505 Reading Series

Last night I went to the 505 Reading Series, I didn't make it to their first installment, so I had been looking forward to the second reading in the series for some time. It's in Sidecar Theater, which is part of Boxcar Theater, which is on 6th St. in San Francisco, which is one of those streets that scare some people at night. But with all the police around, it's pretty safe, methinks.

Denise Newman started the evening out after some wheel-spinning, and her poetry was awesome despite her reading it like a librarian at one of those things where kids sit on the floor around a woman sitting on a chair. I like her work quite a bit.

Mark Alburger followed her with so much creative juice that, sitting in the front row, I think I got some on me. The guy's a maniac, and who doesn't love that? His set was brilliant if a little long. I think it seemed long because too many of his pieces in a row were like one another, the ending of his set made it worth it, and he made me glad that I'd made the trek to the reading.

Kenneth Goldsmith is a high energy reader and sent at least one audience member home crying and most of the audience members home talking about him. He's doing an early reading at Mills tonight, and you should make it to that if you can. Mills is filled with women, so that's another reason to go, if you need one. Kenneth Goldsmith makes the performance artist thing about poets undeniable. You won't be bored at a Kenneth Goldsmith reading, so if you're used to other poetry presentations, you'll be surprised, possibly annoyed, maybe upset, maybe crying, but you won't be bored. I liked his Berne Porter interpretation, and omg, I love this. People have told me that I must see Kenneth Goldman, and now I will tell other people the same.