Carlos Morton's Reading Disaster Story

THE NUYORICAN POET'S CAFE
New York City

The Nuyorican Poet's Cafe was an exciting place to be in 1976, a
gathering place for writers, players and hustlers on the Lower East Side of
Manhattan. It was in a rough neighborhood, so there was always a certain
risk involved.

I lived in Manhattan, working as a free lance writer and wrote a number
of articles about the Nuyorican theater movement (a combination of New York
and Puertorican) for local newspapers and national journals. Miguel
Pinero, author of the prize winning play "Short Eyes," and Miguel Algarin,
a Rutgers University Professor were the ones who started the cafe.

One night Miguel Algarin told me the strange looking old white guy
standing at the bar was William Burroughs the legendary writer of "Naked
Lunch." I really admired his writing and so I went up to him and introduced
myself. It was very loud, people talking, music playing, and I said, I've
always wanted to meet you Mr. Burroughs, my name is Carlos MORTON.

Burroughs turned to me with a surprised look and exclaimed: Carlos
MORPHINE?

At least that's what he "heard."

Another time I got into a argument with a Nuryorican Poet named Lucky
Cienfuegos who pulled a switchblade knife on me. I can't recall what we
were arguing about, probably poetry.

To which I replied, "You win the argument, Lucky."

One night I read from a play I was writing, "Pancho Diablo," about a
Chicano devil who quits his job in hell and moves to Houston. (It was
produced at the Public Theater in 1987.) No one was listening, it was late
and loud and people were drunk . . as was the reader . . . so I just gave
up in disgust and threw the one hundred page script up in the air . . . it
all fluttered down like a ticker tape parade on Fifth Avenue.

I got the biggest applause of the night, people like Chicano writer Ana
Castillo still recall it.


CARLOS MORTON's professional playwriting credits include the San Francisco Mime Troupe, the New York Shakespeare Festival, the Denver Center Theatre, La Compania Nacional de Mexico, the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, and the Arizona Theatre Company. Morton's most recent book is Children of the Sun: Scenes and Monologues For Latino Youth, (2008, Players Press). In 2006-2007 he was named Distinguished Fulbright Lecturer to Poland. He is currently Professor of Theater at UC Santa Barbara.