Join us at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento tonight for the release of chapbooks by Susan Kelly-DeWitt (The Land) and Victoria Dalkey (In the Absence of Silver). Both of these nationally-acclaimed poets (and local poetry icons) will be reading and celebrating the publication of Rattlechaps #12 and #14 from Rattlesnake Press, beginning at 7:30 (free). Refreshments and a read-around will follow; bring your own poetry or somebody else's.
Davis poet/publisher/raconteur James Lee Jobe writes the following:
I'm very much looking forward to this reading. I haven't heard Ms Dalkey read in years, not since the SPC had its readings at Dukes. Below is a poem I wrote at a Dalkey reading at Dukes in the 1990s. The other feature was the mother of that artist who used to go with Patrick Grizzell. I have forgotten their names. Both poets had marijuana poems that night, and the image of these two sweet, mature ladies getting high wandered into my poem. The open mike after the
featured readers was particularly horrid.
SOME LINES AT AN OPEN-MIKE READING
—James Lee Jobe, Davis
Old women smoke marijuana in the alley, their breath
horrid,
their armpit hair is long and braided, decorated with
jewels.
Their hair and eyes are the night sky of Egypt! Their
little feet
are petals from jungle flowers, picked by bored
monkeys!
Here, on stage, a poet reads some endless lines, and I
don't care.
In my mind I join the women in the alley, it is
sunset; just look at the sky.
________________________
Thanks, Jim! Watch for more from The Jobester in the near future, starting with a reading Sept. 9 (more about that later) and a rattlechap in early 2006.
—Medusa (whose alley days are over, I'm afraid...)
Medusa encourages poets of all ilk and ages to send their poetry and announcements of Northern California poetry events to kathykieth@hotmail.com for posting on this daily Snake blog. Rights remain with the poets.