6:15AM

Last Night at the Asian-American Writers' Workshop, there was an over flowing to capacity crowd for the Tsunami Victims Benefit reading. On a night in which the weather outside was dreary and inside it was over crowded, hot and uncomfortable, no-one minded sitting through the very well-organized and stellar poetic line-up that came across the stage, including Patrick Rosal, Steve Cannon, Bassey Ikpi, Edward Garcia and others and was hosted by Ishle Yi-Park. $4000 was raised.

...and ultimately that is what art is good for. Cash receipts notwithstanding, what art does (to answer the ultimate cynics) is get enough brilliant poets together and folks with pockets full of goodwill to right the rotation of a world richtered into high speed by the earthquake's blast. What the world always needs, is the Acentos crew (Rich, Oscar, Fish) and Ed Garcia doing the dozens in the back while Kevin So sings the world back into rotation, so the planet comes back in correct on the break beat, adjusts its hat and leans back bumpin'

Then you need nine folks who laugh so hard, they continue to ensure the blue marble turns itself round right and you load them up with 4 Southern Comfort shots each and various other beverages. You know what, evil doesn't want any of this; any of this thigh-slapping, drink-sputtering, joy - the kind of evening God bothers to ever save the world for, inclding a young woman (Sarah), who after several shots, could still on command recite one of the most obscure psalms and make it sound like a love-song.

So of course, now i'm up (since about 4:45) because i can't sleep and my life is good. It's all Patrick Rosal's fault and just to show him, i'm not taking this lying down, i'm returning the favor when i get back from Seattle...