Join the Racine Public Library in giving thanks and celebration for the wonderful cornucopia of local talent here in Racine. The library will once again host an exciting installment of BONK!, the free monthly performance series created to expose the public to both locally- and nationally-recognized artistic talents. The series showcases poets, writers, musicians, filmmakers and other talented artists and is held on the fourth Saturday of each month. This month's event will be held on Saturday, November 28 from 6-9 pm at 515 Sixth St. in downtown Racine. Doors open at 5:30 pm and seating is available on a first come/first served basis. Saturday's event will feature readings by local author Patricia Cumbie and poet Karl Gartung, and music by guitarist/singer Macyn Taylor.
Patricia Cumbie is the author of, Where People Like Us Live, a work of fiction with ties to Racine. Patricia Cumbie's gripping debut is a masterful portrait of an often tender, sometimes brutal bond between two girls struggling to trust each other at a time in their lives when nothing seems secure. As a work in progress, Where People Like Us Live won a SASE/Jerome Foundation Fellowship and a Loft Fiction Mentor Fellowship, a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Fellowship, and writing residencies at Ragdale and Norcroft. The work was also nominated for inclusion in Best New American Voices and was a finalist for a Rona Jaffe award in 2002. The book was also chosen by the Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) as one of their best of YA literature "Choices" for 2009. Patricia Cumbie's writing has appeared in many literary journals and also in the anthologies The Leap Years and Stories from Inside the Mirror. Her adult work has won the Carol Bly Award for Nonfiction from Bemidji State University. She's also worked as a consultant and professional writer in the natural food industry.
For close to thirty-one years, Karl Gartung has served Woodland Pattern Book Center as a guiding force. He is a reader and writer with deep ethical commitment, vision, and a particular enthusiasm for poetry and visual work in outside traditions. His own work is grounded in the poetics of William Carlos Williams' Paterson and in the lightly punning musicality of Lorine Niedecker. His writing has been influenced by Paul Metcalf, Dick Higgins, Karl Young and Jerome Rothenberg. Karl's work has appeared in 26, Five Fingers Review, Convergence, Croton Bug, Convoy Dispatch, and was featured along with Karl Young and Morgan Gibson in a special issue of Gam: Roots of Experimental Writing in Milwaukee. Karl is artistic director at Woodland Pattern and works at United Parcel Service as a truck driver, union steward and activist.
Fifteen-year-old guitarist and singer, Macyn Taylor, began her musical journey at the age of seven playing guitar at local nursing homes to accompany her Brownie troop. Beginning with some simple chords she was soon challenged by her father to pick up other songs in order to begin playing churches, festivals, coffee shops, and other local events. From there, her playing took her to Madison where she joined other street musicians (under the watchful eye of her older brother) on State Street with a mandolin and a coffee can. It was here that she became known as the "Sidewalk Superstar". She was soon invited to play the UW Student Union Terrace on Saturday evenings during the summer and was encouraged by a professor of music to attend classes at the university. Being too young to live in Madison, it was decided she would enroll at UW Milwaukee closer to her home. The educational opportunity has enabled her to meet some of the top finger-style players in the world and has markedly improved her skills and technique. Several videos of Macyn's performances can be found on YouTube at www.youtube.com/busker12
Local artists and performers are encouraged to consider sharing their talent/craft with the community via the BONK! series. For more information on how to participate or to view video of past performances please visit http://bonkperformanceseries.wordpress.com. You may also contact the Racine Public Library at 262.619.2571, Becky Spika at becky.spika@racinelibrary.info , or Nick Demske at nick.demske@racinelibrary.info.
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