Live from the Living Room, June 11

[If you think this Blog is a bit out of order, it is -- I started to write it up, then went looking for a good beach picture, & forgot to post it. Sorry Don!]

So here is "a good beach picture," at least to my thinking:


This was the summer pot-luck, no-feature, wear your Speedo party -- I mean, I didn't wear a Speedo, but someone pointed out I wore the same tee shirt ( from Coconut Joe's) that I wore last year. It was so intimate this night that we never moved into the Living Room of the Capital District Gay & Lesbian Community Center, instead we stayed in the Kitchen, with the chips, dip, soda & COOKIES!

I went first with, of course, "At Coconut Joe's," then the CT Beat Festival poem, "When You Finally Arrive Home," & the much shorter, "Painter's Eyes."

A.C. Everson was getting ready to go to Coney Island so practiced "The Year of the Mermaid," then a rap "Pessimistic Peace Pitch," & ended almost-appropriately (it was still Spring) with "Summer Night."

It was nice to see Shaun Baxter back & he read from Other:___ his "Tiny Dogs," then either a real or fake story about his father (I think it was for real), "Doctors & Cars" (they always know when you have extra money).

Kristen Day "Slipped", actually the name of the poem, then bashed abstract art at the Smithsonian & ended with "Bad Mood" (I don't think it was the art).

Uncle Don Levy drove us home (actually, I drove him home afterwards) with a performance piece by Luis Alfaro about the Circus Disco in Los Angeles, "Heroes & Saints;" Shaun urged Don to "read the funny one" (which is like telling George W. Bush to say something inane), so Don obliged with the very out "Is My Pride Showing or Am I Just Happy to See You." And we were.

Second Wednesdays at the GLCC on Hudson Ave. in Albany (NY), 7:30PM start -- usually with a featured poet first then an open mic where you can read more than one poem.

(Where did all those cookies go?)