By Anthony C Murphy
Although the harvest moon loomed on the horizon, the crowd at The Ellington were still in a summery mood, wearing floral prints and sipping spritzers. The place was packed and there were ten presenters to entertain the Irish American Writers & Artists crowd.
John McDonagh
Al Gonzalez
John McDonagh, the familiar voice of WBAI, and Off the Meter was our host here tonight. He first introduced Al Gonzalez to the audience. Al, a former NYPD officer, had a timely tale of a former colleague who was present at the 9/11 attacks. John William Perry was the only off-duty police officer to die that day whilst helping to rescue those trapped in the wreckage. His bravery was well remembered in a moving and thoughtful tribute.
Both writers have showcased their talents at “From the BQE to QED,” a monthly storytelling event at QED, in Astoria, Queens, that John and Al host, every second Thursday.
Sean Allison gave us an excerpt from his play, “If it Bleeds it Leads,” that recounted his days as a video journalist. Like a modern day Weegee, he would patrol the NY streets from crime scene to crime scene, bearing witness to the cycle of violence in the city. Sean’s story was told with engaging honesty and true personal insight.
In a change of pace, Eileen Kelly read a chapter from her novel, Small Wonder. In a childhood reverie, Eileen told of a snowy day where kids could be yetis, transporting us to a different clime and another time. Her book is out now with Flexible Press, and she is touring the country with it.
Bringing us back to temp., IAW&A’s former treasurer and Salon producer John Kearns read from his untitled novel in progress. It was a vivid evocation of teenage dreams, emerald swimsuits and summers long gone. John is curating the spoken word tent at this year’s Peekskill Irish Fest, September 28th.
John’s play Boann and the Well of Wisdom will travel to Ireland in October. If you can make a tax-deductible contribution for travel and lodging expenses, click here (every little bit helps).
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Bernadette Cullen kicked off the second half with a set of monologues from three generations of a family. The tactile imagery and lyrical quality to the different voices lent a hypnotic tone to the reading and the audience was hushed in its attentiveness. Bernadette’s material was close to her life and clearly so. “Memory hurts… wherever you touch it.”
Marcia Loughran’s witty essay on caring for the elderly, and the frustrations that go with it, struck a familial chord. Keeping a sense of humor whilst the ‘invalid prince’ becomes senseless, amidst all the meds and ‘the endless patience’. Marcia has found an honest and funny way of dealing with that duty of grown-up childhood. Her chapbook, Tap Dance at the Nursing Home, will be out next year.
Sarah Fearon, IAW&A board member, was off-the-cuff and on the fly with a barrage of comic thoughts and observations on modern life, coffee, pronouns, self-adjectives, self-verbs and pivots. It was quite a journey!
Previous host of the salon, Katharine McNair, got to showcase a new monologue, Dates and Avocados. It was performed by actor Cortney Newell. The perils of modern dating as a throuple laid bare… with exotic fruits thrown into the mix!
The Venerable Matthew Reiss writes about organized capital and organized crime. His articles have been published in The New Yorker and The New York Times. Tonight, he gave us some poetry with attitude, and a great use of rhyme.
So that left John Munnelly to wrap things up. John has a powerful voice and is a great strummer. There are always opportunities to howl along with the chorus if you have the inclination. His lyrics can be joyful or as tender as a ‘human feather.’
Visit our website for upcoming events, especially our Eugene O’Neill Lifetime achievement Award on Monday, October 21, this year honoring Alice McDermott – please click here for tickets!