FINAL THURSDAY READING SERIES

Thursday, September 27, 2007
 Vibe Coffee House
Cedar Falls

Book Release Reading by
Bill Chene

Welcome to lucky year seven of the Final Thursday Reading Series!  Signup for the open mic begins @ 7 p.m. on a first come, first served basis.  Limited slots are available, so readers are encouraged to sign up early to read your best five minutes of poetry, fiction, or creative non-fiction.  Singer-songwriters are also welcome.  The open mic begins at 7:30 p.m.  The featured reader takes the stage between 8:00 and 8:30 (depending on how many open mic readers there are). After the reading, there will be a brief question and answer session. 

Bill Chene is the author of Vision of a New Past: Poems About America (Final Thursday Press).  A regular on the Cedar Valley’s slam poetry circuit, he works by day as Gear Manufacturing Engineer for John Deere in Waterloo.   He has also been employed as an Independent Catastrophic Insurance Adjuster, received several design patents, built Corvette transmissions in Nashville, worked in Detroit auto factories, hustled pool in bars in Detroit, and served in the U. S. Army Infantry.  You can read a sample of his work below.

  Vibe is located at 909 W. 23rd St. in Cedar Falls on the second floor of Bought again Books.  Persons needing access accommodation should call 266-7115 by the day before the event.  For more information, contact Jim O'Loughlin.

Read Work by

Past Featured Readers

Chaveevah Banks Ferguson

Eula Biss

John Bresland

Scott Cawelti

Rebecca Dunham

Karris Golden

Vince Gotera

Paul Hedeen

Harvey Hess

Dave Hoing

Patrick Irelan

Kathleen Kelly

Jerry Klinkowitz

Catherine A. F. MacGillivray

Nate McKeen

Pierre-Damien Mvuyekure

Cherie "Chillin'" Nelson

Mike Palacek

James P. Roberts

Susan Rochette

Ron Sandvik

Myrna Sandvik

Ralph James Savarese

Kim Shott

Ann Struthers

Jonathan Stull

John Wilson Swope

Grant Tracey

Ray A. Young Bear

Coming Soon from 
Final Thursday Press

Welcome to
the Future Past:

Poems About America

Poetry by Bill Chene

Now Available from Final Thursday Press

Lamentations on

the Rwandan Genocide

Poetry by Pierre-Damien Mvuyekure

Kyrie

Poetry by Jonathan Stull

Ghost Wars

Poetry by Vince Gotera

***Winner of the 2004 Global Filipino Literary Award for Poetry***

Laugh.  Damnit.

Poetry by Ahkos

Bad Men

Microfiction by Jim O'Loughlin

Things I’m Tired Of
by Bill Chene

I’m really tired of

Phony rappers & nothing to say yappers,
The shopping at the Gappers,
Country & western turd tappers
& all of the hangin’ out & bustin’ a cappers

And

Old men on choppers & bird shit droppers,
Rich kids dressing like share croppers,
& all of those rude pushy mall shoppers

And

TV laugh track clappers & knee slappers,
Locker room towel snappers,
Loose ear flappers, noisy bug zappers
& all of those sports nuts & jock strappers

And

Pushy, disco boppers, shallow fashion foppers
& slippery when wet floor moppers
& all of those two-faced, leapfrogging career hoppers

And

Leaky urine sample stoppers,
Apple & watermelon schnappers, jalapeño poppers,
Overnight floppers & all of those
Parking ticket rent-a-coppers

And

Telemarketing fast talkers,
Lonely stalkers, picky street walkers,
Accident gawkers & all of the
“Have you claimed your prize?” phony contest hawkers

And

Harp seal trappers & maple tree sappers,
Having to use nasty public crappers,
& all of the driving while reading their mappers

And

Sleeping droolers & fizzy wine coolers,
Freaks sampling their own stoolers,
& all of those more talented than me
Poetry writing high schoolers.

 

Upcoming Final Thursday featured readers include Loree Rackstraw and Aaron McNally.  Watch this site for more details.