Read Moresomething like biting your tongue in the same spot,
something like biting it again to make it bleed more,
something that has become so routine that you anticipate it
and try to avoid it and try to remove him from your life
Back to Philly (and some shows)
I will be moving back to Philadelphia at the end of January. I am looking forward to the move and I believe it is a positive and healthy choice.
The San Francisco Bay Area has been a second home for me these past nine years and I will miss it. I became an adult here. I realized and actualized my dreams of writing and publishing here. I've made some very important friendships here. On top of everything, it is the people I will miss the most, those who have supported and encouraged my work and made some room for me. I am grateful and forever thankful for them.
Right now I am packing and trying to get rid of things. I have a lot of books and a lot of clothes. I also bought two big boxes of American Mary right before I got laid off and I'd like to sell as many copies as possible so that I don't have to pack them up to ship to Philly, so I'm offering them up at a great price: $8.00, which is actually half price. If you already own a copy, maybe you know someone who would appreciate the book as a gift. Buy one here.
Before I leave, I am doing a few events:
- on Thursday December 14 I will be performing in San Francisco for a holiday-themed storytelling event presented by The Establishment, a news and culture outlet run by women and dedicated to highlighting marginalized voices. Carol Hood, July Westhale, Andrea Grimes, and Ingrid Rojas Contreras are also performing. You can buy a ticket here.
- and then the very next day I will be performing in Los Angeles at a show that I have put together with Yesenia Padilla and Grant Leuning called Now That's What I Call Poetry/Be About It: Reading in LA at the Poetic Research Bureau. Also performing in addition to myself, Yesi, and Grant are Paige Elizabeth Gretsky, Megan Lent, Viva Padilla, Miranda Tsang, Rachel Olson, and Jeremy Hight. Please don't miss this if you're in the LA area!
October Performances
This is my favorite time of year not just because my birthday is coming up or because I love haunted things and pumpkins and apple cider donuts. It's just my favorite time of year. I love the changing of the season, the chilliness, the darkness, how things feel quieter. Being out at night-- going to parties or just walking around city streets on the way to or from a party, which is usually my favorite part of the party besides the dressing up-- feels more exciting in the fall.
So maybe that's why I'm ready to do some things. Libra season is in full swing, scales swaying in the fading October sun, and I'm ready to do some readings. Please join me.
Saturday, October 14 at 6:30pm, SF Lit Crawl: An Evening With The Rumpus at Laundry Gallery and Cafe (3359 26th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110). Readings by Randa Jarrar, Jen Palmares Meadows, Alexandra Naughton, Christine No, and Shanthi Sekaran! Comedy from Nato Green! The event will be emceed by writer and Rumpus Features Editor Christine Hyung-Oak Lee.
Saturday, October 14 at 8:30pm, UNOFFICIAL SF Lit Crawl Pop-up reading at Mission Playground (3555 19th St, San Francisco, California 94110). Featuring readings by Anna Avery, Zoe Blair, Alexandra Naughton, and Shy Watson. We will have donuts and candles at this very special outdoor reading.
Monday, October 16 at 6pm, Celebrate the Labor of Literary Curators at Nomadic Press (2301 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, California 94612). Hosted by Anna Avery, featuring performances by Alexandra Naughton, Paul Corman-Roberts, and JK Fowler, with special guests Ashley Ray and Shy Watson.
Wednesday, October 18 is my birthday (turning 32, holy shit), and Saturday, October 28 is the 3rd Annual Libra Birthday party hosted by Cassandra Dallett and Alexandra Naughton. Truly looking forward to all of this.
