2 Things: Good Poem Talk Tonight & iPad

1)  If you're in the Seattle area, I'm giving a talk at the Bainbridge Library on Bainbridge Island (a 30 minute ferry ride from Seattle) at 7 p.m. on What Constitutes a Good Poem.

I have condensed what makes a good poem down to three things (all starting with M).  And because of this, M&Ms will be involved with the talk... chocolate and poetry go hand in hand.

Anyway, if you're around, like poetry and/or chocolate, please stop by.  The talk is free and sponsored by the incredible writing organization Field's End.

~

2)  Has anyone purchased an iPad yet?  Tell me what you think.

I had not even thought about purchasing one until I realized two things:

1)  I do not want to bring my laptop to AWP in DC because I would freak out if I lost or broke it.

2)  The ENTIRE Gutenberg library of 30,000 public books are available FREE in their iBook store, so owners of an iPad can download all of them for no cost.

This completely makes my heart soar.  I know I can view these books online, but I SO hate reading on my laptop before bed.  And I made the mistake of watching this video about how books would work on an iPad and well, while I love my paper books, the idea of having so many books I could take with me without having to pack 20 lbs. of paper make me a little excited.

I have never wanted to change my paper reading experience to a digital one, but even the way you turn pages on this thing gives it the feel of a book.

So, I'm thinking about it.

Let me know if you've purchased an iPad and for what reason and if you like it.

$499 for something I can travel with instead of my laptop and  30,000 free books seems like a steal.   (Though "steal" may be a little bit of a stretch...)    Any feedback appreciated....