Welcome to April, my absolute favorite month of the entire year (this may or may not be influenced by what my birthday party and the pollen count look like). At this point, the birthday party plans are set, the pollen count isn’t bad yet and there are plenty of Nashville literary events to be excited about.
If you’ve read my last few monthly columns, it’s clear I’m a fan of Southern Word and all it does for the next generation of writers and spoken word artists. This month, Southern Word brings together teams of high school poets, emcees and spoken word artists to compete for lyrical top honors and a shot to travel to the Brave New Voices Festival this summer in Washington D.C. The Grand Slam High School Team
Salon@615 Salon@615 Kimberly Williams-Paisley Where the Light Gets In , which tells the tragic story of her mother’s struggle — beginning at the age of 62 — with a rare form of dementia that slowly crippled her ability to talk, write and eventually recognize people in her own family. Admission is free plus the $2.50 online ticket fee if purchased in advance. You may want to get your tickets in advance
Find out more about Salon@615 events here
Poetry Readings and Open Mics Nashvillian Rita Bullwinkel’s monthly reading series, Band of Poets th Avenue South). It will feature Simon Han, Liv Stratman, Mariann VanDevere, Sara Estes and Jesse Bertron.
Matt Johnstone will lead his regular Et Al. Poetry reading on Sunday, April 10 at Sauvage (1114B 3rd Avenue South). Starting at 8 p.m., free to attend, wine for donations (and proper identification), this spring fling will feature Billy Cancel, Richard Harper, David Bersell and Ellie Caudill.
Poetry in the Brew Jon Taylor. Christine Hall will host. The event, which never disappoints, is free to attend and fills up quickly.
Ciona Rouse Ciona Rouse is back this month with a crème of the crop of monthly events for lovers of words. Her Writings on the Wall wotwpoetry@gmail.com Lyrical Brew, on her usual final Friday of the month (in this case, April 29, at Barnes & Noble at Vanderbilt University (2501 West End Avenue). Beginning at 7 p.m., round will feature Jesse Bertron (for the second time this month) and Tiana Clark . Both Rouse events are free to attend.
East Side Storytellin’ Consistent with the last three-plus years, I will yet again be hosting two East Side Storytellin’ shows in April. The first, on my birthday, April 5, at 7 p.m. at The Post (1701 Fatherland Street), East Side Storytellin’ 80 C. Williams and musical duo Elenowen. Two weeks later, on April 19 at the same venue and time, I will host East Side Storytellin’ 81 James C. Floyd and Jadea Kelly . Both events are free and BYOB.
Speaking of East Side Story, make plans to drop by the bookstore, even if you just want to meet the newest employee in the family business Time to Tell: Your Personal & Family History . Then from 4-6 p.m., we’ll be hosting the release of Jadah McCoy’s next novel in The Kepler Chronicles, Artificial . East Side Story is located at 1108 Woodland Street, Unit B. Both of these events are free to attend, and where it’s perfectly normal to eat, drink, buy books, and be merry.
New Reading Series There’s a new reading series in town. Life Is Boring: A Reading Series , takes place on Monday, April 4 at 9 p.m. at Dark Matter (1116 3rd Avenue South). This edition features poetry and prose by Daniel Pujol, Nick Rossi, Sarah McEvoy, Ivan Doerschuk, Katarina Bishop and music by Watcher. Admission is $5.
Workshops The Porch Writer’s Collective is continuing its efforts to bring you some of the best writing workshops in the region. Bill Brown, one of our favorites at East Side Story, will be leading a new day-long poetry workshop on Saturday, April 9 from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Learn more at Porchtn.org
I’ll be back on here in May after the April showers wash away all the pollen and I stop sneezing. Until then, I hope you have a great month ahead. Remember to be nice to one another out there.
Salud,
Chuck
EastSideStoryTN.com
Ed Note: For a comprehensive list of upcoming literary events, be sure to check the Books and Poetry section at NowPlayingNashville.com
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