Poison Pen Reading Series: Sandy Tseng

The opening lines of Sandy Tseng's poem "City View" capture the essence of her collection Sediment(2009). "In the window where the city is contained, / where rain collects along the edges like words moving over the tongue, / the space between two people narrow and widen / and narrow again." Cityscapes, nature and relationships are reoccurring themes in Tseng's first book of poetry. "[It's] really about departure and the ways in which we depart from the cities and loved ones...and different places," says Tseng. Her work has also appeared in Third Coast and The Nation, which gave her its 2006 Discovery Award. Tseng will read a few selections from Sedimentat today's installment of the Poison Pen Reading Series, including "The Bypass," inspired by her father's triple-bypass surgery. Tseng considers the procedure as it relates to gardening, trespassing and detours. "I see where there's circumstance in which a bypass has been created to allow life to continue and to move on," she says. Tseng will read with Texas novelist Gwendolyn Zepeda at 8:30 p.m. Poison Girl, 1641 Westheimer. For information, call 713-527-9929 or visit www.poisonpenreadingseries.com. Free.
Thu., June 24, 8:30 p.m., 2010