I hear so many people complain about the "rat race" in Washington DC, and I always say, hon, just go to a poetry reading. I am not kidding.So, what an amazing way to kick off the first work week of 2011! My amiga, the splendid New York-based poet (and Spanish translator) Alexandra van de Kamp will be reading tonight at 7 pm at the renowned Café Muse poetry reading series in Washington DC. Her new book, The Park of Upside-Down Chairs (CW Books, 2010) will be available, of course. Also reading is Charles Jensen, another terrific poet.
P.S. Check out Alexandra's guest-blog post for this blog, Madam Mayo, "5 Inspiring World Museums"
Seriously, if you're into poetry, this is an event not to miss, and if you've never been to a poetry reading, why not make this one the first? It's welcoming crowd, and, aside from the poetry, the cookies are delicious!
Here's the full event info:
Dear Friend of Word Works,
In 2011, all Café Muse programs will honor poets our community held dear. The January program will honor Hilary Tham.
Please join us Monday, January 3, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
at the Friendship Heights Village Center
4433 South Park Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD
for the Cafe Muse Literary Series when poets,
Charles Jensen and Alexandra van de Kamp read
from their work and sign books.
Café Muse opens at 7 pm with classical guitar by Michael Davis. Our sponsor, the Village of Friendship Heights, will offer free refreshments. Adele Steiner, Hailey Leithauser and Laura Golberg host, and the evening will conclude with a brief open mic reading from audience members. The Center is a 5-minute walk from the Western Avenue exit of the Friendship Heights Metro. Call 301-656-2797 for directions.
CHARLES JENSEN was a finalist for the 2010 Lambda Literary Award for his book of poems The First Risk. He is the author of three additional chapbooks, including Living Things, which won the 2006 Frank O'Hara Chapbook Award. His poems have appeared in New England Review, The Journal, Willow Springs, Yalobusha Review, and 32 Poems. A past recipient of a grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County.
ALEXANDRA VAN DE KAMP is the author of three chapbooks, and the full-length collection, The Park of Upside-Down Chairs (WordTech Press, 2010). She is one of the founding editors of Terra Incognita, an international literary/cultural journal in English and Spanish. Her work appears widely in Meridian, Greensboro Review, Poetry Northwest and other publications. She lives in Port Jervis, NY and teaches at Stony Brook University.
HILARY THAM (1946-2005) was an artist and author of nine books of poetry, including Counting: A Long Poem. Her second book, Bad Names for Women, won second prize in the Virginia Poetry Prizes (Judge: Gerald Stern) and third prize in the Paterson Prize for Poetry (judge: Diane Wakoski). She also wrote a memoir: Lane With No Name, Memoirs and Poems of a Malaysian-Chinese Girlhood and a set of interlinked short stories, Tin Mines & Concubines. A new project will make her books electronically available to libraries in 2011.
The Word Works is a nonprofit literary organization publishing contemporary poetry in artistic editions and sponsoring public programs for over 35 years. More info at http://wordworksbooks.org/
