Franz Wright

Weinstein Gallery — May 1, 1999

Son of the legendary poet James Wright, Franz Wright returned to the land of his childhood to read poems from his lovely and melancholic forthcoming book, The Beforelife.

Paul Metcalf Memorial Reading

Minnesota Center for the Book Arts — March 14, 1999
co-sponsored by Coffee House Press

A moving tribute to Paul Metcalf included readings of the late author's work performed by a variety of Metcalf enthusiasts and local poets, and an address by the publisher of Metcalf's Collected Works, Allan Kornblum. (To read the text of this address, click here.) A commemorative letterpress broadside was created by Rain Taxi and Coffee House Press for the occasion.

Joe Wenderoth

No Name Exhibitions at the Soap Factory Gallery —
September 26, 1999, co-sponsored by Short Line Editions

Having just begun his exile in Minnesota, Wenderoth read from The Endearment, his rich and strange new chapbook.

John Taggart

Weisman Art Museum — October 14, 1999
co-sponsored by XCP: Cross-Cultural Poetics

The musically spellbinding Taggart entranced our audience as he read the entirety of When the Saints, his elegy for sculptor Bradford Graves.

Joanne Kyger

Rain Taxi Salon — October 23, 1999

In town to give a lecture, Kyger captivated us at home with a reading from her recent poetry, and a discussion of the intercultural travels that prompted it.

Rikki Ducornet

Weinstein Gallery — December 2, 1999

A return engagement, celebrating the writer's new novel The Fan-Maker's Inquisition. Reading amidst the otherworldly artwork of Leslie Dill, Ducornet captivated us with her tale of sex and politics from the French revolution.