5 Nov. 2017 in Hartford, Conn.

• Where: Little River Restoratives bar
• Why: Syllable reading series
• Other readers: Sonya Huber, Kem Joy Ukwu, songs by Lauren Bolstridge

The Syllable reading series is organized by Julia Pistell and Brett Maddux. I had emailed Julia some poems and asked if I could participate. This installment was held at a bar in Frog Hollow, Hartford.

Sonya Huber teaches as Fairfield University. She read some essays from a collection focusing on the subject of chronic pain. She suffers from rheumatoid arthritis.

I one of here essays, she talks about how her condition makes her skin permeable to the environment. Pollution, such as smoke/exhaust or chemicals, can actually cause her pain. What struck me is that, although this sort of damage to the environment is invisible to most people, she literally feels it in her body. There are real victims of pollution, which I didn't appreciate. Also, it occurred to me that, if we all were similarly sensitive to the environment, maybe we would work harder to keep it clean. (We surround ourselves with poisons of our own making, such as xenoestrogens.)

Kem Joy Ukwu read two short stories. She is from New Jersey.

Lauren Bolstridge played some songs on acoustic guitar. She is from West Hartford, CT and lives in the area, I think.

I talked to Susan Dunne, the Arts Writer from the Hartford Courant. She wrote an article about the reading, featuring one of the poems I read.

At the reading I met some artists and curators who are, perhaps, friends with Brett. I had a good time talking to them.

27 Sept. 2013 in New York, N.Y.

• Where: Molasses Books in Brooklyn
• Why: ?
• Other readers: Sarah Jean Alexander, Jonathan Aprea, Connor Messinger, unknown others

Molasses Books is a single-room bookstore/cafe/bar in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

I felt like people were reading sort of quietly, so I tried to read real loud. (I'm not sure if I accomplished this.) I think I read alright. I was sort of nervous.

Jonathan Aprea had a line about how at the north pole, there is no north, and every direction is south. Then he had a line about how at the center of a condominium, there is no condominium. I really liked this idea and told him so.

Afterward we went to a bar (Tutu's) near the Mellow Pages Library. We ate and people drank then everyone left.

31 Jan. 2013 in New York, N.Y.

• Where: Housing Works in Manhattan
• Why: Release of Mira Gonzalez's book i will never be beautiful enough to make us beautiful together
• Other readers: Mira Gonzalez, Spencer Madsen, Giancarlo DiTrapano, Kool A.D. (Victor Vazquez), Melissa Broder, Willis Plummer

This was the biggest reading I had ever done. Spencer invited me. His press Sorry House was publishing Mira's book.

I wore a polo shirt and a hoodie. The reading went fairly well. I read a thing about the Gatorade "G-series" which people seemed to think was funny. A video was recorded by Sam Cooke, but it now seems to be lost. The webpage archived by archive.org shows where it was once hosted.

There was an after-party at a bar. I was in a weird mood and didn't talk much to people. I took the train home to Connecticut afterward.

26 Oct. 2012 in New York, N.Y.

• Where: apartment in Brooklyn
• Why: Keep This Bag Away From Children release
• Other readers: Jordan Castro, David Fishkind, Mallory Whittan, Andrew Worthington

This reading was for the release of an issue of Keep This Bag Away From Children, edited by Andrew Worthington and others. I was invited to read, although I wasn't published there. Jordan Castro played a few songs in addition to reading. I think the reading was possibly at Ed Halladay's apartment.

Megan Boyle, Tao Lin, and Brandon Scott Gorrell were there. There was an after-party at Tao's friend's place. It was a pretty nice apartment. There was a big, open living room where people stood around and talked. There was maybe a record player set up.

I took the train home to Connecticut afterward.

4 July 2012 in New York, N.Y.

• Where: Mike Bushnell's apartment in Brooklyn
• Why: Fourth of July party
• Other readers: Ana Carrete, Mike Bushnell, Maggie Lee, Caro DeCarlo, Stephen Michael McDowell (Buttercup McGillicuddy), Mario Ariza, Jackson Nieuwland, others

This took place at a Fourth of July party on the roof of Mike Bushnell's apartment in (I believe) Bed—Stuy, Brooklyn. The reading got started in the evening. It was still hot after the sun went down.

I remember the reading being pretty rowdy. There is some coverage of it at this old blog.

28 Jan. 2012 in New York, N.Y.

• Where: Linger café in Brooklyn
• Why: ?
• Other readers: Spencer Madsen, Maggie Lee, Elaine Sun, Steve Roggenbuck, Poncho Peligroso

This was my first reading in New York City, which was exciting. I wore a button-up shirt, tucked in, and nice black pants. I read poems from my (now unavailable) book Santo Del Supermercado, which was written during a month-long stay at the Hilton Hotel in Stamford, CT. I was nervous but read alright.

Poncho read tweets from the recently passed @tree_bro.

Megan Boyle and Melissa Broder were there. I arm wrestled with Spencer. I met his brother Tyler for the first time.

We went to someone's apartment afterward. I think I got a little too rowdy. I remember throwing my shoe across the room. That night I slept on a rug on the floor of Spencer's tiny room.

Late 2008 in Lawrence, Kan.

• Where: Henry's bar/café
• Why: poetry class
• Other readers: Robert Knapp, Joseph Harrington, unknown others

I took a poetry class taught by Prof. Joseph Harrington at the University of Kansas. At the end of the semester, all of the students read together at a local venue. I remember few of their names.

I read some ecstatic, Ginsberg-inspired stuff. This is the first time I read with a microphone, and I didn't really know how to use it.

27 Apr. 2008 in Topeka, Kan.

• Where: the RowHouse Restaurant
• Why: the "RowHouse Poetry Revue"
• Other readers: Amy Fleury, Mickey Cesar, Dennis Etzel Jr., Kevin Rabas, songs by Greg Fox

My recollections are aided by a flyer from the event that my parents had framed. The reading was sponsored by the Topeka magazine seveneightfive. It was hosted by Matt Porubsky, an editor of the magazine. He invited me to read after some of my poems were published there. He was a former student of Brian Daldorph, who was a poetry professor at the University of Kansas. It was Prof. Daldorph who had suggested I submit to the magazine.

The restaurant itself was located in an actual row house, I think. I remember the green room being a small kitchen. (I don't know where the actual cooking was done.)

This was the first proper reading I did. I was using the pseudonym Zeke Collyer at the time, inspired by the Collyer brothers. I was very young, and the other poets were much more accomplished.

The readers rotated through the rooms of the restaurant, reading to the diners throughout the meal. My parents were in attendance. I read poems about masturbation, self-mutilation, etc.

Early 2007 in Lawrence, Kan.

• Where: University of Kansas student union
• Why: open mic
• Other readers: Mickey Cesar, Nick Sprague, Ryan Keast, Devin Lowell, others

This was the first reading I did, I think. It was an open mic event, possibly with some kind of competition element. It might even have been billed as a "poetry slam."

Mickey Caesar won, I think. He may have got a gift certificate or some other picayune as a prize.

My friends Nick, Ryan, and Devin also read poems.