Poetry and Music Tonight at The Pink Door

Michael Dumanis was born in the Soviet Union and lived there until his parents were granted political asylum in the United States.  He first came to Sarabande when he co-edited the controversial anthology Legitimate Dangers that we published in 2006.  From there, he went on to win the 2006 Juniper Prize for Poetry for his debut collection of poetry, My Soviet Union.   Currently, he teaches at Cleveland State University and is the Director of the Poetry Center there.  One of my favorite poets, Mark Doty, commented about his book, saying "My Soviet Union is a remarkable album of dark vaudeville and assured verbal performances. Its speakers are a host of desperate comedians at the edge of history, making do and making jokes in the ruins of empire. The spirits of Joseph Cornell, Mayakovsky, and Buster Keaton seem to ventriloquize the earthly, troublesome body of one Michael Dumanis, a haunted citizen born in a country that no longer exists, standing before us in a confluence of phrases that are themselves a sort of nation: crazed, American, beautiful, a giddy torrent of comedy and sorrow."

Sean Singer's first book, Discography, won the 2001 Yale Series of Younger Poets Prize, selected by W.S. Merwin, and the Norma Farber First Book Award from the Poetry Society of America. He also won a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He lives in New York City.  You can catch a snippet of him reading on the amazing From the Fishouse website at: http://www.fishousepoems.org/archives/sean_singer/index.shtml.
Teneia Sanders has played on WFPK's Live Lunch, collaborated with Louisville hip-hop bands Nappy Roots and Code Red, and opened for Canadian musician Luke Doucet. Her first full album, Soul Catcher, produced by William Bartley of Slackshop, was featured by CDBaby.com as one of their albums of the week in April of 2007. Currently living and performing in Louisville, KY, Teneia is quickly making a name for herself as an up-and-coming artist to keep an eye and ear on. Her angelic voice, unique guitar rhythms, and moving lyrics have helped to solidify her growing reputation as a truly gifted artist, one whose dedication is as strong as her music.  You can listen to her online at http://www.myspace.com/teneiasanders.