As
I am so often wont to do, I’ve let time sidle and slip by whilst I’ve entirely forgotten
about blogging (let alone about that whole obligation as Official Diplomat to
the Ocelots); this is in part because D and I have been traveling towards
author readings and warm jazz, and in part because I am lackadaisical
(etymology: coined from Sterne’s Tristram
Shandy, “lackadaisy”,meaning “alas! lack-a-day!”), and in part because I
have been very cold in these Colorado snowdrifts, and it hurts to type. But I can affirm it’s been an exciting few
weeks, both in literary and adventuresome terms. A summation:
I
give here many thanks to Between The Covers bookstore in Telluride (and its
skillful and kind managers, Daiva and Bobbie, and Hilary and Jon), where we
held an absolutely lovely Logodædaly reading upon December 29th—such excellent
company with all the guests who braved the frosts to attend and listen to, yes,
a recitation of the dictionary. Including—most
thrillingly, and utterly unexpectedly, musician Peter Yarrow (quoting myself: “wow!
You mean Peter Yarrow Peter Yarrow is
coming???”) , whom I was honored and delighted to meet.
A treasure of an evening!
Thenceforth,
following a venturesome New Years’ (I gambled for the first time! Blackjack, like they play in the movies!),
David and I hit the road once again, through the forlorn plains and dusky oaks
of Texas (I saw 3 eagles, a cat, 2 hawks, and a coyote named Frank who is a
race car driver), and into the incomparable streets of New Orleans. I will say with utter confidence that apart
from the luculent and translucent mirrors of alternate dimensions, there’s no
place in the world like this city. I can’t
cook gumbo or play the clarinet, but this is a place to which I always want to
return. That said, I’ll make a few enthused
recommendations:
For
songs that surpass whimsy and make you believe in the sheer power of objects in
human hands, the work and play of Washboard Chaz…
And
for a band that takes you from Dixieland to Paraguay and to the Balkans, the
exuberant sound of the Panorama Jazz Band…
And
now here we are—two days before David and I depart for Hungary once more
(apparently, it’s raining and thirty-two degrees in Pécs, a fact which makes me
bitter), and then, following two weeks of brief wine-racking and nestling
desperately in our little home, it’s off to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam for
two months…! I shall endeavor to blog
more often, which is an utterly shaky but well-intended promise, and may I be plagued by evil kittens should I neglect it.
This really happened.
In
the snow-glazed lull between book readings (I haven’t maintained a normal human
body temperature for three weeks), whilst I’ve been attempting to bake pitas
and wrap gifts (I’m getting my brother a zeppelin), Logodædaly has received some pleasurable compliments, which I
thought I’d share here so that the book has a present too…
And
we’ve made the list of Denver’s bestselling books! #9 in the nonfiction roster! And though Logodædaly is far more fiction than fact, we’re honored, and as a
friend of mine pointed out ,”number nine” is pretty significant in the Beatles’
White Album, which has to be a good
thing.
If
anybody can figure out how to make homemade pitas have the nice balloon-ey
pocket, please let me know…
Now,
partially out of sheer busyness (the long, long days wherein David and I drove
to Seattle, Portland, and back again, through the cowpoke loneliness of Wyoming
to those Oregon mists which cause one to disbelieve in solid matter) (and additional
readings here in Fort Collins and in Denver, whew!) and partially out of
immense laziness, I haven’t updated for a time, but things have been pleasant
indeed.
For
one, I’ve got to thank Reading Frenzy and all those who attended last Tuesday’s
event, as well as writers Evan P. Schneider and Melissa Reeser, for sharing
their unique talents that evening; it was a warm and glowing night amidst the
zany zines and rustling literature, and I’m so grateful to have read
there.
And
upon another note, much gratitude to New Belgium Brewery and the guests of
Friday’s Matter Journal release party
at which I read, and to the other writers who offered up their own skilled
words that night. For those fans of
literary magazines and all their multifarious gems within, check out Matter and Wolverine Farm…
And
then, upon Saturday—LEON Gallery in Denver, a new space of luminous walls and
even brighter artwork and even brighter hosts, provided a marvelous venue for
another reading from myself and the gifted contributors to Wolverine Farm—it was
a splendiferous evening with much merriment and sincere intellect, and I can’t
forget that photograph of the man with the violin.
For
now, though, I’ve got an interlude of a break until a Telluride reading on the 29th
(more information to come!), which leaves me some good time to fumble with
wrapping paper, peruse some new philosophical papers I’m most interested in right
now, and attempt to bake pitas with the real pocket and everything.
