Myth of Arrival

You know, self-promotion has never been my strong suit.¹ But I try, I try … which is better than being trying, I suppose. However, I will be featured poet of the month at the Old Town Poetry Series in March. The flier reads a little like this:

On Wednesday, March 15th, the Old Town Poetry Series will be throbbing with passion and "duende", as Zachary Jean Chartkoff reads from his new translation of Federico García Lorca's "Romancero Gitano," the celebrated "Gypsy Ballads" at the Creole Gallery, 1218 Turner St. in Lansing's Old Town, 7:30 PM.

Garcia Lorca is possibly the most important modern poet and dramatist of the entire Spanish language. With his immortal lines: "Green, how love you green," he captured the imaginations of his generation by romanticizing the machismo, the sensuality and the deaths of the Spanish Gypsy. Chartkoff has had his poetry published in "The Red Cedar Review," "The Madison Review," "The Hawaii Review," "A Taste of Latex," the Icelandic collection, "A Book of Hope," and the brand new Lansing anthology, "4 Against the Wall," among other publications.

Refreshments will be provided. The event is open to the public at the Creole. Ample free parking is available, both on the street and in the city parking lot on Grand River at the foot of Turner Street.

An Open Mike Session will begin after the featured reader & the break. Poets wishing to read may "toss their names in the hat" at the front desk. Open to all.

Suggested donation: $3 (sliding scale $2 - $5).

1. Or so I am told … "mention your MFA in your press release," was the advice given. But no one is going to show up simply because I have a MFA, I think. [back]

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 28th, 2006 at 1:19 pm and is filed under Poetry News & Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.