52nd City

Aarons, Aarons Everywhere!

According to Wikipedia, "Five represents openness to new experiences as well as new ideas. Seeking freedom, it is often the adventurer. Five is about pushing life to its limits." 5 is also a Fibronacci number, a Pell Number, and a Markov number. Alchemists theorized that there were five elements: air, water, earth, fire and "aether." Five is heavy medicine. Big stuff. Look down at your fingers and toes; you dig?

So what happens when five Aarons converge for the 5th Readings @, on the 5th day of the month? You and your neighborhood alchemist can find out on Thursday, at the Tap Room.

THE LINEUP:

Aaron Belz, who has led this series through two and a half seasons, will be introducing all of the other Aarons.

Aaron Kiely is a New York Aaron. His book, The Best of My Love, was published by Ugly Duckling Presse in December. You can get a little audio sample of Aaron Kiely reading one of his poems here.

Aaron Kunin is a California Aaron. You can see a photo and read an interview with him at Here Comes Everybody. If you had a grandpa who like to build stuff, you might remember playing with folding rulers as a kid; and you remember how you could turn it into a big star (or a triangle, if you were less ambitious). Aaron Kunin's book is called Folding Ruler Star but it is not about folding rulers, but shame. Aaron Kunin also writes novels and literary criticism.

Aaron McCollough is a Michigan Aaron. Ann Arbor, to be specific. His first book, Welkin was published 2002; since then, he's written two more, Double Venus and Little Ease, which will be released this year by Ahsahta Press. Keep clicking to find out more about this book, and about this fourth Aaron!

Aaron Tieger is another New York Aaron. (Meaning New York state; Mr. Tieger lives in Ithaca, not Brooklyn, like Mr. Kiely). His newest chapbook, After Rilke, which should be out on the streets as I write this, was published by Anchorite Press. And if you don't know already, an anchorite is someone who's become so religious they must retreat into hermitude, because the world is just too much.

The Schlafly Tap Room is located on 2100 Locust; don't go into the dining room, but take the stairs to your right, where you'll find the Club Room on the next landing. The reading begins at 8 p.m., but a 7:30 arrival time is always good; that means you can buy yourself a beer and maybe talk to some of the poets before they take to the stage.

And for those of you who've always wanted to be a part of Team Readings @, Aaron (Belz, that is) has created this clever PDF poster, which you can download & print out on legal-sized paper. And tell me that this plea from Mr. Belz doesn't melt your heart: "PLEASE see beyond your hatred of poetry and come to this event. Get hammered with us."