412 E 6th St
Bloomington
IN 47408
The Writers Guild at Bloomington presents
The launch reading of Hiromi Yoshida’s 5th poetry chapbook Umami (Alien Buddha Press, 26 March 2025)
“Hiromi Yoshida offers up a delectable assortment of poems with Umami. Taste is the thing and getting at the intangible yet discernable vibe of these dishes is what’s on the menu. Lighter fare than Yoshida is typically known for, these poems entice with clear observant details and careful surveys of the palate. Here we are treated to dishes both traditional and modern, ethnic and monocultural. Childhood memories conjure up TV dinners in America or sticky hands in Taipei. And of course, Icarus remains, reduced by now to name-dropped specter. Salad fork, not centerpiece. A distant speck: “floating signifier like that solitary / cheese that couldn’t stand / alone, grilled for his stupidity.” Hiromi Yoshida’s Umami is a feast for the poetic senses.”
—Tony Brewer, 2024 Indiana Literary Champion
Also Featured:
APRIL RIDGE lurks in the rural hilltops of Monroe County, akin to Mothman’s tomboy cousin, listening for hints of poetry on the wind. She enjoys horror films, the sordid affairs of 1920s circus performers, long walks in pitch black tunnels and the occasional waffle cone from Jiffy Treet. She prides herself on finding the perfect outfit in which to adorn the skeleton of the soul. She hopes to highlight the needs of poems in danger, on the run, escaping from the need to fit into one form or another, on their way to the freedom of epiphany.
April serves as chair of the Writers Guild at Bloomington, and is a nominee for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize. Her debut poetry chapbook is Monstrous (Pure Sleeze Press, 2024) and her forthcoming first full-length collection is A Three Night Affair (Keeping The Flame Alive Press, fall 2025).
Join us for an umami-filled evening of poetry and food!
Open mic to follow readings.
5.16.25 (6-8 PM)
Runcible Spoon Restaurant & Café, 412 E 6th St, Bloomington, IN 47408