Wednesday, March 3 at the Arts Club

...Before I segue to ACW matters, I should mention that I've been lucky enough to land a featured spot at the 17 Poets! reading series in New Orleans when I head into town for a conference this Thursday, February 25. If you're in that neck of the woods--or know someone who is--please encourage them to join us! The reading will begin around 8:30 PM, to be followed by an open mic. The series is hosted at the Gold Mine Saloon, at 701 Dauphine Street in the French Quarter....


And speaking of readings, my lordy, am I feeling lucky to host the next reading at the Arts Club of Washington on Wednesday, March 3. First, check out the basics:

Rising Stars: Poets Tom Healy &
Gabrielle Calvocoressi

Wednesday, March 3 - 7 PM

The Arts Club hosts poets Tom Healy (author of What the Right Hand Knows) and Gabrielle Calvocoressi (author of The Last Time I Saw Amelia Earhart and Apocalyptic Swing). Readings will be followed by a Q&A, then a light reception and booksigning. 

Free. Arts Club of Washington, 2017 I Street NW, DC. 

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Now, check out the just-released list of finalists for this year's Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Poetry:

• Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Apocalyptic Swing (Persea Books)
• Amy Gerstler, Dearest Creature (Penguin Poets)
• Tom Healy, What the Right Hand Knows (Four Way Books)
• Brenda Hillman, Practical Water (Wesleyan University Press)
• Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, }Open Interval{, (University of Pittsburgh Press)

That's right--two finalists on one stage! When I named the program "Rising Stars: Poets Tom Healy and Gabrielle Calvocoressi," I didn't realize just how prescient my words would prove to be.


Our February launch was foiled by snow, and I'd like to remind the Arts Club that these free, public programs have the potential to draw new folks to the venue (because without the Arts Club's generosity, these programs would not exist).  So please, if you're in the DC, Maryland, or Virginia area, join us for this reading--and if you're not, spread the word to a poetry-lover who is. This line-up is too amazing to ignore. 


The full press release is below...


Rising Stars: Poets Tom Healy and Gabrielle Calvocoressi
Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - 7 p.m.


The Arts Club of Washington, 2017 I Street NW
Free and open to the public, reception to follow.


On Wednesday, March 3, the Arts Club of Washington will host Tom Healy and Gabrielle Calvocoressi, two rising stars of the poetry world, in celebration of their bold, inventive, and compassionate collections. Readings will be followed by a light reception and booksigning. This free event, which is open to the public, is part of an ongoing series at the Arts Club.

TOM HEALY is the author of What the Right Hand Knows, one of the bestselling books of contemporary poetry in 2009. He teaches at the Pratt Institute in New York and serves as a fellow at the Goreé Institute in Dakar, Senegal. He has traveled the world for AIDS prevention and microfinance efforts and was a member of President Clinton’s White House Council on AIDS. He lives in New York and Washington with his partner, Fred Hochberg who was appointed by President Obama to lead the Export-Import Bank of the United States.

GABRIELLE CALVOCORESSI is the author of The Last Time I Saw Amelia Earhart and Apocalyptic Swing. She has been the recipient of numerous honors including a Stegner Fellowship and Jones Lectureship from Stanford University and The Bernard F. Conners Prize from the Paris Review. In addition to teaching in the MFA Program at Warren Wilson College, she is the Sports Desk editor at The Best American Poetry blog. Her poem, "Temple Beth Israel" was recently the Poet's Choice in The Washington Post. She lives in Los Angeles.




THE ARTS CLUB OF WASHINGTON is at 2017 I Street NW, near Foggy Bottom/GWU and Farragut West metro. Headquartered in the James Monroe House, a National Historic Landmark, the Club was founded in 1916 and is the oldest non-profit arts organization in the city. The Club’s mission is to foster public appreciation for the arts through educational programs that include literary events, art exhibitions, musical and theatrical performances.    


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