Fortunately, Austin hardly ever gets any snow and the Rouletters came out in full force for the last show of 2016.
Birdman 313 untangled the dangers of the web.
Hope Ruiz spun the tale of the interconnected dream catcher.
David Kendall told a fabulous tale about a colorful storyteller.
Teresa Y. Roberson speculated about the entwined stories of stray shoes found at intersections and along the side of the road.
Brian Grosz fried up some bacon about how he knows practically everyone through someone else.
Thom the World Poet, accompanied by David Kendall on guitar, talked about the season of homelessness, suicide and recycling childhood Christmas stories across generations.
Aralyn Hughes self-defined the word “witch.”
Robert Bayless kicked off the open mic.
Click on the link below to see the performances of Robert Bayless, Donna Dechen Birdwell, & Birdman 313.
Donna Dechen Birdwell
Birdman 313
David Kendall
Stephanie Johnson
Dave Royal
Click on the link below to see the performances of Dave Royal, Hope Ruiz & Brian Grosz.
The Austin Writers Roulette convened to celebrate Valentine’s Day the best way they knew how–creatively unconventional!
For a 3rd year in a row, Cindie’s donated two gift bags.
One for the best female and male performers.
Also, for the 3rd year in a row, La Rouge donated audience gifts, which decorated their seats, making everyone a Rouletter Valentine’s.
In the spirit of “Romance and Other Patriarchal Fantasies,” Malvern Books created a theme-inspired display of related books.
The hostess did a bit of cleaning up before the show.
The stage was set.
The audience’s chairs were decorated with parting gifts.
And there were three choices of cookies, including an irregularly phallic-shaped cookie!
Actually, it was pretty harmless looking when flipped over on the elf side.
Thom the World Poet gifted the show with the Valentine’s Day balloon and some flowers.
After all the preliminary pomp and circumstance, the show began on time with one Rouletter running in just as the group pictures were being taken.
HOPE RUIZ delivered a powerful sermon about romance and the patriarchy.
TERESA Y. ROBERSON reiterated what Hattie McDaniel, the first Black actress who won an Oscar for her role as “Mammy” in Gone with the Wind, said, “I’d rather play a maid than to be one!”
Click on the link to watch the performances of Hope Ruiz and Teresa Y. Roberson:
BRIAN GROSZ detailed handling fake breasts during a chance encounter with an adult movie star.
THOM THE WORLD POET started by asking the crowd if they wanted a box of emptiness or something that lasted forever like plastic flowers.
Click on the link to watch the performances of Brian Grosz and Thom the World Poet:
During intermission, participants and the audience had an opportunity to peruse the Valentine’s Day collection of books.
OPEN MIC ARTISTS
DONNA DECHEN BIRDWELL
STEPHANIE JOHNSON
Click on the link to watch the performances of Donna Dechen Birdwell and Stephanie Johnson:
BRIAN GROSZ
HOPE RUIZ
RAY BELLON
DAVID LESTER YOUNG
THOM THE WORLD POET
Click on the link to watch the performances of Brian Grosz, Hope Ruiz, Ray Bellon, David Lester Young, & Thom the World Poet:
HOPE RUIZ won best female performer and all four guys tied for first place and shared the prize.
Although we had a tired Cupid, everything still came up roses!
Fortunately, that didn’t deter the Rouletters, who came out in international force, thanks to the 25th anniversary of the Austin International Poetry Festival.
A selection of “Pretense Is Underrated” books was thoughtfully procured by Malvern Books. Two of which, actually had the word “pretense” in it, but thanks to the magic of displays, one had sold prior to the show.
DONNA DECHEN BIRDWELL showed us that sometimes pretending everything is okay makes it easier to survive the unacceptable.
JUSTIN BOOTH exposed the character behind a persona.
TERESA Y ROBERSON shared her recent experience of enforcing access to handicapped services when capitalism threatened to encroach.
THOM THE WORLD POET pointed out the fakery in our world to pretend we’re not in the same world as our fathers.
OPEN MICARTISTS
Please click on the link below to enjoy the open mic performances of the following artists: Birdman 313, Christina M. Jackson, Trev the Road Poet UK, Ray Bellon, Stephanie Johnson, Philip Drexler, LeeAnna Cervantes, Brian Grosz, Ailana Larson,David Young, Ursula Pike, Sam Carfagno, Stephanie Morrissey, Hope Ruiz,Brian Grosz (reading for Thom the World Poet)
The host was prepared to navigate everyone through the Mother’s Day event.
Malvern Books created a Mother’s Day-inspired table to greet the masses.
Rouletters shared their true and fictional mother narratives.
LARRY MAYFIELD paid tribute to his mother by providing a narrative to the treasures preserved in her button jar.
KELLY RUXER shared a short story about a mother’s intuition with a twist.
URSULA PIKE gave a reality check about 21st century motherhood.
HOPE RUIZ read a love poem dedicated to her child. Then, she channeled her inner male and read the chronicles of BRIAN GROSZ’s maturing relationship with his mother.
KATHY REEVES provided poignant examples of how people mother others.
TERESA Y. ROBERSON recommended more GPS, girl-perceived sightings, to navigate the country where it needs to go just like her sisters did when their mother drove around lost.
THOM THE WORLD POET, accompanied by LARRY MAYFIELD, explained that every day is Mother’s Day with grandmother’s wisdom.
Prior to the open mic, URSULA PIKE gifted Austin Writers Roulette producer, TERESA Y. ROBERSON, with a beautiful bouquet flowers for her “mothering” of the show.
