The History of Spilled Ink
or
How on Some Nights I Stopped Talking and Wrote Something Down
YEAR 10
WRITERS: BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE!
HOLY CRAP! TEN YEARS?!
1-12-24
Spilled Ink East was on Zoom only.
Kathleen Kinsolving just listened, and Chanice Withers popped in and out.
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson – “A Poem for My Brothers and Sisters,” “When Great Art Is Born in The
Face of Scorn,” and “Tastebuds”
Micheal Sensale - "Food Fight" and "Food of Thought"
Eloise Wallace – “The Talking Old Chair”
Lesley Tyson – “Start with a Cigarette,” “Cento from What Matters,” and “New Year Cento”
Megan McDonald – “A Square Root Poem,” “On the Way Beyond” and “Who Are You?”
Kim Miler – “Internal Thoughts” and “We Write”
Joy Martin [from Boston] – “Hopefulness, Drawn and Quartered”
Tony Atkinson – “I Wish for Peace Today”
Cory Bledsoe – “Doors” and “Eyelashes”
Beverly Ann Bendekgey – a short story, “The Awakening”
Kris Heaton – “Small Spaces”
Me – Two Dutton/Cherry Conjunction Rotation Day pieces, “Pizza Problem” and “Clever and Clever”
Kris Heaton has become famous!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvBL6GxK4FY&t=242s&pp=ygUbcG93ZXIgcmFuZ2VycyBwc3ljaG8gbWVuYWNl
1-26-24
Spilled Ink at Jirani Coffeehouse
16 readers
Brittany Anderson – “Horizon Line,” “Why It’s Always Been You,” “What My Children Think I
do,” and two Haiku - “Underwear,” and “My Body”
Becks Sosa – “Napkin Words”
Louis Mateus – “Opening Act,” “And Where Was It Not Written?” and “Star Gazing”
Aidan McBride [Student at Colgan HS] [First Timer] – “Hey, You”
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson – “Moon Room,” “Tastes,” and “How Do You Make Ketchup Taste
Better?”
Alice Mergler – Two Haiku - “Green Light” and “Let’s Eat Cake!”
Jim Boucher – “Manifold Destiny,” “Unsettling Legendary Notion,” and “Thereabouts”
Maggie Saunders [Student at Colgan HS] – “White”
Cathy Hailey – Reading from her daughters’ chapbook, From Interstate Lines: “Backroads,” “Irises,”
and “I Smile”
Brian Donnell James – “Island Girl,” “Granny Tilly,” and “Tillage of Earth”
Amy Nicole Morris [Teacher] – “Where I’m From,” “Upper Hand,” and one Haiku, “You Can’t Be A
Ghost”
Maddie Mathers [Student at Colgan HS] – “Little Moments of Peace” and “I Always Liked You”
Kathleen Kinsolving – Another scene from her play, “Rosaleen”
Michael Sensale – “Luck” and “Time”
Gail Williams – A memoir, “Cold Turkey”
Me – “Comfort and Joy”
2-9-24
Spilled Ink East was on Zoom only. [9:00PM start due to Jack’s basketball game]
Cory Bledsoe – “They Make a Noise Like Feathers,” “I Wish You Were Fun,” and “All the Doors
Thrown Open”
Beverly Ann Bendekgey – “Ghosts” and “Horizons”
Me – “Comfort and Joy,” “Inner Simmering,” and “Dear Softball”
2-10-24
ScribbleCon24 at Benton Middle School
ScribbleCon24 was a HUGE success!
On Saturday, February 10th, there were 65 parents and students representing 10 schools:
· Goshen Elementary
· Nokesville School
· Saunders MS
· Benton MS
· Reagan MS
· Potomac Shores MS
· Lake Ridge MS
· Unity Braxton MS
· Willard MS
· Colgan HS
Article by Andrea Yarbough
The hallways of Benton Middle School in Manassas, Virginia, are alive with the sound of children. Footsteps slap against the tile floor as students move into their classrooms. They grab a seat. Pull out a pencil. Begin writing. But they shouldn’t be here.
That’s because the students entering the classrooms of Benton Middle School are visiting on a Saturday, a day more frequently reserved for sleeping in, watching cartoons, and playing video games, not attending classes with instructors assigning exercises. So, what could bring these students (and their parents) out to school on what is usually the most unacademic day of the week? ScribbleCon!
ScribbleCon is a community writing event organized by author and National Writing Project Teacher-Consultant, John Dutton. Now in its second year, ScribbleCon provides students and their families an opportunity to engage in risk-free creative writing, selecting from a range of topics designed to capture the imagination of all who attend.
Dutton conceived of the idea after attending a similar event a few years earlier, one that was sadly lost in the wake of COVID. Together with fellow author, Michael Sensale, Dutton blended the writing elements of the earlier event with annual themed conventions which provide opportunities for like-minded people to come together. From those two ideas, ScribbleCon was born. In February 2023, Dutton, together with an impressive collection of writers, kicked off the inaugural event.
The 2024 event was even larger than the first with more presenters, more participants, and more topics which ranged from developing ideas for writing to seeking publication.
This year’s celebration of writing kicked off with Keynote Speaker Maryel Stone’s exploration of Strong Female Characters. As her speech concluded, writers eagerly scurried off to the classrooms where they spent time playing with poetry, experimenting with tone, and discovering new worlds.
But the students weren’t the only ones lost in language that day. Their parents were invited to take part in the event as well, enjoying quality time with their children or, in some cases, quality time away from their children as they celebrated themselves as writers for a few peaceful moments.
When asked why he dedicated so much of his personal time to developing and hosting this event, Dutton explained that he “just loves seeing the smiles on participants’ faces” and that he enjoys creating a space where parents can “write along with their children.” And judging from the excitement in the hallways—including on the faces of former students who returned specifically to attend the event—it is clear that Dutton has hit his mark.
Plans are already underway for ScribbleCon 2025. Dutton is actively seeking participants both to host and attend the workshop sessions. If you would like more information on how you or your students can be part of this great event, contact John Dutton at: SpilledInkVA@gmail.com and include the word “ScribbleCon” in the subject line.
2-23-24
Spilled Ink at Jirani Coffeehouse
10 readers
Carlos Corpeno [First Timer] – Read an excerpt from an educational textbook he is studying, “On Leadership”
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson – “Dianah,” “Nor’easter: Storm’s A-comin’,” and “Love Never Dies”
Maddie Mathers [Colgan HS] – “I Do Not Always Like You,” “A Poem Called Poem,”
“I Want to be Worth Something,” and “Do You Really Forgive Me”
Brittany Anderson – “47 Minutes,” “Love Me in Black,” and “When We Talk”
Kimberly Ray – “Fingertip Ballet,” “Never Will We,” and “Searching for a Mind Eraser”
Jim Loper – Spoke the song, “Rocket Man” by Elton John
Gail Williams – A memoir, “Making My Day”
Art Schuhart – [NOVA Teacher] – Selections from his book: “That Argument Is,”
“The Path to Her Heart,” “Out the Door,” and “A Crazed and Rusty Lancelot”
John Cowgill – “Hunt for Deer” and “The Bone Stranger, Part 2”
Me – “Inner Simmerings” and “Nothing Better”
3-8-24
Spilled Ink East was on Zoom only.
Eloise Wallace listened.
Katherine Gotthardt – “Apologies to the Trashmen” and “For My *Thriends”
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson – “Cranes & Kites,” “Grammar,” and “To Emily: As Only I Knew Her”
Cort Bledsoe – “Fly Around My Pretty Lil Miss,” and “The Yips”
Kris Heaton – “Kairo”
Michael Sensale – “Missing Inaction, Parts 17-21”
Me – “Nothing Better”
3-22-24
Spilled Ink at Jirani Coffeehouse
23 readers!
