Here, Here, Here, Here!

I wrote an essay recap of an afternoon with Gary Snyder at the Poets House, you can read it here, I also have a review of C.D. Wright's whopper of a new book here.

There is a new ish of Small Doggies featuring some great poems by Amy Lawless.

Check out the new issue of Notnostrums which includes a video poem by Chris Martin.

Your Friday.

November 19, 7pm Stain of Poetry at Goodbye Blue Monday
Douglas Allen
Macgregor Card
Kathy Fagan
Richard Jeffrey Newman
Chris Salerno

St. Mark's Poetry Project Friday Nights 10pm curated by Brett Price

So, this coming Friday (19th) is the Poets' Potluck, which starts at 10pm and will feature work from a good bunch of people, including: Anelise Chen, Farrah Field, Patrick Morrissey, Kelly Ginger, Josef Kaplan, Christine Kelly, Dorothea Lasky, Chris Martin, Jamie Townsend, Jared White, Thom Donovan, Sara Wintz, and more. Bring a dish for free admission and come hang out.

Sawako, J.Mae, Rob, & Chris Enter A Room & Awe Begans

I had an idea, probably three years or so ago when I curated the Teachers & Writers reading series to have Sawako as a reader. She was never able to make it from the West Coast to NYC. Emails, postal mail, & friendship continued. Last year she was going to be at AWP, but again the traveling, the distance, proved not so. So when I found out she would be in New York briefly (2-3 days) I immediately set about to schedule a reading. I also wanted J.Mae Barizo & Chris Martin to read with Sawako. Mae & her husband generously offered the use of their beautiful apartment which made the reading much more intimate and cozy-- it also helped with the little ones (Marina & Ada) as bars tend to not be the most baby-friendly.

Chris Martin read first, delighting us with new poems which he referred to as "hymns." He finished off his reading with an acapella rap. Yep, dope.

J.Mae Barizo read her poems to the accompaniment of musician Rob Moose's( Anthony & the Johnsons) guitar. The music & poems fit perfectly & everyone seemed transfixed including Anne Carson- who was kind enough to stop by & support poetry & music & her fellow Canadian (J.Mae).

Sawako Nakayasu closed out the evening. It was my intention to get her set-list for Coldfront but in my awe & consumption of wine, this did not happen. She read two titles then would ask the audience which they wanted to hear. The first group of poems were "ant" poems. She said they were old poems, but for most us they were "new" poems. She followed this up by reading a few translations from Time of Sky // Castles in the Air by Ayane Kawata (which Sawako translated).
Sawako closed her set out by reading from the immensely popular book, Texture Notes, if you haven't read this book, definitely do!

Then after the readings people mingled, ate bread & cheese, & drank wine. It was a great night & we were all lucky to hear Sawako, J.Mae, Rob, & Chris.

Special thanks to J.Mae, Wolfram, & Lila without whom the reading would not have happened.

He-He-Ha-Ha

The first "review" of my chapbook, State(s) of Flux is up on Goodreads. The person gave it 3 stars, which I think is pretty good since I know the reviewer couldn't have possibly read it. The thing is I sold about 6 at the Cakeshop reading & happen to know that new books haven't shipped yet. It's possible that this person read a copy from one of the six purchases of the book but since her profile has her living far away from the USA, again this is unlikely. I believe the first chapbook of mine to leave the states will happen in December when I send my friend, Nicole (in Hong Kong) a bunch of stuff I've been collecting for her over the past year or so so three stars & not being read-Ha, I love it!
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You know who Christie Ann Reynolds loves (or at least likes)? Sarah Gambito. Read about it here

I had the same grad class as Christie Ann (taught by Prageeta Sharma) & also fell smitten with Gambito's poems. Speaking of Ms. Reynolds, come out and see her this Saturday at the Bushwick Library:

Douglas Piccinnini
Alexis Sullivan
Martin Rock
Christie Ann Reynolds
Garrett Burrell

So get your thinking hats on – we’ll see you at the library on October 10th promptly at 3PM, cool cats.
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Then get your evening on at Yardmeter:

Please join us for Yardmeter No. 4!

We'll be presenting paintings by Austin, Texas artist Raphael Umscheid,
poetry readings by Chris Martin and Claire Donato,
and music written for the occasion by the Ray Talley Dancers, all the way from Portland, Oregon.

October 10th, 2009, 6:30 p.m.
at Shelton Walsmith's studio
267 Douglass Street
in the Gowanus, Brooklyn, NY

Check out our blog for directions and more info about our readers and presenters:
http://yardmeter.blogspot.com/

The wine will flow freely! Please come!

Your host and co-curators,
Shelton Walsmith, Jon Pack, Farrah Field, and Jared White
http://www.sheltonwalsmith.com/
http://jonpack.com/
http://adultish.blogspot.com/
http://jaredswhite.blogspot.com/