Davidson Garrett

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Davidson Garrett
Davidson Garrett in 2016
Davidson Garrett in 2016
BornSep 11, 1952 (1952-09-11) (age 69)
Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
OccupationWriter, Poet, Actor
NationalityAmerican

Davidson Garrett (born September 11, 1952), also known as King Lear of the Taxi,[1] is an American poet, living in New York City, New York. He drove a New York City yellow taxi cab from 1978 until 2018 to supplement his writing career. Garrett has authored six books of poetry.

Early life[]

Garrett was born September 11, 1952, in Shreveport, Louisiana.[2] Garrett came to New York City in 1972 to pursue an acting career and also because he is gay and was looking for a supportive community.[1][3] He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and with Alice Spivak at the Herbert Berghof Studio in Greenwich Village. Garrett graduated from The City College of New York with an M.S. degree in Education.

Garrett lived at the McBurney YMCA in the Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea from 1978 until 2000, which was the famous YMCA that the Village People based their pop song anthem on, “YMCA.”[4][5]

Poetry[]

Poems and other writings have appeared in The New York Times,[6] Xavier Review, The Paddock Review, Sensations Magazine, First Literary Review-East,[7] The Ekphrastic Review,[8] The Stillwater Review, The Episcopal New Yorker [9] Marco Polo Arts Magazine,[10] and Podium,[11] the online literary journal of the 92nd Street Y Unterberg Poetry Center. His poetry has been anthologized in From Somewhere To Nowhere: The End of the “American Dream” (Autonomedia, 2017), Beyond the Rift: Poets of the Palisades (The Poets Press, 2010),[12] and in Pears, Prose and Poetry (Poets Wear Prada / Eggplant Press, 2011).

Garrett has authored six books of poetry, including his most recent title, “Cabaletta: Poems of a New York City Taxi Driver” published in 2022 by Finishing Line Press. ‘’Arias of a Rhapsodic Spirit,” a full-length collection was released in 2020 from Kelsay Books, and two chapbooks, “What Happened to the Man Who Taught Me Beowulf? and Other Poems”, released in 2017, and “Southern Low Protestant Departure: A Funeral Poem”, released in 2015. An earlier chapbook “To Tell The Truth I Wanted To Be Kitty Carlisle and Other Poems” was published by Finishing Line Press in 2013. Garrett's first full-length collection, “King Lear of the Taxi: Musings of a New York City Actor/Taxi Driver,” was published in 2006 by Advent Purple Press. [13]

In 2013 Garrett was invited to take part in a taxi drivers' writing workshop organized by the poet Mark Nowak and sponsored by the PEN World Voices Festival.[14][15] He with other members of the workshop read their taxi poems at "Watching the Meter: Poetry from the Taxi Drivers Workshop" at The Public Theater's Joe's Pub in New York City.[16]

In November 2017, Garrett's poem "A Taxi Driver's Die Gotterdammerung” was included in the poetry anthology, "From Somewhere to Nowhere: The End of the American Dream,” which was published by Autonomedia, a nationally known publisher of radical books. This poem documents Garrett's experience when his yellow taxi was parked under the North Tower of the World Trade Center at the moment the first plane hit the North Tower on September 11, 2001.[17]

Spoken word, performance[]

Garrett has been performing spoken word plays, poetry and more, primarily in the New York City region.

In 2009, 2010, and 2016, he performed in poet Joel Allegretti's tribute to Leonard Cohen, You Know Who I Am, which was produced by Greenwich Village's Cornelia Street Cafe.[18] Garrett was cast in the play, “Ishtar Redux,” by poet John J. Trause that was staged in 2013 at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in an evening of performance works produced by the journal, Nerve Lantern.[19] In August 2015, he was invited to the Boog City Poets’Theatre in the East Village, Manhattan, to perform a new poetic monologue with incidental music titled Nine Meditations on the Nothingness of Now.[20] He collaborated with the musician, Michael Skliar.

Flushing Town Hall, a cultural arts organization in the Borough of Queens, invited Garrett to give an outdoor poetry reading in Diversity Plaza[21] in June 2016, as part of a cultural program celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month in Jackson Heights.

In December 2016, The William Carlos Williams Poetry Cooperative of Southern Bergen County, New Jersey, invited Davidson Garrett to be the featured poet for their monthly poetry series. Garrett performed his entire funeral poem, "Southern Low Protestant Departure" at the William Carlos Williams Center for the Performing Arts in Rutherford, New Jersey.[22]

In January 2017, Garrett was invited to read poems in a series of shows at Cornelia Street Cafe, titled: "What Were The Sixties Really Like?" which were produced and curated by the poet/playwright Kathyn Adisman.[23]

The Workers Unite Film Festival, an annual event in New York City, invited Garrett to be one of the featured poets in May 2018, in a venue in Brooklyn, New York, as a prelude to the feature film, "The Acting Class," by British filmmakers, Deirdre O'Neill and Mike Wayne. The poetry reading was curated by the poet, Vanessa Jimenez Gabb. Garrett spoke about the taxi industry and also read poems about his long career as a taxi driver.[24]

Awards and honors[]

In 2009, Garrett was featured in Amy Braunschweiger's book Taxi Confidential: Life, Death and 3 a.m. Revelations in New York City Cabs.[25]

In June 2014, Garrett was awarded first place in the 2nd Annual Juanita Torrence-Thompson International Poetry Competition sponsored by Amulet Poetry Magazine.[2]

Curation[]

In August 2016, Garrett was the curator for Poets' Theater at the 9th Annual Boog City Music, Poetry and Theater Festival in the East Village, Manhattan.[26][better source needed]

