This weekend was a dash from book launch party preparations to party to birthday celebrations the following day. After a morning of primping--the right pair of earrings to match the dress, the correct shade of red lipstick--there was an afternoon of washing the new Red Army Red motorcycle, driving to the launch party venue, and then two hours of set-up. My parents (and particularly my very talented mother/momanger) outdid themselves. Without their commitment to the book, their incredible network of supportive friends, and their enthusiasm for celebrations in general, the launch party would have never happened. When I went to read from the book, I forgot to thank them, despite having written the thank you into my introductory notes. So, this blog will have to attempt a remedy: Mommy and Daddy, thank you so much for being the most supportive poet-parents I know.
In fact, the book launch party was a family endeavor. My not-so-baby brother, Eric, served as bartender. J lifted and moved things, organized plates of various Polish delicacies, shuttled me around town, and of course made the great "sacrifice" of commissioning a poetry-inspired motorcycle. If Argos the WonderPup could have found a way to chip in, I suspect we would have seen him sniffing the knees of party-goers or licking fallen pieces of kielbasa and pickled herring from the floor.
On Sunday morning, the party cleaned up and packed away, the family met up for a small birthday lunch at one of our local favorites, Le Chat Noir, a very traditional French bistro that we love because it's what the Germans call echt: authentic. At some point on Sunday, the purchase of dozen cupcakes might have occurred in the vicinity of a certain Georgetown Cupcake (Bethesda style). In other words, it was a day of sugar, fat, and more sugar.
Beyond the release of Red Army Red, a little more good news has started trickling in. An acceptance from AGNI Online tops the list; I've been trying to chip my way into that publication since I first began submitting work, nearly 13 years ago. A writer is nothing without this kind of water-dripping-drop-by-drop persistence, even the hardest stone eventually worn into a deep curve. I also just finished a new book review, four weeks ahead of the deadline no less! In the new year: four reviews. Or, at least, that's my goal. Do new year's resolutions have more staying power if they're made a month and a half ahead of January 1?
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