Dan Wanamaker – “Pictures for My Birthday” and “Growing Older”
Alice Mergler – “That’s My Cooper, Big 11” and “How to Watch a Regatta”
Anant Dhavale – “Fragments,” “A Woke Wimp,” and “Cold Days of Winter”
Micheal Sensale – “The Four Horseman”
Lauren Tansey – “There’s One Man” and “The Vacancy”
Morgan Hazelwood – “Tired”
Miriam “Micah” Redmer [First Timer] [Colgan HS] – “Wrong,” “Sorry, Not Sorry,” and “Maybe it’s
the Pretty Boy”
Cameron Stopak – “Honesty is Not the Best policy”
Dave Martin – “The Song of the Ham-Fisted Man” and “Sister Consuelo”
Louis Mateus – An excerpt from a short story, “To the Old House with Coins”
Paulette Garner – “Of Dust – Are We Really Any Different?” and “Provider and Way Maker”
Gail Williams – “The Well Pump” and “Making My Day”
Megan McDonald – “A House in Furball,” “You Have Reached…” and “Epiphytes”
John Cowgill – “Jamacia Joe,” “A Message from Elmer J. Fudd,” and “Water in the Pot”
Artik – “Only You Can Decide” and “You Know Me, but Do You Love Me”
Jillian Sorrell [Our Barista] – “Pretend”
Bob Saunders [First Timer] [Father of Maggie] – “Subcutaneous Dairy”
Wills D. Uan – “Lemon,” “Pupils,” and “Landfill”
Lesley Tyson – “Outrun this Thing Called Mine,” “Blue Tear,” and “What Needs a Page”
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson – “Ode to a Wrapper,” “Dog Gone,” and “There was No Need to go Viral”
Maddie Mathers [Colgan HS] – “Meat” and “Never Seeing You Again”
Maggie Saunders [Colgan HS] – “Vermillion,” “Window Shopping,” and “Ballad of an Unchosen One”
Me – “Cleanliness Through the Clutter” and “Writers’ Workshop”
4-12-24
Live from Drew’s Bookstore in Warrenton
Hosted by Mary Rook
I know there were ten presenters of songs, poetry, and stories.
The Inkers who read were:
Mary Rook
Paulette Gardner
Alice Mergler
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson
4-19-24
A special “Third Friday” event due to a double booking at Jirani.
Spilled Ink at Jirani Coffeehouse
16 readers
Lorelei O’Neill [First Timer] – “Disgusting,” “Pretty,” and “Struggling to Convince Myself”
Jeff Miller [First Timer] – “Falsely Accused, An Abstract”
Catherine Imholtz [First Timer] – “Chance” and “Stained”
Jesse Aviles [First Timer] – The Giant’s Song” and “Artisan”
Alice Mergler – “Is Walking a Sport?”
Michael Sensale – “Weather-Vision” and “Apotheocolypse”
Jillian Sorrell [Our barista] – “Forever Changing” and “Forget Me Not”
Brian Donnell James – “Daughter,” “Lore,” and “Cradle Princess”
Morgan Hazelwood – “A Little Whisper”
Maggie Saunders [Colgan HS] – “Margins,” “Mundanity,” and “Like a Dove, Like a Bonfire”
Gail Williams – A memoir, “The Long-lasting Shame”
Louis Mateus – “One Evening Stand at the Library,” “The Lark and the Owl,” “Dinner at the Pink
Restaurant”
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson – “Honest, I Never Said a Word,” “The Mistress and Her Mate,” and
“Reflection in an Antique Mirror”
Mike Higgins – “Never,” “Occum’s Razor,” and “Guilty Pleasure”
Maddie Mathers [Colgan HS] – “White Horse” and “Movie Teenagers”
Me – “Season of the Lost Summer” and “Bliss”
5-4-24
A special “pop up” event at the Write by the Rail’s Writing Workshop
Clearbrook Center for the Arts
9 readers
Maryel Stone – “In the Killing Fields”
Danielle Brooks – “The Silence”
Sharon Krasny – “Morning Rose” [She is an avid gardener]
Andrea Yarbough – “Stripped Bare”
Bill Jeffries [First Timer] – Excerpt from his novel on his years at the Naval Academy,
“Remembered and Reminded”
Terry Owsley [First Timer] – Intro to his new novel, “Bittersweet”
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson – “Old Wives’ Tale”
Desiree Earl [First Timer] – Excerpt from her book, “Connected to Him”
Toni Veigel [First Timer] – Excerpt from her book, “Under the Rainbow”
5-10-24
Live from Drew’s Bookstore in Warrenton
Hosted by Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson
I know there were seventeen presenters of songs, poetry, and stories.
