Alarcón & Longenbach Speak

Loggernaut, the Portland-based outfit that brings you a bi-monthly reading series and a great lit site, has posted new interviews with James Longenbach (The Resistance to Poetry) and Daniel Alarcón (War by Candlelight). Here’s Alarcón talking about doing book readings:

The best readings were in places I’ve lived before–New York, Iowa City, the Bay Area, Birmingham–where friends showed up and brought their friends, or where peruanos showed up just to say they were proud of me and whatnot. Chicago was also excellent, lots of fun. In Boulder I started my reading with two people in the audience. I introduced myself to both of them and shook their hands. The reading was fine, I think they both enjoyed it, and actually a few more people showed up by the time the story had ended. They asked me to read another story and I did. Then afterwards some dude wanted me to sign a galley, an advance reader copy, the one that says very clearly “not for sale, uncorrected proof” on the cover. He told me with an innocent smile that he’d bought it used on Amazon. I was like, Are you fucking kidding me? I think he expected me to congratulate him on having found such a bargain. But he was so earnest and excited to meet me that he even had his two daughters pose for a picture with me. Maybe he’ll buy my next book. Or not. I don’t even know why I was mad; it’s not like I don’t buy used books.

Read the rest of the interview here.