You're Allowed :: March 6

C.L. Bledsoe, Tracy Dimond & music by The Mole Suit Choir 

You're Allowed :: Nov 6

Heather Rounds & Rachel Carstens

You're Allowed :: June 6th

Scott McClanahan, Mira Gonzalez & Megan Boyle

You're Allowed :: May 2nd

Christophe Casamassima & Ryan Eckes

After a great start at our new spot, Yellow Sign, we are back again with a night of Furniture Books Press and an open mic. As always, get there early if you'd like to sign up to read.

Doors at 8. Reading starts at something that feels like it might be 8:30.

Lit, Carnival Games & Music. What More is There?

There is a really long story about how this event came to be. But I won't bother with it because ... well, because its long and who really cares. What is important is that this event is going to be so smacktabulous that we had to get a whole bunch of other people to help us contain the crazy. We teamed up with 5ive:Ten, Shattered Wig, Publishing Genius, and Ink Press to put on a night of great readings, excellent music and carnival-type madness that you will find nowhere else.

Sat., April 20th @ 8PM
Metro Gallery

Readings by:

Matthew Savoca ("I Don’t Know,” I Said, to be released this month by Publishing Genius Press)
Michael Kimball (Us, Big Ray, and the newly released Michael Kimball Writes Your Life Story (On a Postcard)
Sarah Jean Alexander (I Imagine You in Your House, Cleaning Your Chest)
Tracy Dimond (Sorry I wrote So Many Sad Poems Today)
Amanda McCormick (Ink Press)
Batworth (featured in Shattered Wig)

Music by: 

Drunk Monk

Suggested $5 at the door

You're Allowed :: April 4th

Thus begins our new season of readings. And there's a lot new about this one. A new venue. A new magazine. And all that in addition to two featured readers that we are thrilled to host. But that's not even all there is. As we always do, we will be hosting contributors to AH Vol. 5 (yeah, I know... I'm surprised too ... we made it through five issues!) So, in addition to Jordan Castro (link link link) and Laura van den Berg (link link link) you can also hear short works by:

Tracy Dimond 

Mark Cugini
Timmy Reed 

Fitz Fitzgerald
Brooke Carlton
Andrew Sargus Klein
CarlaJean Valluzzi
Peter Schireson

Around Town :: Readings in March

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So if you're not completely wasted from AWP, and can stand the sight of another bunch of half-drunk literary types, here's our monthly list of readings in Baltimore that are certainly worth a bit of your time and (in some cases) your liver:

March 8th @ 7pm: Atomic Fiction Series presents both Jami Attenberg, author of The Middlesteins, and Jen Michalski, author of Could You Be With Her Now.
Atomic Books, Hampden.

March 9th and 10, 12pm-17pm: Fourth Annual Publications and Multiples Fair.
D Center Baltimore.

March 10th @ 4pm: Essential Sunday featuring Tree Turtle, Dina Marie Varsalone & Matt Muirhead.
Minas, Hampden.

March 15th @ 7:30pm: Furniture Press Books Affair featuring Toby Altman, Martine Bellen, Alyse Knorr, Magus Magnus, Chris Mason, Alicia Puglionesi & Joshua Ware.
The Black Squirl, DC.

March 16th @ 5pm: 5ive: Ten featuring Elliott Holt, Marie-Helene Bertino, Meghan Kenny, and Scott McClanahan.
Minas, Hampden. 

March 24th @ 4:30pm: An Afternoon Toad Splendor, featuring Megan McShea's new book, A MOUNTAIN CITY OF TOAD SPLENDOR (as read by Lauren Bender, R.M. O'Brien, Bonnie Jones, Rupert Wondolowski, John Eaton and, of course, Megan McShea). Music by The Mole Suit Choir and Electric Junk Band
The Windup Space.

March 28th @ 7pm: Atomic Fiction Series presents both Micheal Kimball, author of Michael Kimball Writes Your Life Story (On A Postcard), and Leigh Newman, author of Still Points North.
Atomic Books, Hampden

March 29th @ 8pm: Shattered Wig featuring Michael Kimball, Josh Fruhlinger, and Mr. Moccasin.
14 Karat Cabaret at 218 W. Saratoga St.

Recently added:

March 24th @ 2pm: Benevolent Armchair featuring Steve Matanle and Kendra Kopelke.
York Arts, PA.

March 14th @ 8pm: Chris Toll Memorial Reading.
WindUp Space.

Arround Town :: Baltimore Readings in Feb.

Our favorite new arrival to Baltimore is not The Vince Lombardi trophy (though we're really happy to have that, too) but the sudden influx of great writers, including Laura van den Berg, who seems to be just about everywhere (no less than Tracy Diamond--see below), and who recently highlighted Baltimore in a great review for Ploughshares. If you haven't read it yet, read it here. It'll give you a pretty comprehensive picture of the goings-on of this strange city of ours.