Tonight was the last night Drew’s was going to have live entertainment before closing its doors.
Readers:
Steve Bucher – “Solstice Night,” “As If to Stay,” and “Hand at the Door”
Peter Jackson – “Flying at Dawn Over the Eastern Seaboard” and “The Tidal Wave”
Paulette Garner – “Web Masters” and “Hard Place”
Alec Kaloudis – “Backyard,” “Huntley Meadows,” “Kindergarten,” “Dance Lessons,” and
“Star Gazing at the Beach”
Whitney Pipkin – “Suburban Sundays,” “There is a Poem,” “Keep Them Young,” “The Mental Load,”
and “Season Of Life”
Dottie Ward-Wimmer – “Unforgetting” and “In the Spirit of Clay”
Julianne Carr - “Days were . . .” “Artificial Flowers,” “405,” and “Envy or Longing”
5-24-24
Spilled Ink at Jirani Coffeehouse
18 readers
Brittany Anderson – “Honey Do List,” “Another Round,” and “Useless Information”
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson – “Trying Not to be a Non Sequitur,” “A Note Found Next to the Pressed
Rose,” “Let the Healing Begin”
Paulette Garner – “Balancing Act” and “Joy Awaits”
Lydia Lewis [First Timer] – “Amusing Situation,” “Peaches,” and “On Seas of Liquid Sound”
Jackie Davey – “Eclipse, August 2017” and “Eclipse, April 2024”
Louis Mateus – “Poisson D’Avril” (French), “The Absence I Mean,” and “Parkour”
Jim Loper – “Dirty Harry and the Missing Rattler” (as in rattlesnake!)
Susan Bennett – “Death Wish,” “In the Center Ring,” and “Covid Spring”
Kathleen Kinsolving – “The Tooth”
Gail Williams – “Owen”
Jesse Aviles – “Estrella,” “Nido,” and “Stork” (The first two are in Spanish)
Micah Redmer – “Winged Boy,” “White,” and “Filling Blanks”
Maggie Saunders – “Fair Food,” “New York City Gothic,” (poems) and “End Scene” (story)
Michael Sensale – “Broken Ground” (parts 1 and 2) and “Hospital Hack”
Sebastian Ledezma [First Timer] – “I Have a Headache” and “Finding Me in You” plus two haiku,
“I Wish I Was There” and “I Sign All the Mail”
Alice Mergler – “Rewriting Poems” and “Dear Olivia”
Antonia Kilday – “Foolish Heart,” “Warning,” “He Saved me,” “Dirty Dishes,” and “Taste Soil”
Me – “Pollen”
6-14-24
Spilled Ink East was on Zoom only.
*I was driving Jack to a baseball game in Maryland, so I just listened. Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson hosted.
Megan McDonald - “Everything but the Kitchen Sink” and “Lore of Stone”
Leslie Tyson – “Just Once,” “Crossroads,” and “Family Recipes”
Ruth Matthews – Just to be Helpful”
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson
Beverly Ann Bendekgey
Sandy O’Connor
6-26-24
Spilled Ink at Jirani Coffeehouse
11 readers
Alice Mergler – “7th Son”
Dave Martin – A poem by his daughter, “Church Bells Heard on the Playground” and “Just Before It
Rains”
Brittany Anderson – “How to Love Her,” “Greenhouse,” and “Era”
Beau Wentz [First Timer] – The prologue to his fantasy novel, “The Fall of Capillee”
Mike Higgins – “Darkside of Attachment.” “Cromulent,” and “Best Day Ever”
Leigh Renfrow – “Brave,” “Kinsugi,” and “Through My Eyes”
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson – “Warrior Chiefs,” “Self-Taught,” and “Snow”
Carol Covin – “What Am I Going to Do with All This Free Time?”
