Loose Leaf Notes

I was in two places at the same time, or nearly. Arriving late to the Spoken Word and leaving early to take pictures for the paper of the all-day Relay For Life, a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society. I was a little discombobulated, but relieved to know that after nearly four years our monthly open mic practically runs itself now.
Only two of the half-dozen of us from the Floyd Writers Circle who regularly attend and co-host the event with the Café del Sol were there, but there were enough readers to break for a short intermission between readings. My fellow Writer’s Circle member Rosemary emceed for the first half of the evening. There were two authors with new books and more than a few first time readers.
Kanta Bosniak, a past Floyd County resident, holistic health practitioner, and cancer survivor came from Pennsylvania to promote her new book, Surviving Cancer and Other Tough Stuff, which I reviewed for the Floyd Press the week before. She read from the book’s introduction and an excerpt titled “No Hair Day, Part 2: Random Acts of Kindness, Serious Shopping and Batman.” … Yesterday my sweetheart, Richard, dropped me off at the VF Outlets on the way to getting his hair cut. We were preparing for the rehearsal dinner he was hosting for the wedding of his youngest son, David. Richard’s barber’s name is Batman … Paul Batman. So, I joke with him that Batman is changing the world one haircut at a time… The rest of that reading was about how Richard shaved his head in solidarity for Kanta, who lost hers due to chemotherapy.

Coincidentally, Kanta was followed by Stephen Saft, another cancer survivor with a new book, City Above the Sea and Other Poems.
Sarah Hunter, another reader new to the Spoken Word stage who also used to live in Floyd, hopes to move back someday. She read some of her poetry, about going back to college as a mother with teen aged kids, and asked during the intermission about joining the Floyd Writers Circle.
A unfamiliar couple sat towards the back sipping on New Castle beer. When the man took his turn at the mic, he expressed his concern that we wouldn’t understand him because of his English accent. He and his wife, who is Scottish, took turns reading poetry written by their son back in England. Always curious, I asked them how they came to be in Floyd and learned that they are seeing the country by way of house sitting and that they are currently house sitting in Floyd.
Never a dull moment at the Café del Sol Spoken Word. I especially love seeing new faces and brave first time readers, knowing that our venue is especially encouraging to them. I pulled myself away, and arrived at the Relay for Life at the high school just in time to see the mock Beauty Contest, where men dress as women and women dress as men.

Post Notes: Photos are of Kanta Bosniak, Sarah Hunter, man with English accent and his wife. Click and scroll down HERE for more Spoken Word pictures.