Writerfriends! Can’t make it to AWP, the planet’s largest writers’ conference happening right now in Minneapolis? Or, you’re going, but you’re dreading Sunday night post-conference/before you return to real-life day job and in that terrifying limbo you’ll wonder OK OK HOW CAN I MAKE WRITING my whole main life?!?! I am throwing a little party for you.
Sunday 7 p.m. at the Arts Center. This sounds like I’m using my personal blog to promote the Arts Center but it’s kind of the opposite. We are proudly presenting, at the Arts Center of Saint Peter, poets unknown to our regional audience but known and admired by me, personally, because their work is funny and aching and killer and I want you to hear it. I really do.
Here they are.
Here’s the Facebook event which you can feel free to join.
You can come just for the entertainment, or if you yourself are a poet or writer or songwriter or practitioner of some other lonely art, you can come to connect with four great people who’ve published books of poetry which is not an easy thing to do. Right? Hard-copy books. Of poetry. Plus, they’ll be armed with AWP swag and AWP stories, so if you couldn’t get up to the conference, on Sunday night you can hear it and feel it vicariously. I mean I hope so. I mean if their writing is any good, right, we’ll feel it.
One big thing we’re missing, those of us not going up to AWP, is the Prince Purple Poetry party.
Here is what I would wear, if I were going.
Why the tie? I don’t know. Because I have it. Because somebody in my MFA program, which is how I know one of these poets, told me I wrote like a man. Troubling as a compliment delivered by a feminist to a feminist, sure, but would that not make you think OH HELL YES I’m wearing a tie to the party?
Hey. HEY. Now that I’m seeing this I think I’m onto something separate, something post-pearl.
You think?!?!?! I mean I happen to have both of these. The red and green one obviously for Christmas. Next CHRISTMAS can you see this and can someone please have a party where I can gesture in this way with my reading glasses? Please.
But back to now and writerfriends and Sunday. If you’ve gone to AWP, please join us. If you haven’t, please join us. Cash refreshments 7-7:30, readings 7:30-8:30, after-party and opportunities to connect with these fine writers and great people immediately following at Patrick’s. Really hope to see you there.
Tomorrow: Scott made me so mad by being right about my blog that I’m blogging about it. And THAT, people, is how to keep magic happening for twenty-four years.
ann rosenquist fee 
love love love this pearls series. I was not a pearl teen. My family was not a pearl family. We were a luggage family, as in when you graduated you got a watch or luggage – Signifying that we were all destined to be worker bees and to get the hell out of the homestead asap. (I got a watch-another significant miscalculation on the part of my parents, but as the last of 9 they were goddamned tired already). That explains a lot, really. My pearls came from the hubby on his trip to Shanghai. They are large and colored. I’m wearing them today, you know, in homage to this series.
A luggage family!! Yeah. That is a thing. I can’t see your pearls from here but I am sure I love them and love that you’re wearing them today.