You Haven't Heard the Last of This!

 When an event is planned as far ahead as yesterday's, there are months and months in which to invent concerns and worries. Then the closer the event comes, the steeper the anxiety curve. As usual, all the anxiety was for naught. Everything went swimmingly. Having more people than chairs, a crowd that overflowed out onto the sidewalks, after all, is not among the usual worries of an independent bookseller. This post is one I'm putting up in a hurry, while the pictures and afterglow are fresh, but I'll have more to say in future about these poets and this wonderful book, Poetry in Michigan, Michigan in Poetry.

Artist husband set up chairs for me. We had to squeeze in a lot more!

Creative caterer David Chrobak...

..."took liberties" with requested wording.

(He said, "Because you love your bookstore." I couldn't argue with that.)

Poets begin to gather....

Crowd assembles.

Bookstore angel and poet, Mary Ann Samyn

Mary Ann, bless her heart! She organized all these poets. The whole thing wouldn't have taken place at all, if not for her. 

Another view of part of the crowd

All "my" poets!!!

Again!!

And Again!!!

Afterward on back porch of Soggy Dollar

Poets relax convivially after reading.

As I say, I'll have a lot more to say about this. It was an evening to remember, for me probably a once-in-a-lifetime evening.