Author and Inspired Writer

Hey folks! Just to let you know, Robert Earl Stewart, poet extraordinaire and one of the best reading voices since Rod Serling, will be launching his new book, Campfire Radio Rhapsody (Mansfield Press) on Sunday, June 19th, at 7:00 pm. at Milk Coffee Bar, 68 University, West, Windsor. Robert will be joining fellow poets Marko Sijan and Stuart Ross, and musical guest John Pilat. There will be munchies, books to buy, and great conversation. It’s going to be a blast, so y’all come!

So a few Sundays ago I’m in the church hall observing the joyous post-service quaffing of coffee and snorking down of jelly doughnuts, and I sez to myself, “Self,” I sez, “you know what this place needs?  Poetry!”  Yeah, you heard right – poetry!  I was thinking how great it would be to host a autumn poetry cafe right there in the church hall, a Saturday afternoon of readings from Black Moss poets and friends.  I approached my beloved publisher, Marty Gervais, about it and he’s all for it, but I won’t be able to confirm the readers’ list until he comes back from Cuba.  (What’s he doing in Cuba, you ask?  That’s something else I want to talk to him about.)  But we have confirmed the date, Saturday, October 15th, at 2:00 pm., and although everyone is welcome to attend, we’re going to extend a special invitation to the senior English and Creative Writing students at the local high shcool to come to the readings and speak to Marty afterward about writing, publishing, and studying creative writing at the university level.  (In addition to co-owning the longest run small literary press in the country, i.e. Black Moss Press, Marty also teaches creative writing at the University of Windsor.)  It’s not too soon to mark your calendars poetry lovers, and rest assured I’ll post new details as they become available.

Apologies to Tom Jones. 

The Mudpuppy Gallery’s second Beat Night was another great success!  It was held on Saturday at the Downtown Expresso Cafe because the Gallery was full to capacity last time.  But the Cafe was jam-packed Saturday night, even with the addition of extra chairs.  Clearly Amherstburgers LOVE their poetry and received every reader and performer warmly and enthusiastically.  The event has grown so large that the next one in August will be held outside under a tent in the Navy Yard Park.  Stay tuned for more details.

My great thanks to the organizers of the event (the Mudpuppy Six) for their ongoing support and to everyone who came and blessed me with their praise and interest.  It means so much!

Well, my idea of a quiet summer ahead in which I could turn out the next great Canadian novel, seems to have vanished in just the last few days.  To start with, I’ll be reading again at the Mudpuppy Gallery’s  Beat Night, Saturday, May 28, starting at 7:00 pm., only this time it will be held across the street at the Downtown Expresso Cafe, 249 Dalhousie, Amherstburg.  The last Beat Night was such a huge success, they needed a bigger venue and the Cafe nicely fits the bill.  Coffee and refreshments will be served and the poetry will be totally awesome.  (Ye gods!  Did I just say that?)

Also, I’ll be preaching at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church July 10th and 17th at the 10:30 am. service.  The church is located at 129 Simcoe in the Burg  (519) 736-4972.  Everyone is welcome to attend and coffee hour will follow the service – Presbyterians LOVE coffee hour!  St. Andrew’s is a wonderful little congregation, so if the Spirit moves ya, come join us for song and fellowship and of course coffee hour.  Oh, and I hear the preaching’s pretty decent too!

Then on Sunday July 24th, I’ll be leading a writers’ workshop at Bump Maternity Shop,10 am. to 12:30 pm. 1719 Wyandotte St. East, Windsor, (519) 256-3452.  Why a maternity shop, you ask?  Well, the organizer of the workshops, the amazing Vanessa Shields, has just released her book, Laughing Through a Second Pregnancy, and she and the owner of Bump are good friends, hence the unusual location.  My workshop is just one in a series to be offered throughout July, and you can get all the details at Vanessa’s web site, www.vanessashields.posterous.com under the Writer’s Workshops and Guest Writers Series label.  My workshop is entitled From Writing What You Know to Writing What You Feel: One woman’s struggle to find her voice, reclaim her soul and write it all down before she forgets it.  Check out the other workshops on Vanessa’s site, and you might want to sign up for one or two or five.

That’s what I’ve got so far.  But I suspect another reading is coming up in June, and who knows what August will hold.  And if I can write a novel in addition to all this, that will be a true miracle of time management.