Trust Me, I’m a Poet

Back in April, when I attended the Austin International Poetry Festival, I got the chance to meet Nikki Giovanni and hear her speak, which was pretty awesome. But something happened after that speech which was also kind of awesome, and I want to share it.

Nikki’s presentation was at the Convention Center, which is right in the heart of downtown Austin. The parking garage where most of the AIPF attendees parked was only a couple of blocks away, but I won’t say that it was “conveniently located.” Downtown can be a confusing place. I live here, and even I get turned around sometimes. Many of the festival-goers were from out of town and all of them were poets, who are better known for their sonnets than their sense of direction. Suffice to say, there were a few lost souls in Austin that night.

I made it back to the parking…