This weekend, I will be returning to read poems at the Austin International Poetry Festival from my chapbook, Abundance. I can’t wait to reunite with old friends and discover new ones. Poetry is always happening in Austin, but for four glorious days in April, because April is National Poetry Month, poets from all over the world convene in one of the coolest cities on the planet.

Austin is where I cut my poetic teeth. Of course, I’d been writing poems practically since I could read and write, but Austin was the place where I began to discover my voice. And, not long after, a microphone. In fact, for me, Austin is a galaxy far, far away where magic and alchemy and mad science happened all at once. And when the smoke cleared, there was poetry. I slammed, hosted a couple of open-mics, and even served on the AIPF board for a season. Life carried me elsewhere, but my poetic heart has remained there. I’m off to find it again.