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February 16, 2005

L.A. EVENT: VERMIN AT THE MOUNT

Vm_019We celebrated St. "Vermintine's" Day with about 50 fellow travelers at Jim Ruland's Vermin on the Mount reading in Chinatown on Sunday night.  Even if Jim weren't a pal, VOTM would still be our favorite new L.A. series.  Jim keeps it light but interesting and there are always surprises in store.

Sunday's all-female bill featured poet Carlye Archibeque, Melissa Bell, Pia Z. Ehrhardt and birthday gal Meghan Daum.

Vm_027 We were especially taken with Archibeque's poem "They Used to Be Punk," and by Ehrhardt's two stories, "RV" and "Gondola" .  (She graciously stepped in at the last minute when scheduled reader Susannah Breslin was unable to attend.)  Bell, who traveled from Toronto for the reading, read her campy version of a "cheesy romance," standing ankle-deep in irony.  And Daum read a comic piece warning of the dangers of "Mamaroneck Syndrome" - in which people obsessively Google the histories of their upcoming dates.

Vm_032_1 In addition to the Vermin raffle, which award t-shirts, copies of Night Train, and of Sam Lipyste's Home Land, a surprise cake was shared by all in celebration of Daum's birthday. 

Vermin on the Mount now holds a secure place among LA's reading events, and we look forward to seeing you all at the next one, planned to coincide with the LA Times Festival of Books.

Posted by TEV at 11:36 AM |

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Wow! Who's the young audience lady in that first photo? Ruland should start a literati dating service!

Posted by: Scott | February 16, 2005 at 12:57 PM

This was just the best night ever. Ruland is a magnetic host and the readings were all sublime and breathtakingly performed; the drinks were strong, the company the best, and--Chinatown! Vermin on the Mount has a manifest destiny in the L.A. lit world. Alas, we couldn't convince Sarvas to blog from the bar on his little hand held thing. Next time...

Posted by: Alicia | February 17, 2005 at 12:20 PM

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