Literary Firsts

AWP was a frenzied rush of visitors and last-minute plans–weather-related and otherwise.

But at least it ended with a bang. On Saturday night, we convened at Middlesex Lounge for a reading worth celebrating.

The photos are below. The videos can be seen here.

This was one of my favorite readings ever, Literary Firsts or otherwise. As you’ll see from the videos, the readers brought an arsenal.

Thanks to them. And thanks to you, lovely listeners.

Melissa Febos

James Tadd Adcox

Elisa Gabbert

Adrian Todd Zuniga

Robert Kloss

Sam Cha

Vanessa Veselka

John Cotter

See you next month for the 3-year anniversary reading!

Finally, the AWP reading is tonight! Be there at 5:30pm for the literary force that is James Tadd Adcox, Sam Cha, John Cotter, Melissa Febos, Elisa Gabbert, Robert Kloss, Vanessa Veselka, and Adrian Todd Zuniga!

And, while you’re here, check out the Phoenix interview with founder and host, Carissa Halston.

John Cotter is a pocketed embrace.

John Cotter is a New England native who lives in Denver and teaches at Colorado University Boulder and Lighthouse Writers.  John is the author of a novel, Under the Small Lights, from Miami University Press and he edits the online book review site, Open Letters Monthly. His short story “The Arcadia Series” is just out in the newest issue of Puerto Del Sol and his ghost story “After the Storm” will appear in the spooky magazine New Genre at some indefinite point in the future.

John is part of the March 9 AWP reading.

For those of you who were at Literary Firsts on Monday night, you probably remember that I ended the evening by mentioning our next event. I said it would be special (on a Saturday!), and twice as long (eight readers!), and it would feature the following writers, each of whom are suffused with literary know-how:

James Tadd Adcox
Sam Cha
John Cotter
Melissa Febos
Elisa Gabbert
Robert Kloss
Vanessa Veselka
Adrian Todd Zuniga

Those things are all still true and now even better because we have a promotional image!

So please join us on Saturday, March 9 at 5:30pm at Middlesex Lounge. This reading will involve the return of former LF readers Elisa Gabbert and John Cotter (with John as confessional reader!). This reading will bring together collaborators James Tadd Adcox and Robert Kloss. This reading will showcase the work of writers both near and far, some so far away from Boston that it would be silly to ask them to travel such a distance. To sum up: this reading will result in nothing short of elation.

John Cotter is a shiny set of spurs.

John Cotter‘s first novel, Under the Small Lights, will appear on June 1st from Miami University Press. He is a founding editor of the online magazine Open Letters Monthly.

John is the fiction writer for the April 19 reading.