The reading at Benaroya Hall was fun. Thanks to everybody who came out. Susan and I each did a short set of poems, (some recurring themes: students/patients, third world health/holocausts, lovers, word play, dead fathers) and then signed books for a little while in the lobby.

Though I was glad to be invited by Artist Trust and Seattle Arts & Lectures, I'm not sure Benaroya is the best venue for a "pre-event" poetry reading like this. It is WAY too large. It seats 2500, and we had an audience of about 50 (who were all sitting in the first 5-10 rows). And so it felt a little like reading inside an empty tin can. Everything I said seemed to reverberate off the walls, and it made it very hard to read poems. Friends in the audience said the same thing, it was like an echo chamber.

Still, it's a fabulous setting. And if they could get the sound right, it might be OK for small poetry readings like this (don't they have a recital hall that is a little smaller?). There are very few poets who can draw a crowd of 2500 these days.

The after-party at Hotel W was tres chic. So, all in all a good time.

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