This past Monday, October 28th, I took a day off from work (who doesn’t love a long weekend) to go down to Brooklyn, New York for the book launch of Marina’s new book of poetry, “Eat The World”. It was a beautiful day to walk from Grand Central, over the Brooklyn Bridge and a few blocks to the independent bookstore Powerhouse Arena (28 Adams St). Not much information was given about the launch until the day before when I received an email saying the event was sold out (no surprise), the line would start forming at 5:30 (I knew hours earlier for hardcore fans) and only the first hundred books purchased would get a pre-signed copy (I got an email the day of saying I was one of the lucky few), and the event would start at 7:00.
I arrived at 4:00 to scout out the area because I needed to find the subway station for my return home and a bathroom since the store didn’t have one. We can add “public restrooms” to my long and questionable Google browser history. I got in line at 4:30 and had a dozen people in front of me. As the day turned to night, it got colder and the promise of the doors opening got pushed later. There were two stage chairs (for Marina and the event moderator) facing book shelves and a sea of folding chairs, with people taking up for the first three rows by the time I got inside. The usher recommended I go upstairs where the seats were comfier. I got a stool along the railing with a good view. Some seating didn’t have the greatest view, so it paid to wait in line for almost two-and-a-half hours. Since the house was packed, people were forced to stand, and my old ass was grateful for a padded bar stool.
Marina was escorted in a side door once the line had been admitted in. The event started late and ran about an hour. The moderator asked Marina questions about the book, there was an audience Q&A, and Marina read one of her poems. Then she was whisked out the side door to her waiting vehicle with its tinted windows and we were locked inside until she was safely gone. Marina was very approachable emotionally but kept physically at a distance. It was interesting hearing about her creative process, relationship dramas and personal struggles. She came across as appreciative of her fans and very down to earth. Marina’s chair had a wall of windows behind it facing the city street. The best part of the night, in my gay opinion, was when a guy walking by began making faces and sticking out his tongue to the crowd. Marina laughingly turned and proclaimed he’d of been hot if he didn’t do that. It was very New York and Marina’s comment was hysterical because it was true and exactly what I was thinking.
“Eat The World” is a quick read but with a lot of depth and honesty. Just because Marina’s a diva, doesn’t mean that she hasn’t survived her share of bad relationships or struggled with things like eating disorders or loneliness. She puts herself out there to make others feel less alone, while she reaps the rewards of realizing her feelings are universal. I related to some of the book’s themes but felt most seen in the poem “Inner Peace & Other Lies” and the line “”I hold myself hostage to my to-do lists” Underneath compulsion lies a quest for balance”. It may be a book of poetry and some of the prose is written that way but some border on storytelling or essays. The design of the book is interesting with unique artwork and text that isn’t always presented in the way you’d expect, making “Eat The World” as unique as Marina is.
