I told my husband before I went to the festival this evening that I wasn’t expecting many people to stick around for my poetry reading. I figured I’d have a colleague or two there to support me, but I assumed that everyone who came to see Aimee Bender read would take off after she finished. I was very wrong.

Not only were there 20-30 people present (as far as I know… I was terrible at those contests in elementary school in which we had to guess how many jelly beans were in a jar), but Aimee Bender actually stayed for my reading! I was so thrilled. I read poems that respond to familiar stories: fairy tales, novels, biblical narratives. Afterwards, I got to chat with Aimee a little, and several people shook my hand and told me that they enjoyed my reading. A few even asked where they could find my work or buy a book (and I got to direct them to this shiny new website—hello, festival friends!). A man named Jim made my night by telling me that I have a wonderful sense of humor and that it was so easy to listen to me read my work. I stuck around and chatted for quite a while with a couple of guys named Sharif and Tyson, and we covered everything from prose poetry vs. flash fiction to sustainability to zombies. All in all, it was a wonderful reading experience.

My other festival highlights include:
– hearing Aimee Bender read an incredible short story and then having her be super classy and stay for my reading. (Seriously, if you haven’t read her novels or short stories, you need to do so immediately. It doesn’t matter who you are or what books you usually like. I promise that you will love her work.)
– hearing my colleague Ralph Carlson read from his book Waiting to Say Amen. I already enjoyed his poems, but they came alive wonderfully when he read them. I’m so excited that he’ll be visiting my poetry class in a couple of weeks to talk with my students about this book.
– talking with some people in the Zzyzyx WriterZ group, hearing some of these writers read from their new anthology, and learning about Poetrypalooza.
– trying to see my colleague Tom Allbaugh read with some students on Friday afternoon, only to have my 16-month-old son shout “Outside!” and “Bye-bye!” repeatedly whenever we entered the room. We ran around and enjoyed the sunny day instead, and my husband got to enjoy this reading for all of us.
– visiting the craft tables and buying a birthday gift for my dear friend Emily Capettini.

Thanks to John Brantingham and company for putting together The San Gabriel Valley Literary Festival. I’m so glad I got to be part of this first festival, and I look forward to many more.