Ha

One night in Vienna, John Siddique and I stood outside a food vendor discussing Sharon Olds. He was about to teach an Arvon course with her. I think we raved a bit and I’ve not read or heard anything since. Then tonight, this:

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEr1N2cvaJM]

She’s a spectacular reader and she’s funny too.

(Y and I had the misfortune of seeing ‘The Yacoubian Building’ last night. TheICA website quotes The Hollywood Reporter: “A revealing window into the secular world of a modern Islamic society.” Curious use of ‘Secular’, as though it were synonymous with amoral. The film is 2.5 hours of Muslims behaving badly, which is to say, some people getting married, having sex or smoking pot. Oh, and two fags – but luckily they die at the end.)