We had a fun time last night at The Wild Pug in Chicago. I read with Drew Ferguson (The Screwed-Up Life of Charlie the Second) whose novel I reviewed here; Craig Seymour, whose memoir All I Could Bare chronicles his time as a stripper in Washington, DC; and poet Gregg Shapiro, whose newest collection is called Protection.

There was also an open mic, and a haiku-reciting bartender. A good time was had by all.

Drew is amazing. I really loved his novel and meeting him in person was a kick. Craig's story is fascinating and I am going to read the book ASAP. I had a terrific time talking to him afterward about his next projects. Great, charming guy. And Gregg's poetry was funny and smart and I related to a lot of it. He and I talked about his cross-country driving book tour, which sounded like serious fun.

It's been a non-stop, whirlwind week, and now I must get ready for another day at the AWP conference. I presented yesterday morning with my friend Aaron Levy, about what to expect when publishing your first novel. We expected about 20-30 people, and got 150-200. Crazy. I thought it was quite well.