Author: mathdreads

Born into life’s gamble

Few instructions or preamble

Luck of the draw

Gets you just so far

Play the hand you’re dealt

Lay your bid on the felt

Enjoy the game throughout

Before you cash out

The Rouletters slowly trickled in.

Next thing you know, more appeared.

Then we had everyone’s favorite poker hand, a full house!

Everyone’s favorite poker hand, except one…Royal Flush, the host for Cosmic Casino.

Her Highness gave out card bling rings to all who attended.

Geovani Zambrana read a series of whimsical poems inspired by random circumstances.

Birdman 313 described the odds of winning at casino love.

Allyson Whipple predicted horoscopes, using random numbers and Oulipo.

Lila McCall shared moments from her past lives, thanks to regressive hypnosis.

Stephanie Webb emoted about playing the hand life dealt her.

Teresa Y. Roberson explained how everyone is born a winner, given the incredible odds of popping into existence in the first place.

Thom the World Poet, accompanied by Magic Jack ATX on guitar, got his cosmic hustle on.

THE OPEN MIC ARTISTS

Geovani Zambrana

(This clip shows the performances of Geovani Zambrana, Robert Bayless, & C. Cimmone)

Robert Bayless

C. Cimmone

Allyson Whipple

(This clip shows the performances of Allyson Whipple, Lila McCall, David Lester Young, Magic Jack ATX, Birdman 313, Element 615, Mackenzie, Thom the World Poet and Magic Jack ATX.)

Lila McCall

David Lester Young

Magic Jack ATX

Birdman 313

Element 615

Mackenzie

Thom the World Poet & Magic Jack ATX

Her Royal Highness rewarded Magic Jack ATX with a coveted red lipstick kiss.

And she gifted a photo op to Robert Bayless.

Everyone’s invited to the next roulette: “Show & Tale,” Sunday, August 9th!

No this is not a typo

You should know this type o’

Theme

Means

Bring a prop up

Memes being propped up

Something in the hand

Shows some thing at hand

Hands down, Donna Dechen Birdwell won the unofficial costume contest with her shapeshifting/time-traveling outfit!

This colorful gathering of Rouletters also brought visual aids to go along with their stories and poetry.

Birdman 313 kicked off the show, recounting childhood dreams to adult bling along with his collection of chapbooks.

Video link to the performances of Birdman 313 and Aimee Mackovic:

Aimee Mackovic painted a portrait of herself from her favorite childhood toy, Gigi.

Donna Dechen Birdwell spun a tale about shapeshifting/time-traveling beings on a quest to save humans from themselves.

Robert Bayless gave a brief history about the military creation of meth…and was the only Rouletter asked NOT to bring a visual!

Teresa Y. Roberson read an excerpt from her soon-to-be-published, Adventures of Infinity & Negativa, and brought its opening painting.

Thom the World Poet, accompanied by Magic Jack ATX, gifted the audience with black and white pictures as he shared the history of Woodstock, Salado Legends and other local creative gatherings.

Magic Jack ATX began the open mic.

Hamish

Video link to the performances of the open mic artists: Hamish, Elijah, Nori, Robin, Louise, Ben, Birdman 313, Aimee, & Thom the World Poet accompanied by Magic Jack ATX

Elijah

Nori

Robin

Louise

Ben

Birdman 313

Aimee

Thom the World Poet & Magic Jack ATX

Genius or madness

Joy or sadness

Inspiration strikes

Creativity spikes

Innovation transforms

Changing the norms

Evolution distinguishes

Until the flame extinguishes

This month’s roulette was hosted by the tie-dyed mad scientist herself!

A mad spark of poets, musicians and storytellers

Birdman 313, inspired by comedian Robin Williams, traced the little spark of madness to the blazing flame.

El Guapo explored the existential mad spark.

Magic Jack ATX illuminated the mad creativity sparked by a painting.

Stephanie Webb sang “The Voice Inside” about moving on when crazy changes occur.

Michael Kennon shared one of his character pieces about madness on and off the silver screen.

Donna Dechen Birdwell, wearing her own version of a Mad Hatter hat with artists such as Banksy and Frida Kahlo cards along its brim, articulated “madness” for both the crazy and the sane.

Teresa Y. Roberson distinguished the difference between genius and madness are the same between privilege and nonprivilege.

Thom the World Poet shared the discarded art from a friend…

accompanied by Magic Jack ATX.

The audience enjoyed Thom’s visual aids and music.

Thom the World Poet passed around the discarded art.

