It’s an inspired Monday.
Last night, for the first time, I attended an event at the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks, Michigan. The building itself is a treat. It’s a turn-of-the-century former corset stay factory that’s been lovingly converted to an intimate performance space. The venue is perfect for live entertainment—music, spoken word, movement, comedy, drama, visual theater, and more. Tuesday is open mic night.
The theater also houses a wine shop (but that’s an adventure for another day).
My husband and I met some friends at the Acorn to see a band called Tempest. They describe their music as “a globally-renowned hybrid of high-energy folk rock fusing Irish reels, Scottish ballads, Norwegian influences and other world music elements”. The creative juices were flowing!
I found myself thinking about the marvelous confluence of talent in this region. As writers, we sometimes get caught up in our own little worlds. We tend to forget to patronize local artistic events and venues. Not only are we not actively supporting other artists, we aren’t supporting those who hold the space for them to share their artistry.
And . . . we are missing opportunities for creative inspiration. Including ‘cross-discipline’ infusions of artistic energy. Last night’s musical experience brought with it a feeling of tangible connection to my Celtic and Viking roots. Ideas are knocking on my writing door.
Speaking of connections, artists and gatherings—we have three writers’ events coming up right here in Northwest Indiana.
· On Saturday, April 24, our own New York Times best-selling children’s author Peggy Archer will be making a presentation for the launch of her new picture book, Name That Dog!
· Purdue University Calumet will host the Indiana SCBWI conference, ‘Focus on the Novel’ on May 14 &15. Info at www.indianscbwi.com.
· Also on May 15, the Indiana Federation of Poetry Clubs is holding a Spring Meeting, hosted by the Northwest Indiana Poetry Society. It will begin at 9:00a.m. at the Lowell Public Library.
On May 14, the Society will hold an open microphone round robin at the New Comfort Inn at I-65 & Rt. 2.
