Cati Porter is founder and editor-in-chief of Poemeleon: A Journal of Poetry and associate editor (poetry) for Babel Fruit. She is the author of two poetry collections, a chapbook of prose poems, small fruit songs (Pudding House Publications, 2008), and Seven Floors Up (Mayapple Press, 2008). Her poems have been anthologized in Bedside Guide to No Tell Motel – Second Floor (No Tell Books), Letters to the World: Poems from the Women’s Poetry Listserv (Red Hen Press), and White Ink: Poems on Mothers and Motherhood (Demeter Press/York University, Canada), and appear widely online and in print. 

This Friday, I’ll be reading with a few other poets at Sip Tea in Downtown L.A.  I mention Melora specifically because she’s one of my students, and it’s her first reading, so it’s an especially exciting event for me.  If you’re a fan of Big Love, you’ll recognize her.  Also reading are Bryan Sanders, kalamity j, and Hannah Wehr.  

Melora and I will be reading first, so get there on time!  Here’s the deal:

I just got back from a long trip, during which I taught a writing workshop in Zion, Illinois, and visited my friend who’s getting her PhD in Creative Nonfiction at the University of Missouri.  It was a great trip, and I got to spend time with a lot of wonderful people I’ve missed seeing–as well as make some new friends!

Anyway, I’m back in LA for a while, so it’s time to get down to business again.  I’ll be featured on the Moe Green Poetry Hour this Wednesday, January 21st, starting at 8 am.  I’ll read some work, and chat about poetry and poetry-related things.  I’m honored to be featured–he’s had some incredible writers on in the past, and it’ll be a lot of fun.

If, as I imagine, some of you aren’t in listening form at 8 am, the show will be archived and you can listen to it whenever you want to.  Here’s the link to blog talk radio, where the show’s broadcast from:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/onword/page/3

In other news, I’ll be a featured poet in the first issue of Astraeos, a quarterly magazine dedicated to promoting new and emerging artists from all genres with circulation in NY and LA—and worldwide via its website. 

The issue will feature some poems, and an interview!  I’m very excited, and will let everyone know when it’s complete so you can order it.  It’s going to be a great magazine.  

It’s good to be home.

So, finally back home and getting back into the groove, it’s time to start doing some readings again.

Here’s the first one:

I’m the featured poet on Tuesday, November 25 at Redondo Poets.  Here’s a link to their site:
http://home.ca.rr.com/redondopoets/

Starts at 8:10, so traffic will be manageable if you want to come on down.

Sorry it’s been a while since you’ve heard from me! It’s been a crazy, busy month–lots of visitors in town, lots of going out of town…so no blogging. But, I’m back, and want to tell you about some exciting events coming up and some other new news.

I’ll be in NYC with my man from August 27th-September 2nd, and while I’m there, I’ll be doing a very special reading on the 31st at goodbye blue monday in Brooklyn. It’s the first time I’ll be reading a large section of my work in progress, prison-house, and I’ll also be collaborating with a talented friend of mine.

Stefanos Tsigrimanis (AKA animal nudity) will be accompanying me as I read prison-house (think noisy, noisy goodness). He’s one of my favorite people and a great musician. Here’s his info:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=50786080&MyToken=5a937580-ccd6-4554-a853-dabe8e4f243f

And here’s the info for goodbye blue monday:

http://www.myspace.com/goodbyebluemondayinc

As you can see on their calendar, we go on at 9 pm. I’ll also read from the book, and animal nudity will kick out some jams. I’m excited, and hope to see some old friends there!!!

In other news, I’ve started up a page at www.goodreads.com, a great site my friend recommended to me. This neat site allows you to keep track of what you’ve read, what you’re reading, and what you’re planning on reading. I’ll be writing book reviews, and it’s a great way to connect with your friends on the reading tip.  If you’re interested, you’ll find me here:

http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1441658

Right now, I’m working on Adorno’s Negative Dialectics with my very brilliant friend Greg. We meet every Sunday and discuss a section of the book we’ve read. It’s difficult material, and slow going, but really exciting stuff (and really relevant to prison-house). I’m also beginning to put together applications for Creative Writing MFA programs across the country, and am hoping, next year, to get paid to write for a few years. I’ll keep you all posted on how it goes!

Well, see you East Coast folks soon!

I put up a few cool photos my aunt took at the Village Books reading/signing in the Palisades last week in the site gallery, so check them out!  I’d never been over there before, and it’s a really special bookstore–tiny, and cozy–I felt like I was in a simpler time (until I went outside, at least).  The folks that run it are excellent at what they do.  I watched a few customers walk in before the reading got started and make pretty vague recommendation requests and the staff was able each time, miraculously, to find them something they seemed happy with.  They also do that thing I love about small bookstores where a tag is put on books with a little summary and staff recommendation.  As we’re all quite aware, these kinds of bookstores are a dying breed, and Village Books is an especially nice one.

As for the reading, it went well–we had a nice little crowd and a fellow workshop member of mine came and read the opening of her novel, titled Greysville, to get us started.  She’s a writer who’s simultaneously hilarious and touching, a balancing act that’s always difficult to achieve.  I’ll be sure to post info about the novel once it’s published, and will post her web info as soon as I get it so you can check her writing out if you had to miss.

I read for about 20 minutes, old and new stuff, and my book’s now available there, right at the front counter.   So any of you westsiders who don’t have my book yet, get on over and pick up a copy, and browse the store.  Or, if you don’t live anywhere near the Palisades, stop by on the way back from the beach sometime this summer and check it out.  

“Hypnosis is another product. And furthermore, her pussy was lousy and it stank.”

Furthermore, would people start leaving some blog comments so there’s something for me to look at other than this crap?

I had completely forgotten I was reading tomorrow, Wednesday, June 10th, at the Stella Adler Academy until I logged into myspace and saw a bulletin for the event with my name on it, which was a surprise. I’ll be reading with Judeth Oden and Chiwan Choi of Writ Large, and some other poets as well. Judy and Chi are both wonderful writers, so it’s worth it to pull some last-minute strings and make it out if you can. Sorry for the late notice–if you can’t make this one, hopefully you can make the one on Friday, which I’ll post below…but, for now, here’s tomorrow’s info:

8:00 PM
Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theatre
6673 Hollywood Blvd., 2nd floor
(100 ft. east of Hollywood & Highland–and get this–opposite to McDonalds and next door to the wax museum)

The second reading I’m doing this week is on Friday, June 13th (yeah, I know) at the Echo Park Film Center. It’s a 13-reader showcase entitled Will Wright Presents, and the details are:

8:00 PM
Echo Park Film Center
1200 N. Alvarado St. (@ Sunset)
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Looking forward to seeing some of you at one, or both!