Ed Skoog shares new writing, details of his underwear

I was excited about poet Ed Skoog's reading at Elliott Bay Book Company since previewing it for the NOW section of City Arts Seattle, because, whenever I read a writer's work, I wonder what they might be like in person. And I found out this is a writer still excited about his work.

Skoog, it turns out, is a superior reader. Not because he has a completely polished routine, but because of the feeling I got that he is still trying to figure the process out. 

As Skoog read from his collection Mister Skylight, he would often stop and laugh at his own writing, in particular, a line about "discolored underwear," which he believed made the reader think of his underwear, which happened to be made of gold, he said.

He also paused at line breaks, as if he was considering his own words as he went. It may have been just for effect, but it impressed upon me that he was serious; that each line matters. That this wasn't about linguistic flourishes.

He also introduced his poems with an air of levity. At one point, Skoog noted that Trinidad, CO was the sex-change capitol of the US, and then he remarked: "this poem is not about that."

Skoog finished with a few poems still under construction. He pitched different titles to the audience, one involving the phrase "kill, kill, kill" that, of course, was everyone's favorite.

One line in his new work stayed with me: "Love was the taste of something you've killed."

Strong words that force examination of oneself without being accusatory is my favorite aspect of Skoog's writing. Thanks to this reading, I have even more to appreciate about this talented writer.