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redefining words
So, April, as my birthday promised, was a marvellous month. I encountered some poets in places I had never been e.g. the Kelly Writers' House at University of Pennsylvania, and I got to be a "featured poet" (the inverted commas are very important!) at the Austin International Poetry Festival.
What's particularly great at Austin is always the poets you get to keep company with. Four days in the company of poets is heaven on earth; if you don't believe be date one (poets, I told you I had it covered; now pay me!). Anyway, the readings were very good over the whole period even though I thought there were too many readings happening at the same time, which meant some people had to choose who they had to miss. That wasn't good. In the annual anthology, a "slam" poet, Amanda Johnston (who, I have to say, entered a brilliant piece), won the prize for writing, and a teacher, Joaquin Zihuatenejo, won the annual slam. That was all amazing. As always it was great to see Stazja McFadyen and Valerie Bridgman-Davis and I met some cool new poets like Tito Perez. But where was Larry Jaffe?
Back on the road, I went back to Philly (Temple University) thanks to Kimmika Williams and read at their spring fling. It was a solid experience and it was enriching to see the amazing work she's doing with her poetry as performance class - they call themselves 2:40!
I warned you last month but I didn't tell you the whole deal. I have become the Associate Writer-In-Residence at BBC Radio so look out for me on air. Most people will tell you I talk air anyway so just breathe... while I stop (Apologies to Q-Tip)
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