Stop Taking My Coffee Mug

Someone keeps taking my coffee mug at work. I need to get a mug that says something like "World's Greatest Pederast" to keep people from using it.

I went to the the NAMBLA website to see if they have an online store. The site was black and ominous and only had a field where you enter a password. I tried "scout leader," "priest," "limbaugh." Nothing seemed to work.

I picked up the phone and called a guy in programming and asked for his password. At first he pretended to not know what NAMBLA was. Reluctantly he suggested "entrapment."

Smell the Hell

Fans of writing about New Orleans but not about Katrina will dazzle at the news of Brett Evans' new collection of poetry, Slosh Models, a gathering of ten mini-"books" [think: Spicer's Book of Magazine Verse] which capture the sights and sounds and smells -- heavy on the smells -- of the Crescent City and other places, like To Hell And Back, with winsome excursions into the worlds of pornography and the Iroquois [not to be confused with the popular genre of "Iroquois porn"].

Available by check of $14 (includes s & h) from the author at:

Brett Evans

3331 Dumaine Street

New Orleans, LA 70119-3910

Also available from Small Press Distribution.

"Maybe" at the Lincoln Theatre

The Emerging Playwrights Competition has recently named Maybe, a short play by Michael Merino, as a winner in their inaugural competition. Along with four other works, the play will receive a staged reading at the historic Lincoln Theatre on Thursday, March 5, 2009 at 7PM.

Merino’s play addresses the impossibility of clear and precise communication. The work involves two actors (Man and Woman), whose only words are "yes" and "no," respectively. An additional character called Stage Directions provides guidance regarding inflection and the actors' movements.

The work will be presented along with Line Two is for You by Sharon E. Moore, Bread by Randy Gross, Moral Support by Dean Poynor, and Firefly by Amanda F. Healy. All plays will be directed by theater veteran Eric Ruffin and performed by a cast of professional actors. Ruffin is the founder of The Acting Studio at the Newark School of the Arts, a professional training program in acting, and is the Founder and Artistic Director for the Newark Youth Ensemble, Newark, NJ.

The performance at the Lincoln Theater is free, but reservations through the box office are required by calling 202-328-6000 or via email at rsvp@thelincolntheatre.org.

About the Lincoln Theatre:
The historic Lincoln Theatre is a non profit performing arts venue located in the vibrant U Street district and managed by the U Street Theatre Foundation. Originally a vaudeville theatre and movie house open in the 1920s, the “Jewel on U” has reopened as DC’s National Theatre and a cultural crossroads where diverse and stimulating entertainment programming is offered.