Postcard from the Wandering

Thanks to everyone who came out to ACA Galleries in Chelsea. What a great reading! Maureen was a snazzy hostess; Ada Limon read some poems that sang, whistled, snapped and sizzled; Logan Ryan Smith came all the way from San Francisco; Shafer Hall was absolutely Shafer-esque. Alex Battles, a.k.a. Whiskey Rebellion, was pretty damn funny and on occasion, heart-breaking. To honor the evening, Maureen assembled a "Big Game Revue" that included new poems from most of the Tinyside contributors; at $5 each, they were a steal. Watch for them to be offered (out of a very exclusive run of 75) at future BGB readings.

Afterwards, Carly and I went out for a celebratory drink with my uncle, a veteran New Yorker. He led us to The Park, a gorgeous but woefully underpopulated bar--their loss, our gain, as we immediately snagged chairs in front of a roaring fire. Carly and I finished our evening with a delicious dinner at Le Zie (braised octopus...mmm...with sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, celery and black olives). And then, a scenic taxi ride over the Brooklyn Bridge and back to Carly's place.

The next day, I explored the Whitney Museum and met Amy for lunch. We talked about life and love and cover designs. I've blogged about Kara Walker's cut-paper silhouettes before, so I'll simply say that if you're open to very provocative work dealing with the history of race in America: go see her show at the Whitney. "My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love" is open through February.

It's also possible that on this trip I got to see my book's "face" for the first time. But that's one secret that will have to wait.