Sponge Cake Reading in D.C!

On Saturday night, July 21, Rose Metal hosted an event in honor of I Take Back the Sponge Cake at the Black Squirrel in Washington, D.C. We were thrilled to have two local poets kick off the event: Maureen Thorson, reading angry feminist rhyming poems, and Jill Leininger, reading her series of prose poems inspired by the artwork of William Kentridge.

In the main event for the evening, Sponge Cake authors Loren Erdrich and Sierra Nelson read collaboratively from their popular lyrical choose-your-own-adventure, and the images from the book were projected on a screen next to them. Loren and Sierra allowed the audience to choose their own path through Sponge Cake, using the cheers of the audience in response to each option to determine which path to take. After several adventures, Loren and Sierra answered audience questions about the book, including about how they collaborated on the poetry and artwork.

It was a fabulous night of poetry and art! Thanks to all who attended and read and to the Black Squirrel for providing the space. Photos and video below!

Maureen Thorson reading feminist rhyming poems

Jill Leininger reading prose poems inspired by the work of William Kentridge (art on the screen)

Loren and Sierra begin the first adventure through I Take Back the Sponge Cake

In this video, Loren and Sierra discuss their collaborative process. Lighting in the video is poor, but the discussion is awesome!