To anyone who has listened for a minute or an hour while going for a long drive or shopping or going for a walk; to anyone who has shared their story with us in an interview or in the comments section or a voice-message or a facebook-message: thank you. You made it possible for us to celebrate our one-year anniversary with an open mic night at Words Matter Bookstore in Pitman, NJ this past August 3, and for us to have a simultaneous event online for people who could not join us in person.
Today’s podcast-drop is a little different from our usual fare; we are going to take you inside those two events, kicking it off with the four of us (Adam, Andrew, and Mary on location at Words Matter, with Erika joining us via Zoom from Florida) talking about our progress over the last year and sharing our own answers to the questionnaire we give all of our interviewees (minimal violent disagreement when we start talking about which books we do and don’t like).
After that you’ll get a listen to the amazing works of original poetry recited at the two events by denizens and regular visitors to The Ivory Tower Boiler Room, as well as by people we had never met before from around southern New Jersey, near Words Matter. We are so glad that they shared their voices with us, and, after witnessing their courageous and original performances, we hope to get to know them better.
The in-person event, hosted by Adam and Andrew and crewed by Mary, could not have been the success it was without the amazing work of Keryl at Words Matter Bookstore, and the Zoom-based-event, hosted by Erika, could not have been the success it was without Erika’s trusty co-hosts, Cameron McLeod Martin and Tiffany Sowa.
And it goes without saying (but we’re going to say it anyway) that the amazing readers in both events deserve a round of applause, and then another one after that.
The Program
The Open Mic Poetry In-Person Lineup
-an untitled poem by Marco Romeo (read by the poet) –“Five Realizations in Art Therapy” by Sophia K. (read by the poet) -“On Butterfly Wings” by Sean Wolff (read by the poet)
-“Teachers” (read by Kathy Rimby, yes Andrew’s mom) -“Taken Away” Paula Camacho (read by David Rimby, yup Andrew’s dad) -an untitled poem by Sarah Ortiz (read by the poet) -“Lighthouse in Disuse” by Julia Cassel (read by the poet) -“Waterscribbles” by Diana (read by the poet) -“The Orange” by Wendy Cope (read by Abby Haley) -“Shut Not Your Doors” by Walt Whitman (read by Andrew Rimby) -“PTSD” by Chandler Touchstone (read by the poet) -“Something for Them” by Halsey (read by Mary DiPipi) -“Song” by Allen Ginsberg (read by Adam Katz) -“Waves” by Adam Katz (read by the poet)
The Open Mic Poetry Virtual Lineup
-“Run” by A.K. (read by the poet, Ann Kaiser)
-“If” by Rudyard Kipling (read by Tiffany Sowa)
-“untied” by Erika Grumet (read by the poet)
-“Burger King Crown” by Cameron McCleod Martin (read by the poet)
-“The Night I Shattered in Order to be Reborn” by Camille Sowa (read by the poet)
Our Podcast Guest Questionnaire
1. What are you reading now?
2. What is something you have read and loved, and wish more people would read?
3. You’re taking a sick day from work. What movie are you putting on?
4. What’s a book everyone says you should read, but you either read it and disliked it, or haven’t read it?
Responses from the Attendees
Name: Marco Romeo
1. High Concept
2. I’m Dying Up Here
3. Uncut Gems
4. The Selfless Art of Not Giving a F@!k
Name: Unknown/Anonymous
1. The Four Agreements
2. The Plague-Camus
3. Disney’s Soul
4. Unanswered
Name: Kathy Rimby
1. The Soul of a Woman by Isabel Allende
2. This is the Fire by Don Lemon
3. Miss Congeniality or Overboard (with Goldie Hawn)
4. My teacher’s group chose 2 that don’t appeal to me at all: The Shoemaker’s Wife and Lady Clementine
Name: Unknown/Anonymous
1. Winning Ugly by Brad Gilbert and Steve Jamison
2. Of Mice and Men
3. Rocky
4. unanswered
Name: Unknown/Anonymous
1. Bacchanal by Veronica G. Henry
2. Palimpsest by Catherynne Valente
3. Howl’s Moving Castle
4. unanswered
Name: Sean Wolff
1. Original “On Butterfly Wings”
2. Emily Dickenson’s poetry
3. Practical Magic
4. unanswered
Name: Abby
1. Once Upon a Time I Lived on Mars by Kate Greene and My Year Abroad by Chang-rea Lee
2. The Old Man Who Read Love Stories by Wis Spulveda
3. The Half of It
4. Disliked: The Great Gatsby. Haven’t read: Girl, Woman, Other
Name: Sarah Ortiz
1. Ovid-Love Poems
2. Metamorphoses
3. Singing in the Rain
4. War and Peace
Name: David Rimby
1. Life is Magic (Jon Dorenbos with Larry Platt)
2. Life is Magic
3. Rocky I
4. Jackie Robinson, My Own Story (hasn’t read it but wants to)
Name: Renata Leo
1. Lies 20 Somethings Need to Stop Believing
2. A Separate Peace-I had to read it for school in high school, but it meant so much to me.
3. No movies! Sitcoms only.
4. I haven’t read the A Touch of Darkness series yet, but it’s on the list.
Name: Molly
1. Outlander series, and just finished The Secret Life of Bees (loved it)
2. Catcher in the Rye
3. Depends on my mood.
4. The Old Man and the Sea
Name: Unknown/Anonymous
1. Janet Evanovich-Twenty-Four (reading it for fun)
2. Anything by James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, John Grisham, Sue Grafton, James Patterson, John Sandford…I could go on…
3. Something Indie
4. So many books, so little time
Name: Unknown/Anonymous
1. This is the Fire by Don Lemon
2. Books by John lewis
3. Christmas in Connecticut
4. A Clockwork Orange
Name: Unknown/Anonymous
1. Billy Summers
2. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
3. Shawshank Redemption
4. Just Mercy by Bryan Stephenson
Name: Sofia K.
1. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
2. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
3. Harry Potter
4. Game of Thrones (never read but recommended)
Name: Dan Teats (instagram: hope_grows_here)
1. Clarity and Connection by Yung Pueblo
2. Inward by Yung Pueblo
3. Dramas like Things we Lost in the Fire or Terminator, no in-between!
4. The Bible
Name: Lauren
1. Atlantis Gene – A. G. Riddle
2. The Parable of the Sower – Octavia Butler
3. random TV
4. War and Peace
Just a reminder that we have our October Book Club so please RSVP to ivorytowerboilerroom@gmail.com.
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