Back to the Victoria Chang reading: it was brilliant. She read from Circles, then read from her new collection, Salvinia Molesta, before returning to Circles. I love this approach to a reading; it's the way I envision a good concert. You want to hear some of the oldies (that is the songs you're familiar with) because you may not be familiar with the newer songs. I've been to a lot of readings where the poet just assumes you're familiar with their old work and doesn't even bother reading any older poems and just launches into newer poems that most of the audience is completely unfamiliar with; I like a little bit of both. In addition, she was very unpretentious, down to earth, and interacted with the audience quite a bit: superb etiquette (if that's the right word).
Victoria Chang's poetry is, in every sense of the word, beautiful. She is economical with language. She interacts with history with a fresh and unique voice. She engages universal issues with elegance and grace. Her poetry is truly lyrical. Please pick up her book.
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On a non poetry note:
- We had pork roast last night and my youngest son, Brayden (2 1/2), thought the brown gravy was poop, which of course, my eldest son thought was hilarious. Megan later told Elijah that Brayden is developing a schema for understanding the world and now he knows that brown and runny isn't always poop. Now, he knows brown and runny might be gravy. Of course, Elijah questioned this reasoning by asking: "How does he know a brownie's not poop or meat loaf. They're brown and clumpy."
- I was embarrassed during the debate tonight. Governor Palin was very embarrassing. At one point, I went into my office to pay bills and shut the door so I couldn't hear her.
- I got registered in Jackson County (I was registered in Black Hawk County in IA) and I'm definitely voting Obama...just to clarify the previous bullet point.
- Did you hear about the earmarks connected to the Senate Bail Out Bill? Rum producers, auto racing, film and television production, and producers of wooden arrows?
- Damage from speeding ticket from about a month ago: $105.00
- Next readings: Hadara Bar Nadav at the Writer's Place next Friday and Charles Simic on Thursday October 23rd.
2 comments:
Just beware the reverse...my kid brother once ate poop because I said it looked like mustard...to this day, when food is unsatisfying to him, he claims it tastes like poop.
Going up to see Luke next weekend...you busy?
I got a ticket for expired tags on our way to Iowa a couple weeks ago. I, of course, have shifted blame to the Missouri inspection requirement, a certifiably worthless law.
I enjoyed a Raspberry Wheat beer at 75th St. Brewery on Friday. It wasn't bad, but I wish I would have got the Brown Ale.
Cora and I got crawled all over by my neighbor's pet squirrel today. Details forthcoming, probably via Debbie to Megan because, as we all know, I am a half-assed communicator. That is a grammatically bizarre sentence.
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