Working the Poetry Booth at subZERO in San Jose

This is one of the most exhausting and fun things ever to do, ever. David Perez, the current Santa Clara County Poet Laureate, hosts these poetry booths on the street, at fair(e)s. People who want (free) poems chat with a poet at the front of the booth, then poets at the back of the booth with typewriters type up poems on themes and with keywords and as requested. Here’s a poet on the front lines, interviewing. (The photo at the top is of my desk in the dark…)

erica at poetry booth portrait edited — Los Gatos Poet Laureate Erica Goss listening to “Custom Poems” customers.

I worked here with him last year (subZERO 2014) and the following are some photos from this year. I’m sure there is a way to hashtag the festival and David’s #PoetrySite but I’m too pooped right now. Maybe later. Writing poems (I wrote 19 poems!) on demand from 6:30 to 11 pm is a work out. Had a blast with Erica Goss, Rachelle Escamilla, San Jose Poetry Slam mavens Scorpiana X and Kim Johnson, and some folks whose last names I don’t know — Jaz, Lorenz, Lindsay — I might not even be spelling them right (bad on me). Anyway, it was a crew who knew what to do and the poems flew (yes, did I say exhausted?) —

Deep appreciation to the folks to took a chance on us. I hope you like your poems. Love to David for inviting me to play. Apologies for some of these unformed fevered poems. There did seem to be an “awesomeness” theme —