Birdman 313 started the open mic.

Video link to the performances of the open mic artists: Birdman 313, Michael Kennon, Donna Dechen Birdwell, Louise Richardson, Nori Hubert, Steven M. Quakenbush, Magic Jack ATX, Kaye Abikhate, Steven Green, Thom the World Poet 

Michael Kennon

Donna Dechen Birdwell

Louise Richardson

Nori

Steven

Magic Jack ATX

David Lester Young

Thom the World Poet

Magic Jack ATX

Hidden just below

What few people know

Surprises good or bad

Just waiting to be had

Secrets closer than you’d think

Revelations on the brink

Another universe arose

Right under your nose

“Thing Under the Bed” hosted this unofficial Halloween poetry and storytelling event. 

Malvern Books had just celebrated its second anniversary the day before.

So, we helped them out by eating their leftover cake!

Rouletters brought their stories, which had been stashed under the bed, to share with everyone.

Robin Barratt read several, short, haunting poems, inspired by classic writers.

Louise Richardson catalogued all “what’s under the bed,” read a short, spooky story and concluded with an a cappella version of “Monster Mash.”

Sarah Kennon encouraged a dear friend to call whenever suicidal thoughts started to overwhelm.

Michael Kennon, along with his sister, Sarah, sang a murder ballad, “Silver Dagger.”

Tom Stoner wrote a short story about a child who tried to learn about sex by hiding under the parents’ bed.

Magic Jack ATX told scarily bad jokes about Christopher Columbus before telling the horrors his Trans-Atlantic voyage wrought.

Teresa Y. Roberson explained, in vivid detail, bad things people shove under their beds, which haunt them at night when they try to go asleep.

Once again poets’ psychic costume connection struck: Roberson & Thom the World Poet posed for the cause of showing off their decorative hats.

Thom the World Poet preached against the scary subplots under the political bed.

During intermission, Thom the World Poet got that bad politics taste out of his mouth with cake.

Robin Barratt started the open mic.

Louise Richardson

Sarah Kennon

Tom Stoner

Michael Kennon

Magic Jack ATX

Brooke

Thom the World Poet

The Terrazas Library invited The Austin Writers Roulette to participate in their Aural Literature event, where local writers are invited to read their works for 15 minutes. Since I usually dress up to match the roulette theme, I had a myriad of costume choices since this occasion had no theme.

Three other authors joined me for the event. In a way, it was easier to produce this show since we’d all written bios, didn’t have to set up chairs and we’d all arrived thirty minutes before the start of the reading. The librarian who’d contacted me about this event was amazed. I told him I’d always asked my artists to arrive an hour before the event just so we could start on time. Besides, when a group of talented, creative people gather together, the quality of the conversation is so rich. We took our traditional group picture well before the show started.

Donna Dechen Birdwell opened the show, reading an excerpt from her speculative fiction, Way of the Serpent. 

Mackenzie Irick Milks read a short fictional piece about a granddaughter returning to the islands for her grandfather’s funeral only to learn the sordid details about his life.

Stephanie Webb shared instances of her personal challenges of being a well-educated black women marginalized in Austin.

Teresa Y. Roberson read three excerpts from her racy first novel, Tribe of One, about a single black women looking for love while still being a smart woman about the pursuit.  One of the excerpts was a one-night stand on Halloween and another was the infamous “vibrator research” chapter.  After reading that last one, she broke the news to the audience that the actual vibrator the main character decided to buy didn’t exist.

Afterwards, the Rouletters moseyed across the street to eat dinner. Fortunately, the restaurant offered 1/2 bottles of wine!  The intellectual conversation, which had begun before the show, continued.  This was the kind of occasion I always say I’d like to participate more in, but never seem to organize.  I’m so glad it just happened.

Truly a feast befitting of a queen: well seasoned and composed salmon sandwich on fresh bread with a side of potato salad.

Donna couldn’t resist wearing the Cleopatra headdress!

Some beliefs are simple

Fit neatly in a thimble

Life’s complicated enough

Principles shouldn’t be tough

Who writes the rules anyway?

Moving words hold most sway

Make this easy for me

Put instructions in poetry

Sporting a quasi-Angela Davis afro and quasi-bumper stickers on her chest, host Teresa Y. Roberson posed for the cause.

Joining her was Houston poet Birdman 313.

Months ago, he’d written in a poem, “After Monday and Tuesday, even the calendar says W.T.F.,” to which she’d commented, “That should be a bumper sticker.” Birdman 313 followed through and gifted everyone a bumper sticker. Roberson sported hers on her back.

