Stoneboat Journeys to Venice with Lisa at the Tiller

Is tiller the right word? I am very sleepy, but it felt important to mark this occasion with a short entry here on the blog. Tonight, I read from my first chapbook, A Brief History of Mail. My poems were well-received. I sold several copies as well as a couple past issues of Stoneboat, and I was approached by Beyond Baroque bookstore to supply a few consignment copies and a signed and inscribed archival copy of each piece.

There were a good 25 people in the audience. I was so pleased to be in the company of the following LA poets: Dinah Berland, Elya Braden, Jon Pearson, Mary Getlein, Ellyn Maybe, and Fred Whitlock along with yours truly. The music was provided by Danny Moynahan, Shishir Kurup, Chris Keledjian, and Austin whose last name I did not catch...the guys did a very cool thing where they played music behind the readers for those who wanted it. That really lent a lovely layer to everyone's work. It was all improvised, but it seemed like it had been planned and practiced. Later in the evening, a man who had been sitting in the audience all evening got up and sang some very nice blues with the guys; I did not catch his name, but he was dynamite.

The Talking Stick is a terrific place in the corner of a mini-mall on Lincoln Boulevard. Tucked away amid the donut shop, ice cream store, El Pollo Loco, and whatever else the city can throw at you, The Talking Stick is a little oasis of arty-ness in an otherwise plastic and fast food strip of existence. The man behind the counter, Chris, worked very hard this evening and served up some nice food, coffee, and smoothies all through the evening.

The little Stoneboat did well tonight, and is happy to pull into the dock and go to sleep now. Sweet dreams of Venice my dears. Your Editor-on-the-Road, Lisa