But to know when what's going on are going on, here's a list of things happening this month:

Tomorrow: Gin & Ink are holding a workshop at Liam Flynn's Ale House. Bring some poems and drink some beers with  two lovely, young ladies just featured on The Signal.

February 10: Essential Sundays Reading featuring e. megg magee, Melanie McCabe & Jennifer Dove at Minas. Doors at 4pm.

February 12: Poetry & Conversation, featuring Adam Robinson and Chris Mason. Enoch Pratt Central Library. Doors at 6:30pm.

February 13: Barrellhouse Issue 11 Launch Party. Before I tell you who's reading, I'll first mention that this is in Philly, not Baltimore. But it deserves a mention because everything we've ever seen Barrellhouse touch turns wonderful. So make the trip (consider yourself implored). Featuring: Sam Allingham, Joshua Isard, and Courtney Mauk. At (oddly enough) Raven Lounge. Happy hour from 5-7pm. Event will be held upstairs.

February 15: Stephanie Barber reads from her new book "Night Moves" at Atomic Books. Doors at 7pm 


February 15: A Dark Valentine, featuring two of our favorites, Mark Cugini and Tracy Dimond (see above). E.M.P. Collective. Doors at 8:30pm.

February 16: 5ive: Ten, featuring, Roy Kesey, Jen Michalski, Justin Sirois, and Tara Laskowski. Minas. Doors at 5pm.

February 19: Worms, featuring: Tracy Diamond (see above, again), Christopher Stackhouse, Jeremy Hoevenaar, and Brian Nicholson. Metro Gallery. Doors at 8pm.

February 21: Library Basement Reading Series, featuring MFA students from UB. Langsdale Library. Doors at 8:15pm.

February 24: Three Tents, featuring Laura van den Burg (some people just get around), Dan Gutstein, Matthew Salesses, and Sara Burnett. This is another one that's not in Baltimore that i just had to mention. I do it only with good reason. The Big Hut. Doors at 6pm. 

Just added:

February 21: MFA Reading Series @ UB, featuring Jehanne Dubrow. UB Student Center, Hilda and Michael Bogomolny Room. Doors at 7 p.m.

Around Town :: Baltimore Readings in January

Now for something like this...

"You're Allowed" is currently on break (though, we'll be back soon with some exciting news). But not to worry, there are many other excellent readings happening around Baltimore. And if you need something to take your mind off the New Year's resolution that, if you're like me, is driving you mad – e.g. to eat less/more, sleep less/more, have sex less/more, masturbate less/more, quit smoking, quit picking your nose, etc. – then take your mind off it by joining in a burgeoning, robust and, if I might say so myself, sexy literary community by checking out to one of the following:

TODAY: Read With a Crowd @ Bohemian Coffee House w/ Nancy Murray, Tim Paggi, Laura van den Berg. Doors at 7pm

January 12 : Say it with Writing w/ Adrian Van Young, Adam Prince, Laura van den Berg, and Charlotte Pence. Door at 7pm

January 13: Essential Sundays @ Minas w/ Steven Leyva & Nathan Leslie. Doors at 4pm

January 20: A Quietly Cosmic Afternoon @ Normals w/ Daniel Higgs, The Mole Suit Choir ("a duo of Liz Downing of Old Songs & Lurch & Holler with Rupert Wondolowski"), and some other crazyness that you'll just have to go to see. Doors at 3pm

January 22: Worms @ Metro Gallery w/ David Beaudouin, Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez, Kate Greenstreet, and Timmy Reed. Doors at 8pm

Fitz Fitzgerald & Andrew Keating

Around Town :: Baltimore Readings in Nov.

Our favorite Ad of all time

So we try to make this list every month but sometimes, well, we just don't. We forget. We're sometimes human. So as humans, or so I've heard, we don't do things we maybe should (which reminds me, I need to call my grandma).

But this month there was so much kinda cool shit going on that we said to ourselves, "Wow, we should write about these things." Then we thought, "Oh yeah, we're supposed to be doing that anyway" (and as you can tell by that dialogue, which is 50% inner-monologue, we all, all four editors at AH, think exactly the same thing using the the exact same turns of phrase to think them).

So here, in no particular order other than the order we just happened to come across these things, are the events happening in the BMore lit world (and a little beyond):

NEW ADDITIONS: November 12th at Goucher Collage - Colm Tóibín (author of Brooklyn, and The Master). Doors open at 8pm.

November 18th at The Big Hut in DC - Three Tents: Amber Sparks DC Release Party; featuring Amber Sparks, Matt Bell, Robert Kloss, and Dylan Nice. Doors at 6pm

November 30th at The 14 Karat Cabaret - Shattered Wig Night Returns; featuring poets Heather Fuller and Cort Bledsoe, and musical by Nathan Bell and Omoo Omoo. Doors at 9 pm. 

