A terribly unproductive reading month for me as far as attacking my “to read” list but a very productive month in terms of attending literary events, writing new work, and reciting that newness thanks to VONA and my Berkeley City College Summer Writing Intensive.
Speaking of BCC, I’m about to put on my revision glasses and polish off a 12 page manuscript that is my final assignment for my class. I’ve produced about six new poems, a three-page play start and a short story for this class all revolving around Anywhere Ave with a bit more focus on my young speaker and his relationship with his father. It’s all become quasi-autobiographical so you will and will not find a lot about me and the ole man in there. The feedback from my classmates has been productive as some get the specific references and some don’t but they all are getting back some kind of emotional connection to the place and characters.
On the recitation tip, I’ve been able to read my newer work at VONA, Poetry for the People and at a class open mic giving me a chance to get a nice feel for the words I’m typing out. And tonight’s Barbershop Reading with Barb is going to be my best reading yet. Believe dat.
As stated before, not too many new books here but a diverse list with flash reviews via the hyperlinks:
• The Ultimates Vol. 2: Homeland Security by by Mark Millar, Bryan Hitch
• Neighborhood Odes by Gary Soto
• Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin