Today I accepted a Facebook invite from a friend to Mr. Beller's Neighborhood. This is a website that supports writers who write on New York City. A monthly reading is held and this time it was at The Happy Ending Lounge in Chinatown. I swear this place looked like a front for something, not a cool cafe New York stories reading venue. I entered cautiously as I have white slavery issues and inside I saw my friend Steve and a friendly crowd of writerly types.
Steve Turtell is a writer who has a book of poetry published that is available on Amazon. I had never heard his stuff before it was quite fine. I loved his story and his poems. Way to go Steve! You can read his stuff on the Mr. Beller's site linked above.
Before I even went a friend wrote to me on Facebook that he saw that I was going to this and a guy from his work, Andrew, was going too and I should say hello which I did. Once again social networking makes the world smaller. A little creepy, but I liked it.
The first reader was a woman whom I recognized immediately. Leslie Nipkow. OMG. We used to both be in Weight Watchers together. I hope she doesn't mind me writing that. She is an Emmy Award winning writer and essayist. (Who needs Weight Watchers when you have an Emmy! Screw everyone else, I say!) She is also the one who told me about taking dance classes at Alvin Ailey. I had no idea mere mortals could do that and I did thanks to here. What an odd, small world way to reunite. It was really fun to see her and catch up. We are now Facebook friends. I loved her stuff too.
Mr. Beller's Neighborhood may become mine once I write some essays on my life here in the Big Apple. But meanwhile it remains less and less big! I keep running into people and meeting people in the darnedest places!
On my way out The Happy Ending Lounge had velvet ropes and a bouncer outside and was turning into a nightclub for the evening. I went home and turned in. Period.
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