Gail Williams – “A Blast from the Past”
Louis Mateus – “Ahead of Schedule,” “Chrysalis,” and “Taking the Bull by the Horns”
Me – “Love is a Four-Letter Word,” “Kitchens,” “No Place I’d Rather Be,” and “The First Stage of an Artist”
7-12-24
Spilled Ink East was on Zoom only.
Andrew Smiley listened.
Toni Veigel – Chapter 8 of her novel, “Under the Rainbow”
Eloise Wallace – “My Grandpa Had Two Best Friends”
Megan Mcdonald – “Out of,” “Poem in the Kitchen,” and “When You Realized Parents…”
Michael Crowley – “The Guru,” “No, that’s a Lie,” and “I Cried for the Fate of the World”
Joy Martin from Boston – “Perspectives”
Me – “Beach Trip: Far from a Sunday Drive in the Park”
7-26-24
Spilled Ink at Jirani Coffeehouse
Hosted by Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson
13 readers
Maggie Saunders - “Victim” and “Shape Shifter City"
Bob Saunder – Short Poem
Brian Donnell James – “Family,” “Beautiful,” and “Creole Girl”
Maddie Mathers - “The Most Beautiful”
John Cowgirl – “The Flight of the Tomahawk” and “The Legend of Will Walkie Jones”
Morgan Hazelwood – “Unreal Struggles”
Mike Higgins – “The Hug,” “Trisomy,” and “True Heartbeats”
Gail Williams - The Purse” and “Devil on the Wall”
Michael Sensual - “The Knight Shade Files”
Marjorie Cenese [First Timer] – “Sheltered” and “Mermaid City, My Love”
Jesse Aviles – “Honey,” “Las Caras Lindas,” and “Give me liberty or give me death”
Cathy Hailey – “Thoughts of a Garden Chipmunk”
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson – “A Postcard Instead of Text,” “A Lover’s Drowning,” “A Dance of Time,” and “Ride the Wave”
8-9-24
Spilled Ink East was on Zoom only.
No titles – Jack had a basketball tournament Pennsylvania. I left early to get Jack dinner.
Brian Donnell James
Lesley Tyson
Megan McDonald
Tina Nagy
Eloise Wallace
Me
8-26-24
Spilled Ink at Jirani Coffeehouse
15 readers
Wills D Uan – “Shy Guy,” “Landfill,” “Light,” and “Be You”
Mike Higgins – “Sunrise and Sunsets,” “Vulnerability,” and “Virtues”
Beaux Wentz – “Omnipresent” and “Reminiscing”
Michael Sensale – Two excerpts from new Knight Shade novel, “Armed Robbery in Progress” and
“Olivia Calls Nick”
Maddie Mathers [Colgan HS] – “Femininum” and “Femininus” (Latin for Feminism)
Maggie Saunders [Colgan HS] – “Shapeshifter City,” “Fair Food,” Vermillion,” and
“Window Shopping”
Morgan Hazelwood – “The Window” and “Mixed Feelings”
Tom “Dr. Love” Burson – “Darning Socks,” “Moon Wine,” and “A Poem for my Brothers and Sisters”
Alice Gladwell [First Timer] – “Clouds”
Tina Nagy – A memoir, “The Party”
Louis Mateus – “Village Painting on my Dining Room Wall,” “Behind Schedule,” and
“The Collapsing Wall of Rock Under Me”
Brittany Anderson – “Thank You Note,” “Dream House” and “A Poem Made Out of Questions”
Brian Donnell James – “Willy T and the Young Tender,” “Hispanic Girl,” and “Cinema”
Gail Williams – “The Obituary” and “Panel Discussion”
Me – “Hold My Beer,” “Kitchens,” and “Delightful Distractions”
9-13-24
Spilled Ink East was on Zoom only.
