Trident

Last night, about 30 of us convened in the back dining room of Trident Booksellers and Cafe on Newberry St here in Boston, for the DRAGON THUNDER book reading. Diana Mukpo arrived in a somewhat military looking but elegant white jacket, accompanied by family, housemates and friends. A number of staff from Shambhala Publications came along, including the editor of the book, Eden Steinberg. Our agent, Joe Spieler, was in from New York with a friend of his in the children's book publishing field. Students from the University of Boston Buddhist group showed up, along with assorted others I didn't know and some folks from the Shambhala Center.
Diana chose for the first reading a selection that begins when she and Rinpoche travel back to Tail of the Tiger Vermont after a trip to California. They meet Allen Ginsberg in NYC and then after getting back to Tail, Diana is dispatched to England to see if Osel Mukpo is being held captive. (The answer is yes.) A lot of action in a very few pages.
After the reading, people came up to get books signed -- it WAS a book signing -- and then a number stayed to have dinner. Great momos, wine and sake flowed. Gail Flynn, Trident proprietor, put on a great party.Pretty good time had by all. Today is an event at the Shambhala Center in Boston. Between now and then, I'm off to the gym, really, and then getting together with an old friend who was Chogyam Trungpa's cook on retreat for a whole year in 1984. But that's another story.