Post by moira on Oct 18, 2008 16:45:28 GMT 2
(Thank you Kelli and friends for sharing these at the Festival!)
Dear Wompos,
On Thursday, April 17th we gathered at the University of Washington's Women Center for the book release celebration of the Letters to the World anthology for Seattle-area poets. It was a lovely evening of poems, sparkling cider, rosemary crackers and cheese, dark chocolate, and lemon cookies.
There were 7 of us who read: Susan Rich, Martha Silano, Lana Hechtman Ayers, Shin Yu Pai, Julene Weaver, Carol Levin and myself. We missed our three other Seattle area poets--Kathleen Flenniken, Jeannine Hall Gailey, and Neile Graham were unable to attend, but their poems were read in their absence.
We each read our own poem from the anthology then chose another poet from the anthology to read as well. Some poems we read by you were Diane Lockward's "Losing the Blues," Celia Lisset Alvarez's "What it Takes To Be Lois Lane," Gloria Frym's "Medicate Specific," and others.
Carol Levin wrote to me the next day and said, "I think that reading someone else's brought the book to life. . .I felt that the whole Wompo world was with us last night. They just don't know it."
I couldn't have said it better. Many people left our reading with anthologies in their hands, so know your poems have reached out through the Northwest.
I've posted photos from the event on my Book of Kells blog:
ofkells.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html
if you want to match our faces to our names.
From left to right: Susan Rich, Julene Weaver, Martha Silano, Kelli Russell Agodon, Carol Levin, Shin Yu Pai, Lana Hechtman Ayers
Shin Yu Pai
Susan Rich
Carol Levin
Julene Weaver
Lana Hechtman Ayers
Martha Silano
Kelli Russell Agodon
It was an honor for me to read (and read your poems) from the anthology. I am grateful to be a part of Wom-po and while there have been some changes lately and I will miss Annie, I look forward to the new A- Amy and what our future holds.
We wish you all could have been there...and well, you were.
Best,
Kelli