June 12 Second Thurs. Spoken Word Features Puppets, Poets

So poetry wasn’t at all uncommon at June’s “Bloomington Writers Guild Second Thursday Spoken Word” (cf. March 14, et al) at the downtown Backspace Gallery, but the opening featured reader, traveling puppeteer and zine publisher Mindi Romani, wearing a mask herself, and her presenting puppet — puppet-sized crutches and all — with a rhythmic, at places almost half-sung rendition, was a fair bit off the beaten track. Interesting though, even somewhat wacky as one listener had it afterward, and an enjoyable change of pace.

She (it?) was then followed by writer, director, and audio producer Brian Price, accompanied by event musicians Kyle Quass and Julian Douglas on trumpet and percussion, detailing the adventures of one “Coyote” although, alas, sometimes a little smothered beneath the background music. Then after a break and more music before and after, about seven Open Mic performers (the actual lineup becoming a bit confused at one point) with me in fifth(?) place with a poem stressing dates, it being the eve of Friday the 13th, as well as bad luck titled “Bela Lugosi’s Dead.”