Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Get Your Poesy On With Us During National Poetry Month

When Edna St. Vincent Millay asked, "To what purpose, April, do you return again?" she clearly did not know that April is National Poetry Month! To celebrate, Boulder Book Store has lined up a slew of great poetry readings, discussions and other opportunites during the month of April. We will kick off the month with three back-to-back poetry events, then continue to celebrate "Poetry Thursdays" throughout the rest of April.

Starting things off on Tuesday, April 1, at 7:30pm is GERDA ROVETCH & LISSA ROVETCH, who will speak and sign their new book, There Was a Man Who Loved a Rat & Other Vile Little Poems. This collection of absurd verse by Gerda Rovetch, a Boulder local for 50 years, and quirky line illustrations by her daughter, Lissa Rovetch, will charm children and adults alike.

On Wednesday, April 2, at 7:30pm we will host an evening of poetry readings by poets included in IMPROV: An Anthology of Colorado Poets. Colorado is rich in poetry, and IMPROV from Green Fuse Press reflects that wealth.

Poetry Thursdays
Our first Poetry Thursday (Thursday, April 3, at 7:30pm) will feature MARILYN KRYSL (Warscape With Lovers) & JAKE ADAM YORK (A Murmuration of Starlings) in a reading and discussion entitled, "Getting Published." As established poets and key members of literary magazines, these two poets will read from their recent collections, then lead a brief discussion about publishing work in literary magazines.

A night of "Writing the West" on Thursday, April 10 at 7:30pm will feature poets ERIKA WURTH (Indian Trains), GABRIEL GOMEZ (The Outer Bands) & SHERYL LUNA (Pity the Drowned Horses) reading from their recent work.

Thursday, April 17, at 7:30pm, we will celebrate National Poem In Your Pocket Day with an evening of shared poetry. The night will feature Open Mic Poetry Readings (bring your own or someone else's), networking with the local poetry community, and great Poetry Month giveaways. Event co-sponsors Haystack Mountain and Belvedere Chocolates will provide cheese and chocolates for the evening. (Pick up your Poem-In-Your-Pocket at Boulder Book Store anytime in April.)

Wrapping up the month are two poets whose poetry careers are just unfolding. MATT NIENOW (Two Sides of the Same Thing) and ERIN LEWENAUER (Keeping Dead Things Around) will participate in readings and discussion entitled "Getting Started: Up-and-Coming Poets" on Thursday, April 24, at 7:30pm. After reading from their new collections, the poets will lead a brief discussion about publishing your first book.

All events will be held in the upstairs Ballroom of Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO. Poems-In-Your-Pocket will be available at the Book Store throughout April.

T.S. Eliot said that "April is the cruelest month"—lessen that effect through poetry!

National Poetry Month Resources:
http://www.poets.org/npm

Monday, March 10, 2008

After The Long Emergency

The same legion of readers who greedily consumed The Long Emergency (Grove, $14.00) by bestselling author JAMES HOWARD KUNSTLER, will delight at his follow-up, World Made by Hand. His new book is a speculative fiction, which makes an imaginative leap a few decades into the future, and shows us what life may be like following the long emergency brought on by the converging catastrophes of the 21st century. The book centers on the lives of the townspeople of Union Grove, NY. After the end of oil, climate change, global pandemics and resource wars, they are doing whatever they can to get by. Could Kunstler's book be a grim glimpse into our future? For fans of his first book and lovers of well-written fiction, World Made By Hand is sure to please.

James Howard Kunstler will speak and sign World Made By Hand (Atlantic, $22.00) on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 at 7:30pm at Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO.

This event is co-sponsored by Boulder County Going Local.

Boulder Bucks The Trends Once Again

Studies show reading is on the decline, but you wouldn't know it from the number of bookclubs that exist here in Boulder. Boulder Book Store services over 90 area bookclubs, some with memberships as high as 20 people. That's quite a lot of reading!

In celebration of Boulder's love of reading, Boulder Book Store is holding its 2nd Annual BOULDER BOOK STORE TALKS TO BOOKCLUBS event. On Tuesday, March 18th at 7:00pm we'll be sharing our picks for the best new bookclub reads for the coming year. We'll also be handing out fabulous gifts and prizes throughout the evening. So, spread the love! Invite a friend and join us for wine, cheese and great conversation. Whether you already belong to a club or you're looking to join, we invite all Boulder area booklovers to share your favorite literary moments.

And if you can't make it but want to know more about how Boulder Book Store can make your bookclub shine, just send an email to bookclubs@boulderbookstore.com and our fabulous Bookclub Coordinator, Besse, will help you out.