The Fire-Breathing-Well-Endowed-Geek-With-A-Birthmark, Wings, And A Penchant For Picking Poppies In An Insane Asylum!

Whew! That's not just a clever title, it's a saucy synopsis of the amazing salon I organized this past Saturday featuring some of Boston's best fantasy writers.

It was a wonderful evening that would make any mead-hall dweller proud. Our little gathering took place in an old brownstone in Back Bay (I even built a fire to add ambiance!). There was delightful company, too-many kinds of grog to count (though I chose to take the Lambic because raspberry beer is the thing!) and tales that covered many delightful corners of the fantasy realm.

The lovely Chip Cheek shared an excerpt of his tale "Potency", a yarn about a well-endowed dragon. Chip had us roaring with delight and no wonder--"Potency" has been nominated for a Pushcart! Congrats, Chip!

Always engaging Ethan Gilsdorf treated us to a reading from his fabulous book, "Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks". Ethan's writing on the ins-and-outs of D&D play had the whole audience nostalgic for our own bygone days of teen geekdom (though one person pointed out that he'd declined a D&D game to attend the reading, proving that the geek lives on in all of us).

The ever-ethereal Sophie Powell spun a story set in the tumulus in Wales, complete with the Poppy Queen herself and of course, yummy Welsh-cakes. This excerpt is from Sophie's novel-in-progress, The Poppy Queen (which we are all anticipating with glee!).

The beautifully dark and twisty Sue Williams gave a morsel of her novella "The Winged Hendersons from Welton-on-Sea". This cheeky story about a winged boy had everyone aching in understanding for the trials of winged adolescence. (This piece has also won prizes and honorable mentions...see Sue's blog for the details!)

Frighteningly fabulous Cam Terwilliger relayed his curiously creepy tale "Aminadab" (published in Sycamore Review!). He had us cringing and laughing and fondly remembering our love for Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Finally, I shared a bit of dark fairy tale with a piece called "Hansel and Gretel"...though it was by no means your average Grimmsian meditation.

This salon was fun, festive and a wonderful opportunity to get out of the box and see what fellow writers have been up to. I highly recommend coming to the next salon (featuring spooky stories!) or starting one of your own!