Thankful Thursday - Martha Silano

As I type this, Martha Silano probably sleeps dreaming of tomorrow's Book Release reading at Open Books.  Her new book  The Little Office of the Immaculate Conception: Poems (above) is out!  And she is kicking it off with a major reading at Seattle's poetry-only bookstore.

As I type this, the reading is still planned and there is just enough snow to make things pretty in Seattle, but still drivable.  I never thought I'd have to worry about missing a reading in late February because of snow.  But I've decide that God was so excited about Marty's new book She threw confetti all over our town in celebration.

I need to be honest, I fell head-over-heels for Martha with this book, What the Truth Tastes Like (by the way, they were so hot they are out of print and there is one left at Amazon for $15, then the next one falls under "collectible" for $100).  I bring my copy with me everywhere.  It was one of the first books I read (along with Olena Kalytiak Davis' And Her Soul Out Of Nothing) that inspired me, not just as a reader, but as a poet.

Then she comes out with Blue Positive and I'm blown away.  Her poem "Harborview" still gives me goosebumps.

Oh, and that's her baby daughter at the time on the cover above, now how cool is that?

Kelli & Marty in my Writing Shed - aka The House of Sea

I am thankful for Marty for many reasons as she is much more than just a poet to me, she has become my good friend, my roomie on my last writer's retreat, the Gertrude Stein to my Emily Dickinson, the one who treks, bikes, and drives over here to write in my poetry barn (even when my husband decides that is the day he's going to clean the chainsaw).  She is the one who inspired a poem called "Envious of the Pompons" and who continues to inspire me and so many others.

Yes, we are in love with her poems and her spirit, she is kind, generous, and supportive.

And if you've never had the chance to see this incredible reader, today is the day, her day!

Yes, to all you Northwest types and Seattle fans can see her tonight at Open Books in Wallingford at 7:30 pm - a starred review in the Stranger, and a bazillion stars plus a few aliens in my book, and a reading that will not disappoint.

Congratulations, Marty!  May it always be more than your day, but your lifetime.  
Cheers to you and tonight!


~Kells




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