Food For the Soul

Allow me to take a break from political blogging to promote an upcoming fiction and poetry reading in New York City on Thursday, February 7th @ 7PM. Sponsored by the Writers Studio, the four writers featured that evening are Larry Joseph (see picture), Alice Mattison and faculty members Lesley Dormen and Lisa Bellamy.

Some may be familiar with Larry Joseph’s work as he is a renowned social critic. In 1983, Joseph won the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize from the Pitt Poetry Series for his first book, Shouting At No One.

Alice Mattison is an accomplished writer as well with four novels, three previous short story collections, and a volume of poetry to her credit. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Best American Short Stories, The Pushcart Prize, The New Yorker, The Threepenny Review, Glimmer Train, and Ploughshares.

Lesley Dormen is a widely published author and senior teacher at the Writers Studio. Simon & Schuster published The Best Place To Be, Dormen’s book of linked stories in 2007. Her stories have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Ploughshares, Five Points, Open City, Glimmer Train and the anthology 20 Over 40, and have been nominated for Best American Short Stories.

It happens that Lisa Bellamy is a good friend and former office colleague of mine. So I’m especially interested in her poetry and will hopefully be able to attend. Lisa’s poetry has been published in Tiferet, Harpur Palate, Poetry Midwest, Rainbow Curve, Skidrow Penthouse and other magazines. She received an honorable mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2007 and is working on a poetry collection.

Admission is free and there is a cash bar and café. Please spread the word.