Paul Constant of The Seattle Review of Books had some lovely things to say about my new chapbook Sugar: "It’s a delightful little amuse-bouche of a book, with an ending that will charm Seattleites and tourists alike." You can read more here.This Saturday at 3 pm at the Chin Music Press shop in Pike Place Market, I will be reading from Sugar, as well as some foodie excerpts from Daughters of the Air. The fabulous poets Montreux Rotholz and Alex Gallo-Brown will join me, and there will be treats. Constant says it's the literary event of the week! Here is the event on Facebook. Hope to see you there.
On Friday, I stopped by the Chin Music Press shop in Pike Place Market to sign copies of Sugar, my new chapbook, and Daughters of the Air. You can pop in to pick up copies while they last! (Also, get yourself a treat. I enjoyed a sesame red bean ball: crispy, glutinous, gooey, delightful.) Not in Seattle? You can order Sugar from Chin Music Press online right over here.Set scene by poet & nonfiction author Michael Schmeltzer. Thank you, Michael!
Oh, my! It's been a little while since I've updated this blog. Fun news: Chin Music Press is launching my short story Sugar as a lovely little chapbook tomorrow at the Short Run festival. The story first appeared in Gastronomica in 2013; it's a modern, fabulist fairy tale set in Pike Place Market—and Chin Music's sun-drenched showroom is located there too. At least, it always seems sun-drenched when I am there. They make beautiful books! Check out Leanne Dunic's dreamy prose poem novel To Love the Coming End and Zack Davisson's Kaiybō: The Supernatural Cats of Japan and Kate Lebo's A Commonplace Book of Pie, all books I have thoroughly enjoyed.If you're in Seattle you can be among the first to get a copy at Short Run. Then, Chin Music will be at the Portland Book Festival next Saturday, November 10. You can also get a copy from me at one of my upcoming events or at the Chin Music showroom in the market.Link for online purchases to come! In the meantime, here it is on Goodreads. And, while you're on Goodreads, if you're so inclined, would you vote for Daughters of the Air as your favorite debut of the past year? That is, if that is how you feel! Log into your account (or create one!), scroll down to the bottom of this page and type in the title. Write-in voting ends November 4. Thanks, always, for the love.
Hello, hello! I have three readings this month:
- Saturday, June 10, 5-7 pm: I'm reading with Vancouver, B.C.-based novelist and musician Leanne Dunic and my fellow 2015 Jack Straw fellow Bernard Grant at Chin Music Press's Pike Place Market showroom. It's a lovely bookshop with views of the water. Michael will host! Facebook event here. Update 6.7.17: The Seattle Review of Books literary event of the week!
- Saturday, June 24, 10 am-12 pm: June Write-In at Hugo House Co-Presented with Write Democracy. I'm going to read a new essay in this series supporting free speech and the value of arts in our democracy. I'll be joined by afrose fatima ahmed and Catherine Bull. The event will include writing prompts!
- Tuesday, June 27, 5-7 pm: Capitol Cider Literary Happy Hour. This series mixes happy hour with readings and craft talks. Fun!
I'm honored to have my short-short story "Sugar" included in the winter 2013 issue of Gastronomica, the "brainiest" of food magazines, also called "the New Yorker of food magazines". The fairy tale-ish story is set in Pike Place Market and begins thus:
"He couldn't stomach currants in his salad. She couldn't stomach his not stomaching her currants."
You can subscribe to the magazine here; if you have access to JSTOR, you can read individual articles here.