CATCHING UP: The reading at Outwrite on Tuesday night with Franklin Abbott, Stanley Fong, Theresa Davis and Alice Lovelace was fantastic. We had a great audience and Stanly rolled out the Atlanta Rainbow Muse website. It's still coming along, but there's some excellent poetry on there. Check it out. We're hoping to put together an Atlanta Rainbow Muse reading for AWP when it comes to Atlanta next year. I'll keep you posted.I think I finally hit the wall on "projects." Cherryl asked me today if I was working with Poetry Atlanta on applying for an AWP panel and I just told her I simply did not have time and someone else would have to do it. I leave for San Antonio and Austin on Monday and I've got more paperwork to do this weekend than I know what to do with. Desperately trying to finish final reports for Poetry Atlanta grant funding, plus the 06-07 apps are due May 3. I thought about taking the app with me, but then decided "hell to the no" to that idea. I'll just crunch when I get home.
That said, I'm really excited about the readings next week in Texas. The Monday night reading is at Ruta Maya Coffee House on San Antonio's gorgeous Riverwalk. It looks like Venice down there. Tanya and MetroMania Press have put together not only a reading for its authors, but an open mic and little party for the release of Slow To Burn. Can't wait! I was going to stay with Tanya, but I decided to splurge and got a hotel. I want to do some writing, catch up on my reading and since its going to be 99 or 100 degrees (I ain't kidding) in SA next week, my lilywhite ass will be hiding from the sun. Of course the Austin Poetry Festival is going to be a fabulous whirl of events, and meeting up with friends and fellow poets.
Tonight I hosted the Poetry Out Loud state finals for Georgia. The event was held in at the PBS studio in Atlanta and it was taped for future broadcast and will air on the Poetry Out Loud website. I was nervous as hell, but it went smoothly. The studio was giant and professional and it was very cold...thank god...because I got flop sweat the moment I walked in the door. The main camera operator said -- to my face -- "damn, we're gonna have to get you some powder." Lovely. A woman came and did make up and it seemed they turned the AC down even further once the event began. Fifteen students competed and all were very good! A young lady name Aerielle from Centennial High School won the trip to compete in Washington DC at the nationals on May 16. She performed Margaret Atwood's Siren Song and totally won over the judges.
The new issue of Terminus literary mag is out next week featuring my poem Three Mile Island alongside work from Thomas Lux, Stephen Dobyns, Denise Duhamel, Cherryl Floyd-Miller and many other fab poets. It's a big, gorgeous journal and definitely one of the finest in the country. Pick one up!
Finally, I wanted to say man thanks to those who have ordered Slow To Burn, including the wonderful Peter Pereira, who not only mentione how much he was enjoying it, but put a cutting from Wonder Woman on his blog. Cheers, Peter. The books continue to fly out the door. If you want one signed and numbered...step on it.
Comments