The rest of the Rouletters showed up with their bumper sticker-inspired philosophers.

Click on the link to see the performances of Birman 313, El Guapo (Steve Quakenbush), Magic Jack ATX with Louise Richardson, & Teresa Y. Roberson:

Birdman 313 started the show, dropping some bumper sticker slang.

El Guapo recited spoken word poetry, bumper sticker style.

Magic Jack ATX gave his critique about some commonly seen bumper stickers during gridlock.

To help him out, Louise Richardson read out the bumper sticker sayings, then he responded with his reaction.

Teresa Y. Roberson sewed bumper stickers on her shirt. Then, interwove them in a spoken word piece, concerning the continued empowerment of marginalized people.

Afterwards, Roberson read the upcoming 2016 Austin Writers Roulette themes and the acrostic poems she’d written for each theme. Whenever an audience member correctly shouted out the vertical word spelled out, Roberson gifted him/her a Tribe of One T-shirt.

Thom the World Poet, accompanied by Ron Kewin, touted the bumper sticker global perspective.

Louise Richardson started the open mic.

Ron Kewin

Magic Jack ATX

Birdman 313

El Guapo

Brandon Campbell

Click on the link to see the performances of Brandon, Jack R. Curtis, Element 615 (Joe Brundidge), Thom the World Poet with Magic Jack ATX on guitar

Jack R. Curtis

Element 615

Thom the World Poet, accompanied by Magic Jack ATX

Does this actually exist?

If so, I can’t resist

Does it count when sleeping

Wake up wet and weeping

What if I was in a daydream

Fireworks and ice cream

Mind-body connection misfire

Unexpected satisfying of desire

The Rouletters gathered on a cold, drizzly day for a hot, racy topic–the last roulette of 2015.

The host, Teresa Y. Roberson, wore sexy lingerie on the outside of her regular clothes to suggest both “accidental” and “orgasm.”

To warm up the crowd, Teresa quizzed the audience about orgasms.

Her trusty sidekick with a strong throwing arm, Thom the World Poet, distributed the prizes–Tribe of One T-shirts.

Fortunately, most audience members were good receivers and excellent sports.

First-time Rouletter, Amy, courageously shared her physical and emotional survivor story about turmoil, which eventually led her to an accidental orgasm.

Teresa Y. Roberson, in a 3-part poem, explained some things life had taught her about sex, things she had intuited on her own, questioned why vaginas weren’t the touted compliment synonymous with “strength” among men, then shared her accidental orgasm story about riding an extra bumpy “chicken bus.”

Another first-time Rouletter, Aralyn Hughes, editor of Kid Me Not, explained how her accidental orgasm occurred after rejecting the 1950s patriarchal prescription of how all women should be a wife, a mother and submissive.

Thom the World Poet confessed how traditional porn bored him, but orgasms could be triggered by food, colors, smells, pedicures, music and all things stimulating an individual’s passion.

Intermission provided a golden opportunity for Aralyn and Teresa to officially meet since Aralyn had technically arrived late, but through the magic of poet’s time, still on time to deliver her powerful narrative.

Of course, Thom joined in on the intermission photo shoot.

Aren Raymond started the open mic.

Click on the link below to view the performances of the following artists: Aren, Jack, & Nori

Jack R. Curtis

Nori Hubert

Aralyn Hughes

Teresa Y. Roberson

Thom the World Poet

After the Roulette, authors Chadwick Wall and Teresa Y. Roberson exchanged signed novels. Hopefully, he’ll join them on stage in 2016!

Joyous

Universal

Motivated

Precautions freed

A very regal Aralyn Hughes graced the venue.

Recent parkour enthusiast, Teresa Y. Roberson, leapt at the opportunity to show off her new superhero socks.

The entire Rouletter cast arrived to share some of the daring times they leapt through when there was no net.

Stephanie Webb grew up doing everything that was expected of her to “guarantee” a safe, comfortable life, but has courageously leapt when fate made her detour.

Carolyn Lindell highlighted her search for the grail with the help of internet search engines.

Aralyn Hughes leapt from the circus into many uncertain circumstances, including the sex, drugs and rock-n-roll of the 60s and Gloria Steinem-inspired feminism in the 70s.

Teresa Y. Roberson declared how 20 years of teaching was NOT her fall back career, but a series of international leaps forward.

Thom the World Poet has little faith in the “net” and prepares for great leap when existing technologies breakdown.

