Last night's reading at Quimby's with Julie and Cindy was great, a full house and two unbelievably awsome poets. I think I also liked the two poets vs. three we usually do, which gave both a little bit longer and gave the audience greater scope of their work. I was thinking afterward about how sometimes I get so bogged down in the logistics of running the press, laying things out, all that printing and stapling and trimming, and lately the frenetic pace of everything, that sometimes I feel like I miss out on some of the enjoyment of it. But to hear the work aloud and to stop for a moment to really listen is almost a lull in the chaos. I admittedly sometimes feel very scientific about the work as I lay it out, and get so caught up in the details and what goes where and what step comes next that I forget about the poems themselves and how wonderful they really are. Usually, in the midst of layout at least once, though, I will read through a portion and realize again how amazed and honored I am that these poets let me publish their work.
And there is still so much to come, so many great poets are on tap for 2010. I know, I've been promising to tell you who for weeks, I'm such a poetry tease, but I'm trying to figure out how long it's going to take me to get through the 2009 stragglers before I start the new ones, which most likely be March or April. I am also getting ready for a book sale, so keep your eye on the blog in the next few days..
