My friend Barbara Goldberg introduced me to WorldCat yesterday. This site indexes the availability of books (or movies, cds, etc.) through libraries. I was thrilled to find Theories of Falling listed in 10 university libraries. Of course, my friend Kyle's book is listed in 188 libraries. So...I have some work to do.
Still, I love this notion. I was a library addict growing up, frequently taxing the 50-book limit. When I sent out the email announcing ToF's publication, I specifically asked folks (especially those with academic affiliations) to request the title through their library. It is a REALLY important way of extending the lifespan of a book--that doesn't cost you a dime personally.
This SUNDAY, I'll be reading with Barbara at Politics and Prose. P&P is a major independent bookstore, and Barbara is a wonderful poet--translator and author of many books, including most recently The Royal Baker's Daughter, which David St. John selected as the winner of the 2008 Felix Pollak Prize in Poetry. Please stop by if you can.
I'm also reading this TUESDAY with Sarah Browning--author of Whiskey in the Garden of Eden and the mastermind behind the Split This Rock Poetry Festival. We'll be at the Arts Club, for a 6:30 reception and a 7 PM reading. Sarah is heading off to Italy for a year. Come by and show your love for all her hard work on behalf of the DC literary scene.
Then I'm taking a break from readings for a couple of months. I don't want you all to get tired of me (if you aren't already). Besides, Tennessee beckons...
P.S. - Pirates! No reason. They're just on my mind.
4 comments:
Sandra ' The Faces ' is a marvel. i read it three times. you are the kind of poet i love. for being a poet myself, and one who reads voraciously my entire life, i don't seem to love much of the modern poetry i read. but yours are my kind of poems- they brim with unique imagery and your voice is fiercely intelligent and straight like an arrow, piercing each lines of the poem as if that one line was the only one that mattered.
i am really impressed and i almost NEVER feel this way when i read new poetry.
i will be keeping eyes open for your poems as i read.
ps
i love pirates. i have a poem called 'pirate queen'.
Pirates are always on my mind. I've seen that kitty picture before, but always good to see it again.
WorldCat is pretty terrific. My chapbook is held by two college libraries, so I bow to your 10...
Hi Maggie--
Thanks so much for such a big, kind note about my poems! That really made my day.
--SB
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