The postmodern writer David Foster Wallace had a great love of vocabulary. His book Both Flesh and Not, published posthumously, contains lengthy lists of his favorite vocabulary words and their definitions; he kept such lists because when you’re in the business of words, each one has its own character, its own personality. It also makes you sound smart – throw a big, unusual word naturally into the flow of your speech and it’s not uncommon for the people you’re talking to to stop and express surprise and wonder (it’s true, I promise – try it).
Here are some impressive words for you: Malapropisms and Mondegreens, not coincidentally the name of the poetry event to be held tonight (December 12) at McQuixote Books and Coffee as part of the Portland Poetry Series. The event features readings by five authors, all of whom are sure to have truly impressive vocabularies:
+Sheri Wright, two-time Pushcart prize and Kentucky Poet Laureate nominee.
+Dr. Yoshev Omed, a Talmudic scholar, an expert in Medieval Scholastic Philosophy, and the author of The Atheist Qaballah.
+Tyler Curth, who is studying creative writing at Spalding University, second prize winner in Sarabande Books’ Flo Gault Poetry Competition, and an ESU scholar at Oxford University’s 2013 Creative Writing Summer School.
+Chelsea Tadeyeske, author of chapbooks HEELDRAGGER and TOTEM, co-author of THERE EXISTS…, and the lady responsible for Pitymilk Press.
+Edwin R. Perry, founding editor of Plumberries Press whose work has appeared in places such as Sawbuck, Cannot Exist, and Burdock.
Experience the sensation of flowing words and images right from the source: the writers themselves. Malapropisms and Mondegreens is scheduled to run from 5:30 to 8:00. McQuixote Books and Coffee is located at 1512 Portland Avenue, inside the Tim Faulkner Gallery. See the McQuixote website or Facebook event page for full details.
Photo courtesy of Facebook event page
