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A friend of mine was very moved by a book of poems called Coachella Elegy by Christian Gullette. His partner had died unexpectedly of a heart attack, and Gullette’s husband, who appears throughout the book, was being treated for cancer while it was written. My friend worried and wondered if the poet’s husband was still alive.
When Gullette, who lives in California, was going to be reading in NYC at the Bureau of General Services, Queer Division, my friend couldn’t go, so I went in his stead and recorded the reading for him. Enjoy.
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Poetry is a thing of opposites that have a tug of war. That tug is always there when one reads the poem. And every poem, whether it wants to or not, seeks understanding, and what some might call peace and what some might call love. Coachella Elegy has that peace, that tug, elegies not mourning, but alive and joyful.
Death’s in life and life’s in death, of course, but one can leave home for awhile if one wants. Coachella Elegy was written while traveling, staying in hotels, looking out of windows at changing landscapes, observing new environments. Home is left at home with most of the belongings. We take, when we travel, only what we can carry, the essential. Traveling and poetry go together.
Coachella Elegy was written for the poet’s brother who died a few years before the poems were written. Here is a link to “Airbnb Art,” one of the poems in the book:
https://losangelesreview.org/airbnb-art-christian-gullette/
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Coachella Elegy is published by Trio House Press. You can check it out here:
https://www.triohousepress.org/coachellaelegy
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And you can find our more about the author here:
https://www.christiangullette.com/
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The Bureau of General Services, Queer Division, by the way, is a bookstore located in room 210 of The LGBT Community Center at 208 West 13th Street in New York City. They promote the work of artists and host many readings featuring both poetry and prose. They stay current with their books, but keep the old stuff too. Check them out.
BGSQD – Bureau of General Services-Queer Division
YOU LEFT A MARK ON ME SEPTEMBER 19, 2024 – JANUARY 5, 2025 Reception: Thursday, September 19, 6-8 PM The Bureau of General Services-Queer Division presents You Left A Mark On Me, an exhibition highlighting Queer tattoo artists with an art practice outside of their tattoo work; and Queer artists who utilize tattoo imagery in their work….
