Last month I wrote four poems for strangers. It was weird, to be honest.
The poems were weird. They always are. But the experience being outdoors, away from a big crowd, wearing my mask ... it still didn't feel like "normal."
Here in Southern California we're dealing with the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus. It's extremely transmissible and is responsible for a lot of the full hospitals around Los Angeles.
While sitting behind my Corona 3 at Magnolia Night Out in Burbank, I met plenty of people who were wearing their masks and walking around with a similar level of apprehension. We were vaccinated and yet, as our eyes met, something invisible forced a distance between us.
As I write this now, though, weeks after the event and living COVID-free, I remember having fun. Weird, yes, but there was also the simple enjoyment of doing this thing I love to do. It was the first time selling magnets and stickers live in front of people. And they loved seeing them.
It bodes well for the events I have coming up:
Friday, Oct. 29: Magnolia Night Out - Come see me and Marcy at the Burbank Art Association's artists alley from 6-9 p.m. We'll be holed up in the parking lot of UMe Credit Union.
Sat & Sun Nov. 6 & 7: The Los Angeles Printers Fair - For two days I'll be slinging poems and art at the huge annual event hosted by the International Print Museum in Carson, CA!
Saturday, Dec. 4: A Very Merry Winter Market - This event is hosted by Typewriter Connection and will be a really fun place for unique holiday gifts. It will be similar to the Love Letters event in early 2020 (see the video above) - that happened to be the last event I did before lockdown.
At Magnolia Night Out, September 2021. The look in my eyes is, "Should I be doing this?" and I was so glad I did.