As for the past three days David and I have been in Seattle, carousing irresponsibly with my best childhood friend, the inimitable museologist and comedienne Emily Bailey, and her sweet fiance John (with a side trip ducking up to Canada, a misty land to which we'd never been), I haven't posted in a while - but I shall today, since tonight I'll be at a
literary event at Reading Frenzy Bookstore in Portland, Oregon, alongside authors Melissa Reeser and Evan P Schneider (both of them talented as calligraphy and an honor to read with). So I'd like to invite anybody in the northwest area to attend, should it fit schedules and whims, and in the meantime, wish all my blessings upon you and the mossy woods and the perpetual, perpetual rain!
When
I was a kid (image: tie-dyed shirt and leaves tangled in ridiculous bowl
haircut), and my family would pile into the car to the tunes of songs about
heroic or menacing cats, taking a trip to Denver, the glorious site of pilgrimage
was always the Tattered Cover Bookstore, paradise in labyrinthine form—those volumes
stacked in allure upon the stairs and the shelves all weighty with so many,
many, many things which needed to be
read…. Thusly, I was honored by their
hosting of Sherise and I at last night’s Logodædaly
reading, a lovely evening amidst the pages—and I send them all my
gratitude, and moreover thanks to all those who attended our literary escapade!
And
in approximately 11 hours—that being 3am, a most luculent and spooky time—David
and I shall be crawling out of the bed, desperately clinging to our coffees and
cigarettes, before hitting the northwest road towards the next Logodædaly event at Reading Frenzy in Portland, Oregon, 7pm upon Tuesday, December 13th... one hopes we shall encounter many other mysterious travelers, coyotes, candy shops and disguised deposed royalty along the way.
Though
I should have written this two days ago (my excuse: yes, I was a weeeee bit
hungover), a report on the Logodædaly release
party: splendid! I had a wonderful time,
in spite of my prior weeks of sheer terror at the thought of the reading. Naw, it went just fine, and I’ve got to thank
Cranknstein’s Bar for lending us their (lovely) space, and moreover express my
gratitude to everybody who attended—fabulous to see you all, new friends and
old. I'll post photographs, as soon as they're available and I am not too lazy.
(note:
I do apologize for the entire incident with the meringue pies and the lemurs. They will not be invited to any of our
parties again.)
But
I do invite all those who’d care to join us to tomorrow’s reading at Denver’sLoDo Tattered Cover Bookstore, at 7:30 pm!
As I’ve always worshipped their labyrinthine shelves and the ease of
becoming lost amidst the stacks, I’m quite honored and excited. Explore the link to their site and details
upon the reading, and for those of you who are interested, I hope to see you
there!
(no
lemurs, I promise.)
Given
that today(!) marks the release of Logodædaly,
its own little papery birthday party—7 pm at Cranknstein Bar, 215A N. College
in Fort Collins—and my first reading (I’m actually utterly terrified), I feel I ought create
some Ultimate Blog Post, like the last statements of deep-sea divers before submersion
(“cold!”) or departing astronauts (“how do I go to the bathroom in space??”).
And the only thing I can really express now
is gratitude—to Todd Simmons of Wolverine Farm Publishing, a wizard of the
artistry which makes the spine of all real books; to Sherise Talbott, whose character
and whose art are bright faerie-bright, to David for all the support, the
rationality and heart and adventures of everyday life, to my family for the storytelling
of love, and to all the friends who’ve helped me more than I can type. And to chance, which felt whimsical and
rearranged some particles to make today.
Apart
from my sincere sentimentality, though, I again want to invite anybody and
everybody to Logodædaly’s release
party, and I’m grateful for this too!
Most
excellent news (like every time something batty is discovered in quantum
physics): the new Logodædaly release
party and opening reading date has been named!
A formal invitation:
But,
for those whose computers crankily refuse to load images, the shindig shall be
at 7 pm on Friday, December 2nd
at Cranknstein’s Bar, 215A North College Avenue in Fort Collins. I’m quite excited, myself, and I’m very much
hoping to see many people, felines, and professional swordfighters there.
There
will be books, drinks, reading, and whoopee cushions!
Whilst
the release party following Logodædaly’s
almost-here publication has been delayed, some interesting tidbits have
occurred: I have purchased new socks, discovered a lost continent (I shall name
it “Spoon”), and, perhaps more importantly, my book has received this review from the San Francisco/Sacramento City Book Review, for which I feel immensely grateful and honored.
Because
I have no photographs of my socks I’ve posted it here. News on the party to come!
sleight-of-words
