Y'all Come! A Face to Meet the Faces Reading ~ Tuesday, May 29, Left Bank Books, St. Louis, MO

82º ~ brilliant sun, cloudless skies, nice breezes ~ praising the folks who planted these trees as the temperatures are rising into the mid 90s after today and the humidity will follow ~ grab some shade, y'all


Some home improvements / gardening and a visit from the folks has kept me away from the desk, but I'm back and see no interruptions through the Fourth of July, save the reading announced in today's title.  Wahoo.  I've spent the morning preparing for the reading and ironing out some travel plans.

For those folks in the St. Louis area, here are the details.

Readings from A Face to Meet the Faces: An Anthology of Contemporary Persona Poetry
Left Bank Books (399 N. Euclid Ave, St. Louis)
Tuesday, May 29, 7:00 p.m.
Featuring:  Co-Editor Stacey Lynn Brown and poets Jennifer Fandel, Sandy Longhorn, Angie Macri, Claire McQuerry, Steven D. Schroeder, and Shane Signorino

Each reader will read his/her poem and give a brief glimpse into why they chose persona as a vehicle for the poem.  Each reader will also read one - two poems by other poets from the book and read their contextual notes on the use of persona.  **These contextual notes are just one of the things that make this a fabulous anthology, especially if you teach and are looking for an adoption (I can say this without bias, as I receive no funds from the sales of the book!).

I spent some of my desk time this morning reading through the poems that will be read on Tuesday night, and I have to say, this is going to be a kick-ass reading!  I was so happy to sit down and go through the set list and look for my alternate poems to read, since I haven't had a chance to really delve into the book.  The spine is now well cracked and creased and I'm looking forward to diving in for more of the good stuff soon.  Kudos to the University of Akron Press and Amy Freels for the great design of this packed-to-the-gills tome.

Here's a brief list of some personae you may meet if you can make the reading.

The Lotus-Eater's Wife
Marianne, a Native-American slave in southern Illinois
Calamity Jane venting at Wild Bill's grave
A waitress navigating the murky waters of love
Walt Whitman on his birthday
The Hulk (SMASH!)

And that's just a few!  Hope to see you there if you live in the area.  Plus, Left Bank Books ROCKS the independent bookseller world!