Reading Tonight

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

D.A. Levy lives: celebrating the renegade press reading series

featuring the authors of Hyacinth Girl Press

Sidewalk Cafe

94 Avenue A (@ E. 6th St.)

The East Village

6:30 p.m. 

Tonight, much to A.'s chagrin, I'll be trekking into the city and participating in this reading. A.'s a little concerned about his eight-months-pregnant wife traveling two hours away. Into a city that he loathes. But, after much discussion last night, he's given me the "do-what-you-want," which isn't exactly a blessing, but isn't a complete and definitive "absolutely not." It allows me to travel into NYC for a reading I've been looking forward to for months. One, because as I've said before, I don't often have the opportunity to participate in readings -- and I like them! Also two: It's kind of my last hurrah before the baby arrives. The midwife has already told me I'm not allowed to travel to Boston for AWP, which was really, really disappointing, so this is kind of my last chance to do something writerly and fun before I give birth. 

The next few weeks, in terms of the calendar, are decidedly event-free. It's like my 21st century version of "confinement," which existed for centuries, and now is practiced mainly in Southeast Asian countries but has been relegated to a POST-partum, not PRE-partum ritual. I suppose mine is more similar to the Victorian era-version of confinement, which basically involved hiding out at home and keeping society's eyes away from your ever-expanding evidence that OH-MY-GOD-YOU-HAD-SEXUAL-RELATIONS-WITH-YOUR-HUSBAND!

So, you know, if you're in the East Village around 6:30 p.m., it'd be nice to see you there!

The chapbook won't be ready, though. I suppose it will be out in March as previously scheduled, maybe earlier. Just not tonight.

This morning I'm using my writing time to prep for the reading (making sure I have the correct number of poems, i.e. 12-minutes worth,  etc.), writing this blog entry, and then packing a bag to take with me tonight. Also, deciding what I'm going to wear. By this point, all of my nice dressy pregnancy clothes do a super-good job of highlighting my baby bump, and also my expanding ass, and while I'm less concerned about showing up to the reading wearing something that's a little clingy, I don't really wish to terrify the poor students I'm teaching today who've known me for only a week. 

And I don't really wanna lug a change of clothes to the office. 

These are not really problems, I know. 

Coffee & Two New Additions for the Bedside Stack

I'll end here with more photos. Yesterday The Southern Review and The Gettysburg Review arrived in the mail. I love the art on both covers, and wanted to share. Also, I thought I'd point out that these are the SR's winter issue, and the GR's spring issue. Their arrival together feels a little muddled, like the weather yesterday. It began with snow and ended with warmer temps and rain. 

Note: the beautiful little tea cup that holds my coffee in this photo is one of my favorite Christmas presents . . . and from my mother. She has very good taste, does she not?

The second photo is another shot of my bedside table, and one of the other favorite-gifts I received for Christmas. My sister M.K. gave me this adorable little stand made out of a teacup and saucer, and it holds the earrings I usually take off after the lights are turned out and I remember, oh yeah, I'm still wearing these. As you can see also, it holds a good number of my daughter's barrettes. There's also a bookmark in there.

My family has good taste in gifts, yes?

Okay. Time to get ready for the day.