Sponsored by Lido Gallery and Springfed Arts. Hosted by John D. Lamb, this event is free and open to the public.
Ann Holdreith: Host of the Musing Series at Scarab Club.
The poetry of Ann Holdreith merges the mythical with the everyday. A chapter of her work is included in "Beyond the Lines", an anthology of Michigan authors published by Plainview Press. Her publishing credits also include: Wayne State University, Gravity Presses, Dixie Phoenix, Poetry Motel, Free Fall, Snakeskin, Gravity Webzine, Stirring, Aether, Friction Magazine and a 1999 Pushcart Prize Nomination. Ann teaches classes for Springfed Arts at Oakwood Family Center in Dearborn and is a Magna Cum Laude graduate in Fine Art and Literature from the University of Detroit. She has featured at the Michigan Opera Theatre, The Detroit Festival for the Arts. Ann synthesizes her background as an actress, vocalist, dancer and performance artist and has been hosting the Musing Series at The Scarab Club every third Sunday of the month.
Writer L. Bush: Host of Thistle Crown Affair and Spirit Spit in Detroit.
Born in Detroit, Writer L. Bush worked in Cape Town, South Africa as a news reporter and photographer. He wrote a novel called Kill Switch (2007) detailing "corporate greed, adulterated medicine, the pandemic spread of AIDS, and the sale of data-mined information." The manuscript nearly got him house arrested by South African officials. Upon returning to the United States, Bush found himself blacklisted and he worked odd jobs under his brother's name.
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Bush returned to Detroit and formed a collective of writers and thinkers dubbed The Drunken Muse which held meetings at local bookstores and cafes. Since then, he has corralled a variety of poets and songwriters to perform at open mics at Thistle Coffee House in Detroit.
Laura Bodary: Host of Laurel Tree at AJ's Cafe.
Laura Bodary attended Marian High School and Boston College. After years of reading poetry at open mics, she finds herself hosting open mics for poets at AJ's Cafe and at the Lawrence Street Gallery, both in Ferndale.
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John "Juan Zo" Smolinski: Host of Poetic Travelers at Lawrence Street Gallery.
John "Juan Zo" Smolinski is a percussionist, lyricist, digital photo artist and poet. He has read his poetry at many open mics. He is a host for Poetic Travelers at the Lawrence Street Gallery in Ferndale.
Joe Kidd: Songwriter host of The Sedition World Orchestra.
Joe Kidd is a guitarist and singer/bandleader of the Sedition World Orchestra. He sings poetry of peace, struggle and celebration.
Mary Minock: We celebrate her new memoir of a Detroit childhood.
Mary Minock's new book is The Way-Back Room: A Memoir of a Detroit Childhood (Bottom Dog Press). Southwest Detroit is the backdrop to Minock's memoir, but the real story is less about the city and more about Minock's rocky childhood. Her father died when she was six, which led to Minock caring for her mother and a strained relationship with her extended family. At Catholic school, Minock was an outcast, a deeply troubled child whose way of dealing with her grief caused her to be misunderstood. Minock doesn't dramatize her misfortunes, and instead readers see a self-possessed, sharply honest girl who tries her best to confront challenges head on. Minock is a creative writing professor at Madonna University. She won the Society for the Study of Midwest Literature Gwendolyn Brooks Award and has been published in Mid-America and the MacGuffin.
The Way-Back Room: A Memoir Of A Detroit Childhood by Mary Minock was released by Bottom Dog Press in November, 2011.
