The NY Aftermath

So much has happened since I last posted. Apologies for the late update, but I've been running from one catestrophe to another. Sunday the 12th, M. lost her cellphone in a cab. We're pretty sure it was a cab because all the locations we had travelled to that day didn't have the phone. So we spent a large chunk of the evening and the following morning on the line with the dispatch folks. Then, between looking for the phone and switching hotels, M. lost her wallet in a cab. Like the phone, we checked all the places we had been and wound up calling the dispatch. We never got either the phone or the wallet back, but we did learn some difficult lessons: 1) don't bring two small children to New York because they will distract you,  2) don't multi-task in cabs, and 3) if you're going to have a black wallet, make sure you have a chain attached to it and an article of your clothing, otherwise have a bright wallet color (or wear a fanny pack).

Other things we learned--NYC has lots and lots of staircases. When you have a stroller, these are terrible places, particularly the stairwells to subways.

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I had the pleasure of reading at four venues: Kundiman/Verlaine, Louder Arts, Chin Music, and AAWW. Thanks to those spaces and to their curators for the wonderful evenings.

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Thank you Kundiman/Verlaine!

The resplendent Rigoberto Gonzalez and Hossanna Assuncion with my youngest.

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Thank you Bar 13 and Louder Arts!

Emily and all the poetry slammers on stage after the final round.

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We also spent some time in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Meredith took me up to Olana for a visit:

We visited Meredith's friend, Barbara Jean, who works at Bard College. It was such a relief to get out of NYC for a few days, do a load of laundry, and spread out all the kids things. The kids were grateful and slept well. They also ate well. Children are so governed by time, and I felt I was being somewhat unfair to them in our rush throughout New York city.

Maybe we'll come back to New York when the kids are older, but we really had a difficult time with the children, since they were so small and had such specific needs.

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When we came back on Thursday, I read at Chin Music. Thank you Bryan, John Murillo, Phillis Levin, and the folks at the Pacific Bar:

The audience at Pacific Bar.

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Finally, for my last reading I read at AAWW. Thanks to Ken, Solmaz, Marie, Tishani, and the folks at AAWW!