Books Read 2011

82. The Kaleidoscopic lens How Hollywood Views Ethnic Groups- ed. Randall M. Miller

I dreaded reading this book. I bought this book for $1 at a DVC library book sale back in 1999. Turned out I really enjoyed reading this book. I especially liked the part about the Polish.

83. Civil War Poetry An Anthology- ed. Paul Negri

I think I bought this from a long shuttered used bookstore in Concord. I think this used bookstore was located in the Park n' Shop strip mall close to downtown. I think I was with my friend Adam Venter that day. I feel like I might have also bought Sappho's Lyre edited by Diane Rayor. Afterwards Adam and I went for all-you-can-eat Indian food. I feel like that might have been the first time I'd ever tried naan bread. The last time I talked to Adam was while on a  business trip in Denver. I was flipping thought a Dark Horse Comics catalog in my hotel parking lot sipping on my third coffee of the morning, something must have reminded me of Adam, I called Adam from the hotel parking lot in Denver. We made plans on getting together when I got back, watch a baseball game or soccer match, we never got together after I got back. I ended up spending part of my summer with Diane-Rayor-editor-of-Sappho's-Lyre in 2008 at the Paros Translator's Symposium. Strange how small things can get. If someone were to tell me, as I thumbed through Sappho's Lyre in that used bookstore in Concord, that 10 years from now, I'd be spending a summer in Greece with the editor of said book, it would have baffled my mind, it would have been impossible. Here is a topless photo of my Sappho tattoo, I'm curving my body that way because it makes me look leaner...

84. The Diamond As Big As The Ritz And Other Stories- F. Scott Fitzgerald

I'm currently reading Marabou Stork Nightmares by Irvine Welsh.  Welsh is sort of the iconoclast of raver literature. Fitzgerald was sort of the iconoclast of jazz literature. I think Welsh is the Fitzgerald of his time.

85. Remembered Men- Shane Allison

Like Rob Lowe's character from Parks And Recreation, I "literally"  have no recollection of reading this book. Sorry Shane.

86. Doublouns- Micah Ballard/ Sunnylyn Thibodeaux

Not sure if this is a prenatal collabo, or post-prego mashup (sup Lorca!).  Is this a Lew Gallery or an August Press edition? Micah Benzo and Sunnylyn THBX had a kid and disappeared. I don't hate em' for it though.

87. Breaststa- Anne Vitale

One of the skate rat ramp jammer characters from the Skate Or Die  video game (NES) would quip "MONDO BUMMER DUUUDE!" every time you bailed on the halfpipe. Skate Or Die/ Skate Or Die/ DIE DIE DIE DIE! I almost just said, "the first time I met Amy Berkowitz was at a BBQ at Brandon Brown's house...". But that's not true at all, the first time I met Amy Berkowitz was the summer of 2010 during her couple month long warehouse internship at SPD. I taught her how to properly pack a box of books, she taught me about Power Pop. I taught her the meaning of the word "dunnage" she showed me how easy it was to request songs from KALX. Back to that BBQ over at Brandon Brown's house, that was actually the first time I met Evan Kennedy. That's what I meant, EVAN KENNEDY.

88. A Toast In The House Of Friends- Akilah Oliver

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXOXX

89. That We Come To A Consensus- Noah Eli Gordon/ Sara Veglahn

I think Noah gave this to me outside of The Catacombs bar in Boulder, CO. We had just read together at  some coffee shop off the Pearl St. Mall. I feel like Hot Whiskey Press put this reading on? Is that true? I know that Hot Whiskey made these awesome letterpress broadside posters where all the letters were actually animals posing like letters, e.g. a monkey touching its toes for an "O." I know that my Mom framed one of those posters and gave it to me for Christmas 2006. I read for too long at that reading, something I don't think I ever do nowadays. 15-20min at most. Punk rock/ Pop/ Party poet sets, exit stage pursued by Leatherface. I was drinking vodka tonics that night, I think Noah was drinking beer. Noah lived in Denver, I lived in Boulder. I think I only made it to Denver twice while living in Colorado. I remember thinking that Denver was an exceptionally disappointing city. Though really, I was going through an obnoxious "San Francisco is better than anywhere..." stage, so Denver never had a shot.