Brian Donnell James just listened.
Tina Nagy – “Buffalo Summer” (Short story)
Katherine Gotthardt – “ Goldfish”
Beverly Ann Bendekgey – “Work Ethic,” “Traps,” “Day Tripper,” and “Ride’m Cowboy”
Andrew Smiley – Read “Bait” by Jacob Saenz
Lesley Tyson – “Mind Rain,” “Disassembling Geometry,” and “Lucky Enough to See the Lines”
Eloise Wallace – “The Simple Things”
Me – “Hold My Beer”
Arts Alive 2024
Hylton Performing Arts Center
9-14-24
Brian Donnell James – “Granny Tilly,” “Ode to Arline,” and “Beautiful”
Michael Sensale – “Ode to Bookstores," "Back to School," and "The Knight Shade Files: Open Slay"
Alice Mergler – “Ode to a Marsh,” “Eagle,” “In Tribute to September 11th,” and “The DMV”
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson – “Emotional Recovery -- Too Often A Myth," “Let The Healing Begin,"
"Scent of Rain On A Morning's Breath," and "Vanity”
Maryel Stone – “Killer Fairies - Prompts for Writing a Blurb”
Cathy Hailey – “This is Just to Say…” [Haibun poem] and “Passing Through”
Kathy Smaltz – “Ferry Crossing”
Sue Burson [First Timer] – She read two of Tom’s poems: “Beach Combers” and “Cranes and Kites”
Nina Miller [NOVA Woodbridge] [First Timer] – “Song of the Night,” “You Sent a Kiss,” and
“A Trade”
Paulette Garner (Read by Alice) – Two Haiku: “Gifts” and “My Phone”
Alex Fulda [First Timer] – “Halloween: A Musical Essay”
Brittany Anderson – “Business as Usual”
Me – “The Season of the Lost Summer,” “Wake Me Up Before You Go,” and “Comfort in the Comfort”
9-27-24
Spilled Ink at Jirani Coffeehouse
20 readers
Alice Mergler – “Maybe Tomorrow” and Funeral: Tuesday, September 23rd”
Micah Redmer [Colgan HS] – “Fly,” “Fall Again,” “Ballpoint Pen,” and “A Life to Write About”
Ananbel Aruizo [First Timer] – “Mental Health Matters, Hear Me Out”
Greg Komitsky – The beginning of his novel, “Grind House”
Alice Gladwell – “These Walls,” “Working,” and “Valued Roles”
Jesse Aviles – “Te Quiero”
Maddie Mathers – “What Comes Around” and “Femininum, or What I Would Tell the Younger Me”
Amber Carlson [First Timer] – “Rubberbanding”
Brittany Anderson – “Burning,” “The Finishing Line,” and “The Queen’s Tears”
Bob Saunders – “Slurred Verb Turbulence”
Maggie Saunders [Colgan HS] – “Empty Tree Fort,” “Ballad of the Chosen One” and “Sapling”
Ellie Saunders [First Timer] – “The Wolves”
Avi (A-vee) Stein [First Timer] – “In Which the Human Body is a Boat”
Beau Wentz – “Trees” and “A Note in a Train Station”
John Cowgill – “The Great Adventures of Captain Joe” and “The Spilled Ink Baseball Game”
Michael Sensale – Night Shade stories, “Nemesis” and an excerpt, “Building Code Violations”
Gail Williams – “Owen and Friends”
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson – “Blues for a Memory in a Minor Chord,” “Reflecting After an
Anniversary,” and “Define Weeds”
Tina Nagy – “City,” “Suburb,” and “Forest”
Me – “Teacher’s Best Friend,” “Standing in Cool Waters,” and “Must Keep Writing”
10-11-24
Spilled Ink East was on Zoom only.
