Video of Pub or Perish Reading
Thanks to my buddy, Reggie Koch, who brought his mad filming skills to the front row, my Arkansas Literary Festival Pub or Perish reading was captured on video. I’ll be honest. I haven’t watched the entire thing yet, because it’s sort of strange to watch oneself on stage. Shout out to Chris, Loria, Wayne, LaMar, Alana, Gene, Diane, Gayathiri, and Rozanne for coming out and cheerleading. And thanks to the folks who kept the gin and tonics flowing.
The highlight of the night for me was seeing Malek Asfeer’s debut reading on American soil. This kid is 19 and seeking asylum from Saudi Arabia. Long story short: he died when he was 12. Came back to life with his spirituality drained; he’d seen no God. When he spoke of his experience, he became the victim of terrible brutality. Saturday night, he read his poems in Arabic; the fantastic David Koon read them in English. Remember his name, folks. Malek is something special.
Here’s my reading:
