Dear Writers:

Okaaaayyy! Sorry this is late but I hope you enjoy a recap of March’s open mic. It was another great evening full of stories, poetry, laughter, and reflection. I always leave the open mics feeling jazzed up about writing. Someone told me they call it karaoke, which is a great nickname, although I didn’t see any lip synching and all the material was fully original!

David Axelrod launched the night with a gorgeous poem called “What If?” and established himself as a great new member of our open mic crowd. Welcome, David! Open mic regular Jim Milstead brought a couple memories, including “Air Borne” as well as some April Fool’s jokes to welcome the new month. Lori Nelson Clouts read “The Lie Detector Test,” the opening to a short story detailing the scenario of a woman encountering a job interview that includes a polygraph—not your everyday job interview! [Lori, I’m not sure I’m correctly reading my own handwriting, so if I got your last name wrong, please correct me. Thanks.]

Tele Aadsen

Along came Shannon Hager with “Raised with Bush Devils,” a tale of a character’s introduction into a secret society in Africa. We can count on Shannon to keep things lively. Next was the inimitable Susan Chase Foster, fresh back from Hawaii (the brat), with poetry including “Kauai Time” plus a ‘backyard composition’ entitled “The Advantage of Being a Squirrel.” Curtis Alden joined our lineup with a torch poem about those breakups that aren’t really breakups until they are. Ouch, but great poem. Continue reading →