Bruce Andrews in the Bay Area

Noted L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poet Bruce Andrews will be doing two readings in Oakland next week: Sunday at the New Yipes series (7-9 at 21 Grand) and Tuesday at Mills' Contemporary Writers Series (5:30-7 in the Mills Hall Living Room). This is very exciting for me, as we're also fortunate enough to be including Andrews in the 2006 issue of 580 Split. I'll definitely be at the CWS reading, and I'll try to make it to the one Sunday, but that's uncertain. I heard from Sarah that he's planning to do different work at the two readings.

language made visible

I spent two hours setting type. It was awesome. I felt like I was pretty good at the setting part, but not, perhaps, at the rest of it. Tie up this, ink that, run it through the proof press, wipe with solvent. Etc. I set four lines from "fit to be tied" in Bembo 14. It was good.

I'm so used to manipulating with a computer that creating the same effect with tiny bits of metal seems very time consuming. But you're working toward different goals, I think, and there are differing levels of control with each.

(It should be obvious by now, I think, that I did get in to the class. The same 2 students didn't show up, and so were dropped, which left room for the 5 unregistered students that came back today. I got a drawer with my name on it. Giddiness ensued.)

Total Nerves

In about an hour, I find out whether or not I can get into Visible Language, an overfull class in the book arts program where I will get to hand print my own writing. I still can't make the math work in my favor. The class is limited to 12. On the first day, there were 7 people trying to add the class and 2 students registered for the class didn't show. The professor, Kathy Walkup, announced she would increase the class to 15 people, and we should all come back on Monday to try to get in. Of course, this is my very last semester at Mills and so my only chance to take this class. I hope she takes pity on me.

Valley Ridge Updates

I've updated the Valley/Ridge website, with some 15 new poems (some revised from the Watershed project and some written this month). And all the images are new; I've been taking photographs and integrating it all together.

vehicular update

My stolen car was found. Recovering it has been even worse than the original theft--paying to get it back, having it towed to our place, trying to figure out if it can be fixed or if I should scrap it. At this point, I'm $200 in the hole with little hope of getting that back. I wish the thieves had taken my car on a long drive off a short pier when they were through.