UPDATE: The opening night of 6/29/2021 is canceled due to forcasted heavy rain. Said the organizer: “Because it is going to rain pretty steadily tonight, we are cancelling Lit Lit in the interests of safety, because I think our crowd will be too large for the indoor dining room at Homespun. But no worries, we have rescheduled for NEXT Thursday, August 5 at 7 PM, when the weather forecast is no rain and we can read in the garden!”

The literary scene in Beacon was bubbling softly like a nice glass of effervescent wine before the pandemic hit. But all that went flat when the shutdown happened. Literary events were usually held in restaurants, like the Get Lit event in Oak Vino before that wine bar closed, sold, and has since reopened as a new delicious eatery.

Homespun was a restaurant who had newly shifted under new ownership, and was promptly shut down while New York State got a handle on the virus. New owner Joe Robitallie was new to owning a restaurant, but not to the written word, having earned his Masters of Fine Art in Poetry from Brooklyn College. While studying word rhythm, he worked as a sommelier in the city before starting a family and moving to Beacon.

Enter Donna Minkowitz, a writer based in Beacon, formerly of Brooklyn, who has organized a new literary open mic night for literary folks to gather to read pieces, perform their ideas, and connect with one another for growth that will happen once a month on Thursdays. "Beacon's writers and readers have been wanting to gather again for awhile,” Donna told ALBB. “As things have started to open up again, I thought the time was now (as long as we exercise reasonable caution).” As for any relation to the Get Lit group, Donna confirms: “We are not related to the former series Get Lit at Oak Vino, except that we take them as an inspiration, because we loved them!”

People are invited to tell stories or “perform” their work (playwriting, spoken word) if that applies to their genre. People are encouraged to sign up to be a reader by filling out this form, or can go to simply listen and experience. Signups are closed right now so as to make room for signups the night of the event. Some of the published authors who are expected to read at the first event are poet Ruth Danon, food writer Matt Clifton, playwright, fiction writer, and poet Peter Ullian (who was Beacon's poet laureate from 2019-2020), and Donna (the author of two memoirs, and a former writer for the Village Voice and the Nation).

The first Lit Lit will be Thursday, July 29 at 7pm in Homespun‘s back patio garden. Homespun is located at 232 Main Street. In the event of rain, the group can move inside.

Joe spoke with ALBB to answer why he is looking forward to this new event: “It signals a return to normalcy and groups gathering outside to express their common interests. I am excited because we always imagined that we’d be able to use Homespun as a meeting place for the community, that it would be a safe space for people to gather and build community around their interests. I am excited to hear neighbors read their writing and find inspiration in one another. How writing communities work is always so fascinating, with people sharing through reading and how ideas get pushed forward. Finally I’m excited because it gives us a nice chance at Homespun to turn on the lights in the backyard, and have people enjoy an evening out there. Homespun: the Bar, for an evening.”

Homespun’s wine, beer, soft drinks, and perhaps some snacks will be available for purchase.

Editorial Note: Homespun is a sponsor of A Little Beacon Blog, but this article was done independently of that partnship.