Native Poets in D.C.

This is the link to the web cast for the auspicious reading of "The Florida Review, Native Issue" at the National Museum of the American Indian this last January. I couldn't go because I didn't have anything to wear, that being among my most preeminent concerns, vain as I am.

See, you assume I'm listening to these web casts, but I'm actually mentally cataloging people's outfits. I once panned a highly respected poet because I thought her blouse was really unflattering. And don't get me started on accessories! Just because access is in accessory doesn't mean you have an obligation to drape it on your body.

I was very pleased and delighted with the ensembles this fine group of poets happened to wear to the reading -- it can be hard to pull off in the middle of winter! It's nearly impossible to wear cute shoes in the winter let alone cute shoes that happen to match your outfit!

Black was a very dominant color for the program; I suspect the organizers gently suggested to the poets that black would be the most flattering for the camera, plus it's so slimming, how could you go wrong?

I bought a very cute velveteen black dress this winter, ordered from a catalog ( I had planned to wear it to a reading in Missoula, Montana) but when it arrived it had very little resemblance to the color black at all--it was more like a pewter or blueish gray color. I thought I could live with it, but there really is no substitute for black and I don't care what Tim Gunn might say about brown being the new black, there just is no substitute. Speaking of ordering from catalogs: a friend of mine ordered a velour hoodie from a catalog; she selected the color ZODIAC, thinking surely it was black. Except it wasn't. It was brown. Do you think zodiac is brown? Definitely not!

I'm super pleased to have this webcast, so many shiny outfits! They coordinate so well with the poetical part of the program. Enjoy! (P.S. You'll notice a handful of supermodels in this webcast, I don't know why Native poets are getting so much better looking than the previous wave, but they appear to be much taller and with better teeth; present company excluded, of course! ;-)

"Sure, that poem was a'right, but did you see her SHOES?!"

This is the link again.