The week that was

Writing book three in The Venus Trilogy

In an alternate universe, I'm in London for my planned two-month sabbatical. But the prime Earth me (wow, I am descending into comic book geekery) is busy at the day job, sorting out readings for Render and has written exactly 28,839 words (115 manuscript pages) of the final novel in The Venus Trilogy.

On the reading front, I bought my plane ticket to New York for the Word For Word Poetry Series at Bryant Park on July 30. Over Labor Day weekend, I'll be sharing a main stage with Theresa Davis and Kodac Harrison at the Decatur Book Festival to mark the release of our poetry collections. More details on the time and location to come. My SoCal tour with Theresa is also shaping up nicely. Along with reading at Beyond Baroque on Nov. 3, we're confirmed for readings with the Redondo Poets at the Coffee Cart on Nov. 5 and at The Ugly Mug as part of the Two Idiots Peddling Poetry series on Nov. 6, where we'll be reading with the fabulous Steven Reigns. More details as I have them. Be sure to check Readings & Events page for updates.

I had the opportunity to interview Corinne Drewery, lead singer of the brilliant Swing Out Sister, ahead of the band's concert in Atlanta on July 16. You can read it online at Atlanta Intown. I named my first poetry collection, Better To Travel, after their first album. Finally getting to see them live after 26 years will be a thrill!

Of course, the big news this week was the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage. It was an absolute thrill watching history unfold as this country takes another step forward toward equality. SCOTUS gutted the heinous Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and dismissed the appeal on Proposition 8 in California allowing a lower court ruling to allow same-sex marriage to stand. Couple began marrying again last night in San Francisco. Move out of the way, bigots.