Poetry Reading = Fun? At Branded Saloon, Yes!

(I'm sending a post for the Branded blog below, at Gerard's suggestion - headline is the subject line, text is below)

On April 1, 2011, I started writing one poem a day.  This was meant to be a month-long project, to celebrate April, which is National Poetry Month (as I'm sure you already knew!).  I found that the daily task of writing a poem was a worthwhile and engaging one, and so when April ended and May began, I decided to keep going.

The months passed and the poems continued.  Some were good; some were terrible; but the point is, I kept writing them.  As the end of March 2012 - my one-year mark - approached, I knew that I would want to celebrate by reading some of the not-so-bad ones allowed to friends, lovers, acquaintances, and random neighborhood folks.  As a current Prospect Heights resident, I'd previously attended a few music shows (or "gigs") in the back room at Branded Saloon.  I'd liked what I'd seen - the vibes, the wings - and so I asked management if I could read my stuff in their space to celebrate my one-year mark, and they readily agreed.

As for the actual night of the reading...well, what can I say?  It was a seismic and important evening for yours truly.  About 25-30 of my besties arranged themselves in seats, banquets, and stools, and sipped cold brew, and ate Frito pie, while I stood up in front of them and relayed the story of my year.  My poems are often not really "poems," per se, by which I mean they are narrative, audience-friendly, usually pretty humorous, and often quite lusty (what can I say, it was a desire-filled year).  Branded provided an idyllic backdrop - casual, comfortable - for me to share my work with those whom I love (and some strangers who stumbled in, too).

Afterwards we all got good and drunk.  On Sunday I woke up smiling, and in truth, it is now 8 days later, and I am still smiling, and still writing more poems...

Thank you Branded Saloon!