With everything going on, I almost hate to say it, but 2023’s been a really good year for me. And that’s continuing at least through mid-November with two features planned for the 17th in Burlington, NJ at Evermore Coffee Roasters and the 19th in Asbury Park at Asbury Park Roastery.
Evermore’s a great spot for Kendall A. Bell’s (Maverick Duck Press) “A Poetry Tempest” reading series. I’ve only been once (my first trip to Burlington!), and the talent was astounding. And now I’m floored and honored to not only be reading with the fabulous Alise Versella, who I know from several local open mic spots, but also none other than Geraldine R Dodge poet BJ Ward! (Apologies to Casey Britton, who I’ve not yet had the pleasure of hearing or reading.)
Coffee and Words is a series near and dear to my heart. Organized by Cord Moreski, it has the feel of the Annex shows hosted by Chris Rockwell some all too many years ago. There’s never a shortage of amazing features and poets on the open mic, and the atmosphere is as supportive as it is crafty. And I have the honor of reading with sucker-punch poet Jewlz Wit A Z and Rebecca Weber, who consistently amazes no matter the direction or focus of her poems. (Apologies to Donel and Mi, who I’ve yet to have the pleasure of hearing or reading.)
And since my creativity has been stuck in the unusual states of inspired and productive, I made a brochureside(tm) of one of my poems, “The Museum of Broken Promises,” to be sold solely at these two events. Each will be numbered for authenticity and feature said poem a la broadside fashion but in tri-fold museum brochure style. There’s a lot of fun and even a few Easter eggs in the backside babble, too!
These readings will be a great end to 2023, and there’s even more to come!
Affairs of Ink 