It was a dark and stormy night…

No, really, it was. Last night. Thunder, lightning, rain. Reminded me of Dayton, OH in the summer, except this was Los Angeles in the winter. Everyone expresses grief in his own way, I suppose.

Despite what was viewed by many residents and my television as apocalyptic weather, some forty hardy and possibly drink-fortified souls showed up at Stories in Echo Park. Despite its (deserved) rep as hipster central, I counted only about ten of that tenacious breed. The rest were (I heard) ex-employees of the former autocrat of Egypt, but we’ll take what we can get and we will like it.

Eight contributors to Slake issue 2 read odds and sods of their work from that excellent literary quarterly, including myself. Editors Joe Donnelly and Laurie Ochoa, formerly of the LA Weekly until it was taken over by the Hershey Corporation and turned into a milk chocolate confection, put an enormous amount of work into this issue and have been tirelessly promoting the thing since its release in late January. My contribution aside, issue 2 deserves your patronage. It is a beautifully-wrought artifact. Should you choose to purchase a copy or three, you will not regret it. If you do (regret it, that is), I will refund your money in full. I am serious. Out of my own pocket. You have nothing to lose, and a congeries of excellent writing to gain.

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