Tour journal

My  dad asked for a few sentences about each day on the  tour.  I’ll see what I can do as I go, but here it is so far:

Racine, 9/13:

Very cool event to have in Racine.  Old Friend Abby showed up, haven’t seen her in years.  Lorna, my landlord, and sister Bridget showed up.  Made some money and got some more exposure for Black Eyed Press…really hope it helps keep them in our hood.  Peg made me Choc. chip cookies for the road.  Also, there was a lot of crying afterwards.  This is the last day I’ll see Bonnie for an undetermined amount of time (she’s going to Europe to travel for months  while I’m away).  She cried a lot and I am really worried about missing her too.  We all are.  Bonnie, come back to us in a few months, please.

Racine/Chicago 9/14:

Way too much stuff to do, eventually just had to leave without doing it all because I would have missed my own reading otherwise.  Ended up just throwing everything in the van–it was a disaster in there [my dad would later be the one to organize it all while I was showering, completely on his own ambition–thanks dad].  The reading was great.  So many random friends and loved ones collected in Chicago.  Joel and Gabe and now new friends Hannah and Ashley.  A bunch of poets I love–Nate, Dolly Lemke, Carrie O Aadms, Madrid, Jenks, Laura Goldstein, Stephen Danos, Alisa Heinzman and Jake, the list goes on and on.  Angela took off work to come, my neighbors Dustan and Betsy drove straight to Chi from work with their 5 month old, Bear, Jenetta came, Bart and Sean, from IN, my dad from MI and even Foster and some buddies, who’s such distant family that he’s not actually even family in a literal sense.  There were many more, too, just a glowing night and glowing reception.  The last night I will see Ange probably until tour is over.  We got away without crying too much.  I love and will miss you, ange.  Stayed at Laura’s (and Brett’s) apartment.  Laura said she cried at one of the poems (How to Make a Slave).  I don’t even know.  Wow.  A great night, thanks chi-peeps.

Chi/Griffith/Roselawn/ Bloomington 9.15:

Woke up at 4 am from tour jitters already, but got a really early start so thought it worked out well.  I guess it did.  I drove past my home town, Griffith, decided to eat at Jedi’s since I had time, then decided to go the the Library, ask them to acquire my book and if they’d like to have me for a program there.  When I went to leave, I realized I locked the keys in the van.  Holy crap.  It’s the second day on the road and I’ve already locked the keys in the van.  Got a hanger from a nearby church, tried to break into the van myself, looked incredibly shady, but no one stopped or arrested me.  Called my dad, who was planning on coming to bloomington to hear me read today and he was able to drive to Griffith first with a spare.  So incredibly fortunate there.  Thanks, World.  We stopped by Uncle Scott’s in Roselawn then went to Bloomington, just making it in time for my reading.  A great audience, mostly  undergraduates, all seemed very cool.  Boxcar books is a gem of a book store.  Jen Vickers butt-dialed me during the reading.  I considered stopping the reading and answering it for a second.  Allison Banta, an old high school friend, was able to come with a friend of hers.  We got food afterwards and then I went home (to the Vickers’s house, where I’m typing this) and crashed.  Thanks Bloomington.

Day off-Bloomington-9.16:

Hung with the vickers and dad and took in bloomington today.  Great stuff.  Went to the Lily Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, saw the manuscript for Breakfast  Of Champions, a first edition of Leaves of Grass, some Henry Miller drawings, and even the Gutenburg (sp?).  Watched the documentary “Wasteland” at the IU cinema–great venue and very interesting film.  John (Vickers) held a question and answer with  a producer of the film afterwards.  Bloomington seems teeming with killer stuff.  Very glad to have a day off here.

Okay, and now I’m off to Cincinnati to read again tonight.  We’ll see if I ever include more journal entries to this.  See you on the road, hopefully.  Love you guys,

nick