Valentine's Day at Barnes & Noble

Getting together poets for the Valentine's Day reading at Barnes & Noble is like herding cats.

First off, many already have their own gigs to deal with and a reading at a large chain store just isn't something one jumps into without prep.

Others actually have lives outide of their poetry and want nothing to do besides snuggle up to their significant other that evening.

Still others don't feel comfortable in that sort of venue.

Hey, large bookstores are not my favourite place to read. Bright lights, a lot of background noise and foot traffic. An innate necessity to not get too outrageous, as there are children about. Really tough to do a poem about a lover's reaction to really intense oral sex when there's a four year old sitting ten feet away reading "The Cat in the Hat".

But they middleman my books, the rep is a good and supportive soul and they usually offer me a free drink.

And I get a nice flyer to add to my collection of posters, flyers and articles about my writings.

But I hate herding cats.