That up there is a poetry performance piece done by regular Gothic Council member and author of the Encyclopedia Gothica, Liisa Ladouceur. The video, directed by Tomb Dragomir, helps answers the eternal question, "What is goth?" This is, of course, the whole purpose of the Gothic Council. Well, that and making fun of people until they cry, but mostly the whole definition thing.

Now, all goths have written bad poetry in their lives, even me. Especially me. So I thought it would be fun if I contacted some of the gothic community to own up to their compositions from back in the day when the angst was just too damned angsty to stand and had to be poured out upon the page to be left somewhere where others could find it and gently ask us what was wrong.

Ladies and gentlemen, we present the first of what I hope will be many more Gothic Def Poetry Slams.

Good stuff, right off the bat. Not only do we have this 1997 work from Houston's own Bear Wilder, DJ, VJ, and manager of the short-lived, but awesome Bone Church club night, but we have it scanned right off the original notebook paper! Wilder wrote "Holy Night of the Ecneloiv" after a perfect evening at one of Houston's other sadly lost clubs, the Cellar.

Wilder was also a premier publisher of goth poetry back in the day through his Zillah's Lamp zine.