I read in the Joaquin Miller Cabin poetry reading series.

I’d wanted to read in this series for a long time, so I was delighted to be selected for it. When I first attended this series about 10-12 years ago, EF (freshly home from Turkey) and I (simply fresh) made our way through the confusing and twisting roads of Rock Creek Park and ended up in picnic area 6 to listen to Stan Plumly, etc. We were exhausted from heat and jet lag, but we had a good time.

The evening last night opened with people reading one poem each from Hilary Tham, Robert Sargeant, and Jaclyn Potter — to honor these DC-area poets after their deaths. Tung-Hui Hu read several striking poems — with such phrases as “thighs luminescent as salt.” He did not so much read the words as toss them off his tongue. I liked his unique reading style. At the same time, I was not sure what to make of it. Was it his modesty for writing amazing poems? Something else? Who knows? Here is one to read:

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Summers we used to go down to Atlantic City and tell people their fortunes. Underneath the shade of lemon-trees a bunch of us would set up camp and wave passers-by over, and come they did, at first to escape the sun, but soon a flock, each with flushed faces and quivering mouths. What did they want from us, what were they like? Well, an old woman wanted to know if she would give birth: her face was thick and scarred, the drawings of a child playing with markers, but bold, like tire marks. We took many breaks as the spirits did not speak to us constantly but grew tired of our stream of questions. What a pleasant time, sitting on the beach and deciding what happens next. Does the girl get sacrificed after all, or will she escape to the Aegean in time? Does the mother kill the father when he gets home, or does she go back to the kitchen? We read so many palms that sometimes we got them confused. Every so often someone would go back home and marry the wrong person. After that we were quiet as starlings in a cage.

Next, I read several of the poems I wrote in April — “Holocaust Museum,” “Water’s Lament,” “To the Dictator from the Diplomat’s Wife,” and “Love Poem for Lamoni, Iowa.”

When we arrived at the reception site, we were gloriously locked out. We gathered in the dim summer light (in a neighborhood of American Foursquares off of 16th Street, NW) and shared strawberries with mint and seltzer and got to enjoy the outdoors even longer than we’d planned.

I talked to a bunch of cool people — Michael the musician, Michael the photographer, Tung-Wei, Karren, Kathi, Sandra, Anthony, Mel and more and more. What a night — poetry, interesting conversations and nice people! Tung-Wei gave me a copy of his book, so I’ll be sure to blog about it after I finish reading it. I wanted to read the whole book right when I got home, but I ended up chatting with our babysitter and DH until I was too tired to do much besides sleep. Soon though!

If you are looking to do readings, you should keep an eye out for the next series deadline and application guidelines.

Ooo, I have a question. I’d like to make a list of reading series around the country. Would you list your local (or non-local) ones in the comments box?