So tonight’s my reading at The Poetry Project with Bianca Stone.  I’m really excited, if a little nervous.  Here’s the Facebook invite again, just in case, but the reading most likely won’t start until around 10.30pm.

Also, Denver was pretty awesome.  Everyone was so generous with their time and their space.  The reading at Counterpath was delightful.  I even got out for a short hike.  I feel lucky to have the poetry community that I do.  Special thanks to Mathais Svalina for arranging the reading and to Sommer Browning and Noah Eli Gordon for letting Amy and I stay in their lovely home.

Also, I got to see this.  I probably won’t ever see anything like it again so I took a photo.  I think it’s velvet to boot.

So I am travelling to Denver this weekend with my good friend Amy Lawless to read poems on Sunday afternoon at Counterpath Books.  You can see the Facebook invite here.  In addition to reading with JA Tyler and Danielle Pafunda (which I am really looking forward to) there is another reading happening on Saturday night that we will get there just in time to attend.  Bad Shadow Affair will feature Paige Taggart, Sampson Starkweather, Ben Mirov, and Selah Saterstrom.  You can see the invite for their reading here.  So a happy coincidence that we will all be in town at the same time.  It will be a short but fun-filled weekend.

Then, next Friday, May 3 I am reading at The Poetry Project with Bianca Stone.  Be sure to take a nap or something before the reading because it doesn’t start until 10pm!  Should be a fun night though.  Check out the Facebook invite here.

What else?

Just another day in the life I suppose…

Oh my god guys, I have to give a speech tonight, to seniors graduating from the Honors Program at William Paterson University, which is where I did my undergraduate degree.  I was asked to speak by one of my favorite professors.  It sort of makes sense; I graduated from the Honors Program and had a really good experience so I guess I can say something sort of relevant to the students.  It’s exciting.  I have to speak for about 5-7 minutes about how the Honors Program affected my life.  Then I get to read some poems for about 10 minutes.  I have my speech all typed up and printed out.  I have practiced.  I hope it isn’t too earnest, the speech.  My hands are already clammy.

Look – my face was on the invitation too!

Crazy.

Okay, also, more Songs of the Week.  Don’t you know it.  Now featuring my press-mates at Brooklyn Arts Press!  So far we had pieces from Alejandro Ventura, Martin Ott, Bill Rasmovicz, and Carol Guess.  There are many more weeks left of the Brooklyn Arts Press residency so stay tuned for that.

I guess that’s it for now.

I’ve written every day in April so far.  Hopefully I can hold strong the next week or so.

Oh, and new music – The Shouting Matches.  Justin Vernon’s new side project.  It’s pretty feel-good.  A welcomed feeling.

Just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who came to the Aphoria book party last week.   I felt very loved.  It was sort of overwhelming and amazing.

Here are a couple of shots from the party.  Thanks to Evan Felts for taking them!

Also, I am reading at KGB Bar tonight with Adam Fitzgerald.  See the Facebook invite here.

On another note, I am super in love with this Tift Merrit and Simone Dinnerstein record. It’s exceptional.

It’s spring I guess.  I’m going to try to write a little something every day in April.

Reading, writing, and staying interested. My mission this month.

Well, tomorrow is the big day.  The book party for Aphoria.  I’m a little nervous since I’m not so comfortable with having parties for myself, but since my good friends Amy Lawless and Paige Taggart will also be reading I feel a little more at ease.  I will be introducing both Amy and Paige and I’ve written these wonderfully earnest intros for them about why I am happy they are my friends.  It’s sort of cheesy but I don’t care!

The party will begin at 7pm with the actual reading set to start at 7.30pm.  See the Facebook invite for more information.

Afterwards we will go to a bar nearby and make merry.  Maybe this one.

Overall, I am really excited, even if my nonplussed demeanor suggests otherwise!

Omnidawn Publishing just finished up its Song of the Week staff residency with pieces by RJ Ingram, Sara Mumolo, and Turner Capehart Canty.   The coming weeks will bring us residencies by Brooklyn Arts Press (my publisher!) and the Denver Quarterly.

Also, here is a little write up about the MFA Publishing panel I did at The New School last week in case you were curious about what was discussed.

What else?

Oh, Mary Ruefle:

“Each of us is caught up in a machine that is both of our own making and out of our control. “

Just a quick reminder that the The New School MFA Publishing Panel is tonight at 6.30pm.

See the Facebook invite here. There is a discrepancy between the location though…my gut says that the location below is most likely the correct one…

MFA ALUMNI PUBLISHING PANEL

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 6:30 P.M.

With Jackie Clark (class of 2008) Coldfront & LIT Magazine; Sharmi Cohen (class of 2009) Telephone Books; Justin Marks (class of 2004) Birds LLC; Dan Magers (class of 2005) Sink Review, and Alina Gregorian (class of 2009) of Bridge, moderator. Introduced by Laura Cronk.

