Rodney Koeneke has posted a very sweet note about Spare Room and its upcoming 100th reading, and I am biased in this but I agree completely with his assessment.
I would also like to think that Sunday's 100th reading -- a marathon of 100 poems by 100 poets selected by 10 people connected intimately to Spare Room, which will last for, oh, five hours or so -- is going to be, shall we say, challenging in its content, but made accessible in its form. The diversity of poets, the diversity of voices reading the poems, the ability to move in and out of the event at will -- this should, I think, provide people who are not diehard poetry-reading-goers some sort of entryway (and some sort of emergency exit!) if they are curious but wary of poetry fatigue, worried of being overly bored by poetry that they are, for whatever reason, just not meshing with. But some of the poems read will be long enough to allow some real luxuriating in the bath of a particular poet's syntax. (I believe Lindsay Hill -- spoiler alert! -- is going to read a longer [ten minute?] section from Gerturde Stein's Tender Buttons, which I am particularly looking forward to; I have a similar longish selection from a challenging, ear-wracking work that I hope I can pull off.)
All of which is to say, oh just come to the reading on Sunday. See you there.
Sunday, January 25
starting at 2:00 pm
ending when we finish (6:00? 7:00?)
Free admission
Gallery Homeland (at the Ford Building)
2505 SE 11th Avenue
Labels: Gertrude Stein, Lindsay Hill, Rodney Koeneke, Spare Room
Hi Chris,
Glad to hear you'll be in town! If you can make it to Tangent Sat., for olde times' sake, it'd be great to see you. Otherwise, will catch up Sunday. Safe travels.
I was booked in advance with friends and Linda's birthday party before I found out about it. Have a good reading, though! See you Sunday.