Liz Powell and David Huddle

It’s sometimes nice to escape the gravitational pull of Montpelier, and one of my favorite places to escape to is Phoenix Books in Burlington. It’s especially nice when I also get to see one of my favorite professors/poets/people Liz Powell read from a her new book, Willy Loman’s Reckless Daughter and snag a copy and a hand-printed broadside. The book-launch was a co-launch with David Huddle (who we read in Liz’s class and was nominated for the Vermont Book Award) for his new book, My Immaculate Assassin. Liz’s reading also featured a slideshow of collages with old photographs and text, which I (ineptly) attempted to operate for her.

The authors reading were amazing, but it was equally cool to see who was in the crowd—Major Jackson, Julia Shipley, Jessica Hendry Nelson, and a lot more writers and artists that I didn’t recognize, but that I’m sure are equally amazing. Coming from Nashville, I’m used to playing baseball with the sons of songwriters and musicians, but never before have I witnessed this kind of concentration of poets and essayists, and it continues to astound me how close-knit the community is.Best Nike Sneakers | Nike Off-White