If you found it difficult to find the SmokeLong table this year, it’s because we were a roving table. We came to you. It’s your fault if you weren’t there. Anyone who stopped Helen Rye and myself to ask us about our silly t-shirts got the full Roving SmokeLong Quarterly Table treatment. We had swag and sweets. We had books to win. We had choreography. Most people found it funny; some–mostly poetry MFA program directors–didn’t. Oh well.
We were surprised by how many “visitors” to our “table” lauded us for subverting the bookfair Order Of Things. We even got a few looks suggesting “Why didn’t we think of this? We could have saved 800 bucks.” I think we might have started something.
Our reading on Thursday evening was an intimate affair in the loft of a loud brew pub. Our apologies to those of you who did not get in and to those of you who were pushed around by the waiter. Seating was very limited but oddly roomy. In San Antonio next year I’m going to rent an arena, so look forward to that. For those of you who were not able to be there on Thursday evening or at AWP this year at all, we’ve put together a brief video of moderate sound quality. It’s on our YouTube channel, where you can view other videos in our series SmokeLong on the Road. And you can also subscribe if you want, joining our esteemed 10 subscribers.
Readers’ Books just in case you’d like to buy them and make their days:
Dennis Norris II — Awst Collection — Dennis Norris II
Tyrese L. Coleman — How to Sit
Kim Magowan — Undoing, The Light Source
Nancy Au — Spider Love Song and Other Stories
Michael Don — Partners and Strangers
Michelle Ross — There’s So Much They Haven’t Told You
Sherrie Flick — Thank Your Lucky Stars
Kathy Fish — Wild Life: Collected Works 2003-2018
See you next year in San Antonio!
Christopher
