Starry-eyed at the Sky Stage

The September 22nd reading at Frederick's brand-new Sky Stage was an amazingly fun evening. A crew of present and past Chestertonians came out:


My reading-mate Rae Bryant was an incredible host who made me feel like family as soon as I arrived. I feel very fortunate now to call her a friend.


I read a fairly large batch of work: some fairy tale girl poems, some Silence of the Lambs poems, and even a few Alien poems. I was happy to discover some fellow horror movie fans in the intimate audience. 



My best partner-in-poetry snapped these photos of me in action (thank you, Emma!) and she took video snippets of my reading: 


And because my copy arrived on Tuesday, I showed off the brand-new Autumn 2016 issue of Faerie Magazine (based out of nearby Baltimore) and read my fairy tale girl poems published there. Really, if you don't subscribe to this gorgeous full-color magazine, you should.


Rae gave a fantastic reading of her short stories. Her collection The Indefinite State of Imaginary Morals is also well worth buying when your next payday rolls around. Each of our readings were punctuated by some perfectly moody, live bass guitar by musician Jake Warrenfeltz. And then the stage was opened up to the audience and we had a lively open mic session with friends, and new friends, to round out the evening. 

But the most fabulous and magical part of the night was the Sky Stage itself: 





And then after having a magnificent time, just before leaving Frederick for the drive home, we found this last little message from the universe: 

(look closely at the license plate)

I'm taking this as a sign. Thank you to Rae, Frederick Arts Council, and the Sky Stage Reading Series for such hospitality and fellowship. I can't wait to see you all again!
P.S.
Because it was also the first day of fall, Rae heroically read the McSweeney's classic "It's Decorative Gourd Season, Motherfuckers" during the open mic. It was, unironically, the best thing ever: 




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