Rainbow Book Fair & National Poetry Month

Me at the Rainbow Book Fair with, from left, Jim Elledge,
Charles Rice-Gonzalez, Perry Brass and Michael Kimmel

I spent this past weekend in New York City at the Rainbow Book Fair. Sibling Rivalry Press was a sponsor and hosted the opening night event on Friday at Cornelia Street Cafe, which was standing room only. Some great readings by Sean Patrick Mulroy, Perry Brass, Cheryl Boyce-Taylor, JP Howard and Charlie Bondhus. I was recruited to read two of Dean Kostos' poems and read my Kate Bush poem (see the previous post). It was lovely to see so many familiar faces at the reading, as well as enjoying dinner with publishers Bryan Borland, Seth Pennington and the lovely Vanessa Daou.

On Saturday, the weather was dismal but there was a fantastic turnout for the book fair. I sat on a panel with Jim Elledge, Charles Rice-Gonzalez, Michael Kimmel and Perry Brass called "Investigating Queer Boyhood," which was well-attended with great questions and observations from the audience. I also read during the Poetry Salon. It was great to hear Michael Klein, Amy King, Matthew Hittinger and so many other poets reading their work. Sibling Rivalry sold a ton of books (I sat at the table for a bit to sign books and meet readers) and the table was constantly busy with people stopping by to browse and talk about the press. After the fair, Vanessa and I dashed through the cold and rain for dinner at a cafe near the hotel. It was fantastic to spend time with her and catch up on our projects.

Today is April 1, which means National Poetry Month has begun. I am behind schedule on getting the Slow To Burn ebook ready, but it will be available by the end of the month. If you're looking to write some poetry, the Poem-A-Day Challenge kicks off today hosted by Writer's Digest and Robert Lee Brewer. You can find out more at this link.

I'll be spending my National Poetry Month writing fiction as work on Leaving Paris continues.