Nico Vassilakis and Robert Mittenthal both read at Open Books last night. What I like about Open Books - it's a very white-box minimalist space, lit by flourescent bulbs and decorated with vinyl text on the walls, that make it very reminiscent of a poem emporium or gallery. White bookcases, white walls, white light. It stands in stark contrast to every other used bookstore that I have ever walked into with overstuffed chairs, Oriental rugs and dark-stained wood shelving. It would be fun to do a reading at Open Books dressed all in white. The camouflage effect. Mittenthal wore all black and a handsome pair of spectacles that looked very German. Nico read from his new ManyPenny book produced by Crag Hill. The SubText people seem to have a distinct sensibility - postmodern, political, theoretical, and intellectual. The name Morton Feldman came up a lot. A tight group of poets that reminded me briefly of the Boston scene five years ago.