NOT SO FAST ROBESPIERRE READING

This past Wednesday Geoffrey Gatza, Mike Sikkema and I read at Buffalo State College — part of the Rooftop Poetry reading series curated by Lisa Forrest. The reading provided a wonderful opportunity for the launch of Geoff's Not So Fast Robespierre, his fifth collection of poetry published by Didi Menendez.

Kevin Thurston notes, "In Not so Fast Robespierre, Buffalo's Johnny Appleseed of publishing lays out a public and private map of Buffalo's (and his personal) community." That bears repeating: Buffalo's Johnny Appleseed.

And Amy King writes:

How can Geoffrey Gatza fit so much love between two cardboard covers? Not So Fast Robespierre snakes us through a world of poets, neighbors, teachers and muses, all with a raw devotion we would do well to wear on our own coat sleeves. This series of remembrances does not discriminate in spreading out for us equal measures of admiration and lessons learned because, in the end, "Everyone gets a gold star and cake in the friendly garden."

Catch him if you can. He moves quick.

A surprisingly professional video podocast of the reading and further information about the Rooftop series can be accessed here.

Other podcasts available through the Rooftop site include readings by Jonathan Skinner, Barbara Cole, Brenda Coultas, Doug Manson, Roberto Tejada, Francisco Aragon, Forrest herself and many others. Good times.