On September 30, 2018, Garrett was invited to be the poetry curator of "An Afternoon of Poetry in Albert's Garden." One of the most beautiful community gardens in New York City, Albert's Garden is located at 16-18 2nd Street, in Manhattan's East Village. The garden was established in 1971 and is open to the public from the Spring until early Fall. For this reading, Garrett invited the poets, Jeffrey Cyphers Wright, John J. Trause, Hilary Sideris, Austin Alexis, and Jessica Nooney to be featured with readings from their published works. Garrett served as Emcee for the event held in the Shade Garden, and he ended the reading with his recently published poem, "Texas Wildflowers in Spring: In Memory of Lady Bird Johnson."[27]

Filmography[]

In 2019, Garrett was the subject of the short film: “The Taxicab Poet: Davidson Garrett,” by filmmaker, Zardon Richardson. The film was screened at the Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WNYC Radio, as a part of the PEN World Voices Festival.[28]

In September 2008, texts from Garrett's book, “King Lear of the Taxi” were used for the short film, "Taxi Driver," screened at the Portobello Film Festival in London, by director Ray Andrew Wilkes, with Garrett recording the voice-over for the film.[29]

Publications[]

  • Garrett, Davidson (2022). Cabaletta:Poems of a New York City Taxi Driver. Georgetown,Kentucky: Finishing Line Press. ISBN 978-1646627271.
  • Garrett, Davidson (2020). Arias of a Rhapsodic Spirit. American Fork, Utah: Kelsay Books. ISBN 978-1952326271.
  • Garrett, Davidson (2017). What Happened to The Man Who Taught Me "Beowulf"? and Other Poems. New York City, New York: Advent Purple Press. ISBN 978-0977444625.
  • Garrett, Davidson (2015). Southern Low Protestant Departure: A Funeral Poem. New York City, New York: Advent Purple Press. ISBN 978-0977444618.
  • Garrett, Davidson (2014). King Lear of the Taxi: Musings of a New York City Actor/Taxi Driver. New York City, New York: Advent Purple Press. ISBN 978-0977444601.
  • Garrett, Davidson (2013). To Tell The Truth I Wanted To Be Kitty Carlisle and Other Poems. Georgetown, Kentucky: Finishing Line Press. ISBN 978-1622292790.

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Cabbie Waxes Poetic In New Volume". Queens Chronicle. January 18, 2007. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
  2. ^ a b "Poets & Writers". pw.org. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
  3. ^ Lyons, Jessica (2007). "Taxi driver writes between fares". Taxi-Mart News. Archived from the original on 2014-05-08. Retrieved 2019-12-12. Originally from Louisiana, Garrett came to New York in 1972 in part because he felt he could not be open about his homosexuality in his hometown and also in order to pursue acting.
  4. ^ Pogrebin, Robin (1999-07-17). "Y.M.C.A. in Chelsea Sheds Its Tenants; 34 Men Used to Single Rooms Know New Homes Will Be Hard to Find". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  5. ^ Hu, Winnie (1999-11-14). "Tenants Protest Y.M.C.A. Sale and Loss of a Chelsea Home". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  6. ^ Nemy, Enid (16 August 1999). "Metropolitan Diary - New York Times". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
  7. ^ "September 2016". rulrul.4mg.com. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  8. ^ "Sun and Shadows, by Davidson Garrett". The Ekphrastic Review. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  9. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-05-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ^ "Marco Polo". marcopoloartsmag.com. Archived from the original on 2014-05-06. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
  11. ^ "Taxi Driver Villanelle - Podium - Issue 10 - 92nd Street Y - New York, NY". 92y.org. Archived from the original on 2014-05-06. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
  12. ^ "The Poet's Press Featured Poets -- Annette Hayn". www.poetspress.org.
  13. ^ "Results for 'au:garrett, davidson' > 'Davidson Garrett' [WorldCat.org]". www.worldcat.org.
  14. ^ Flegenheimer, Matt (2013-05-05). "Poetry of the Streets, Written by Those Who Know Them Best". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  15. ^ Davies, Nick. "New York taxi drivers read their poetry at PEN World Voices Festival » MobyLives". Melville House Books. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  16. ^ "Watching the Meter: Poetry from the Taxi Drivers Workshop". PEN America. 2013-02-14. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  17. ^ "The Unbearables - from Somewhere to Nowhere: The End of the American Dream".
  18. ^ "The Cornelia Street Café Hosts An Evening of Spoken Word and Music". nymetroparents.com. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
  19. ^ "Nerve Lantern News". pyriformpress.com. Retrieved 2015-09-15.[permanent dead link]
  20. ^ "Annual Boog City Festival". broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
  21. ^ "Diversity Plaza - CECM". www1.nyc.gov. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  22. ^ https://www.evensi.us/wcw-open-williams-center-for-the-arts-rutherford-nj/160632289[dead link]
  23. ^ "And a '60s child shall lead them". The Villager. 2017-01-12. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  24. ^ "Program 26: Poetry and Spoken Word Performances with Film 'The Acting Class'". Workers Unite Film Festival. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  25. ^ "Taxi Drivers Turn Around and Share Their World - NYTimes.com - NYTimes.com". Archived from the original on 2009-09-24. Retrieved 2014-05-06.
  26. ^ "» Boog City poetry, music, and theater fest 8/5 – 8/9/16 OntheWilderSide". www.onthewilderside.com. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  27. ^ "Event: An Afternoon of Poetry at Albert's Garden at Albert's Garden". NYC Parks. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  28. ^ https://www.pw.org/directory/writers/davidson_garrett. Retrieved 2022-02-14. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  29. ^ "PORTOBELLO FILM FESTIVAL LONDON". www.portobellofilmfestival.com. 2008. Retrieved 2020-04-17.

External links[]

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