Saturday, December 18: BONK! for the Holidays

Saturday, Dec. 19 from 6-8pm, the Racine Public Library will once again host "BONK!", the free monthly performance series that has quickly become an established entertainment event in downtown Racine. Now being held at the Racine Arts Council 316 Sixth St., the series was created to expose the public to both local and nationally recognized artistic talents. Each event showcases poets, writers, musicians, film makers and other talented artists. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with seating available on a first come/first served basis. Each BONK! event features a short question and answer session with the artists. Gracing the stage this month will be a unique group of musicians and writers. Join us for performances by musical group AMERICAN RESTLESS, and poets CARRIE OLIVIA ADAMS and EDDIE MAKOWSKI.

American Restless is an electric music duo comprised of Noah and Lizzy Lou Lekas. Born of the Bible and the Blues, American Restless is the places they've been, the people they've met, and the blues they've seen. Over the last six months American Restless has toured covering eight states with fifty plus shows and self releasing two cds, The Single Series Vol. I and Vol. II. Armed with a guitar and a washboard, they play their own brand of stripped down Americana inspired music.

Carrie Olivia Adams is a publicist at the University of Chicago Press; she is also the poetry editor for Black Ocean. She has published one chapbook, A Useless Window, and her first full-length collection, Intervening Absence, is available from Ahsahta Press. Her poems and criticism have appeared in such journals as Backwards City Review, Cranky, DIAGRAM, Verse, and Lilies and Cannonballs. Her poem-films, "Pandora's Star Box," and "Winter Came" can be seen on YouTube.
Ed Makowski is a poet and artist living in Milwaukee. He has two books out, Manifest Density and Carrying an Knife in to the Gunfight. After releasing his first collection of poetry, Manifest Density, in spring 2006, he began a project of riding a motorcycle across the U.S. with a digital voice recorder attached to a microphone in his helmet, taking pictures and providing a real-time stream of consciousness account of the country. His work has been accepted to Thunder Sandwich, remark., Word Riot, Ugly Accent, Thieves Jargon, LauraHird.com, and My Favorite Bullet among others.

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.