Loose Leaf Notes

Since I was in a tattoo parlor and it was St. Patrick’s Day, I couldn’t resist confessing my imaginary shamrock tattoo when it was my turn to read.  I was number 6 on a sign up sheet of 16 at the new Spoken Word Open Mic venue, the Floyd Tattoo & Arts Gallery in the lower level of the Winter Sun building.  I read something old, something new, something borrowed and something green, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.  I had forgotten how choked up I can get when I read the poem about my grandmother’s brogue.

There were new and familiar faces and a good crowd of listeners after more than a year’s hiatus from hearing the Spoken Word in Floyd.   Carmen Speer, a Hollins University MFA creative writing student and active participant of Hollins’ Literary Lounge, opened the show with a memorized spoken word performance.

Melanie Moro-Huber, poetry book review editor of New York Quarterly (pictured right), read from her recently published (NYQ Books) poetry collection Axe in Hand.  According to her bio on Amazon.com (where you can purchase her book), Melanie has “cul-de-sac’d somewhere in Virginia with her five children, husband, a cocker spaniel with poor eyesight and an attitude.  She collects rocks and hates laundry.”

Melanie, whose book includes a recommendation by past Virginia poet laureate Claudia Emerson, also read several ekphrastic poems (poetry inspired by works of art), one of which had an Irish theme, fitting for the March 17th date.

Mara Robbins (pictured left) read her essay Something to Hold On To, winner of Real Simple’s magazine’s Life Lessons Essay Contest.  The essay deals with the topic of grief and loss and mixes the everyday with poignant mother and daughter interactions between Robbins and her daughter Kyla in the aftermath of the death of Robbins’ husband in 2001.  Chosen out of 10,000 entrees, the essay earned Robbins a prize of $3,000 and a trip to New York City for her and Kyla, who was three when her father died.   It can be read online or checked out at the library, or you can listen HERE.  

Mara, who also read a poem about loss that was written for her by local writer Sarah Beth Jones (in the black ninja mask to the right), joked about how the edited title of her essay sounded like an 80’s song and about the fact that her bio in the magazine was placed next to a scratch and sniff perfumed advertisement.

Leah Rainy read a poem called I’m Afrraid of Grammar that was inspired by a reading by poet/activist Andrea Gibson, who Leah heard perform earlier in the week at Hollins University.  Other readers of original poetry included Floyd Countians Greg Locke, Sue Osborn, Jayn Avery and Rosemary Wyman. One young reader was from Annapolis.

During a Haiku Death Match (two photos up), my imaginary shamrock tattoo showed up in one verse. Another – timed in the 5 – 7 – 5 pattern by the counting of fingers – went something like ha ha ha ha ha ha / ha ha ha ha ha ha ha / etc. with a few snorts thrown in for good measure.   At the end of the match, the readers faked their deaths and fell down.

The evening was emceed by local musician Ben Kirkland (pictured in the first photo), who also read the poetry of Billy Collins, an Irish-American, past U.S. poet laureate.  Thanks to tattoo artist David Wicks and glass/ceramics artist Polly Disharoon, tattoo shop owners who are new to Floyd, for making everyone feel welcome and for hosting the monthly event, which will continue to happen on the third Saturday of every month.