Hello!
It is one week after the February Open Book literary open mic and I’m sure I’m not the only one who is still coming down from the sweet, glorious high of *community*. Month after month- the Open Book crowd gathers and grows and it will never cease to inspire me.
If you are new here (welcome!) Open Book is a monthly literary open mic that occurs on the third Wednesday of every month at Fiction Bar and Cafe in Brooklyn, NY. Here on Substack we are sharing some of our readers while hoping to connect with others!
This week I am excited to introduce a close friend and writer Jaime Cooke to our podcast carousel. Returning as a host for this episode is Matt Jancer. If you don’t know Jaime you will soon find out from this episode she is a Midwestern turned NY’er (she has survived 12 years here!) and she is truly a human version of a Mary Poppins umbrella bag -full of helpful tidbits, unique talents, endless joys and well, snacks. (see an example pictured below- young Jaime with ideas brewing and snacks close by.)
Before I knew Jaime was my neighbor I met her on a Tuesday at WUTI . She will tell you herself she may have not come back if she hadn’t been approached by some of us WUTI-ers that warmly welcomed her into our literary circle. Coincidentally, this particular Tuesday was the night before Open Book’s debut! This was over three years ago- and our new friend Jaime decided to come back the very next night to see what we were talking about. I am so, so glad she made that decision.
Since that Tuesday- Jaime has shared her words, brought her Mom (OB loves Moms, your family, your best friend, your mentor, etc- bring them! All welcome at The Open Book!) , guest hosted, and even created her own Show & Tell storytelling event!
This episode highlights her Midwest upbringing so I wanted to share how since I met her and have learned about the great small big city that is St. Louis, MO- I have since connected with at least three other close friends that have deep roots to STL or have moved there and fell in love with it. This is a reminder that even if you relocate and call a new place home, the home that raised us never leaves and is constantly appearing in our art and relationships. Pretty beautiful in my opinion.
Sharing that sentiment- I’ll wrap up this post by sharing a selfie taken while all visiting STL! Jaime and I were both visiting on the same weekend going to different weddings happening on the same day. My last day of the trip was spent with Jaime and her boyfriend Rob where we drove around eyeing some of their fave spots, had lunch with her parents, met Joseph the dog, and as good people do- they drove me to the airport to catch my flight. So fun!
I hope this episode and post encourages you to go to the meetup, make a friend, tell a story, make some art, call your Mom, etc. Open Book is a stage that houses stories and you’re all welcome.
Happy Reading/Writing,
-B.Dots/Open Book
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