Wow! What a great event this past Sunday at Malvern Books. Shan and I rolled into Austin on Saturday night, leaving D/FW right after I finished coaching our daughter's soccer game. Crazy to see how things have changed in our old stomping grounds. The little Crestview bungalow we owned around the time we were starting our life together has undergone some major renovation, and there were whole sections of town we didn't recognize. But the more things change, the more they, well, you know. Hoovers was still open and still serving amazing home-cooked fare. We stuffed ourselves, drove all around town reminiscing, and then headed back to the hotel for a Nightmare on Elm Street marathon into the wee hours.
Sunday morning found us consuming a liquid breakfast all Bukowski-style at Fuzzy's before heading to the reading at Malvern. I had never set foot in the store before, but had kept up with it on social media for a long time. What a terrific place. Great reading space, great staff, and a great selection of independent publications. They went all out to promote the event. I am very thankful for their hard work in helping me promote my little book.
The reading itself went well. Judy Jensen, who was recommended to me as a co-reader, opened things up and was brilliant, introducing a visual element to her series on Frida Kahlo by circulating pictures during the reading. Judy is so awesome: under her letterpress printing Float Press imprint, she made a stack of hand-numbered postcards commemorating the reading, using her 1908 Golding Jobber #6. They included my poem "West of Key West" and featured an awesome drawing of a ghost crab on the front and back. I am so grateful to her for this wonderful gesture. Next, dear friend and mentor Ken Fontenot followed up and read several fantastic pieces, some of which I recognized and some of which were new to my ears. It's always a delight and honor to share the stage with Ken. Then, I went on, reading several selections from the chapbook and a few new pieces such as my Ozzy Osbourne poem that is slated to appear in the forthcoming as-yet-unnamed anthology from Dos Gatos Press, the next installment in their Poetry of the Southwest series. I sold a few books, made some new friends, reconnected with some old friends, had a nice talk with Kurt Heinzelman (the former director of the UT Creative Writing Program), and even picked up a copy of Karla K. Morton's New and Selected Poems from the TCU Press Texas Poet Laureate series. We enjoyed some knock-out Larb Gai at Thai Kitchen before heading home.
Thanks to all who came out. For those who could not make it, check out the video graciously filmed by Malvern staff. I look forward to doing it all over again at my D/FW book launch at the Benbrook Public Library on October 13.
video of Judy Jensen at Malvern Books for the launch of J. Todd Hawkins's Ten Counties Away
video of Ken Fontentot at Malvern Books for the launch of J. Todd Hawkins's Ten Counties Away
video of Todd Hawkins at Malvern Books for the launch of his book Ten Counties Away
Sunday morning found us consuming a liquid breakfast all Bukowski-style at Fuzzy's before heading to the reading at Malvern. I had never set foot in the store before, but had kept up with it on social media for a long time. What a terrific place. Great reading space, great staff, and a great selection of independent publications. They went all out to promote the event. I am very thankful for their hard work in helping me promote my little book.
The reading itself went well. Judy Jensen, who was recommended to me as a co-reader, opened things up and was brilliant, introducing a visual element to her series on Frida Kahlo by circulating pictures during the reading. Judy is so awesome: under her letterpress printing Float Press imprint, she made a stack of hand-numbered postcards commemorating the reading, using her 1908 Golding Jobber #6. They included my poem "West of Key West" and featured an awesome drawing of a ghost crab on the front and back. I am so grateful to her for this wonderful gesture. Next, dear friend and mentor Ken Fontenot followed up and read several fantastic pieces, some of which I recognized and some of which were new to my ears. It's always a delight and honor to share the stage with Ken. Then, I went on, reading several selections from the chapbook and a few new pieces such as my Ozzy Osbourne poem that is slated to appear in the forthcoming as-yet-unnamed anthology from Dos Gatos Press, the next installment in their Poetry of the Southwest series. I sold a few books, made some new friends, reconnected with some old friends, had a nice talk with Kurt Heinzelman (the former director of the UT Creative Writing Program), and even picked up a copy of Karla K. Morton's New and Selected Poems from the TCU Press Texas Poet Laureate series. We enjoyed some knock-out Larb Gai at Thai Kitchen before heading home.
Thanks to all who came out. For those who could not make it, check out the video graciously filmed by Malvern staff. I look forward to doing it all over again at my D/FW book launch at the Benbrook Public Library on October 13.
video of Judy Jensen at Malvern Books for the launch of J. Todd Hawkins's Ten Counties Away
video of Ken Fontentot at Malvern Books for the launch of J. Todd Hawkins's Ten Counties Away
video of Todd Hawkins at Malvern Books for the launch of his book Ten Counties Away