This whole have a book, have readings to celebrate it experience has been phenomenal. Fifty-one people came to the most recent reading. The bookstore host had never seen that many people for a poetry reading. My next door neighbor from when I was a child bought a copy for her daughter. My favorite high school English teacher came. My dance buddies, art buddies, math department folk, playground buddies, Jewish community. . . I don't feel the words can convey the level of support I feel and how honored I am by people who drove across the city is disgusting Seattle traffic to hear me read. I know many of them are artists themselves and they not only enjoy art but get what it means to show up for the artist, but many of them are not, a poetry reading would not be at the top of their fun Friday evening activities. And I think they did have fun.

The kids were great. We told them they did not have to continue sitting in the front row for the third time; they could go explore the bookstore. But they chose to stay. Actually, as we arrived at the bookstore, I said to David, "You can go look for books." And he said, "First, we need to set up, and then books." I love the level of maturity and ownership that implied. And they did indeed lay out the excellent gluten-free cupcakes and cookies my mom had brought.

The Q & A was great, and I never got to do that before I had a book. Once again someone asked me how the family felt about all the personal details I put in the poems. It's so interesting to me that I forget how personal the poems feel to others. Once they are "done," and certainly once they are published, they feel very separate from me--art as opposed to confession. Luckily, John feels the same way. I've never had him request I censor the work. So far, the kids have not freaked out. However, Rose used to beg me to read the poop poem at my readings (all the words we used for poop when she was an infant), and now it's off the docket.

I've been exhausted the last two days and sort of sad. When people ask me, when's the next reading? I don't have any booked for sure until December in Duvall. But, I have feelers out in Portland, Tacoma, Bainbridge, Pittsburgh, and Oberlin. If you want me to come read at your event or in your city, and particularly if you want me to read with you, let's make it happen.