The Penultimate Meeting

Andrew Clark-Kennedy initiated the evening with a reading of Tony Hoagland's "Fortune." In lieu of the poem, he provided fortune cookies for everyone. It turns out that this certain brand of fortune cookie doesn't write the most interesting fortunes, or vary it all that much. But the several we heard offer a certain optimism that must have belonged to another, long-forgotten generation.
Rebecca Patrick read some of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's journalistic prose, "Lost Tales." You should also read his News of a Kidnapping.
Nate Logan read some prose poems by Margaret Atwood ("In Love with Raymond Chandler"), Joe Bernard ("Freud" and "History" as in "With history piling up so fast, everyday becomes another anniversary for something terrible," or something like that), one by James Tate ("Rapture"), and one by Sarah Vargayo (did I spell that right, Nate?) ("What We Miss").
Todd McKinney read a story by Richard Yanez, entitled "I&M Plumbing." Originally published in his short story book, El Paso del Norte, the story also appears in a new anthology of Texas Mexican writers entitled Hecho in Tejas, eidted by Dagoberto Gilb.
Tony Settineri read a piece by John Steinbeck, "Critics from a Writer's Viewpoint," himself becoming a critic.
Laura Relyea read a short segment from the tremendous Joan Didion's last book, The Year of Magical Thinking.
Matthew Trisler took it to another level by reading his own work, poems entitled "What the Pony Expressed," and three from his typeface project, "Helvetica Neue," Gill Sans," and "Colophon."
Finally, Andrew Clark-Kennedy wrapped it up for us, as if he were stuffing the fortune back inside the cookie, with his own poems, "My Father, the Bachelor," and "Possibilities."

And then there was one night left, but already so many words had floated into the air, like smoke exhaled, like moisture evaporating into the skies above the rain forests, like dragonflies hovering, and despite what the spiters smoted, and despite what the spitters spat, the world was better for it. The world was better for it.

Poetry Reading at the MT Cup

Our very own Nate Logan will be reading with our very own Peter Davis at the MT Cup. "But when?" asked the old man. And even Wolf Blitzer didn't know. Nor did Anderson Cooper. SportsCenter didn't have a clue. The Weather Channel's radar couldn't stop thinking of the storm in America's navel. The four big channels just continued their silly card game. PBS held its annual telethon. The phones were as silent as the sky above the little Midwestern city while TVs blinked and blinked and blinked. Someone help the old man.

And the Writer's Community Kept Reading

We are still going strong. Here's last Monday's set list.

Christopher: three by James Tate: "Manna" and "The Book of Lies" and "Epithelium for Tyler" and a short piece of his own, "Trifle."
Emily followed with "Billy Sim" by Chuck Klausterman. It's from his book Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs. It was a request.
Tony suggested visiting McSweeney's to view some dispatches from Iraq. Click here to check it out.
Nate read two by Ai, from her selected poems, entitled Vice. The poems were "I Have Got to Stop Loving You, So I Killed My Goat" and "The Kid."
Then I read two of my own, "Several Places at Once" and "Praise for Your Mother's Passing."
Rebecca read Borges's "The Circular Ruins."
And Derek finished with an untitled poem of his own and "March 26" and another untitled piece.

We will meet again tomorrow evening, same place, same time. We only have two meetings left this semester. Come, read, astonish. Don't be late.

A Late Update

The most recent meeting of the Writer's Community was April 2nd, and a good time was had by all. Here's how it all went down:

Emily- read an essay from Anne Lamott's new book, "Grace (Eventually)", called "Near the Lagoon, 2004"

Christopher- read 3 poems, Wendell Berry's "How to be a Poet, To Remind Myself"; Charles Bukowski's "40,000 Flies"; and W.B. Yeats' "Adam's Curse"

Andrew- read two short shorts from "How We Are Hungry" by Dave Eggers, first "She Waits, Seething, Blooming", and then "Naveed". He also read an original poem that he wanted feed back on, called "Counterplay".

Nate- read from an interesting book by Daniel Nester, called "God Save My Queen". All of the poems were titled after Queen songs. He read: "Don't Stop Me Now", "Fat Bottom Girls", "Killer Queen", "39", "Under pressure", and "Bohemian Rhapsody".

Matthew- read a few poems from "Donkey Gospel" by Tony Hoagland. He read "Game" and "Self-Improvement".

Derek- read one original poem "Look Before You Leap" and an excerpt from his Cultural Critique for Eng 286.

Megan- read the "20th Main Address" from Colonel Lawrence Chamberlain.

Overall, it was a great night. Please come out to our next meeting, happening on April 9th, at 7 pm in the Writing Center as usual! Look forward to seeing you all there!