Support Shaman Drum

I'm reading at the wonderful Shaman Drum bookstore in Ann Arbor, MI on Tuesday 24th March at 7pm. I'll be reading from my just-published first book of poems, The All-Purpose Magical Tent (Nighboat Books), which won the 2007 Nightboat Poetry Prize, judged by Terrance Hayes.

This reading is very important to me not just because I'm excited about reading in Ann Arbor and at such a wonderful location: it matters a great deal because Shaman Drum is at risk of closing in this trouble economy. The owner, Karl Pohrt, is taking very smart steps to secure the store, but he and it need your help now: they need you to buy local, to buy now, and most of all to encourage friends to visit the store in person and online. Remember, in these financially tough times, a book is a really good investment. And if you're paying $15 a month to Netflix, why not pay $15 a month to buy a book at Shaman Drum; then, at the end of the year, you've got 12 new books you can keep and re-read. You can buy online if you live nowhere near a good independent bookstore; Shaman Drum will happily ship to you! (I know Amazon might be cheaper. But publishers get far less money from Amazon than from local independent bookstores; additionally, Amazon isn't doing anything to support readers or authors. If you've ever attended a reading, been recommended a book by a bookseller, or joined a book club at a store, you're aware how much bookstores do beyond just selling books. It's worth the little extra money to support them.)

I hope to see some of you at my reading on Tuesday, and I hope those of you who can't make it can stop by the store at some point to pick up that book you've been meaning to read. And remember, if you don't feel you can afford a book at this moment, you can always let your friends know about this wonderful store: tell 3 people and one of them is bound to buy a book there.