Just before the open mic, a stare down ensued.

Click on the link below for the performances of Robin Barratt, Louise Richardson, Stephanie Johnson, Nori Hubert, Donna Dechen Birdwell, David Lester Young and Chris Jones:

Robin Barratt

Louise Richardson

Stephanie Johnson

Nori Hubert

Donna Dechen Birdwell

David Lester Young

Chris Jones

Nicole Cortichiato

Thom the World Poet

Amulets

Megabytes

Orgasmic

Underwear for two

Robotic companions

Originally, the hostess, Teresa Y. Roberson, had big dreams of decorating the venue with genitaila-shaped chocolates, lubricant and vibrating cock rings–all generously donated by Le Rouge.

Yet, the venue requested for her to be more discreet with the adult treats in case some minors entered the bookstore on a Sunday stroll with their parents; so Teresa arrived early to take some purely photo shoot pictures.

Since the adult treats donated by Cindie’s were already concealed by opaque bags, they remained on full display throughout the show.

Nonetheless, Teresa had a terrific time personally handing out the adult treats to the audience as they arrived, asking them to be mindful if any children showed up.

The Happy-Valentine’s-Day Rouletters came out in full force to share their narratives about Sex, Love & Virtual Reality.

Katie Thibodeau kicked off the show, exploring the stabbing aspects of love.

Donna Dechen Birdwell discussed the awkwardness of her adult children reading sex scenes in her novels, providing steamy examples from Way of the Serpent.

Click on the link to view Teresa Y. Roberson, Katie Thibodeau and Donna Dechen Birdwell:

Udelle Robinson reminisced about the pursuit of ideal love.

Brian Grosz gave the vivid history of his love amulet and then showed it to the audience.

Robin Barratt shared a sexual adventure with some electrifying results.

Birdman 313 read a little quickie called “Lust.”

Click on the link to view Udelle Robinson, Brian Grosz, Robin Barratt and Birdman 313:

Teresa Y. Roberson gushed about being engaged…to her creative life, which did not include biological children, but rather her artistic fruits of labor.

Thom the World Poet, always the bringer of poetic sunshine and enlightenment, shined his wisdom about love.

Click on the link to view Teresa Y. Roberson and Thom the World Poet:

Stephanie Johnson began the open mic.

Donna Dechen Birdwell

Brian Grosz

Sydney King

Click on the link to view Stephanie Johnson, Donna Dechen Birdwell, Brian Grosz and Sydney King:

Udelle Robinson

Click on the link to view Udelle Robinson:

Birdman 313

Robin Barratt

Teresa Y. Roberson

Thom the World Poet

Click on the link to view Robin Barratt, Teresa Y. Roberson and Thom the World Poet:

By audience applause, Brian Grosz and Thom the World Poet shared the guy’s prize and Donna Dechen Birdwell won the gal’s prize for the best performance.

Serendipitous

Ill-formed

Lackadaisical

Logic-defying

YOLO

The Austin Writers Roulette brought out the big guns: Black Women with Biceps!

The Rouletters talked about all things arbitrary and nonsensical under the sun.

Udelle Robinson calculated her handle on reality and vowed she’d never allow someone to convince her she’s crazy.

Cody Copeland shared a menagerie of nonsensicalness since “arbitrary and nonsensical” described his whole poetry life.

Brian Grosz highlighted the stardust connections in us all in two degrees, not Kevin Bacon’s six! One just has to listen hard enough to hear the connections.

Carolyn Lindell (not pictured) advised that one merely needs to seek in order to find, which stretches beyond the things her family has lost.

Kent Grosswiler found adventure in the caffeine-crazed pursuit of coffee.

Teresa Y. Roberson first sought financial solvency in selling Bibles, then solace.

Thom the World Poet made poetry out of the illogicalness of the global situation. Aaron Ortiz accompanied Thom on guitar.

Cody Copeland began the open mic.

Click on the video below to view open mic artists: Cody Copland, Brian Grosz, Udelle Robinson, Kent Grosswiler, Jim Trainer, Aaron Ortiz, Stephanie Johnson, Donna Dechen Birdwell, Nori, Thom the World poet (accompanied by Aaron Ortiz)

Brian Grosz

Udelle Robinson

Kent Grosswiler

Jim Trainer

Aaron Ortiz

Stephanie Johnson

Donna Dechen Birdwell

Nori

Thom the World Poet, accompanied Aaron Ortiz by on guitar.