Location: 66 West 12th Street, room 510

Admission: Free; no tickets or reservations required; seating is first-come first-served

Also, Fou, an awesome and awesome looking online journal relaunched itself today and I am lucky to have two poems in it!  It took me a minute to figure out where the poems were but I figure it out I did!  It’s lovely.  And I am in good company.

What else?  I also have a poem in the new Harpur Palate but I don’t seem to see information for the new issue on their website yet…

I don’t know, there is still light outside and it is 5pm so that is a welcomed improvement.

AWP was AWP was AWP.

I finished reading Anna Karenina.

I feel grateful for my friends and for poetry but I’m still not comfortable signing books for people yet.  What a skill, to be personal and smart in not only such a small space but quickly as well!

Well, today’s the day, the “official” publication date of Aphoria!  I am very excited about this!

You can purchase a copy in numerous ways: SPD (preferred), Amazon, Barnes and Noble.  Or come to the book party on March 22.  See event details here.  I am very happy that two of my dearest friends will also be reading with me.  Hope to see you there!

Also, it is AWP time again.  I don’t know how but I totally spaced on buying a pass to the conference this year!  It’s not too terrible I guess since I am not getting to Boston until Thursday night and that means only one day of trying to sneak into the book fair (since the book fair is free on Saturday) but still.  I don’t know what I was thinking…anyway, I am reading with the rest of the Brooklyn Arts crew on Friday, March 8.  It’s a late afternoon/early evening reading so maybe you will have time to sneak it in before all the other million events you were invited to?  Event details here.

Also, Jennifer L. Knox has been curating this massive Chick Flix series over at Delirious Hem.  It’s pretty awesome.  I was lucky enough to be able to contribute an essay about the movie The Loneliest Planet.  You can read it here.

And, and, and….Songs of the Week!  Since last week spoke the staff of Omnidawn Publishing has been in residence with pieces by Cassandra Smith, Liza Flum, Gillian Olivia Blythe Hamel, and Juliana Paslay.  The Omnidawn Publishing residency will continue for a couple more weeks then SOW will feature residencies by Denver Quarterly and my fellow press-mates at Brooklyn Arts Press!

I think that’s it for now.

Oh, some upcoming readings, etc:

Thursday, March 14 - MFA Publishing Panel at The New School
6.30pm
More information here.

Friday, March 22 – Book & Friend Party (launch for Aphoria)
7pm
More information here.

Monday, April 1 – KGB w/ Adam Fitzgerald
7.30pm

Sunday, April 28 – Reading w/ Amy Lawless, JA Tyler, & TBD at Counterpath Book, Denver, CO
Details forthcoming

Friday, May 3 – The Poetry Project w/ Bianca Stone
10pm

Okay, that’s really it for now.

“The eternal errors people make in imagining that happiness is the realization of desires.” -Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

Since last we spoke so many Songs of the Week have happened!

Part of the Best American Poetry blog series, we had pieces by David Yezzi, Megin Jimenez,  Judith Hall, Laura Orem, Amy Glynn Greacen, and Jennifer L. Knox.  Then we had some one off pieces by Elaine Bleakney, Mollye Miller, and Bianca Stone.  Stay tuned for upcoming residencies from Omnidawn, The Denver Quarterly and Brooklyn Arts Press!

Also, another thing.  Aphoria got this short but sweet write up in The Huffington Post!    What a nice surprise!

Speaking of Aphoria, the official publication date is March 1!  Just a month away.

Also, I cannot stop listening to this record:

So, there’s been this thing going around the internet…

Amy Lawless tagged me.

I’m going to tag three other poets who also have books forthcoming, etc., etc.

Here’s the self-interview:

The Next Big Thing

What is the working title of the book?

 Aphoria

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I don’t know if I had an idea for the book per se.  I couldn’t really write individual/independent poems for a while.  I had a bunch of chapbook length manuscripts that I was looking for a home for (I Live Here Now ended up finding a home with Lame House Press) and I just sort of realized that there was a sort of natural arc or connection between what are now the three sections of the book.

What genre does your book fall under?

 Poetry

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Hm, maybe Jim Carey and Kate Winslet, but only if they were the characters they play in Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind.  Or maybe these guys:

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

 Most grateful, most private plea, be spared

the embarrassment of expectation.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I guess once I realized that I wanted to string the three shorter manuscripts together I worked on the manuscript as a whole for like three to five months.  I would say overall (between the writing of the poems and the manuscript being published) has been about four years.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I have always hoped that one day I would publish a book of poems.  But really, I think the thing that kept me going despite all the times the manuscript was rejected or was a finalist in a contest was my friends.  I am lucky to have a lot of really talented poets as friends and I think their ambition became my ambition and hopefully vice versa.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

…

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

My book will be published by Brooklyn Arts Press on March 1!  I am so thankful to my editor Joe Pan for all his hard work and dedication to my manuscript.

My tagged writers for next Wednesday are:

Ana Bozicevic, Claire Donato, Laurie Filipelli