ps.

“Beyonce had one of the best music videos of all time.” Fishmann and I think this is the best cover of that best video.

TGIF

Two music videos!

This is “Harold T. Wilkins” by Fanfarlo, a chamber-pop group from London. They’re a lot of fun and the album Resevoir sounds a bit like Beirut but slightly less precious. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that…)

Also, here’s Florence + the Machine’s “Drumming Song”. I love the mixing of genres—it’s part goddess-indie-rock a la Stevie Nicks, part dance video with back-up dancers, and all legs. I want to be her when I grow up.

Upcoming Readings: Dara Wier

Tomorrow night Dara Wier will be reading from her Selected Poems at UMass’s Memorial Hall @ 7pm. It will be a beautiful scene.

She’ll also be doing readings/salons in NYC next week, including a Poetry Society of America reading on Thursday, October 1 at NYU’s Lillian Vernon House. Rob Casper will host and do a Q&A with Dara after the readings. For more info on this and all the other PSA fall events, click here.

In other news, I’m now tweeting. You can follow me @lily_el and receive updates on the delivery status of the LL Bean slippers I ordered last week.

When You Think Of It

Last night Amherst Cinema hosted the premier screening of the notnostrums film When You Think Of It. The directors (Luke Bloomfield, Emily Pettit, & Guy Pettit) and many of the featured poets/contributors were in attendance. 

It’s hard to condense my love for this film in the small space of this blog post. It made me very happy to see new & old friends up on the screen, hear the music of Peter and the Wolf and Cold Duck Complex, and sip pumpkin roiboos tea in my movie theater seat.  Some of the many highlights included Francesca Chabrier & Noah Gershman under an umbrella made of stars, Emily Toder submerged in water, and Christian Hawkey accompanied by a Peruvian flute band in the subway station under Grand Central. 

You can watch the (amazing) trailer here. Future screenings are being scheduled in New York and Philadelphia, and perhaps at AWP. You can also contact the good folks at notnostrums and inquire about purchasing a DVD.

Tonight is the after-after party on South Street. Perhaps I will see you there.

Back to School Shopping

Cold mornings, the smell of wood-burning stoves, clean notebooks, a new backpack, the promise of apple-picking, etc. Yesterday morning I woke up early and went to Amherst Books to buy these books, all of which I’m teaching poems from this semester:

Dara Wier’s Selected Poems (Wave Books)

Lisa Olstein’s Lost Alphabet (Copper Canyon)

Natalie Lyalin’s Pink and Hot Pink Habitat (Coconut Books)

Zachary Schomburg’s Scary, No Scary (Black Ocean)

Also

you’ve probably heard the new Noisettes single on your radio…

…but it’s the perfect song for a long end-of-summer day full of clean laundry and mint juleps.

TGIF

“Hey, I’ve got a question about your demolition derby… Can I ride my bike in it?” — Jack Christian

Tonight, Tri-County Fair Grandstand Track @ 6:30, it’s happening.