Events we miss but read about are also fodder for future events as we read about them and ask ourselves, "How would that play here?" and "How would we adapt (or scale) it?" Here's one about remembering the past, dealing with change in the present, waiting for the future, but not on empty stomachs. Indeed universal and flexible. Who could not imagine a similar event in Albuquerque where poetry already mixes with music, other performance arts, visual and plastic arts, food, social justice, activism, etc?
At these site-specific readings (Saturday May 5), curated by PEN in partnership with A Public Space, three complex, rather poetic themes were examined and explored. Each was paired reading with a gastronomic experience. Festival followers were invited to select the event that best suit their mood and interests while sampling dishes designed to evoke the mood of each ~ enlightening and delicious.
Thinking of Mountainair, I say to myself "think about the challenge and even possible advantages of scaling to a smaller canvas," but cannot fool even myself. Read the description, though: surely Albuquerque or Santa Fe could do this just as well.
