A Great Good Place for Books welcomes our good friend, Maxine Hong Kingston, author of I Love A Broad Margin, and her friend Phyllis Hoge reading from Hello House on Wednesday, April 25th at 7:00 p.m. The poems in Hello, House describe in small, significant detail what goes into daily chores, like making beds, doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, straightening. Phyllis Hoge lavishes attention on favorite things around the house and home, and in the process she examines her self, and learns that living in a house involves compromise: with pets, with clutter, with imperfection, and with loss. Many of these poems are written in formal verse, with rhyme and meter, but the poet works well in free verse as well. All the poems are strong, honest, and friendly. Each poem is Illustrated by Maxine Hong Kingston's black and white line drawings. Phyllis Hoge is a retired Professor of English at the University of Hawaii. She was awarded the Hawai'i Award for Literature from the Hawai'i Literary Arts Council. Hoge's poetry has been widely published in periodicals, including Hudson Review, New Yorker, Prairie Schooner. She is the author of eight previous poetry collections. Maxine Hong Kingston has written three novels and several works of non-fiction about the experiences of Chinese immigrants living in the United States. She has received several awards including the National Book Award in 1981 for her novel China Men. and the Nationlal Humanitarian Award, awarded by President Bill Clinton in 1997. While not well known for her art work, she now spends more time drawing than writing and enjoys the change of pace.