I stayed out way past my bedtime on a school night and it was so very worth it. I am grateful for good people in the world who support poetry and all arts. We had some good clean fun at The Muse at Industry for the most part. There was one very dirty moment. Sometimes stuff happens and how fortunate that it happened after dark, which is when dirty moments are meant to occur.

I was overwhelmed. So. Overwhelmed. I still am.

Growing up, I was awkward and weird and out of place. As an adult, as we all know, part of me still feels that way. There’s always the doubt of people showing up. Part of it is brain on worry. Part of it is based in reality because I have read to audiences of two people. It happens. This time, however, it didn’t.

This is life at its brightest: a room of people gathering to celebrate poetry and art.

My longest friend S of Southpaw Sweets handed me a bag of cookies that have the cover of What We Do To Make Us Whole on them. In return, I cried and called her a jerk. This is friendship.

Collage artist Brian Geraghty, graphic and fine artist ESS NYC, and jewelry maker Mindful Holistics shared their crafts. Dd Spungin introduced us all and shared her love of poetry, too.

So many people contributed to a group poem entitled “What We Do To Keep Us Whole.”

I was having such a great time that I forgot I was selling books until I turned and saw BMc holding money and forming a line of people to have their books signed. A huge thanks also for recording it all.

Poets showed up. Musicians showed up. Makers showed up. Supporters showed up. Oh! And some of my poetry students showed up! How exciting!!!! We all showed up. This is what we do to make us whole. Please let’s keep showing up for each other so we can rebuild this world into a better place for everyone.

My heart overflows with gratitude. I’ve been going through a rough time lately, thinking about how how we’re all living right now, and gosh, how good it felt to not have to think about all that for a while. Thanks for everyone who’s been reaching out, showing off their books by mail, sending me well wishes, leaving reviews, letting me know they’ve read and they’ve felt the words. So much love is in this world. Let’s keep it going.

If you missed the dog and pony show, here it is, complete with trivia and giveaways and a loud heater blower thing that kind of takes over during one of the beginning poems and is remedied by the good folks at Ground Central and poet-musician-mic-friend BruceAllOne.

Thank you: VS and Mr. S, RG, AVP, HM, ED, BBS, all the fam, again my poetry students, JR & CR, BO, LC, SN, RG, SE and ME, and I know I’m forgetting people and I know I can’t include the strangers who came in and stayed to listen and then left before I could say hello. Thanks go out to you all.