The crew of creatives running Smooch's Poetry Night -- and the Smooch local arts collective -- managed to salvage their event from the shuttering of 35th Street Studios by moving it to a Brighton Park residential backyard: a perfect spot on a beautiful night. 

Big thanks to the organizers for letting me perform "Sucka AI" and for all the wonderful talent they brought together, including standout musical performances from Ch!ara and The Canceled , and Solino . The poets who stepped up to share their work did a great job, and the poetry was very adroitly composed, smart and entertaining, too.

The whole event moved along nicely, with steady rotation of performers and heartfelt announcements and accolades from organizers. Instrumentalists from Solino accompanied poets, which was a fantastic touch: a big thanks to the band's drummer who gave me a beat for "Sucka AI."

The vibe and audience was fantastic, with a very diverse crowd of engaged and lively participants: This is definitely where the cool and creative cats are coming together locally to make great something happen. This was the first anniversary of Smooch's Poetry Night, and I will look forward to the next one!