Wills D. Uan – “Lonely Throne”
Meagan McDonald - “Bars,” “Pickpocket,” and “Promontory”
John Cowgill – “The Great Feast of Valton” and “The Legend of Larry the Lobster”
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson – “Gee” and “Real Magic”
Lesley Tyson – “Just Off Balance,” “Needing a Star,” and “Weather Elsewhere”
Michael Sansale - "Nemesis", "Unmasked", "New Knight Shade Files", and experimental horror piece,
“The Meal”
Eloise Wallace – “Living in the Fear of the Chemical Plant”
Me – “Frankenstein Lives in My Classroom”
10-12-24
Prince William County Poet Laureate Crowning Ceremony
Holy cow! I won!
10-25-24
Spilled Ink at Jirani Coffeehouse
16 readers
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson hosted because both kids had sports.
Zette (Zet) St. Charles [First Timer] – “She Must Go!”
Lito Rios – “Nina Carinosa” and “Dry Your Eyes”
Brian Donnell James – “A. Ababba,” “Dear Brother John,” and “Grandma”
John Cowgill – “The Great Monster,” “The Bar,” and “The Speaking Forest”
Amber Carlson – “Ejection Sensitivity” and “Lithium”
Louis Mateus – “On Lending a Helping Hand”
Michael Sensale – “The Meal”
Gail Williams – “Why I Don’t Know Football”
Kelli Stenhouse [First Timer] – Excerpt from her book, “Dress Better, Feel Better”
Kathleen Kinsolving – “La Pieta”
Jesse Aviles – “Tres Muertes,” “Cetro Torcido,” and “A Monster We All Live With”
Morgan Hazelwood – Haikus and Tankas
Richard Caponetti [Teacher / Lake Ridge] – excerpt from his novel, “Tiempo”
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson – “Marmalade Miracles,” “Promise,” and “Like Magic”
Brittany Anderson – “Glowing Waters” and “Moon Landing”
11-8-24
No Spilled Ink East on Zoom.
Doh! I totally forgot! I was juggling two kids because my wife was out of town. I just got home and realized I forgot to start the Zoom. Sorry for the inconvenience.
11-13-24
Guest Author for Sharon Kransy at Kettle Run HS
Poem I Wrote:
Llamas laughed at Larry the Lion
when Larry announced he wanted to go flyin’.
“I’ll accept any challenge and meet any dare,
Just get me up into the beautiful, blue air.”
On the day of the event, all gathered around.
They all wanted to see Larry hit the ground.
The liftoff was grand, and everyone cheered.
No one knew it was the altitude Larry feared.
Larry flew circles int the deep blue sky.
He swooped and soared that time flew bye.
His fears vanished as he had so much fun.
His fright removed; Larry’s new life had just begun.
11-22-24
Spilled Ink at Jirani Coffeehouse
13 readers
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson hosted because Elise scheduled a date night.
Brittany Anderson - “I Could Do That, Or…”
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson - “Honest I Never Said a Word,” “I Can’t Say,” and “Moon Wine”
Cejay Hillard [First Timer] – “A Moon Soothes / The Moon’s Truth”
Vince Harrison [First Timer] - “Silent Conversation” and “The Afterglow”
Alice Gladwell - “Funny Mirror” and “The Question”
Zet St. Charles - “A Love Song”
Morgan Hazelwood - “Haunted by An Enemy”
Gail Williams - “The Seed or Not” and “Bob’s House”
Maddie Mathers - “Would You Still Love Me If I was a Worm”
Michael Sensale - “Unmasked”
Amber Carlson – “Vacation in Nineveh” and “Lithium”
Beau Wentz - “Mask After Mask”
Theo Gubser [First Timer] - “When I Try to Concentrate”
Elisa Oh [First Timer] - “Cape Pomum” and “Manhole Covers 1,2, 3, and 4”
12-13-24
Spilled Ink East on Zoom only.
Hosted by Thomas "Dr. Love" Burson
Brooke and I listened on the drive back from Maryland.
Joy “Boston” Martin
Eloise Wallace – Christmas poem
Thomas “Dr. Love” Burson
C. D. Bledsoe – I remember he read a powerful memoir about growing up in Louisiana as a child.
12-27-24
No Spilled Ink at Jirani due to the Christmas / Winter holiday.
