Wordstock

Wordstock was an event put together by New Mexico Literary Arts (no Web site). Their mission is "to inspire & develop the imaginative use of language and to create opportunites for the integration of literary arts with other artforms throughout New Mexico." They started as the Poetry Center of New Mexico, and in 1997 expanded their mission. Their focus is still undeniably poetry, and they put together an event yesterday bringing together small literary presses.

And they invited our comics group.

There was some discussion, if we would fit in, how our work would go over. But the organizer knows and has worked with some of our members, so we decided to go for it. Plus, it was free. Just needed to bring a dish to pass. We brought bars.

There were about 8-10 groups represented, ranging from small publishers to really small publishers (including an actual letterpress shop), two teen poetry groups, and then us. Turned out be a great time. Many interested folks stopped by to look at our stuff, we even made a few sales. They help, and we're really trying to get the word out since the grant we were wishing and hoping and praying for didn't come through.

There were readings from NMLA members, the Poetry Confessional (where I confessed my sin of not really having read any poetry since high school [and then it was all e e cummings] other than when I dug out In Plaster during the nine-month long stress fracture), readings from teen groups from Española and Taos, the "Haiku Hooha," and various open mike readings.

I especially enjoyed the teens. (There was a fundraising event the comics group put together in Española [Spaña] last weekend that we never quite got to blogging about, a moderate at best success as a fundraiser, but so, so much fun, and it featured a poetry slam from Mind Graffiti, the Spaña group.) Some of those kids are just naturals, and it's great just to see them perform. The Taos group was also pretty terrific and they did some poetry improv. Both groups are trying to put together some money to get out to NYC for a national poetry event.

The whole thing was held at Desert Academy, a middle school in town. Maybe a hundred-ish people were there over the course of the six-hour event. For the most part, people were interested in what we were doing (our door prize of a selection of the group's work was given back by its recipent, but that just meant it found its way to someone who wanted it). But everyone seemed to have a great time; a nice way to spend a cool autumn afteroon.

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Day started out at the Farmers Market, which has now moved indoors to El Museo Cultural. The Market connects to the Museum, which still has some altars still set up from Day of the Dead. And it's right next door to Santa Fe Clay, which also still had its Day of the Dead exhibit up, with some truly marvelous pieces.

for sale at Albertsons

Ginormous chocolate chip cookie in pie tin, with enough frosting to send you into diabetic shock... plus 2 extra human-sized cookies as part of the decoration: $4.99. Remembering to bring the camera with you on errands: priceless.

phone call

Jett was over for dinner, scanning, and powerpoint last night — in preparation for his guest lecture at IAIA next week — when Serena called his cell.

"Hello... yeah, we're eating now."

"Join us!"

"Monica says you can come over if you want... uh-huh... Serena says she already had dinner... okay, I will... yes, I promise... I'd like to finish eating... no, I won't tell her that... you can tell her yourself."

[hands me phone]

"Hey Serena."

"Jett promised he'd call me back after you guys finish dinner, but if he forgets, you have to bite him for me."

"Uh, can I delegate that to Bram?"

no big hike this weekend

Sunday we went out for about an hour on the Atalaya Mountain trail out behind St. John's. The first part takes you down to Arroyo Chamiso, then follows a side tributatry/creek bed upstream. This part was rocky and hilly, as the creek twisted and the trail cut across the it, up and over the rises between. Along this part, I saw something, might have been a small coyote or a big fox. Didn't get a real good look.



Or maybe it was just Bram. At about our halfway point up, the trail crossed a road, and then continued up thru more piney woods. This was steeper, but not as rocky. What rocks there were were pinkey-red granite with green lichen.



I was surprised at how many healthy (looking) piñon trees there were. The bark beetles have killed most of the piñon in the lowlands. I guess it's either too cold at higher elevations for the beetles, or the trees get enough water up there so that they're strong enough to fight the bugs off.

We turned around at the ridge where the powerlines crossed the trail. Nice view of the city. Would have been another two miles to the top, but by then, the sun was getting low, it was cooling off and getting chillier in the shade. Saw lots of other people, walking, hiking, jogging (the difference is really just a matter of amount of gear and speed, I guess), mountain biking, walking dogs. Felt good to get outside.

halloween party

Jett — from 7000 BC — and his roomate Marc threw a Halloween party last night, to which we were invited. Bram wore all black and went as Señor Muerto:



Jett and Marc rent a funky house, and since their other roomate (Tyrrell) moved out, they've converted his old room into a gallery. We got there a bit early, and so I helped Serena (Jett's girlfriend) with some of the setup. Serena was "dressed" as Nessie from Boneyard (yes, that's body paint + pasties — girl is brave!), and I took the easy way out and went as Jenny Sparks:




Marc told everyone he was "a Muppet Zapatista."



We'd been there an hour before Jett made his appearance — final tweaks to his costume — as the Bride of Frankenstein:




There was good food and munchies, including a pan of yummy mac + cheese from "Darryl" and "Earl." They cook pretty good, for construction machinery:



Tyrrell:



One of the hand-shaped candles that dripped red wax "blood"



Serena and her sister, Bride of... uh... Señor Muerto? Hey, I thought I was the bride of Señor Muerto!



And last, but not least, Serena's pygmy African hedgehog: