A Wonderful Reading at J. Bookwalter’s, New Glasses, Changes Coming and Looking to the Future

New Glasses and a Wonderful Reading at J Bookwalter’s New Reading Series

This has been a busy week: I got a crown on one of my front teeth (sorely needed), tore my rotator cuff (a first for me), got new glasses, and did my first live in-person reading in a very long time with three other lovely poets at the brand new reading series at J. Bookwalter’s Winery (fourth Thursday every month, includes features and an open mic, plus wine!)

The reading featured Erika Wright, Catherine Broadwall, Michelle Schaefer, and me, with John Campos as MC and a very civilized open mic at the end. There must have been fifty people in the audience, and I didn’t know many of them, but did get a see a few familiar faces, and met a lot of new ones. It seems there is, after all, an interest in poetry in Woodinville! Catherine, who has two books already, and I both sold multiple copies of our books (which seems miraculous these days), and the energy in the room (as you will be able to tell in the video) was just joyful and energetic. It was such a relief after the relentless bad news—I’ve been trying to avoid it, but it is difficult to avoid it all—to have a moment like this of happiness and wine and friendship and, um, dare I say community?

And if you want to watch my part of the reading, in which I tried something new: seven poems (from six books and one still-in-progress manuscript). At J. Bookwalter’s debut new reading series in Woodinville:

And here are a few pics from the reading, and me modeling new glasses:

Changes are Coming

You know how sometimes you get this feeling that whether you embrace it or not, changes are coming? I think we’re in that era. Not just the country, but the economy facing disaster under Trump’s terrible policies (like the tariffs, which will make all goods more expensive in the short term, perhaps even causing boycotts of American goods in the long term), facing a possible new pandemic (bird flu) under Trump’s terrible policies (like stopping funding to the NIH and removing America from the WHO), climate craziness, worries about my aging parents in a leaky three story house, and smaller things, worrying about my own body and house remodeling for accessibility, and trying to figure out the writing life and my place in the universe.

I think my goal of being more adventurous which I talked about in earlier blog posts was really my attempt to be on top of the increasing stormy swells I can see coming. This seems like a good time to improve your agility at life: building relationships, working on your physical and mental health, getting finances and home things in order. There are things you cannot control, but if the ability to see the storm coming is worth anything, it’s making sure you and your loved ones are as prepared as possible. If that ache in your knee can predict the weather, perhaps it can propel us forward into steps to make yourself as disaster-proof as we can be—though of course, disaster preparedness—or, trying to predict the monster of the week when you live on a Hellmouth—can feel futile. Our best assets are the ability to adapt to change—I did write a book called Field Guide to the End of the World, after all—keep your passports current, keep a go-bag handy, keep your friends close, try to forget “comfort” as a priority and focus on “survival skills” instead.

I am going to a writing retreat soon, so I’ll be off social media for a bit. Wish me good luck working. The new year has me off to a bit of a shaky start – with unexpected glimpses of kindness, joy, and kindredness. I need to be able to see a better future to finish this book. It takes a bit of looking, sometimes, to envision beyond the chaos of the moment.