Poetry Penance

Andrew, opening up for Bad Poetry Night at the Book Cellar.

The readings were all pretty quick, and this was the only photo I took. Andrew did snap a photo of me, though.

Funny note: I had my notebook in my backpack for most of the time, leading up to me taking the mic. I felt almost embarrassed to have the notebook visible on the cafe table (I had it face down when I took it out).

It really felt like I was taking out a pornography magazine, with the amount of shame I was experiencing.

The event was fun though – a lot of silliness, and I met some folks in the crowd who were fans of Queensrÿche and Nightmare on Elm Street (spoiler: it was the same person).

I ended up wandering the store for a bit, after the event ended and everyone shuffled out. I happened across a collection of Ted Kooser’s poems, and it felt like the proper thing to purchase, to wash away all the terribleness that had preceeded.

In case you didn’t know, I’m a fan of his poems.

A quiet moment, outside the bookstore.

Related:
Bad Poetry Night
Ted Kooser and the “American Life in Poetry” Project