About Last Night…

So we braved the elements last night, the sub-zero temps and unforgiving wind, and made our way to The Book Cellar, Lincoln Square, Chicago, Illinois, for the release party/launch of RAGAD #5, which is now available for order and carries the most excellent story by Peter Anderson of Pete-Lit fame.

A sublime lineup of readers included Spencer Dew, Jill Summers, Ben Tanzer, and the aforementioned Anderson–I also joined in on the festivities at the end. And so now the following will consist of shout-outs and thanks to those readers: Dew’s story was flawless as always, rapid and sometimes strange, but always endearing and well-crafted; RAGAD newcomer Jill Summers rocked the house and also brought a crew with her and so we want to give her double the thanks for that; Tanzer was spot on, but that’s not really news–he’s always spot on; and Anderson’s story had the crowd riveted, from opening line to last. Impressive. Very. And also thanks to everyone else who came out to hear us read–without you, our readers and fans and friends, these things could not happen.  

Before an audience of about twenty or so–and on the coldest night in some time–all the readers destroyed the place, bringing great stories to life. Many copies of the new issue were given away and many were left behind at The Book Cellar for the taking.

A podcast took place after the reading, an interview of sorts, conducted nimbly by Mr. Tanzer, and featuring Jason Pettus from the CCLaP–Chicago Center for Literature and Photography–and Jason Berhends from the blog What To Wear During An Orange Alert, and myself as well. A great little chat between us, it should be available here for your listening pleasure in a few days.

Great night, to be sure–one of the better RAGAD events yet. Thanks to all

NOTE: T’is confirmed that I will be reading with Spencer Dew, Jeremy Biles, and Jill Summers on April 4th at Quimby’s to help release Dew’s forthcoming book Songs of Insurgency. His invite was most appreciated, and we thank him for asking us out. Stay tuned for more details about this… 

Links to stuff mentioned above, links worth checking out:

Spencer Dew’s website
Chicago Center for Literature and Photography

Ben Tanzer’s blog
What to Wear During An Orange Alert
RAGAD’s website