This Wednesday, November 7th at E.M.P Collective - WRITER'S BLOQ PRESENTS BLOQPARTY TOUR 2012: The Traveling Parisian Parlor. Doors open at 7.

MORE GOOD STUFF:

November 13th at the Metro Gallery - WORMS; featuring FITZ FITZGERALD, MICHAEL KIMBALL, KIM GEK LIN SHORT, and ALEX VENTURA. Doors open at 8pm.

November 17th at Minas Gallery - 5ive:Ten; featuring Matt Bell, Amber Sparks, Robert Kloss, and Julian Berengaut. Doors open at 5pm.

Also at Minas, November 11th - Essential Sundays; featuring Barrett Warner (a contributor to AH), Barbara DeCesare, and Gary Blankenburg. Doors open at 4pm.  

A little further than the rest, in DC, on November 14th - Stories on Stage, Presented by Barrelhouse Magazine; featuring Matt Willmott, Matt Bell, and a bunch of actors doing some acting and stuff. Doors at 7:30pm.

And last but not least is an event that, as it turns out, is kinda way far away from Baltimore, but we liked the idea so much that we had to list it here - 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Reading and Non-Perishable Food Drive in Frostburg, MD at Main Street books. Doors at 7:30pm.

Readings in September

To go with the fall weather that is (hopefully) right around the corner, September is bringing you (people-of-Baltimore-and-surrounding-area) a harvest of readings to pick and choose from.

Of course, to start out with, Artichoke Haircut’s release party is tonight. (I hear it is a real blast, you should probably come). Readers include, but are not limited to:
Lily Herman, Barrett Warner, Rupert Wondolowski, Carabella Sands, CL Bledsoe, Brooke Carlton, Justin Sirois, & Sid Gold

Reading at Gallery 788, Saturday 8th at 8 pm.
Readers: Steve Roggenbuck, Timmy Reed, Sarah Jean Alexander, Buttercup McGillicuddy, Matthew Falk, Earl Crown, & Carabella Sands

Nikki Pattin feature @ Essential Sunday September 9 at 4pm 

Sundays Reading at Minás
featruing Sandy Pattin
$3

Stories on Stage, Wednesday 12th at 7:30 pm.
D.C., (this is you, "people-of-Baltimore's-surrounding-area).

5ive:ten Reading, Saturday15th at 5pm.
Readers: Noy Holland, Laura van den Berg, Sam Michel, and the Lauren Bender

Conversations and Connections Conference, Saturday 22nd at 8:30am.
Philadelphia. Come say 'hi' to us while you're there! There will also be a lot a lot of great panels and oppurtunities to get your work looked at by editors from around the east coast.

Smartish Pace Reading & Music at the Baltimore BookFestival, Saturday 29th at 5 pm.
Who will be reading? Glad you asked!:
Madeleine Mysko & Bro. Yao (Hoke S. Glover III)

Book Festival, September 28th-30th starting at noon.
A B-more staple.

You're Allowed :: July 5th

Carrie Murphy & Kate Wyer

You're Allowed :: May 3rd

Jen Michalski & Stephanie Barber

Around Town :: Baltimore Readings in April

I know, I know, we all love that indefatigable bore T.S. Elliot. And yes, this is truly the cruelest month. It is April, and therefore cruel. I get it:

April, with your blossoms and births and colors and growing suns, you make us forget the inevitability and totality of Death, which waits, biding its time and thinking to itself: Play in your lush colors...go on, play. This second will tick past and all will be black soon enough.

But must we deduce from this that all must also be poetry? I'm not sure that Elliot's line and the sanctification of April as Poetry Month have much to do with one another, but if they do, then some calender maker or senator or whoever makes these months up had a pretty morbid impression of the art of poetry.

Nonetheless, it is April, and it is Poetry Month, and, I guess if we gotta be macabre about it, then yes, all things will also die. But before they and you do here are some readings you should go to. (Blam! Rhymed the ending. You're welcome Poetry Month).

-7th Annual CruMoPoPerFest: April 17 @ 6:30 PM. Artichoke Haircut (us) presents an editors feature, with readings by us: Justin Sanders, Jonathan Gavazzi, Adam Shutz, and Melissa Streat. And, as is to be expected, there shall be drunk [sic]. Village Learning Place.

-Conversations and Connections: April 21 @9am. This is not a reading, but it is a great event so I had to put it on the list. Our friends at Barrelhouse are holding a conference for writers and just for writers. Get advice on writing and working the illusive world of publishing. See the link for more details.

-Poetry in the Park Celebrates National Poetry Month: April 21 @ 7pm. Featured Guests: GRACE CAVALIERI, JOELLE BIELE, & singer-songwriter KATHLEEN BRASINGTON. At the Severna Park Community Center.

