The Ugly Mug is a wonderful, literary, independent coffee house in Historic Old Towne Orange, Ca. (Known for its Antique Shops, and restaurants, including Watsons Drug & Soda Fountain, established in 1899, it's the oldest drugstore in the OC, and the oldest on-going business in the city of Orange.)
They are nestled on Glassell, between Chapman University on the north, and the Traffic Circle, on the south, and, on Wednesday nights plays host to Steve Ramirez, & Ben Trigg, Two Idiots Pedaling Poetry, and their Open Mic.
I first read my poetry there in October 2010, a few days after my job layoff.
I had planned to return, and wish I had, at least before I started taking computer classes, and some were on Wednesday evening.
This week I made my triumphant return, at last! :-D
I was 3rd up, and read 3 pieces, 2 by me, and 1 by my Cat, Nikita. :-D
1. If Walt Whitman had been a Cat, and a Cranky One at That!
Excerpt From Leaves Of Catnip by Walt Whitpuss
2. Twinkle, Twankle, My Poor Ankle
3. A Creative Writer's Prayer -- Something I wrote just last month, and am very proud of, and it seems to have affected several of those who have read it very deeply.
The featured poet was Michael Roberts, and when he came up, and mentioned he was going to be reading poems involving Cats, too, everyone laughed. :-D
Another guy, John Buckley, read some of his poetry, and one also had a Cat, in it.
One guy, Peter Lewis, read some poems, and while none involved Cats, his shirt had a Cat on the front, and these words: "Does Your Cat Make Too Much Noise?"
Hell, if I had known Cats were gonna be all the rage, this night, I would have left my 2 poems home, and brought 2 more by Nikita! :-D
Everyone reacted with appropriate laughter, and seriousness, depending on the piece, and gave me a nice round of applause when I was done.
During the intermission one young lady came up to me, and told me how much she liked my poems, especially the Cat poem.
A couple of others came up to me, after the readings were done, shook my hand, and said they liked my work, as well.
Very cool! :-D
John. F. Buckley, a local poet, and author, has a full recap of the evening on his blog (He thought I looked like his Ex-Father-in-Law! I THINK that was meant as a compliment, hee, hee!).
UPDATE 2/6/12 = John has explained the comment! It's in the comments to the above post, as follows:
"I was just commenting on the glasses and mustache. That’s what reminded me of the ex’s Dad."
Next week the remarkable, and prolific, Rick Lupert, of Poetry Super Highway, will be the guest poet, and I will be there, not only to read 3 of Nikita's Poems, and to hear Mr. Lupert, but to thank him personally, at last, for his very kind, and amusing, words about my Cat, Nikita, and his writing, and for accepting a link to this blog, in his List of Links, back in 2009.
He wrote me the following, on August 3, 2009: "Long Live Your Pussy!" :-D
After 2 years of building up a collection of Poetry, and Stories...
Creative Meowsings of a Poetic, and Storytelling, Pussycat
Creative Meowsings: 100 Word Cat Stories
I think it's time for Nikita, and Elvira Mistress of Felinity, to submit Meowsing of an Opinionated Pussycat to his collection of links. :-D
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