NJ Irish American Writer and Artist Salon Flourishes

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How It's New York: The Irish American Writers and Artists is a group that began in NYC; this is a NJ installment of the popular writers' salons.
How It's Irish: Writers and their topics are Irish-American.

The second monthly installment of the NJ Irish American Writers and Artists Salon at the Irish American Cultural Institute showed a threefold increase in performers and attendees from last month, which means a new creative tradition is thriving in the soil of the Garden State! 

The next Salon will be held from 7-9 on Thursday, November 30 at the Irish American Cultural Institute (1 Lackawanna Place, Morristown, NJ), mere steps away from the Morristown train station. The Google Map for the location can be found here: Google map:https://maps.google.com/maps?q=1+lackawanna+plaza+morristown
Patrick Clifford sang songs from his newly released album, Chance of a Start which was recently drew rave reviews in both The Irish Voice and The Irish Echo . My review of this singer/songwriter’s modern classic is here and the Irish Echo review is here. 

Billy Barrett

Billy Barrett is about 8 chapters into his memoir, Highway Star, and it promises to be a riveting page turner if his reading was any indication! The jaundiced eye he casts on the cast of characters in his family was both brutal and hilarious as he tells the tale of hitting his uncle up for a lone when he finds himself broke and out of luck in Atlantic City one night. 

Jim Hennessy

Jim Hennessy, a local history buff who owns the pub Hennessy’s Washington Bar around the corner from the Cultural Center, read a moving account from an upcoming book about the history of the Irish in Morristown. He was moved to tears (and moved the rest of us) with an account of the letters his family sent back and forth to one another during World War I.   

George Marano read a heartwarming poem in honor of his Galway-born father-in-law called “Walking the Dog Patch in Honor.” 



Mike Farragher read from his upcoming novel, the follow-up to the runaway hit This Is Your Brain on Shamrocks. He read a humorous personal essay about donning a kilt for the first time. For a sample of his work, log onto www.thisisyourbrainonshamrocks.com
John Liam Shea mingled with the writers and musicians, clearly excited about the release of his new novel, Cut and Run in the Bronx - John Liam Shea. A delightful experimental metaphysical New York police procedural thriller from writer, Shea will be taking it over to the Irish Writers Centre in Dublin on 21st November 2012 at 7.30 pm. 

Tom Johnston

Tom Johnston, one half of the Irish American folk rock sensation Beannacht, took the opportunity to debut a few new songs from his upcoming solo album. The first original was a reflective piece called"Grasping for Answers," followed an Irish historical narrative on migrations out west called  "On Our Way to Butte, Montana". He ended the night with a musical adaptation of the poem "September 1913".
A special thanks to Carol and Mark Buck of the Irish Cultural Center for their kind hospitality (and since Carol is half Italian, she fed us to the gills) and to Jim Hennessy, who provided the adult beverages. To find his pub, click here:http://www.yelp.com/biz/hennessey-washington-bar-morristown
Let’s triple the Salon again next month! This is a new partnership forged between the IAW&A and the Irish American Cultural Institute of Morristown. The Salon sessions allow writers, artists, and playwrights to express themselves in front of a safe and nurturing community. We’d love to see you at the next one! on out if you’ve never visited us before and if you did come last time, bring at least 3 friends!