by John Kearns
Photos by Kevin McPartland

From traditional songs to an original tune finished in the hallway of Bar Thalia, the IAW&A Salon on September 2nd was one to remember!

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Donie Carroll

Donie Carroll started off the first IAW&A Salon of September with “Moonlight in Mayo.” He followed it with a song from his CD, Divil of a Noise, “Off to Philadelphia.”

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Ray Lindie

Ray Lindie read a few pages from his screenplay, Mad Dogs Of August about the bar room scene which takes place in Niki’s Restaurant & Bar where Tinker Tobin is revealed to be an MI-5 Agent.

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Kathleen Frazier

Kathleen Frazier read from her newly released memoir, SLEEPWALKER: The Mysterious Makings and Recovery of a Somnambulist. For reviews, advance praise and an excerpt from the memoir visit www.kathleenfrazier.com

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Kira Citron

Kira Citron read a personal essay about one particularly awkward dinner in Newport Beach, CA. This yet-untitled piece is part of a collection of similar short works.

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Michael Fizpatrick

First-time reader, Michael Fitzpatrick read a story about an old friend with whom he had lost touch.  Years later, it turned out that the friend had become a drug addict and passed away.

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John Kearns

John Kearns read excerpt from novel in progress, Worlds, an excerpt in which Rev. Sarsfield Logan, S.J. is unprepared for his homily. He tries to improvise and ends up going off on irrelevant tangents. As he descends from the pulipt, he realizes the opportunity he has lost and feels deeply ashamed.

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Kathleen O’Sullivan

Kathleen O’Sullivan read two of her poems, “My Mother, My Self” about an Irish daughter
imbibing her mother’s deep desire to reconnect with her Irish family and village after a 40 year separation and  “Desperate” about a woman’s desperate choice to plunge to her death on 911 and the transformation that she experiences during her descent as her Higher Self expands into all knowingness.

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Brendan Costello

Frequent presenter and IAW&A Board member Brendan Costello Jr. read an account of his hospital stay last fall.  The story revolved around a visit from the hospital’s in-house acoustic musician during what Brendan described as a bout of “Tylenol withdrawal,” and revealed the limits of music’s healing powers, particularly when it comes to the songs of Leonard Cohen.

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Megan O’Donnell

Megan O’Donnell, lyricist for the jam band, “Sofus” shared some of her poetry with us.

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Jon Gordon

Jon Gordon talked about some of the things that have happened for the book, “For Sue”, including recently being selected as a finalist in the memoir category by the National Indie Excellence Award. He also mentioned some conferences at which he presented the book this year, and one he is going back to in Honolulu in January where he’ll speak about his next book, Jazz Lives.

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Guenevere Donohue

Guenevere Donohue sang us out with a brand new original composition, a witty hard-driving song she calls, “Am I “Mc” Enough For Ya” or “The Narrowbacks Lament.” It was wicked fun the whole crowd could relate to, delivered in that soulful voice we have grown to love over the last three years. An exciting and inspiring way to conclude the salon!

Guenevere Donohue is the host of our next IAW&A Salon on 10/7 at Bar Thalia at 7 pm!

And don’t forget our Eugene O’Neill Lifetime Achievement Award for Patricia Harty on October 19th!

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2015-eugene-oneill-award-honoring-patricia-harty-of-irish-america-magazine-tickets-17926140569