Lit Fest 2008

So awesomely fun and inspiring, as usual. Some highlights.

Participant Reading

This extravaganza of literary emanations on the Mercury Cafe stage featured among many others, J. Diego Frey (promoting his book of drinking haiku and cat poetry, Umbrellas or Else), the fabulous Tiffany Tyson, the award-winning Gary Schanbacher, who read from his book of haunting, lyrical short stories Migration Patterns, the anxious-but-agented Cara Lee, and the amazing irony and ironing of doni-marie (yes it’s her real name).

Doni-marie donned a vintage apron to present her many, piled-up reasons for not reading Augusta Locke. Much enjoyed by everyone, including the author himself, Bill Henderson.

I read my lyric essay, “Star Trek vs the Planet of the Apes,” which I wrote in the “Writing a Shadow Box” intensive, led by the enthusiastic and perceptive Harrison Candelaria Fletcher. I didn’t really know about the lyric essay, but our eyes have met across the crowded room of genres and we are IN LOVE. I heart you, lyric essay. I’ve been waiting my whole life for a form like yours.

A Gourmand’s Tale

Often, as I drive across historic Seventh Avenue on the way home to my hovel on the north side of the Botanic Gardens, I wonder how the other half lives. That is, the other Cheesman-area Denverites, the ones on the swanky south side of the Gardens. So naturally I took Lighthouse up on the invitation to a food and writing themed Garden Party. I’m happy to say, the evening exceeded all my expectations. The food was yummy, the readings didn’t get in the way of the food, and the setting? Spectacular. In addition to the Chocolate Decadence and miniature Lemon Icebox Pies, we sampled the now-official drink of the City of New Orleans: the Sazarac Cocktail. Made with absinthe, Peychaud bitters, and rye whiskey, the Sazarac Cocktail tastes like Jesus’s tears. Rare, exotic, spiritual, but with a deep soulful humanity. I could only drink one, but I took another little glass so I could keep smelling it.

Betsy Lerner, On Why You Shouldn’t Quit Your Day Job

If I had read her agency’s Web site more carefully, I would have seen that they represent Patti Smith AND Richard Hell, and I would have fawned much more strenuously, instead of merely hanging on her every word and buying her book and asking her to sign it for me. So it’s probably for the best. But I did miss my chance to ask if Richard Hell is a demanding client and if she knew Joey Ramone. Instead, I listened to her talk to us, directly and sternly, but with compassion, about the realities of publishing, and how to resist the tempting pitfalls of the dumb-ass query letter. For some reason, our writerly brains and souls yearn to self-sabotage and she’s seen it all, and offered advice to help you resist! RESIST, people. Heed her, or suffer the consequences. HEED HER, I say. You won’t be sorry.

Essentially, Betsy spent two hours teaching us how to pitch to her — incredibly generous, and more than worth the cost of the workshop. Miss the business weekend next year at your peril.