Join the BHWA Virtual Open Mic

It’s been a little while since we’ve shared some writing with each other, so I hope you can join the virtual BHWA Open Mic, on Sunday, Nov. 2 from 7:30 to 9:00. We will have gained an hour when we fall back the night before, so let’s use it to be in community and put some words out into the ether.

Sign up will take place at the beginning of the Zoom — everyone interested in reading will raise their virtual hand, be placed on the list, and then will be selected in random order. Depending on how many people want to read, not everyone will necessarily be guaranteed to read.

Readers will have up to 5 minutes to share their work, so please prepare and time your reading in advance. You can of course read something shorter than 5 minutes.

You don’t have to want to read in the open mic to attend! You can come and support your fellow Bad Habits-ers. And feel free to invite people!

Register here! Email me if you have questions.

I am super excited for the 25th Anniversary-edition launch of Kamikaze Lust on Tuesday October 23 at Lofty Pigeon Books! I met Lauren Sanders when we were students at CCNY’s grad school creative writing program, and even got to read some of Kamikaze Lust in workshops. Flash forward, 25 years have gone by, and Lauren has written a bunch of novels, been co-chair of the board at NYWC, was a beta reader of my novel-in-progress, and Kamikaze Lust is back! If you like reading about sex, death, and M + M’s, this is the book for you. An extra bonus: Lauren will be in convo Carley Moore, a brilliant writer and another long-time friend!

Here’s the more official text:

The Lofty Pigeon in Brooklyn and author Lauren Sanders present the launch of the 25th-anniversary edition of Kamikaze Lust, Sanders’s Lambda Literary Award–winning landmark of queer literature! Sanders will be joined by writer and educator Carley Moore for a reading, discussion, Q&A, book signing, and reception. Event details are here.

***

Rhonda Zangwill, who you may know from her NYWC workshop leader days, will be leading a six week 2-hour Wednesday evening generative writing workshop at 14Y (344 East 14th street near First Avenue). Dates: October 15 - November 19. More info here.

***

This bit of news comes from my family! You know we are a pet loving family, as you may have guessed from Jelly Bean the mascot’s presence here.

My brilliant and talented niece Nicole is creating a school project called “Poetry for Pets.” This will be an online forum where you as a pet owner and adopter would share two or more lines of poetry. You may also submit a photo of your pet as an attachment to your poem. The poetry doesn’t have to be anything fancy. We are all poets, we just don’t know it.

Your poem can consist of lines such as feelings and emotions towards your pet. Your poems can be about you finding your special pet in the shelter, taking them home, a trip to the park, a vet visit, cuddling on the couch, how happy they make you feel, what they mean to you. Your poem does not have to rhyme or match in anyway. I simply want you to write what you feel about your pet or when you adopted your pet. Your poems can be between two and twenty lines.

Email Nicole at nicolemckinnon870@gmail.com if you have a poem and/or a photo to share.