Mid-summer update

If you happen to be in or around Denver or Aug. 4, drop by Red Rocks Community College for this special event. I'll be reading with David-Matthew Barnes, Stina French and Pamela Gates Trayser at 4:30 p.m. in the community room followed by a meet and greet. Many thanks to David-Matthew and the Theatre Arts and Dance Department for hosting us. I've never been to Denver, so I'm excited to read with these fine folks and check out the city. Tattered Cover bookstore is at the top of my "must-visit" list.

I'll be back at the Decatur Book Festival this year reading on the Poet's Stage at Java Monkey Speaks. I should have copies of the reissue of Better To Travel on hand. More details soon.

Many thanks to Vanessa Daou for asking me to contribute to her feature in aRUDE Magazine called "Music, Photography and the Making of Icons." I wrote about Kate Bush's iconic cover for The Dreaming album photographed by her brother, John Carder Bush. You can read the story at this link and check out the contributions by some other fantastic writers and musicians.

Atticus Review is publishing four new poems of mine soon, along with a Q&A conducted by poetry editor Michael Meyerhofer. Atticus has published some of my favorite poets and writers, so I'm thrilled to be part of the family.

My old stomping ground, Java Monkey Speaks, celebrated its 14th anniversary in June and has been getting a lot of love from the local media. Atlanta's NPR station WABE 90.1 FM did a great profile on Java Monkey at this link and another on my favorite rockstar poet Theresa Davis at this link. Kodac Harrison and I are discussing a fifth Java Monkey Speaks anthology to coincide with the 15th anniversary next summer. 

I've made a few tweaks to Leaving Paris over the summer, but it's been largely – and strangely – off my plate for weeks while the boys at Sibling Rivalry Press read it and make suggestions. I'm starting to think about cover photography and looking ahead to next year's book tour. The fundraiser to help me go on the tour is still open and you can make a tax-deductible donation at this link. 

The trip to London and Paris has been pushed back to October and November, but I'm excited because I'll be in London for both the lighting of the Oxford Street holiday lights and Bonfire Night.

More soon!