Decatur Book Festival, Swing Out Sister & other news

The Decatur Book Festival will be held Labor Day weekend and I'll be reading on the Local Poetry Stage at Java Monkey Coffee House on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 2 p.m. and again on Sept. 1 at noon for a featured reading on the Eddie's Attic stage with Theresa Davis and Kodac Harrison to mark the release of our new poetry collections. Mark your calendars!

A 26-year dream came true this past Tuesday night when I saw Swing Out Sister live for the first time. I've been a fan since 1987 and even named my first poetry collection, Better To Travel, as homage to their debut album. I interviewed lead singer Corinne Drewery back in 2010 when they were planning a stop in Atlanta, but the tour was cancelled because of the Icelandic volcano. I interviewed her again a few weeks ago and she was just delightful. The concert at Variety Playhouse was sold out, but me and BFF Jennifer Perry got there early and got great seats. Fans had come from as far away as New Mexico for the show, and SOS did not disappoint. Two hours of hits and covers ("Breakout," "Twilight World," "Am I The Same Girl," "Stoned Soul Picnic" to name a few, along with some inspired mashups like Prince's "Diamonds & Pearls"). The many standing ovations brought Corinne to tears. I got to meet her after the show (that's us in the photo above) and she's just a sweetheart. 

More poetry collection reviews coming soon, including Bryan Borland's Less Fortunate Pirates and Michael Klein's The Talking Day.

I'll have an update on the Word for Word reading in Bryant Park next week. Can't wait to be back in NYC!