When Moon Milk Review‘s first issue released in February 2010, I thought maybe it would satisfy a few readers’ tastes for the aesthetically off beat, the desire for mixed mediums, the nod to traditional forms. As a writer, myself, I wanted to give back, show off the talents that abound in Small Press-dom. Before long Will Grofic (Poetry Master) and Gabriela Romeri (Associate Editor Extraordinaire) joined up to turn this one-woman effort into a rockin’ version of its former self. Never would I have expected that in just seven short months, MMR would enjoy this rallying of talents and readership.
Then Barrelhouse offered to host MMR for our first ever reading. Bam! No introductions needed. Still, they must be named–Dave Housley, Dan Brady, Mike Ingram, Joe Killiany, Matt Kirkpatrick, Aaron Pease (collectively known as the Barrelhouse Boys, because, truly, they travel in a pack), something like the Outsiders but with looser t-shirts and without the switchblades or the hair grease. Their fantastic and eclectic, “pop-flotsam, cultural jetsam” publication has been a ‘cultural lit with a bent’ mainstay in DC for quite a while now, but the BH Boys wouldn’t stop there. They’ve become mission central for hip and lit DC in a way that can only be explained as generous and inspiring. Check out the upcoming mags for their Reading Series–Artifice, Rose Metal Press, Supermachine…. at Barrelhouse. Careful, these guys are the crack. Barrelhouse is addictive.
Much love to our uber-talented authors and poets—Mike Allen, Randall Brown, Foust, Britt Gambino, Molly Gaudry, and Penelope Mace. Truly, they each read words drug-laced, and if you can’t tell by the photos depicting a word-high audience, let me tell you, these readings, each one, were beautifully rendered.
It was a fantastic turnout. All I can say is that it was amazing to see so many readers and friends and fellow editors—Laura Ellen Scott (Prick of the Spindle), Tara Laskowski (Smokelong Quarterly) and Zachary Benavidez, associate editor of Potomac Review. So many. People traveling from NY, NJ, up from VA.
You all made this an event to remember. All I can say is thank you, everyone.
Until next time…. Make sure to mark your calendars for the The Mad Hatter Party on October 2nd. Come on out and join Moon Milk Review and Barrelhouse along with our performers/readers–Rachel Bloom, Lisa Marie Basile, and Winona Wendth to name a few. We all look forward to seeing you there.
Cheers,
Rae
