The Chicago Reading

I have been remiss. I didn't post a thing about the St. Louis reading. I know it says "Chicago Reading" up there, but that's only to confuse y'all.

Five hour drive from Chicago to STL, almost stopped by a snowstorm. Twemlow played Pet Sounds on the stereo (when it wasn't tuned to horrible nu-metal and lo-grade hip-hop stations). I slept a lot. We played some poet games. Robyn Schiff declined to play the poet games. I think I beat Twemlow at Twenty Poet Questions, though the answer that stumped him was Julie Andrews, who isn't a poet, as far as I know.

Aaron Belz welcomed us into his huge freakin' house. Six bedrooms, more storeys than my house. He gave us marzipan (which he warned us, beforehand, was not very good). It was fine. I think it may be the Belz sense of humor; last December (the one before this last one, so last-last-Dec.) he greeted me at the airport with, "Hi. I'm Aaron. I'm really drunk." He wasn't. Or at least he didn't drive like he was. Before the reading, he poured us glasses of a Belgian ale.

At the reading, Julie Dill hugged me suprise-style from behind. Stefene Russell and Thom Fletcher were there. Stefene gave me a three-limbed Jeb Bush effigy doll that is/was quite disturbing but rather adorable. Jonathan Mayhew introduced himself, and I think the first (stupid) thing I said was: "You don't look like Jonathan Mayhew." He was much skinnier than I imagined. We talked about fighting prowess for a moment and both concluded that we could each easily take Kirby Olson if fisticuffs ensued.

The reading itself was superb. Robyn read new poems, including the fabulous "Operation Paperclip," recently netted for the new Canary. Nick read new poems, a few of which were positively brilliant. I don't know why that guy's not a superstar yet. Seriously. Julie Dill read last, and her poems were great. Laugh out loud funny, yet not silly or frivolous. She's really swell. Her partner Laine is very sweet as well. St. Louis may not be my favorite town, but every St. Louis person I know is wonderful. Good people.

Oh, I should mention, if only to embarrass, that a certain KU professor knocked over a beer bottle during the reading. It was very loud.

The trip back to Chicago was fairly uneventful. Bright and clear. Good driving weather. Twemlow left his wedding ring in a third-floor bedroom of Maison Belz, so he had to break in, Principal Rooney-style to house, avoiding a not-very-vicious dog, to retrieve it before we left for Chi-town.