New Lakes Reading Series de-briefing

I'm back from Missoula, from the New Lakes Reading Series, and am battling a bad case of the flu. But I must blog. I must take advantage of these few minutes not devoted to the bathroom or the bed.

The reading went really well. I'm still a little high from it, actually. Jonathan Minton, my co-reader and editor of Word for/Word, read from a terrific set of poems. His style and mine, both poetically and in our reading, are very different from each other which allowed for an interesting contrast I think. Oddly enough, we both seem to share a pretty similar taste in poetry we enjoy and in poetry we select for our respective magazines.

I don't get the chance to read very often. It was odd hearing the poems--hearing my own voice attached to them. I couldn't help hearing them from the audience's perspective. I found myself reacting differently, with the audience, to a few words/phrases that hadn't pulled that reaction from me before. Hearing the poems being read aloud to an audience gave me a different appreciation for the poems. And Jonathan and I got a fairly friendly reception from the 30 or so mostly MFAers and teachers afterwards, which always helps boost the ego a bit: "Oh thanks so much...what's that? You want to talk about me some more?"

Jonathan, Adam Golaski, and Brandon Shimoda, and I went out for drinks that night, talked more po-biz. I don't get the chance to indulge in that conversation too often--it felt good. Usually when I talk po-biz I have to force it upon the unwilling. They were great with Octopus advice, suggestions for reading and mag solicitation, flattery, etc. Brandon, especially, has planted a few seeds in my head.

Brandon and his girlfriend, Amy, made great hosts. Shared their lovely apartment, their couch (Jonathan had to sleep on the floor because I won a coin flip.), their top-notch book collection, their beer, good conversation; Brandon even made me some ginger tea when I told him I was feeling a bit ill (I managed to force nearly half of it down before hitting the road sick and tired--I think it may have helped). We also managed to squeeze in a good breakfast and Adam showed me around town--took me to a bookstore and killer record store.

A big thanks goes to Brandon for the invite. I'm flattered and glad to have met him and others. Glad to have a few more connects.

Here, I took some pictures.