Weekend Update: Poetry galore

This has been a weekend of poetry thanks to two big events: Voices Carry on Friday and the Atlanta Queer Literary Festival fundraiser, I See Straight People, last night

Despite competing against two other readings, we had around 50 people for the sixth annual Voices Carry reading presented by Poetry Atlanta at Sycamore Place Gallery in Decatur. Theresa Davis, Karen Head, Bob Wood (filling in for an ailing Tania Rochelle) and Cecilia Woloch were fantastic. Kodac Harrison closed with a song and I hosted the evening, opening by reading three new-ish poems. Of course, after hearing all these wonderful poets, I was inspired to come home and try to write something new. I have a draft of something that deals with sex, bondage and travel, so we'll see how that plays out.

I woke up yesterday feeling the early stirrings of a cold (which I'm still feeling this afternoon -- Tylenol Cold & Flu is kicking in nicely), but I relaxed all day and made my way over to the Horizon School for the AQLF fundraiser. Great readings by host Rupert Fike (I'll never think of toast and Ireland the same way again), Jon Goode, Bruce Covey, Alice Lovelace, Laurel Snyder, Chelsea Rathburn (who debuted six new poems!) and Cecilia Woloch. We received more than $100 in donations. If you couldn't make it last night, but would still like to make a donation, just go to www.atlqueerlitfets.com and click the DONATE button in the right sidebar. Any amount is helpful. I can't believe we're just a little over a week away from AQLF!

My next reading is Saturday during Atlanta Pride. I'll be on the Budweiser Stage performing with Theresa Davis, Megan Volpert, Dustin Brookshire and some other fine LGBT poets starting at 2:15 p.m. If you're in the park, drop by the stage and check us out.