Last night, while Laura read her heart out at the Omnidawn reading, I went off through the rain to the dinner set up by our gourmand & leader Jeffrey L., & which included many from SPD sister-org CLMP, Eric Lorberer from Rain Taxi, folks from Milkweed Editions, others from Orion magazine, Rob Casper from the Poetry Society of America, others I met and have now forgotten the names of, and Amy Stolls and Rose from the NEA. It was at an excellent Korean BBQ place in, I believe, Koreatown? You know, you just go where you're led in these cases: coulda been Koreatown, coulda been Queens, coulda been Berkeley.
(Above, some of the gathered from the various lit orgs, including Amy Stolls on the far right, one of the great advocates for literary orgs in our dear land. She was later drawn into making some clownish faces for the camera which I considered posting, but instead I will be selling them privately back to her, or perhaps in some kind of blackmail exchange for large NEA grants to work on my bubblegum sculpture project.)
More awards to announce:
BEST CANDY AT THE AWP:
(Above, this goes hands-down to Omnidawn, a variety of high-quality truffles and sundry other chocolate lovelies. If you aren't familiar with "trade show culture," you might not know that people often put candy or other delectables on their table to draw people over, then while they're munching there's suddenly an attempt to sell them a book (or, at other trade shows, things like F-1 Fighter Planes). Sounds crass, I know, but it's very much the way it's done. Bait and switch? You'll have to decide, Blog Readers, for yourselfs--)
COOLEST POET:
(Above, I'm giving this to Tyrone Williams. Despite his somewhat aloof and positively cool look in this photo, he's secretly one of the sweetest people I know. Also one of the best poets anywhere, in my op. I'm told I was the FIRST to buy his new book, On Spec, just out from Omnidawn, but won't be anything like the last.)
BEST DRESSED:
(Probably for the 10th year in a row, this'll have go to Jonathan Rabinowitz from Turtle Point Press. The scarf! The bow tie! The layering of colors and fabrics! Poets, study this man closely, he has much to teach you--)
MOST LIKELY TO BLOG ABOUT THIS BLOG:
(Above, inveterate blogger Amy King with g-friend Anna. Amy's new book is just out, I'm the Man Who Loves You, and who was, I believe, was once named Poet Blogger of the Year. I said "I'll put this on our blog" and she said "I'll blog about it." Sweet infinite regress--)
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