My name is Cybele.
I'm very pleased to welcome you to the Poetry Center,
and to tonight's event, Our annual Next
Word in Poetry reading, featuring Joyelle McSweeney
and Zachary Schomburg.
Next Word was founded in 2003, by former literary director,
Frances Sjoberg.
And in curating the series, we commit
ourselves to be guided by any and all definitions of the word
"next."
Some Next Word poets are emerging
poets-- the next big thing.
And some Next Word poets are innovators
who lead us to new next spaces in poetry and poems.
Most Next Word poets express the word "next"
in more than one way, and that is true for both Joyelle
and Zachary.
In addition to being exciting writers,
they're also publishers.
Joyelle is co-founder and editor,
along with Johannes Göransson, of Action Books,
established in 2005.
Zachary is co-founder and editor of Octopus Books and Magazine,
established in 2003.
Zachary also is co-organizer of Portland's Bad Blood reading
series.
Joyelle is a contributor to Montevideo.
Did I pronounce that right?
Well, we say Montevideo.
Montevideo.
Check out this blog if you're not already following it.
So what I'm trying to say is that Joyelle and Zachary not
only embody what is "next" through their own wonderful
writing, but they also discover deliver and promote
what is "next" through their works
as leaders in the community of contemporary literature.
And so we owe them a double thank you.
OK, so I'll tell you how tonight's event will go.
First Zachary will read for about 20 minutes,
and then Joyelle will read for about 20 minutes.
Introducing Zachary will be Sylvia Chan,
who is a poetry MFA student and a new Poetry Center docent.
Introducing Joyelle will be poetry MFA student Blake
Whalen-Encalarde.
Is that right?
It's way better than the judge the other day En- Colorado.
OK, it's better than court, all right.
Thank you to our students for doing the introductions.
All around, tonight feels very much like a family affair.
And we're just very happy to have brought you all together
in our living room.
It's high time we got started, so please
help me welcome the first introducer, Sylvia Chan.
[APPLAUSE]