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‘Tis the Season for Book Lovers BY JASMINA WELLINGHOFF
One of my favorite things to do at the end of
Month, it’s celebrated all over San Antonio in dozens of readings,
the day is to curl up in bed with a book. Fiction,
panel discussions, competitions, poetry-cum-music happenings, etc.
nonfiction, poetry — I devour them all. I think
Last year some 50 venues hosted more than 100 poets. Few specifics
that in my entire life I have given up on only one
were available at press time, but you’ll be able to get the calendar
book. Can’t remember what it was, but it must
of events at libraries and at www.npmsa.com. Two fun projects that
have been terminally boring. Even so, I felt
happen every year: Poetry on the Move (poems displayed on VIA
mildly guilty for abandoning it in midcourse.
buses) and Slam the Town on April 1, when everyone is invited to
For us readers and literature lovers, March and April bear special
send, email, hand out or otherwise distribute at least one poem to
gifts: visits by important authors, readings, book signings, perform-
as many people as possible.
ances and an entire month devoted to poetry.
A major April event is the San Antonio Book Festival, which is
To begin with, former San Antonian Sandra Cisneros, who now
looking very promising this year (www.saplf.org/festival). More than
lives in Mexico, will be back in town as a guest of our city’s premier
80 authors are expected to come to our neck of the woods — and
literary organization, Gemini Ink. On March 26th, she will give a free
this fest does not last a month. Almost everything happens in a sin-
reading at Palo Alto College, and on the 28th she will appear as the
gle day, April 2, with a few ticketed lunches planned for April 1. So
guest of honor and speaker at the 2016 Autograph Series Reading &
check the schedule and pick what interests you the most. You can’t
Luncheon, a fundraiser for the organization. Famous as she is, Cis-
get to everything.
neros is not the only interesting personality on Gemini Ink’s schedule.
There’s no space here to mention a lot of names, but quite a few
March 2, 3 and 5, author and performer Uroyan Noel, a professor at
of the invited writers made “Best of 2015” lists, won awards or
New York University, will give a talk, sign books and teach a class
made a splash on the national scene. Some of the splash-makers
called Performalist Poetics, which, from what I gathered, will cover
are from around here, including David Liss, Stephen Harrigan,
genres of performance poetry, from rap to slam. I intend to be there.
Naomi Shihab Nye, Austin Kleon, Eileen Curtright, Xavier Garza,
Another thing that attracted my attention is Gemini Ink’s new
H.W. Brands and others. If all this literary talk leaves you too in-
year-long poetry course titled Across the Seasons: Cultivating Deep
tellectually stimulated, check out these two humorous events for
Listening to the Poetic Voice, taught by Cyra Dumitru. Wow! As far
sheer entertainment — Pitchapaloosa (writers pitch book projects
as I know, there hasn’t been a course like this in years. It’s too late
at breakneck speed; one wins) and the Literary Death Match (sim-
to sign up for it now, but all of you budding and seasoned poets take
ilar in format but contestants perform and strive to be funny while
note: If there’s enough interest, they may bring it back next year.
reading excerpts from their works.)
(www.geminiink.org). April is a whole other story. Nationally recognized as Poetry
128 | sawoman.com
I have a suggestion for the organizers: Please spread the fun over two days next year!
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