Todd Pate began Tuesday night’s Irish American Writers & Artists’ Salon at the Cell reading an excerpt from his “non-fiction novel” in progress, “Most of America,” documenting a two-month Greyhound bus trip through the United States and the people he met along the way.
Todd also spoke of his Texas upbringing near the Mexican border and it was the perfect segue to a collaborative work produced by Larry Kirwan and me. Larry’s band, Black 47, recorded the tune “San Patricio Brigade,” which Larry wrote, and I created the short film using video clips of Black 47, old photos and artwork. “San Patricio Brigade” is the story of Irish-American immigrants who, upon arrival in America, joined the army, were sent to fight in the Mexican-American war, deserted, fought for the Mexicans and were eventually hanged.
Kathleen Donohoe, recent winner of the Crossroads’ Irish-American writing contest, read an essay "The Wealth of the World" about her paternal grandparents, which was published in the April/May issue of Irish America magazine. Kathleen submitted the story over two years ago, thought it was passed over, and was pleased to learn that the person in charge “Photo Album” feature of the magazine found it in a folder of old submissions, liked it and published it.
I was moved by the last paragraph in Kathleen's article: "When I look at this picture, so ordinary before you know, I think about how for each piece of a family story that you’ve heard, there is another and another still that will remain strong in a dry throat, a poem in a closed book. And I think as well of this Irish proverb: A tune is more lasting than the song of birds, And a word is more lasting than the wealth of the world.”
David Coles closed out the evening reading a passage from his unpublished book, “In the Midnight Choir,” which follows the conversation between a bartender and three of the bar's regulars as they wend through the hours of an empty Sunday night, the haggard aftermath of a long hard weekend in Greenwich Village in the 1970s. Superb writing and a book that I'm sure will land a publisher very quickly.
For more about last Tuesday’s salon go to storiesconnectloveheals.com. The IAW&A salons take place on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at the Thalia Cafe, located at 95th and Broadway and the Cell Theatre located at 338 W. 23rd Street, respectively. For more information on the salons or joining the Irish American Artists & Writers contact me, Charles R. Hale at chashale1@yahoo.com. The IAA&W General Membership meeting will take place on June 5 in the Irish Consulate, 345 Park Ave. (17th floor), at 6 p.m.
