SEPTEMBER READING REVIEW

Well, if you missed this past Friday's reading, you have my sympathy.

And for those of you who made it, thank you for you participation, engagement, and rapt attention as Jane Hilberry transported us from the cozy stone basement of Black Cat Books to long-lost childhood neighborhoods and the crackling fire of feminine wit and beauty. Jane's book, Body Painting, is still sitting on my table as I write this, dogeared on several pages.

I'm including a link to purchasing her book here, if you'd like to buy it. (Hopefully the link works!) Remember, we have books for sale at these readings to support these authors.

I'll see you October 15th (7:30pm, 720 Manitou Avenue) for our next reading!

Abby

CSWRS Coordinator

SEPTEMBER'S READING PREVIEW

Hi everyone!

Just checking-- did you know that Jane Hilberry, instructor at Colorado College and author of the collection of poems titled Body Painting, will be our featured reader for the month of September?

Be sure to get to Black Cat Books (720 Manitou Avenue) early on Friday, September 17th for the 7:30pm start time, when those on the Open Mic sign up will present 3-5 minutes of their own work, followed by a short break for wine and refreshments, then Jane will take us away. She'll have some books for sale (mine will be for sale as well!), and exact change or checks are appreciated!

Bring a poem or snippet of a story to read! And enjoy an evening of community and creative writing!

See you there,

Abby

CSWRS Coordinator

...and fun was had by all!

A big thank you to everyone who made it out to last night's reading in Manitou-- especially the ones who had standing room only! Jenn Koiter pretty much blew us out of the water with her poetry, which seemed to lighten our loads and end our weeks with some much-needed laughter.

Next month's reading is scheduled for Friday, September 17th, at 7:30pm. Same place, Black Cat Books in Manitou, and hopefully parking won't be so crazy without the marathoners in the neighborhood! I think we might have a crowd of students at September's reading, considering the awesome extra credit power these events hold in college classrooms, so get there early. And if you're a writer, bring some work to read for Open Mic!

Here are a couple pictures from last night.

Jenn Koiter, poet, behind the podium-disguised-as-music-stand.

The crowd, which, although cozy, enjoyed the browsing, the wine, and the intimacy that Black Cat Books provides. Thank you, Natalie! We support our indy bookshops!

Tim Christian, who, as usual, delights us during Open Mic with his fiction.

Hopefully I'll see you as well as more new faces next month! This reading was a total success, in my book, and I can't wait for what happens next.

Abby

CSWRS Coordinator

...

AUGUST FEATURED READER!

I'm happy to announce that we've got several great writers lined up to read over the next several months. This Friday, the 20th of August, we get to hear the poetry of Jenn Koiter, a writer who will be traveling to Colorado Springs from Laramie, Wyoming! Her bio on the link provided is great-- sweet, to the point, and right up the CSWRS alley when it comes to bridging writers and community through accessible and captivating work. Her "thesis" reads:

"I love poems that engage my full faculties as a reader to unearth something hard and true. Smug poems, on the other hand, poems that ask me to work too hard for too little, make me want to heave something heavy across the room. Onto the poet, if possible." (www.anti-poetry.com)

This reading is going to be fantastic. Be sure to catch it at Black Cat Books in Manitou Springs, Friday at 7:30pm, in the downstairs portion of the store. Get there a little early and start sipping some wine from the wine bar! This venue will be cozy... and you can keep your shoes on!

See you Friday night!

Abby

CSWRS Coordinator

AUGUST PREVIEW... almost!

A quick update, here: we're still scheduled for our monthly event on August 20th at 7:30pm. I'll be announcing the featured reader shortly! Be prepared with some material for Open Mic-- I'd love to hear 3-5 minutes of your best poetry or prose. (Sign up at the door, ten readers max!)

Here's a big change, though: we're moving to Black Cat Books at 720 Manitou Avenue! Make sure you take note of the change. I may actually stop by Inner Space, our old venue (which isn't too far away from downtown, maybe ten minutes' drive), to leave a note on the door for those who haven't checked the blog. Natalie-- at Black Cat-- seems like a gracious hostess, and the venue will be just as intimate.

Featured reader to be announced soon... stay tuned! And I'll see you on the 20th!

Abby

CSWRS Coordinator

...

JULY READING REVIEW

Well, our July event seemed to go off without a hitch! We had writers from varying genres stand up to read for the Open Mic section, some new faces in the crowd, and Cicily Janus' reading from her new book The New Face of Jazz was (seriously) fantastic. Everyone left the room feeling inspired, including me, and I felt the overwhelming sensation of a community coming together for the sake of creativity.

No new blogs to report, so I'm just posting the ones we already have and want to keep an eye on for new work:

Debbie Allen: http://www.writingwhilethericeboils.blogspot.com/

Angela Giles Klocke: http://www.angelagilesklocke.com/

Sue Spengler: http://www.suesun40.blogspot.com/

(and yours truly) http://www.abbyemurray.blogspot.com/

I now have an email list started up for this series. We may be moving to a new venue soon, and I want to be able to let everyone know beforehand. Look out for emails from cswritersreading@gmail.com!

Hope to see you all again on August 20th, at our next event! (Featured reader TBA.) Thanks for coming!

Cicily Janus reading from The New Face of Jazz

JULY'S FEATURED READER

Hi everyone!

Just a quick update here. I'm currently in Oregon, hosting a delightful reading series at the Pacific University MFA Program, but I'll shortly be returning to Colorado Springs. While I've been here, though, I've scheduled the next featured reader, Cicily Janus, who will be reading some of her work at our event on Friday, July 16th, at 7:30PM.

Yep, you heard right, we're back on schedule this coming month. (Did you miss it in June??) I'm really looking forward to it.

Also, I'll have books available for sale from Jessy Randall, the May featured reader, as well as my own.

See you then!

Abby

CSWRS Coordinator