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On Saturday night, I went over to Java Monkey for the big invitational slam. I'm guessing there were 150 people in the audience. You couldn't get another person on the patio and folks were three and four deep on the sidewalk. Atlanta's best slammers -- Jon Goode, Gypsee-Yo, Theresa Davis, Bryan Pattillo, Basiknowledge and many more -- were on hand and they were all brilliant. Although I'm not a slammer, I flubbed my way through "Why I Want to Be Pam Grier" and was eliminated after the first round. At least I went out with some other fab poets (who should have been in round two), like Karen Wurl and Rupert Fike. Gypsee Yo wound up winning the big prize, with Theresa Davis nipping at her heels. Gypsee's appearance was a surprise since she's nine months pregnant and expected to give birth at any moment. She tore the place up. That is going to be one lucky baby.
On Sunday, I overslept and rushed back to the tent to set up. About 2 p.m. it started raining lightly and by 2:30 it was pouring. Most of the folks left and so did a lot of the vendors. Before the rain, the table had been busy and I had moved some books. After it stopped raining, the sun came out, but the crowds didn't return. Kodac came over and we packed up and I came home. Beth Ann Fennelly (who I love) was reading at Java last night, but I was exhausted. After 18 hours in Decatur, I was ready for bed.
Backing up a couple of days, on Friday night we had the Outside the Green Zone reading at Poetry at Portfolio Center. Franklin Abbott, editor Cleo Creech, Theresa Davis, Lisa Allender and I read to a small, but appreciative crowd, and Cleo sold some books. There is going to be another reading from the anthology on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m. at Outwrite Books. If you missed it Friday, come out on Sept. 12. You really need to hear this work.
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