Daily Archives: 02/11/2010

(Community Matters) Our dear friend Tim Johnson, proprietor of Marfa Book Co. – really a curator of literature – has put together a Small Press Show – he’s added two small prose presses (Archipelago Books and Dalkey Archive), while retaining the best of the poetry presses (Ugly Duckling Presse, Post-Apollo Press, Flood Editions, BookThug, and Effing Press).  He’s even chosen five great titles from each of these seven presses, including great translations from modern and contemporary authors from all over the world (Akutagawa, Mahmoud Darwish, Elena Fanailova), new translations of world classics (Sophocles, Rumi), plus many great contemporary works in English.

Of course we’re purchasing this collection.  If you’re interested, feel free to contact Tim directly or let me know and I’ll put you in touch.

(Community Matters) We’ll after a disappointing dinner Saturday before last, thought I’d give it another try.  Met Martha Smiley for an 8am breakfast and it was good.  Stephen Walls joined me for a second breakfast when Martha left.  Guess that was just too much.  A second waitress got involved and couldn’t remember a thing.  Seriously, she was so incompetent, she had us looking at each other . . .  first perplexed, then breaking out laughing (discretely, not at her).  The first waitress was great, but she got mad that a second waitress got involved.  We bore the brunt of the incompetent waitress, then the mad one.  Then neither were taking care of us.  Finally, first waitress to the rescue.  This is unacceptable for a restaurant with so much potential.  Sorry I gave it a second try.

Sullivans Steakhouse – had a late afternoon meeting there – outstanding service and appetizers.  Julio’s with Katie Pearl and Michael Mitchell for dinner – ah, sometimes wonder why go anywhere else – always outstanding and superb service.

oh yeah, Greg Rickels was there this morning.  What a treat to run into him unexpectedly – a man of so much love

(Community Matters) Steven’s performing at next Thursday’s Pecha Kucha evening – 416 W. Cesar Chavez, doors open at 7:30, presentations start at 8:20.  Tana & I will be driving back from a couple of nights at Kip Keller’s & Michael Barnes’ reading week; we’ll likely go straight there.  I may be violating some pecha kucha/steven tomlinson rule by posting one of the pics from his 20 slides – alas, I haven’t broken any rules this week so what can I say? (by the way, a topic for another blog – WASP’s fascination with rules.  I’m just realizing this is a very cultural thing.)

Others presenting that evening: Jett Butler (Designer), Sam Douglas (Filmmaker),  Jack Sanders (Designer), Sarah Gamble (Architect), Jace Graf (Book Designer), Jean Goehring (Designer), Austin Kleon (Writer/poet), Chris Krager (Architect), Magda Sayeg (Textile art), and Erin Trieb (Photographer)

(Community Matters) Just sent my 100th tweet – the Elie Wiesel quote:  the opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference.

Please don’t be indifferent