It's flattering to know I was the subject of conversation at the AWP
confererence, even if farts were going loudly off in the vicinity of my
name.
Gabe, I have a fainting story, too. About ten years ago I was
introducing the poet and great translator of Zen poetry, Lucien
Stryk, and just as I said, "Please give a warm welcome to Lucien
Stryk," and started to walk back to my seat (there were over a 100
people there), I felt my head begin to go, and I keeled over head-
first plop on top of the College President's wife (her yelping scream
is the last thing I recall, and as I awoke, I had that feeling one has
when waking up from a fainting spell, has anyone else had it, that I
had really died, and that this was not the first time, there will be
other deaths, followed, as it must be, by this same feeling of
waking again for the billionth time into a beingness one never
manages to leave). Anyway, as I was being helped down the stairs,
I heard Lucien intone, in mournful way, "He would have wanted us
to continue..."
I get very nervous when speaking to crowds.
Kent
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