Who knew? Because I went to one-too-many readings in which there were too many readers, reading for too long, I said to the guy who owns KGB: "give me my own night (please)." And he did, and I began to put together a reading series dedicated to the proposition that readings should be excellent, well-read pieces that have at least one thing in them that makes people laugh (nervous laughter counts), and don't run more than 15 minutes each.
I stole (with permission) the series name from a writer friend who, in describing the photography on one of our favorite shows, called it "Drunken! Careening! Cameramen!"
So on a windy night in 2004, so cold the dinosaurs were
sticking to the streets, we started our little vodka klatch in the
friendly confines of KGB. In those days, the far-off future of 2009,
when we'd all have jet packs and be living underwater seemed like just
a dream. But they're here, dammit, and so are we! And we're not going
anywhere. At least until last call.
Now cited as "Essential
New York" by TimeOut New York, and "Least Boring Reading Series" by
Shecky's, we embark on our latest escapade with a stellar crew.
Carol Rosenfeld
Greg Sanders
And your hostess
Kathleen Warnock
We are celebrating with our dear friend Carol Rosenfeld, who read at the first DCW (and many times since); Greg Sanders, whose work I've loved since we published it in WV magazine; and the award-winning (and adorable) playwright David Pumo.
David Pumo's first full-length play, Love Scenes,
has been a critical smash at several venues in New York (Best
Actor/Director, Fresh Fruit Festival), L.A., Chicago, San Francisco
(Best of Fringe), Dublin and on Atlantis Cruise Lines. His second, Auntie Mayhem,
won an OOBR award, was nominated for a GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation) and Innovative Theatre awards, was published in the
anthology Plays and Playwrights 2004, and is currently in development as a feature film with Aria Films and Full Circle Films of London. Short plays include The Seed (winner, Riant Theatre One Act Festival), Perhaps (4th Unity) and Work Wife (Wings Theatre Company). He has a law degree from Brooklyn Law School.
Carol Rosenfeld is a New York City-based writer and poet. Her work can be found in four anthologies, including Best Lesbian Erotica 1999 and the Lambda-award winning Best Lesbian Erotica 2003, and Back to Basics: A Butch/Femme Anthology. Shadows of the Night: Queer Tales of the Uncanny and Unusual,
was an InsightOut Book Club and Quality Paperback Book Club selection.
Carol's story, "Rabbit Rerun," made the 2005 Gaylactic Spectrum Awards
shortlist for Best Short Story. Her first novel, Fool's Mushroom, is forthcoming, and she is at work on a second book, Birds Do It,
a parody of a lesbian romance novel. As the volunteer chair of The
Publishing Triangle, an association of lesbians and gay men in
publishing, Carol helps to organize and administer the annual
Publishing Triangle awards and various other panels and special events.
Greg Sanders's collection of short stories, Motel Girl, was published by Red Hen Press in September of 2008. Publishers Weekly calls the collection "concisely written, intelligent, funny, relevant and weird," while Rain Taxi Review of Books
says "whether dramatic or meditative, these stories are deft, enigmatic
lyrics that pivot on an image or insight." Greg received his MFA from
the New School and earns his living as a technical writer. His stories
have appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies over the years,
including Essays & Fictions, Opium Magazine, Pindeldyboz and, most recently, The Los Angeles Review.
So I hope you will join us at KGB where the drinks are lovely and the boys & girls are cheap!
