkuypersthecafegallery

See a YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poems “Usual Conquest Style”, “Exploit the Island”, and “Kiribati” from the v178 “Spartacus” installment of the Down in the Dirt issue collection book “Late Frost” from Scars Publications for “The Café Gallery 2/17/21 Book Reading” in The Café Gallery Book Reading series. (this video was filmed from a Panasonic Lumix T56 camera, and posted on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr).  #janetkuypers   #janetkuyperspoetry   #janetkuypersbookreading #janetkuypersthecafegallery

Exploit the Island Janet Kuypers 12/25/19, the 1643 date that Christmas Island was discovered I have remembered this Depeche Mode instrumental song, it’s titled “Christmas Island,” and, unlike mellow or somber tunes, it belted out loud processional music with strong beats that were almost an instrumental call to action. This song wasn’t on their albums; it’s only a tune the die-hard fans back in the day would know or even like. But the “Christmas Island” song that’s been in my head was the one by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters — sure, the Andrews Sisters didn’t originally sing it with him, but I know Bing’s crooning with Christmas songs, where this little ditty sings of spending Christmas across the sea, coconuts on the trees and presents coming in on canoe... and sure, Bing may have released this in the 50s, well after the original, but looking back, it confuses me when the only Christmas Island I know off the top of my head is a tiny place in the Pacific that was deserted twice, then used as a nuclear testing site, so, really, it doesn’t seem like a true vacation retreat. But the thing is, the Christmas Island I know was discovered on Christmas Eve by the British, which kind of seems like a weird reason to call it “Christmas Island”... and then I discovered that there is another Christmas Island, discovered on Christmas day by a European in 1643. So maybe this is the tropical resort Bing crooned about. Now, the Christmas Island discovered on Christmas Eve by Britain is a small island in the Pacific Ocean, while the Christmas Island discovered on Christmas Day by Europeans is a small island in the Indian Ocean, but after that, they start to sound similar. Both islands are populated by only a few thousand people — and both were explored for annexation until countries came to exploit the island for their military (for this island, it first came with the Japanese in World War Two). This tiny island then became a harbor for refugees, which had very few beaches and so little climate change at the southern edge of the Equatorial region. So in some ways this Christmas Island was a beautiful place for people who needed to escape an unjust war, with a rainforest and animals differentiated from what you could find at the Galapagos Islands along the Equator, but... their only real resource was Phosphate mining, where the phosphate was extracted from guano — which is the accumulated excrement of seabirds and bats. (And who said nature didn’t work so well with mankind?) So no, this Chinese/Malayan/Australian island now under Australia’s rule (which doesn’t please the locals) may not be the Bing Crosby vacation getaway, but during war, Christmas Island was a paradise for those truly in need.

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