Earshot: meaning the range or distance over which one can hear or be heard, was founded by an MFA student for MFA students; the Earshot Reading Series began in 2005 and is the longest running event of its poetry reading kind in New York City. The founder and host, Nicole Steinberg began the series as a way for MFA students to present and perform their work outside of a workshop or classroom environment--(see video below). Within these readings there's usually at least one non-MFA writer who earns a feature spot with the others by way of attaining awards, publishing books and or having an exhaustive portfolio to meet the prerequisites.
This Friday, January 14th the most talented and entertaining performers of the night included Jason Duncan, Kyla Marshell and Cheryl Burke. The other two writers, David McLoghlin and Jessica Mcahado, did their best to keep up with promising, albeit not as polished or well-performed, work. Duncan performed an excerpt from a longer prose piece that revolved around a fishing enthusiast living in a mobile home community who misses an annual tournament by landing in jail. Marshell, an impressive force to be reckoned with as the only non-MFA reader of the evening, wowed the audience with her quiet strength, vivid imagery and subtle humor in poems like Gag, Between two Things, Should I Get a Vibrator or Should I Get a Man?, and We’ll Always Have Negritude.
Held bimonthly every other Friday at Rose Live Music in Williamsburg, the $5 cover lets you see illustrious writers in an illustrious space. The cover even includes a drink ticket, which can either get you a glass of beer or wine (an excellent selections of both abound at Rose), or one well drink. With so much fun to be had, new readers every time, and none of the remorse if you miss a week or two since you know you can always catch it next time around, the Earshot Reading Series makes Friday nights in Williamsburg an affordable and memorable escapade. For more information, go HERE.
A glimpse of an Earshot Evening at the Rose Bar
