In October, the regular monthly Tuesday Muse event at the Ice House in Bethlehem will not be held as the venue will be used for Bethlehem’s Festival UnBound that week. Rather than take a month off from you, we decided to take the opportunity to bring the Muse on the road to Easton at Connexions Gallery downtown. If you have never been there, you will love the art and feel at home because they are gracious and welcoming of performers and frequently open their doors to things like this.
So on Tuesday, October 8, 2019, we will be hosting a mini poetry and music fest of sorts- “Wicked Brew”. Your hosts will be the same, Cleveland and Elynn, but the event will be very different from the usual routine at Tuesday Muse. Wicked Brew will have more featured poets and musicians, and in keeping with October, we will be encouraging a darker vibe. We have an event on facebook, and you can check it out here, click “going”, and get updates on performers and details.
Join us on Tuesday, October 8 from 6:00-8:00 at our special autumn offsite poetry celebration: Wicked Brew, brought to you by the cohosts of Tuesday Muse at the Ice House in Bethlehem. This will be a special event that will replace the usual monthly performance. This event will showcase some of our regulars and provide a festive seasonal celebration of local poetry. We are taking it on the road to Easton at Connexions Gallery downtown.
We will have refreshments, BYOB, and anything goes as far as props, costumes, theme, topics. Come as you are, or come as somebody else. Bring your books and wares to sell or barter. Do what you usually do, or do something unexpected. We will have a few exciting announcements to celebrate, and this is a great opportunity to meet area poets. Since we have more features than usual, reading time will be shorter (about ten minutes) and open mic spots will be limited. Sign up at the beginning, until the spots are filled.
Hosted by Cleveland Wall and Elynn Alexander, with featured guests:
Helsie Duster: Helsie Duster is the host of the open mic at Black&Blue, and is an amazing musician and supporter of creative spirits all around Easton and beyond. She also hosts the open mic session at Easton’s Riverside Festival of the Arts.
Althea Ruffin was the host of the West Ward Uptown’s Metered Monday Mingle, a space for sharing poetry. We have been interested in luring her back to the poetry world as she is missed. This event just might do the trick.
Burton Stehly is a local poet and radio host, and regular at local poetry events. His stories will reach even the most distracted of bastards. He will get to you. And that is a good thing.
Heather Musto is a regular at Tuesday Muse at the Ice House, and she is the kind of poet that people ask about after the event. You think about her poetry after you’ve gone home, she is that good!
Darrell Parry is the host of the monthly open mic at the Mary Meuser Library on the Easton/Wilson line on Northampton Street. Darrel is a dedicated host, who encourages all and respects where people are at with performing. No stranger to reading his own poetry, you will see for yourself what he is about when the library is closed and the hat comes out.
Nanette Smith is a teacher, facilitator, and hosts a writer’s retreat for locals to reconnect and recharge. She brings a generous spirit and dedication to her craft- in a chill way.
Rebecca Migdal is an Easton writer, performer, editor, graphic artist, puppeteer, and owner of Book and Puppet book store. She is also one of the forces behind the new Easton Book Festival and facilitator of the Easton Dream House where she invites participants to attend monthly explorations.
Steven Wohl is often called our “sound guy” but he is a quiet, behind the scenes part of Tuesday Muse and a musician, poet, creator of props and effects, and community builder in his own right and we couldn’t do what we do without him.
About your cohosts:
Cleveland Wall is a poet, collaborator, organizer, teaching artist, and author of a new book that is about to hit the world: “Let x=x” from Kelsay Press. She is also an experienced editor of both poetry and prose manuscripts, and her own work has appeared in Philadelphia Stories, Möbius, Full of Crow, Poetry24, Voicemail Poems, and beyond. She is a founding member of the poetry improv group No River Twice and cohost of Tuesday Muse, a monthly performance series at Bethlehem’s Ice House. She also performs with poetry/classical guitar combo Lyrical Wanderlust. Between whiles she does mail art and makes little chapbooks.
Elynn Alexander cohosts Tuesday Muse with Cleveland Wall and has organized poetry readings in various cities for years, in addition to starting Full of Crow Press back in 2009. She is the author of “The Shouldspeak Disease” from Naked Bulb Press, poetry on women and shame narratives. A mixed media artist and performer as well, she has participated as a partnering visual and literary artist in Perspectives: Art on Environment and is part of the Trash Mantis Artist Co-op, where she primarily focuses on zines, junklectica, mixed media, and book making. Three of the zine titles are still going, with new issues and side topics popping up at zine and book fests from time to time: Corp Flux, MUST, and Vera.
About the venue:
Connexions Gallery has been open since 1990, showcasing local art and hosting events in downtown Easton. It is located just past the circle, at 213 Second Street, Easton, PA 18042. Website here. Curator and community collaborator Anthony Marracini will be graciously housing us for the evening in his space.
Free to attend, but we will pass the hat in support of the gallery’s equipment fund to enable them to continue with events like these.
Questions: Contact Elynn Alexander at elynnalexander@gmail.com
