susanstinson

Saw Charles Simic read at Smith last night. He was unassuming and funny, and I liked his work. (One of the poems he read is behind the link.) Also, he said that the last time he had read in Northampton, it had been a long time ago, at Jonathan Edwards' memorial service. This was a joke, as Jonathan Edwards was dead in 1759 (and, well, actually, died in New Jersey), but it pleased me that this good poet said his name, even as I watched people in the rows in front of me turn to each other, asking who he was, and then shrugging.

Also, Lesléa and I saw the Poetry Bus, with exhausted and travel grimed poets trying to sort through poetry books on the grass. The part that usually holds luggage on a Peter Pan or Greyhound was open and full of books. It didn't look that fun, but the bus with "POETRY BUS" painted huge across its side was pretty great, and they'll be reading around here at various spots today and tonight, and then moving on to NYC, Philadelphia, etc. There's a picture of the bus at the links if you scroll down.

I'm editing to add: the poets were looking very wiped out and possibly sick of it all, but if anybody ever asked me to go on a poetry bus tour, I would SO do it. Poetry! Bus!

Good writing with Sally yesterday. And I have a bunch of squash, chard, kale, lettuce, peppers, potatoes, parsley and tomatoes from my love's garden.