I'm back from Spain, seriously jet-lagged. Got stuck in Pittsburgh last night with a missed connection. I spend about $250 on books, and was given a healthy quantity by various authors, with flowery dedicatons. Wonderful meal in the house of Juan Carlos Mestre, with Riechmann, Guadalupe Grande, Miguel Muñoz. A brief trip to Barcelona, where I met Concha García. Then back to Madrid again, where I connected with Lola Velasco and Amalia Iglesias. It's gratifying to have my intuitions confirmed by those I respect. Also, I would gradually lose interest in Spanish poetry if I didn't go to buy books, talk things over, ever once in a while. I need that sense of community, beyond the purely academic. It's a little absurd to have so little opportunity to talk about my own field with knowledgeable people.