Open Books Release Reading, 2/24/2011

Thanks to all who came out to hear me read from my new book this past Thursday night at Open Books here in Seattle. I didn't expect more than a dozen people to show up (it was snowing and threatening to be icy that night). When three of my long-time Seattle friends walked in at 7:33 pm, they took the last remaining seats.
John Marshall and Christine Deavel mind the till while Poetry Northwest editor Kevin Craft purchases copy of The Little Office of the Immaculate Conception.

A cozy and inviting bookstore, indeed. Visible in this shot are Jeannine Hall and Glenn Gailey, Erin Malone, Megan Snyder-Camp, Carmen Zelaya, and Kevin Craft.

My kids gearing up for the demonstration of Newton's third law of motion: every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
A most excellent microphone with no feedback whatsoever. I planned on being nervous, but I forgot about that as soon as I began my thank yous and prepared for demonstrating the first law of motion.

Here's a video of me reading the title poem.

Here's a video of me reading "It's All Gravy," with Greg Sinibaldi accompanying me on tenor saxophone.

Yucking it up with Greg Sinibaldi, tenor sax player extraordinaire.
Super, duper yucking it up with scientist Carmen Zelaya.

For those of you who weren't there, I divided my reading into three sections, one for each of Newton's laws of motion. I wish I had pics of these, but it was difficult to capture, to say the least. For Law of Motion #1 (a body at rest remains at rest until acted on by a force), I spun a bucketful of little green men around and around. For the 2nd law, F = MA, I threw a little green man at an unsuspecting audience member (my apologies!); for the third law, my kids let loose two balloons.

I don't know about those who attended, but the demonstrations were my fav part of the reading. It was very reassuring to have a break from the seriousness/formality of poetry. I am thinking I will use the same format when I read this Wednesday eve at Portland State!

Thanks again to all those who came out for a night of poetry and science!