Yesterday's Poetry Fest turned out much brighter and sunnier than last years. Lincoln Square is lovely of course. If I could give up my proximity to the lake, I wouldn't mind moving thereabouts. The weather was great,, and there was still a pretty decent crowd around when it was my turn to read. No flubbed lines, a decent sound system. I rather like reading outside, the milling people in the square, the dinner sounds from Cafe Selmarie in the background. The writing quality (at least according to my tastes),was in and out all day, but it usually is. And of course, (warning: rant alert) we had our microphone hogs who long surpassed the 10 minute time limit which was actually more generous this year than others. Thus, near the end of the day, a whole bunch of us had to cut it shorter to avoid it getting too dark. I think I only did about seven minutes worth of work, and wound up cutting three poems--mine usually take me about a minute to read. People, please, your poetry is most likely bad if you can't follow simple directions or plan ahead. We really don't need to hear MORE of it. And again it's always the bad ones who go on forever. One poet earlier in the day had to be up there 15 minutes at least. It might be that open-mic mentality of grab as much time as you can. But I always wish the better poets were the one's going over their time limits.
Did manage to give away a couple chapbooks to folks who seemed interested. I think I've decided to just give away copies of them at readings rather than sell them. Through the website, I have to pay postage, so I need to charge there. And the consignment stuff will still be available at Quimby's and such. Considering their such a small investement to produce relatively speaking, plus I usualy wind up giving and trading most of them away anyhow to other poets, it won't make much of a difference.. Might as well make that practice universal. When I'm @ the Cafe on Tuesday reading, I think I'll bring along what I have left of belladonna and the first run of bloody mary, about ten copies each, plus some of the moon journal press chaps and make it a free-for-all for anyone interested. I'm never very good on the hard sell anyway. I imagine that will have to change if I ever publish a book, which can't quite be given away so easily...Of course, I already plan, should I win a book prize, to use all the funds to copies of the books to distribute at will...
