Cati Porter

I’m waiting for Lloyd to get back from dropping his dad off at home (he always comes over on Saturday mornings) so thought I’d take just a minute to post a couple photos from the reading last Thursday.

It was a real treat for me to be able to read with Ann, Kate, and Catherine, (I wonder if Kate’s name is Katherine — if so, then there were three of us there). Sarah was lovely as ever. And the venue was very cool. I have some mixed feelings about the area that it’s in — had to drive through skid row to get to it — the *real* skid row. Apparently it’s been cleaned up quite a bit, but it’s still just a little bit heartbreaking to drive through. The people who live there are so entrenched that you almost want to see address numbers painted on the curb near their feet. I don’t think anyone ever rousts them out. It looked like a parade route sans parade, with the street teeming with people, makeshift cardboard structures leaning up against buildings, with the occasional almost shockingly bright pup tent. 

This is the exterior of the Pharmaka building.

I read first. I read my poem from the anthology, plus Jeannine Hall Gailey’s and Ren Powell’s, and poems from the Desire series.

Then Catherine Daly read hers about bras and the now defunct Hollywood Frederick’s of Hollywood, plus a poem by Wompo listmother Annie Finch.

Then Kate Gale read a poem by Adrienne Kalpfalou (I’m sure I’m botching the spelling here!) and some of her own work on what it’s like to work in the publishing industry.

And then Ann Fisher-Wirth read Anny Ballardini’s poem from the anthology plus work from her new book Carta Marina.

Sarah Maclay brought us all back up at the end.

Here’s an interior shot of the gallery — long and narrow. If you look closely my hubby is in left of center.

There were a lot of familiar faces there — Rafael Alvarado of the Moe Green Poetry Hour/H.I.P readings, Larry Colker of the Redondo Poets, Hilda Weiss of Poetry L.A., as well a few others. Fun reading, great crowd, good wine and cheese & crackers & fruit. A *very* late night (by our standards, home by 11:15) — the boys were still awake, but the babysitter looked half asleep — but definitely worth the trip.

A guy named Alec Silverstein who blogs for The Downtownster interviewed each of us afterward. He’s going to be running a piece next Friday — I’ll post the link when it’s up. I’m curious to hear his take!