Wednesday, January 28, 2009

A Film About Conrad at Newark Airport

We Made It!!



Well, my flight out of Raleigh/Durham was one of the few that wasn't cancelled and Conrad's flight was cancelled from Philly to Newark but they put him on the Amtrak, so we both made it to Newark, and I SWEAR we were like the only flight that left Newark and we arrived in Portland Maine in the middle of a huge snow storm. And our plane had propellers. Now we are eating soup at Eden's house on the Bates campus. Later I will hunt for lobsters in the snow. I am cleaning my shotgun as we speak. Unfortunately our reading at the bookstore was cancelled today. But we are going out for a walk now and I will make snow angels.

Notice the propellers and the snow. We were like Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens except we didn't crash. Here we are!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

3 in Maine with CAConrad


(snowmobile transportation between readings)

Wenesday, January 28th
GULF OF MAINE BOOKSTORE
134 Maine St., Brunswick
5:30pm

Thursday, January 29th
BATES COLLEGE
in the Skelton Lounge in Chase Hall
56 Campus Avenue Lewiston
7:00pm

Friday, January 30th
UMAINE OF ORONO
Jenness Hall
4:30pm

I LOVE SNOW
SNOW AND POETRY
2 FAVORITES OF MINE
many THANKS to everyone
who made this trip possible!

Sunday, January 25, 2009

My Typewriter

January 24, 2009

This was supposed to be written on my typewriter, but as luck would have it, after 1.5 years of not using my typewriter due to one cross-country move, one cross-town move, and something like a divorce, when I finally plugged my typewriter in today, well, the keys didn’t correspond to the letters the typewriter was printing. So much for electronic typewriters. Obviously several wires were crossed and some chips were scrambled, so when I struck the letter “K” the letter “V” came out. And I think “S” got me the mark of the British pound.

I like the typewriter because it makes me feel like my writing is real. I hit an object and that object hits another object and through a kind of miniature violence out comes my letter. Viola! Of course my novel was written completely on several laptops and computers (some died along the way and one was dusted off and reborn) so I am not sure what it is about the typewriter for me. It seems like each time I begin to write after not writing for a long time, I long for the typewriter. It’s the sound of it. It sounds like something is happening. The scariest thing about starting to write again is the thought of nothing happening, but with the typewriter something is happening. Your words, no matter how benign or boring, are engraved upon a page. Almost impossible to delete, but easier to burn.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Midwest Antics

OK. So CAConrad, Aaron Kunin, and I have been frantically organizing our midwest tour. We've done a good job I think. The unofficial itinerary, very subject to change, is thus:

March 3 or 4: Columbia, Missouri (Really!)
March 6: Kansas City -- Is the reading in Kansas City or Lawrence?
March 7: Iowa City: NOTHING: PRAIRIE LIGHTS IS BOOKED
March 8: Minneapolis:Rain Taxi
March 9: Milwaukee: Karl's House Party:
March 10: Chicago: Joshua Marie Wilkerson
March 11: Cleveland @ Mac's Backs
March 12: Cincinnati
March 13 or 14: Pittsburgh: Typewriter Girls Cabaret!

As you can see, we are at a loss in Iowa City. Any ideas? We'll read anywhere!