How To Build A Poetry Bomb

Conceived and created by Los Angeles poet/actor S.A. Griffin, The Poetry Bomb is a former U.S. Navy practice bomb from the Vietnam era (1970), a 100 pound MK4. The object was converted and then filled with poems from around the world representing all walks of life, all major U.S. conflicts since WWI, all major world theologies and all poetic disciplines from with contributors ranging in age from 3-93.

The video follows the process of converting the piece which took place between November 2009-April 2010. After the conversion was complete, S.A. Griffin took Elsie The Poetry Bomb on a five week tour of the United States, The Poetry Bomb Couch Surfing Across America 2010 Tour of Words between April-June 2010: The Poetry Bomb Couch Surfing Across America 2010 Tour of Words April 1st, 7PM The Poetry Bomb Unstuffed, Kick Off for National Poetry Month, Skylight Books, Los Feliz, CA April 3rd, 6PM pLAyLAnd, Eagle Rock, CA, Group Art Show, Baby's Debut (Stuffed)!! April 10th, 2pm Encinitas Community Library, 1st Official Road Show April 11th, 2PM, Queen Bee's Art & Cultural Center, San Diego, CA April 25th, 3PM Beyond Baroque, Farewell & Benefit April 28th, Leave Los Angeles & Hit the Road Jack! April 29th, Mojave High School, Bullhead City, AZ April 29th, 6PM The Kingman Branch, Mojave County Public Library, Kingman, AZ April 30th , 8PM Conspire, Phoenix, AZ May 1st, 7PM The Percolator, El Paso, TX May 2nd, 10:30AM Church of Beethoven, Albuquerque, NM May 2nd, 3PM, Albuquerque, NM, Acequia Booksellers May 5th 7PM Progress, Austin, TX May 5th, 9PM Indpendence, Austin, TX May 7th, 8PM Java Cabana, Memphis, TN May 9th, 3PM Maple Leaf Bar, New Orleans May 13th, 7PM Florence/Lauderdale Public Library, Florence, AL May 15th, 5PM Mighty Joe's, Atlanta, GA May 16th, 8PM The Java Monkey, Decatur, GA May 20th, 7PM Pomegranate, Wilmington, NC May 21st, 6PM, Mesh Gallery, Morganton, NC May 22nd, 3PM Tim Peeler's Rank Stranger BBQ, Hickory, NC May 23rd, 3PM Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, Asheville, NC May 24th Noon The Parthenon, Nashville, TN May 26th 7:30PM Chicago, IL, Chopin Theatre, Chicago Outspoken Festival Benefit May 28th, 8PM Mercury Café, Denver, CO May 29th, 10AM Beat Book Shop, Boulder, CO May 31st, 7:30PM Sacramento Poetry Center, Sacramento, CA June 1st, 7pm North Columbia School House Cultural Center, Nevada City, CA June 2nd, Home Sweet Apartment! June 21st, 6PM WInston's, The Drunk Poet's Society, Ocean Beach, CA The project could not have been possible without the help of many people: Guy Who Sold Me The Bomb Off Craig's List: Robert Demott (Bond, James Bond / Huntington Beach, CA) From whence the van came: Eddie & Ottie Mendez (Tulare, CA) Love Supreme: Lorraine Perrotta (Los Angeles, CA) Conversion Crew: David Buckingham (Los Angeles, CA) Averell Eshaghian (Los Angeles, CA) Carlos Gonzalez (Los Angeles, CA) Randy Montano (Los Angeles, CA) Mark Ortiz (Los Angeles, CA) Poetry Bomb Dolly/Skratch (Atwater, CA) Dolly donated by Lance Fielding (Los Angeles, CA) Dolly's Paint: Andrews Powder Coating (Chatsworth, CA) Assists: Rafael FJ Alvarado, Charles Wygal Poetry Bomb's Paint: 1 Day Paint & Body Center (Glendale, CA) Pinstriping: Skratch (Atwater, CA) Window Fabrication: Graphic Spider (Los Angeles, CA)