OPEN MIC following the features
BEER & WINE available for purchase
THURSDAY, MAY 8
6pm EST
featuring poets Michael Duckwall and Patty Cooper Wells
music by Tommy Bays
open mic to follow
Sponsored in part by the Bloomington Arts Commission and the Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association
MICHAEL E. DUCKWALL was born and raised in the Ohio Valley. A featured poet at the 10th Gonzofest in 2023, he took off and hit the ground running as part of the production team for a 57-hour non-stop “Insomniacathon” music and poetry event in Louisville KY in 2024. Michael’s poetry, artwork, and photography have been in a handful of magazines and anthologies, along with numerous online features. He has a couple of chapbooks—“Ramblings of a Recovering Poet” and “7.2 SkullQuake”—in publication and one limited-edition co-authored chapbook, “Kraken Nuts” (w/ Chad M. Horn), you may have missed out on.
PATTY COOPER WELLS is a native of Queensville IN. She and her husband, John, have made Madison their home since 2000. Primarily a visual artist, she believes art is calling and revels in the creative process. She studied art with Cal-Arts alumni artist Paul E. Neufelder at his Magic Theatre Studio in Columbus IN. She has painted and exhibited her artwork for over thirty-five years. She has painted many murals all over Madison: The Taproom, Analog Coffee, and River of Kindness at Mural Plaza are three of the best known. Her other passions are local history, genealogy, and vintage Halloween. She is a volunteer curator at Gallery @ the SPOT/M.A.A.A., and co-founder of The Gadfly Art & Poetics Society with Jane Vonderheide.
TOMMY BAYS is an eclectic singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with a passion for the written word and long funky grooves. He hails from the Louisville KY and southern Indiana area and is a member of US Lifetime National Beat Poet Laureate Ron Whitehead's Storm Generation Band. Tommy has been performing music with poets for many years, including at events produced by Keeping the Flame Alive. He is working his debut solo album and wants you to know before he performs these 3 things: you can feel good, we want you to be happy, and you can still have fun. Surrender to the flow. Catch Tommy at this year's GonzoFest New Orleans in May!
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