Gneiss Series in Palm Desert – past the windmill fields and Palm Springs in the Coachella Valley. Palm Desert has risen to replace Palm Springs – a high-end destination with European fashions and gourmet restaurants. This was probably the most dazzling of venues – the reading was held at the penthouse of the Denise Roberge Gallery, where Kort and I also stayed overnight, surrounded by contemporary art and Botero-esque images. David Dodd Lee, a former painter cum poet from South Bend, Indiana, read poems about fishing, killing turtles and painting. I met poet Louise Mathias briefly, a friend of Victoria Chang and a friend apparently of David’s, who was helping out by selling books. As I approached to say hello/introduce myself, the friendly greeting I received was “Here’s your money.” We headed to a tapas bar post-reading with David, the curator Lori Davis, a painter Walter Lab, Kort, me, and Louise. David, Lori and I talked about poets who “turn things on their sides” for us – David cited Michael Burkhard and Vallejo (pronounced it “Va-le-ho”) Lori cited Transtromer. I mentioned how important Arthur Sze and Mei-mei Berssenbrugge have been to me. Later, Walter the painter told me about an opera that he is working on – five shorts with or without music, yet to be determined. Visual interpretations of poetry. Walter painted stage sets in Hollywood for 20 years, before moving to the Desert to start a business as a mural painter for restaurants and private homeowners.