January 10, 2017

A Successful Start

Our inaugural event, Speak Easy, took place at Cheshire cocktail bar this past Sunday (1/8/2017). Despite near-blizzard conditions and some treacherous roads, everyone made it out for an enjoyable afternoon of spoken word and cocktails. We had nine speakers reading their works which ranged from modern free verse to memoir with some short fiction thrown in for good measure.

Local comedian Bob Holzwarth served as master of ceremonies and kept things moving along, while an appreciative audience cheered on our speakers, many of whom had never read before an audience before. Based on the feedback we received during and after the event, we believe we’ve got something good going here. Our favorite comment: “I felt like I wasn’t in Rochester.”

Don’t get us wrong, we love Rochester and appreciate all it has to offer. But if we can make you forget you’re in Western NY on a blustery January day, we’re doing something right.

We look forward to continuing our Speak Easy series on the second Sunday of the month for the foreseeable future. Because of the limited capacity of the venue, attendance is by invitation only. If you’d like to attend or read at an upcoming event, please fill out the form here.

Please be sure to check out pictures from the event below, and don’t forget to sign up for our mailing list on the bottom of the page so you know what’s coming up!

Lineup for Speak Easy No. 1, Sunday 1/8/2017 at Cheshire:

A Tale Called Monroe — Monica Gebell
As the Dryer Spins — Katy McNeill
An Imperfect Journey — Rebecca Haskins
The Willies — Kerry Feltner
The Sorrento Dialogues — George Steele
Tarrington — Scott Seifritz
Sandra Sticks — Kevin Watt
Leavetaking — Sejal Shah
Cages — Evvy Fanning