OPEN MIC ARTISTS
Click on the video below to see the performances of the following artists: BIRDMAN 313, DONNA DECHEN BIRDWELL, STEPHANIE JOHNSON, LARRY MAYFIELD, ROSEMARY HOOK, & THOM THE WORLD POET.
BIRDMAN 313
DONNA DECHEN BIRDWELL
STEPHANIE JOHNSON
LARRY MAYFIELD
ROSEMARY HOOK
THOM THE WORLD POET, accompanied by LARRY MAYFIELD
According to the theme table, The Austin Writers Roulette gathered to recognize “Freedom Reimagined.”
The host showed off her reimagined freedom before the show began.
The Rouletters posed for an avant garde group picture before the show.
LARRY MAYFIELD shared the tools his father taught him how to use.
ALLYSON WHIPPLE brought newfound freedom for inanimate objects through her short stories.
PAUL NORMANDIN gained newfound freedom by confronting his past.
T-BIRD told us what happened when America walked into a bar and other travel stories.
HOPE RUIZ danced with a reimagined freedom.
STEPHANIE WEBB declared her reimagined freedom.
TERESA Y. ROBERSON pointed out the lasted star in her intersectionality constellation.
THOM THE WORLD POET exuded the personification of reimagined freedom and recited the Ten Commandments of reimagined freedom, based on what an individual lacks.
During intermission, one of the largest roulette audiences perused the pride theme book table.
OPEN MIC ARTISTS
Click on the link below to view the open mic performances of the following artists: BRIAN GROSZ, STEPHANIE JOHNSON, ALLYSON WHIPPLE, JEFFERY HOLLIE, HOPE RUIZ, LARRY MAYFIELD, & THOM THE WORLD POET.
The AUSTIN WRITERS ROULETTE celebrated its 5th anniversary.
The host welcomed a standing-room only crowd to their “Sound & Flight” show.
The group picture had a certain patriotic flair.
Malvern Books set out the “Sound & Flight” books prior to the show.
DONNA DECHEN BIRDWELL described a flight into zero gravity.
KATHLEEN MAJORSKY wrote a love letter to the city of Austin before her flight outta town.
JANE HAMMONS told the story of how a little girl learned how to fly.
KATHY REEVES read the mystical tale of a woman’s night-time journey.
URSULA PIKE took the audience on a flight of fancy into the future world of 2044.
REBECCA RAPHAEL celebrated 16 years of newfound sounds.
TERESA Y. ROBERSON described how to escape the looming dead end.
THOM THE WORLD POET brought the Australian flag as his sound and flight visual aid.
OPEN MIC ARTISTS
Click on the video to see the below to see the performances of: ELLEN BRAVERMAN, ANA IRIS, STEPHANIE JOHNSON, REBECCA RAPHAEL, BRIAN GROSZ, DONNA DECHEN BIRDWELL, ROSEMARY HOOK, ELLYN SNIDER, BRANDY INGRAM & THOM THE WORLD POET.
ELLEN BRAVERMAN
ANA IRIS
STEPHANIE JOHNSON
REBECCA RAPHAEL
BRIAN GROSZ
DONNA DECHEN BIRDWELL
ROSEMARY HOOKS
ELLYN SNIDER
BRANDY INGRAM
THOM THE WORLD POET
The number 5 balloon flew into the sky at the end of the show, providing a visual representation of how time does indeed fly.
As the Austin Writers Roulette theme table showed, the Rouletters gathered to talk about their other selves.
The all-knowing goddess hosted.
For a second month in a row, the ladies outnumbered guys.
ALLYSON WHIPPLE donned three different personas: I-10, a rancher and an ancient Meso-american mythical figure through her poetry.
SARAH GUNN shared nature and family identity poetry.
ROSEMARY HOOK revealed her emerging self.
MAGGIE MANNELL showed how a person changes throughout time.
URSULA PIKE contrasted between her foreign and domestic self.
HOPE RUIZ recounted the evolution of herself.
MARIA CLARK read a haunting tale about multiple “me’s.”
TERESA Y. ROBERSON announced that as the all-knowing goddess, her superpower was knowledge, her cool gadgets were books and her archenemy, Ignorance, latest dastardly deed was to destroy the integrity of the meaning of words.
THOM THE WORLD POET related how his “other me’s” were the reflection of other people.
OPEN MIC ARTISTS
Please click on the link below to view the performances of the following artists: ELLEN BRAVERMAN,SARAH GUNN,MARIA CLARK,ALLYSON WHIPPLE,NORI HUBERT,BRIAN GROSZ,HOPE RUIZ,MACKENZIE MILKS,LYNN HERRICK,JULIETTE SURRATT,MASON MCCLAY, & THOM THE WORLD POET
The soulful collection of books greeted customers and Rouletters alike for this month’s theme.
The host and international head chef served up a delicious array of narratives and songs.
The Rouletters described their childhood foods or fodder from their school days.
WILLIAM HILL sliced up a delicious tale about his winter as a caterer.
HOPE RUIZ recounted how her school days fed her soul and shaped her as a woman.
BRIAN GROSZ recalled some offbeat salty scholastic fun.
MARIA CLARK shared what was food for the religious soul.
TERESA Y. ROBERSON savored the memory of all the different foods she experienced while teaching abroad.
THOM THE WORLD POET proclaimed being a great lover of food, who ate everything and let it pass through him.
OPEN MIC ARTISTS
Please click on the link below to view the performances of the following artists: STEPHANIE JOHNSON, MARIA CLARK, BRIAN GROSZ, HOPE RUIZ, DONNA DECHEN BIRDWELL, LYNN HERRICK, & THOM THE WORLD POET.
