Junkie at Writers Guild First Sunday Reading; Itty Kickstarter Continues to February 21

Following sub-zero weather just four days before, Sunday was sunny and in the sixties possibly contributing to a fairly low turnout for February’s “First Sunday Prose Reading and Open Mic,” again at the downtown Soma Coffeehouse (see January 6, et al.).  Featured reader Tom Bitters, with short fiction credits in BERKSHIRE REVIEW and HAMPSHIRE LIFE, among others, lead off with a story as yet untitled about married life and competitive bowling, followed [image error]by novelist Julia Karr with the opening chapter, titled “Homecoming,” of the third book in a young adult dystopic trilogy, and with Rwandan documentary filmmaker and author of RWANDA:  COMING TO THE MEMORY Gilbert Ndahayo batting third with descriptions of his life there and in the US, as illuminated by excerpts from a second book in progress.  This was followed by four “open mic” readers in which I was second with my most recent sale, “The Junkie” (cf. January 31, et al.).

Then, speaking of “The Junkie,” even if the special library option has expired, the Kickstarter for ITTY BITTY WRITING SPACE, including that 750-word saga of life on the mean streets and . . . zombies, continues to seek pledges up until February 21st.  It’s doing well so far, but more may be needed to push it to where the writers (that is, including me) can receive a professional pay rate, for more on which press here.