I haven’t done one of these in a while, so here we go!

One: It’s been many moons since I’ve done open mike, but what a great return with my wife, TJ and our friend, Lauretta, who scouted us The New Outlaws poetry series at The Depot in Baltimore. Great crowd, sharp talent, new friends made in an old punk rock forum. I was a little choppy and speedy from years of inactivity in the forum, but my three pieces really hit home, and the audience reacted enthusiastically and laughed when I wanted them to.

It was the instant friendships made afterwards that meant the most. That’s how it happened back in the day of other open mikes I used to read at frequently in Frederick and Westminster, MD. TJ and Lauretta also delivered strong, TJ writing her third piece in the nick of time, pun intended. A deep and winding poem called “Time,” woven in the same timing and scheme as Poe’s “The Bells,” which she masterfully delivered as a guest reader at this year’s “Doomsday” 24-hour Poe reading event. My heart is singing.

Two: You know where I’m at and why I’m here. Georgetown, Washington, DC, at M and Prospect Streets. Those haunting chimes of Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells” should be twinkling in your ears right now. I’m talking about 97 steps made notorious in The Exorcist, one of the many elements of horror going into my new collection, Behind the Shadows. I felt a little return pilgrimage with Shadows only a couple months away from terrorizing you felt appropriate.

Three: Fall is here! Pumpkin spice everything, cooler temperatures, Nature’s majesty truly revealed with the changing of palettes. A holiday festival for horror. A time of renewal and reflection with our ancestors at Samhain. Best of all, gorgeous hikes with the one you love.

Four: I’ve written 17 short stories this year, landed three thus far and waiting on statuses for many of the remainders. I finished a wild werewolf story (if I do say so myself) this week for an anthology seeking those specifically, but I also resumed work on my next novel. As you all know, I listen to a lot of film scores when I write, but you know the writing’s getting serious when I break out this audile artillery.

Five: Tonight, I am taking my son to his very first concert, the Marley Brothers, who are touring as a family to spin the gospel of their father, Bob’s immortal songs of freedom. My kid’s a gigantic Bob Marley fan, learned to play “Redemption Song” on his guitar all through video tutorials and tonight is gonna special. I got him his own Bob Marley shirt for the occasion, and I’ll be touting Rastacore legends Bad Brains across my chest. I’ve been waiting for my son to have his first live concert experience and I’ll be a little choked up tonight it’s with the Marleys.

–Ray Van Horn, Jr.