A lovely crowded reading at the Tacoma bookstore Blu Wolf last night, where the crowd seemed very involved (despite the skate punks from the movie Dogma skating loudly back and forth during my reading right outside the window.) And then afterwards got to go out with lovely friends Lana Ayers (who just won the Snake Nation first book contest – yay Lana!) , her husband Andy (not a poet, and bravo to a guy not related/married to me who has sat through at least three Villainess readings now!) and Villainess cover artist Michaela to chat.
I also had a nice, anonymous e-mail note from someone who liked my poems in 2 River View an issue or so back when I got home.
And, in the mail a somewhat bemusing rejection for my Japanese-pop-culture/fairy tale MS that I sent into Pittsburgh Press during their open submission period in October – the handwritten words from Ed Ochester “This manuscript more interesting than most.” Not sure if that is a backhanded compliment, a good sign, or a forward-handed insult. Anyone more experienced than me want to shed light on that comment? I do feel sort of optimistic about this manuscript for some reason.
And speaking of Open Submissions, here’s a good list of university presses and thier submissions policies: http://www.poetryresourcepage.com/publishers/upresses.html
I’m enjoying reading Shanna Compton’s Down Spooky. More about that later.