New N.O. poetry series launches this Friday

Kyle Maclachlan, as special agent Dale Cooper, in Twin Peaks, speaking into his voice recorder, making what may have been the inspiration for the name of a new live poetry series hosted by Ben Kopel and Anne Marie Rooney.

Local poets Ben Kopel and Anne Marie Rooney will present the first installment of their live poetry series, The DIANE Tapes (is this a Twin Peaks reference?), this Friday, Sept. 21, from 6 – 8 p.m. at Maple Street Books’ Bayou St. John location (3141 Ponce de Leon). It will feature poets Lara Glenum, Ben Pelhan, and Kristin Sanders.

Lara Glenum is an assistant professor of poetry at Louisiana State University. She is the author of two books of poetry, Maximum Gaga and The Hounds of No, both published by Action Books. In 2006, Tao Lin (remember that guy, and how he was going to destroy literature?) blogged about visiting Glenum’s class, and, unfortunately, Google search results for “Laura Glenum” have yet to purge the reference.

Ben Pelhan is a transplant to New Orleans from Pittsburgh. His poems have appeared in OH NO, Prick of the Spindle, Small Fires Press, and some others. He documents his experience of landing in New Orleans in a poetry video.

Kristin Sanders is an instructor of poetry at Loyola University New Orleans. She is the author of “Orthorexia,” a chapbook published by Dancing Girl Press.