This Blog Will Be Quiet for a Few Days--off to AWP!

So, today is the birthday of James Joyce, and the day I fly off to Washington for the AWP. For those of you who came here to find out what I'd write about Joyce (after all, I wrote my M.A. thesis on women in his work), I'd direct you to these older posts here and here.

Meanwhile, it looks like the blizzardy weather missed the D.C. region, and so, off I go. I wish I could be one of those people blogging the AWP, but that's not me. I'm not lugging a laptop around, and my cell phone is about as unsophisticated as it's possible to be. I am taking my camera, and I expect to post some reflections about the conference when I return. In the meantime, I'll be mostly unplugged. I'm looking forward to the electronic downtime, a retreat from the demanding screens that have come to rule my daytime hours.

The picture above is from a different February trip, back in 2009 when I read at the Library of Congress. My parents (who are the man and woman to the left of me in the picture), who live in the area, came to see me and the two others who read with me. It was a great crowd (about 80 people, my largest audience ever): lots of downtown workers who had poetry for lunch. My cousin's wife came, and my spouse travelled with me. It was one of the highlights of my life as a writer. If poetry never pays me a lot of cash, that's O.K. I've been richly rewarded in one-of-a-kind experiences. You can go here to read about the experience and here to see more pictures.

I expect to return to regular blogging on Feb. 8.