"So this nerd fest starts at 7?"

OMG I hope we got enough copies of my chapbook in!

The title of this blog post is a direct quote from my friend Ashley in reference to when the staff reading started last night. Felt apropos. Yes, the nerd fest started at 7 pm, promptly. Last night was effin' magical, bros. I sincerely hope you made it to see the varied array of beautiful, unnerving, gross (you're welcome) and inspiring work that was read last night. The thing about working with creative people is that you don't know them primarily through their creative means. To me, Natasha is not Natasha the writer, even though I know she writes. Because I'm so deeply in love with her, I assume she's good at it, but before last night, in my brain, Natasha is foremost just Natasha, goofy and darkly beautiful High Priestess of the Used Book Cellar. She still is that, that and a silver moonwolf that ripples through midnight like a dragonfly alighting on water, but now I have to add that she can also write characters really well. That's how I felt about everyone last night. I got a couple glasses of wine in me and kept going up to my co-workers and saying things like, "I didn't know you could REALLY write!" and "You didn't tell me you were actually TALENTED, you jerk!" and they would get that look on their faces that says, am I offended? Am I complimented? Am I both? I'm so sorry. I have a BA in English, so to me, writing is one of those things that everybody THINKS they can do, but most people can't really do. Last night, however, at the staff reading, I got to hear all these people that have seen me at probably my best and worst, (mostly my worst, I'm kind of a terrible co-worker) prove that they actually have the skills to pay the bills. Blown away.

After the reading was over, some of us went to the bar, and then I went home and got like 5 hours of sleep and now I'm back at the store eating leftover chips and dip from last night and acting like coffee has an exponentially increasing awakening power by volume, which, I don't know if you know this, it does not. I'm doing that tired thing where not a lot makes sense and I can't really taste food. We're also having our sidewalk half-off sale today and tomorrow, so there's a new added level of out-of-body experience where we have books on tables outside and one of my duties this morning was going to Magic Bean and "Getting the Balloons", which is not a euphemism for anything, I literally got balloons. We have half priced books of all varieties, art books, novels, self help, you name it, we got it. Games and card and gift also has items on sale, everything from scarves to journals to...decorative bird shaped wine bottle stoppers/tea light holder. Come check it out!

That's all for now. I'm gonna go eat a bunch of chips for breakfast like an adult. I'd like to thank everybody that participated in last nights event, especially Kate Robinson for being so amazing and writing such a beautiful and moving chapbook that was the catalyst for this amazing event. I would also like to thank Dana Brigham and the Brookline Booksmith in general; there are many ways to show appreciation for your employees, but I'm pretty sure letting them buy a bunch of wine and get behind a mic and read their poem about flu-related bodily functions is both the best and least common way of doing it. Booksmith for King. Long live Booksmith.

Also! Keep an eye out in Bmail and here and on the website. We recorded this event and others that we expect to be making available in podcast form as soon as possible. Thanks pals. Keep it real.