-Benevolent Armchair Reading: April 22 @ 3pm. Featuring Mischelle Anthony and Cliff Lynn. At The Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower. 

-Poetic Formal: April 26 @ 6:30pm. Come in your best (or worst) formal wear for a reading of form poems. Village Learning Place.

-CruMoPoPerFest NaPoMo Sendoff at Waverly Library: April 28 @ 11am. There is a bunch of stuff going on at this reading so click the link for more details. 

-Last Sunday, Last Rites: April 29th @ 7pm. Featuring Barrett Warner, Jessica Dotson, Jen Michalski, and Karen Lillis. Baltimore Hostel.

You're Allowed :: April 5th

Featuring Jessica Anya Blau & Sea Couch

Around Town :: Baltimore Readings in March

This picture has nothing to do with anything. Accept it and we'll all be happy.

Here's our list of literary happenings this month in Baltimore. If I missed your event, you can post it in the comments section below or look me up on facebook and yell at me.

----------------------

Smartish Pace featuring Campbell McGrath & Piotr Gwiazda; Sat, March 9 @ 2pm; Walters Art Museum

Towson Literary Reading Series featuring Valzhyna Mort; Tue, March 13 @ 5:30pm; Towson Room, Cook Library, Towson University

5ive:ten featuring Elisabeth Dahl, Justin Sirois, J. R. Angelella, Karen Lillis; Sat, March 17 @ 5pm; Minas

Say It with Writing featuring Lauren Bender, Melissa Broder, Zachary Schomburg, Janaka Stucky; Mon, March 19 @ 6:30pm; 1818 East Lafayette Ave

The Lit Show! featuring Cathy Alter, Aaron Henkin, and Jim Meyer; Thurs, March 22, 2012 @ 8pm;  Creative Alliance

ILLITERATI featuring Adam Shutz and some other people who are not that important*; Friday, March 23, 2012; 8:30pm; The Pent House Gallery (you better ask somebody)

* also Jack Combs, Brooke Carlton, Lily Herman, Chris Toll, Erik Pecukonis, Hunter Jaffe, Jon Gavazzi, Julianna Dzierwa, Sarah Jane Miller, Timmy Reed, Adam Beaver, and featuring music by Dean (Motherfucking) Cercone. 

WORMS featuring Justin Sirois' "Falcons on the Floor" Release Party, with philosopher/author Alphonso Lingis and screening of FALLUJAH: A LOST GENERATION?; Tuesday, March 27 @ 6pm; Metro Gallery

Skittering Thhhing chapbook Release Party featuring Julie Fisher and lots more: Olu Butterfly
Barbara Decesare, Femi the Dri Fish, Deanna Nikaido, Alan Reese, David Native Son Ross, and Rupert Wondolowski; Fri, March 30 @ 7:30pm; Soper Room at Goucher College

You're Allowed :: One Year Anniversary

It's our One Year Anniversary Party, with two great writers from Publishing Genius:

-Rupert Wondolowski
-Joseph Young

That's right, we've been doing the "You're Allowed" series for one year... I know, it's hard for us to believe too. We'll have cake, party hats and glitter bombs... Hold on, are we having glitter bombs? I can't remember. Anyway, it'll be fun.

Open mic as always. Show up early to sign up.

P.S. This is not the first Thurs. of the month. Keep that in mind. We delayed the event a week because of AWP. Chicago!

"You're Allowed" :: Upcoming Readings

Around Town :: Baltimore Readings in February

This picture has nothing to do with the post, but so what... zip zap rap bitch.

Looking for a reading in Baltimore, well there's some good'ens happening this month. Here are a few of the one's I know of. If you know of others feel free to post them below.

-Benevolent Armchair Poetry Reading: Featuring Cheryl Quimba and our friend Mike Young. Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 3 pm. Bromo Seltzer Art Tower: 21 South Eutaw Street.

-5ive:ten Readings: Featuring Lia Purpura, Adam Robinson, Timmy Reed (aka Walmart*, one of our lovely past contributors), and Isaac James Baker. Saturday, February18, 2012 at 5 pm. Minas: 815 W. 36th Street.


-Last Sunday, Last Rites!: Featuring Dave K (this guy is in our newest issue), e. megg magee, and Robin Gunkel. Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 7 pm. HI Baltimore Hostel: 17 West Mulberry Street.

Just Added:

-University of Baltimore's MFA Reading Series: Featuring Barbara DeCesare and Stephanie Barber. Monday, February 13 at 7 pm. Hilda and Michael Bogomolny Room at the UB Student Center (the top floor). Mt. Royal Ave (I don't have the address, Google it).

*This is an inside joke I'm not even sure Timmy will get. Oh well. Timmy, trust me, it's funny.