Over fifty people packed the Broad Ripple Brewpub for the first Akbar reading. The new reading series promised short, entertaining readings, free beer trivia, and the chance to engage with other writers in the Butler community. The Akbar delivered on all points. In the spirit of keeping the boring stuff short, the reading series formally known as The Kaveh Akbar (ahem!) Endowed Reading Series, is now called simply “The Akbar.”
The reading began with a series of poems by Allyson Horton. Her reading experience was evident as she captivated the large, rowdy crowd with her womanly, jazzy poems and haikus. The unmarried poet jokingly gave marriage advice after reading “Husband number 4.”
Fiction candidate Logan Spackman’s reading was punctuated with hardy laughter and dramatic page tossing. He read an excerpt of his thesis project, a novel involving a small town mystery, twins in the basement, and boozing parents. Are there better ingredients for a novel?
Andy Levy, Butler English Department Chair and MFA nonfiction professor, provided an incredibly personal essay on grief and closure. “Spoiler: you’ll never find it,” Levy read. The essay centered around the loss of his friend who died in Pan Am flight 103 before he made it as the literary superstar many thought he’d be.
The winners of the free beer trivia contest were Claire Leo, Erin Harris, and Tracy Mishkin. They sure know their drunk writers.
The readers wowed, but the best part of the night was the eclectic group assembled in the pub. It was standing room only as members of the first Butler MFA graduating class mingled with first year students, professors, and everyone in between. Old and new friends encouraged each other in our common mission on being a better writer.
Save the date for the next Akbar reading Wednesday, December 16th, 7:00pm at the Brewpub. The lineup includes Butler MFA director and nonfiction professor Hilene Flanzbaum, fiction candidate Greg O’Neill, and poetry candidate Rachel Sahaidachny. Plus, inappropriate trivia presented by John Eckerd. See you at the Akbar!