WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.540 align:middle line:90% 00:00:00.540 --> 00:00:02.970 align:middle line:84% That was The Cake Shop in Washington, DC. 00:00:02.970 --> 00:00:05.640 align:middle line:84% If you're ever in Washington, DC, go to The Cake Shop 00:00:05.640 --> 00:00:08.170 align:middle line:90% and tell them I sent you. 00:00:08.170 --> 00:00:13.080 align:middle line:84% So the first time I read Aimee Nezhukumatathil's work 00:00:13.080 --> 00:00:17.850 align:middle line:84% was in 2011 as an undergraduate searching the Poetry Foundation 00:00:17.850 --> 00:00:21.720 align:middle line:84% website for something that reflected the kind of poetry 00:00:21.720 --> 00:00:23.990 align:middle line:90% that I wanted to write. 00:00:23.990 --> 00:00:27.080 align:middle line:84% I was looking for poetry that was energetic, lyrical, 00:00:27.080 --> 00:00:31.970 align:middle line:84% and funny, while still offering surprise and depth. 00:00:31.970 --> 00:00:33.940 align:middle line:90% It's a lot to ask from a poem. 00:00:33.940 --> 00:00:34.820 align:middle line:90% There's a lot. 00:00:34.820 --> 00:00:38.180 align:middle line:84% But I found that all in one Aimee Nez poem 00:00:38.180 --> 00:00:41.540 align:middle line:84% entitled "What I learned from the Incredible Hulk." 00:00:41.540 --> 00:00:44.660 align:middle line:84% And I've been a fan boy ever since. 00:00:44.660 --> 00:00:46.010 align:middle line:90% And [INAUDIBLE]. 00:00:46.010 --> 00:00:48.830 align:middle line:84% So when it was announced that Aimee would be the visiting 00:00:48.830 --> 00:00:50.390 align:middle line:84% writer here at the Poetry Center, 00:00:50.390 --> 00:00:52.370 align:middle line:84% I shared this information on Facebook 00:00:52.370 --> 00:00:56.060 align:middle line:84% with six exclamation marks in which Hannah 00:00:56.060 --> 00:00:59.180 align:middle line:84% must have seen and realized that I was very excited that Aimee 00:00:59.180 --> 00:01:01.190 align:middle line:84% would be reading here at the U of A. 00:01:01.190 --> 00:01:03.650 align:middle line:84% And then when Hannah later sent me 00:01:03.650 --> 00:01:06.080 align:middle line:84% an email asking if I wanted to introduce her, 00:01:06.080 --> 00:01:10.235 align:middle line:84% I was very, very excited and I replied with only two words-- 00:01:10.235 --> 00:01:12.620 align:middle line:90% "uh, yeah." 00:01:12.620 --> 00:01:14.570 align:middle line:84% In which after sending, I immediately 00:01:14.570 --> 00:01:17.750 align:middle line:84% regretted and sent another reply saying 00:01:17.750 --> 00:01:20.300 align:middle line:84% I'm sorry that was very unprofessional, 00:01:20.300 --> 00:01:23.510 align:middle line:84% but, yes, I would love to introduce Aimee. 00:01:23.510 --> 00:01:26.450 align:middle line:84% So Aimee Nezhukumatathil's books include 00:01:26.450 --> 00:01:29.990 align:middle line:84% Lucky Fish, At the Drive-In Volcano, and Miracle Fruit. 00:01:29.990 --> 00:01:32.600 align:middle line:84% And her newest collection, like Hannah was mentioning, 00:01:32.600 --> 00:01:36.980 align:middle line:84% is Oceanic, coming forth from Copper Canyon Press. 00:01:36.980 --> 00:01:40.460 align:middle line:84% Aimee is a recipient of an NEA Fellowship and a Pushcart 00:01:40.460 --> 00:01:42.250 align:middle line:90% Prize. 00:01:42.250 --> 00:01:44.530 align:middle line:84% Aimee, you write in your book Lucky Fish 00:01:44.530 --> 00:01:48.010 align:middle line:84% about how there is always something to cheer for 00:01:48.010 --> 00:01:51.910 align:middle line:84% and I was cheering hard for your essay on the Macarena 00:01:51.910 --> 00:01:55.930 align:middle line:84% during March Fadness and I'm sorry that it lost. 00:01:55.930 --> 00:02:00.730 align:middle line:84% But I will continue to cheer and cheer hard for your work. 00:02:00.730 --> 00:02:04.390 align:middle line:84% So please help me in welcoming Aimee Nezhukumatathil. 00:02:04.390 --> 00:02:07.140 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE]