Belladonna Release Party & Upcoming Readings

Thanks to Rachel Levitsky, Thom Donovan, and all the awesome folks at Belladonna Books, I'll be reading as part of the final Belladonna New Books/New Releases series, April 13.  This is the launch for my forthcoming book, Occultations (Black Radish Books).  I'm extremely lucky to have had the support of the Belladonna folks, as well as others who have written for the book in some way or another thus far--Joan Retallack, Thom, David Buuck, CA Conrad, Kate Robinson, and Laura Elrick.  It's been a really loving experience, both working with the aforementioned people on this project, as well as those in Black Radish Books, especially Susana Gardner, Kathrin Schaeppi, and Nicole Mauro, who have been and are still editing the work.  Plus, thru this experience I got to learn how to use Skype--which is my new favorite thing.

More exciting yet, I get to read alongside, thus hear new work from Eleni Stecopolous, Dottie Lasky, and Brenda Iijima.  Three people whose poetry has deeply influenced mine.  Three of the the loveliest people I know.  As I've written elsewhere, I've read bits and pieces of Eleni's and Brenda's new books, and am enamored.  And Dottie's  new work will come new to my ears, and so I'm pretty stoked about hearing what all have to contribute to the evening.  Trip home will be a heavy one: books, books, books.  

Anyway, info for the Belladonna reading is on their website and below.  Do visit their site, as not only are some of the most stunning books available there to purchase, but there is a complete reading series list, which includes events at AWP.  

Meantime, I'll be reading/giving a talk with Reg Johanson at Pilot Books this weekend (see post below) as part of the Poetry at Pilot events, and Big Pelt Talkie series.   

Hope to see you someplace soon.

UPCOMING EVENTS

---

Tuesday, April 13, 2010; 7:30 pm
Closing Event for Belladonna's
Year of New Releases

Dorothea Lasky (Black Life)
Brenda Iijima (revv. you’ll—ution & 
If Not Metamorphic )
Eleni Stecopoulos (Armies of Compassion) 
David Wolach (Occultations ) 
Dixon Place
161 Christie Street; New York City
$6.00

Get Yr Read On: Poetry at Pilot in March

Thanks to Pilot Books, and poet-curators such as Will Owen, Nico Vassilakis, and Robert Mittenthal--the latter who will be at Evergreen for a PRESS reading/discussion in March as well--I will be reading for the BIG PELT TALK Reading Series along with Reg Johanson at Pilot Book Store, March 21st.  Might not yet have Occultations back from the printers, but will have the other new book of poems/essay/whatnot, Prefab Eulogies, with me to peddle (book swap!).  Nico put his thinking cap on and sent along this list of readers for March at Pilot, and what a fantastic lineup.  If anywhere near Seattle, please join us -- not just myself and Reg Johanson on the 21st, but for as many of these dates as your recessionary schedule can fit in.  Thanks again, all, for setting this up.

 

POETRY in MARCH @ Pilot Bookstore
www.pilotbooksseattle.com

6:00pm - 6:15pm, longer where noted *

free
 
3/1 - Don Mee Choi

3/2 - Matthew Zapruder (7pm – CA Conrad) 
3/3 - Chelsea Martin
3/4 - Joshua Beckman
3/5 - Crystal Curry (7pm - Tom Hansen book release) 
3/6 - Nico Vassilakis
3/7 - Stacey Levine
3/8 - Matt Briggs
3/9 - Jeanne Heuving
3/10 - Meredith Clark*
3/11 - John Olson
3/12 - Ezra Mark
3/13 - Carol Guess 
3/14 - Linden Ontjes
3/15 - Sharon Alexander
3/16 - Judith Skillman
3/17 - Kristen Kosmas (an improvided staging of her playscript, Hello Failure) 
3/18 -  Matthew Simmons
3/19 - Tenney Nathanson*
3/20 - Kevin Sampsell
3/21 – BIG PELT III - Reg Johanson and David Wolach*
3/22 - Dan Peters (7pm Ish Klein, John Beer, Paul Killebrew (Canarium Books) 
3/23 - Joel Felix 
3/24 - Janee Baugher
3/25 - Yuko Enomoto  
3/26 - Jenifer Browne-Lawrence 
3/27 - Zachary Schomburg
3/28 - Doug Nufer
3/29 - Sarah Mangold 
3/30 - Kim-An Lieberman 
3/31 - Tao Lin* 

Upcoming Readings Volume 1

Well, sluggishly I'm getting a reading schedule together for these forthcoming books, both out by the end of the first week in April, stated dates April 1.  Hence, I'm asking for your help.  I suck at these things, love doing collaborative readings/performances, etc. don't get me wrong, but setting them up feels far too self-promotional to me.  So far I've been asked by friends and future friends to read in various locales, and so by the hospitality of others, actually have something like a schedule.  Now, say friends, I should actually seek out reading venues, you know.  Get out of my house once in awhile.

So now that I've developed a skeletal schedule thanks to lovely and giving persons, I figured I'd a) ask all of you if you or anyone you know would like to host a poet who washes dishes, to read at your (or your friends') venue, and b) if yes or no, and if in one of these areas, join us at one or two of the below events.  If you are interested in hosting me, or know someone who is, I'm especially interested in figuring out (fleshing out) east coast, west coast, and midwest dates--basically to avoid paying for more than one trip per region.  Hell, I can't pay for more than 3 or 4 trips over the next year or two anyway.     

This list will grow a bit, dates will be made firm, etc., and so from time to time I'll put the updated schedule here on the blog. 

Thanks much so far to Amy King, Thom Donovan, Rachel Zolf, Rachel Levitsky, Andy Grecivich, Leonard Schwartz, David Buuck, & Rob Halpern for helping me with all this. For now:

Seattle 

March 21 (with Reg Johanson)

Big Pelt Talk Series (talk on new guerilla poetry & the poetics of public space / poetry reading)

Madison, WI

April 4

Reading, sponsored by Andy Grecivich of Cannot Exist

New York, NY

April 13

Belladonna Books / Dixon Sponsored Book Launch: Rachel Zolf, Eleni Stecopolous, David Wolach

Portland

May 15 (with Jen Coleman)

The Spare Room Reading Series (poetry)

Olympia, WA (The Evergreen State College)

June 10

Evergreen Book Launch (readings by several, discussion)

SF/Oakland/Santa B. 

Late June--Early July (TBA)

Nonsite Collective (talk, reading, performance)

Other Venues (TBA)

LA/San Diego

Early July (TBA)

Most East Coast Readings 

July---> (TBA)