At the Oct. 14 salon of Irish American Writers & Artists, ‘twas the season to be eerie. The walls of the Ellington restaurant on 105th St & Broadway provided a painterly backdrop of seasonal orange and yellow hues as Logan Reyes presented several of his poems in tones of the macabre: “Sleep,” “A Sleeping Doom” and “Reflection.”
Anthony C. Murphy, novelist and IAW&A Board member, acted as master of ceremonies with his usual unceremonious charm. He next introduced Brigid Moynahan who shared an engaging story of a family grappling with a dreaded medical decision: whether to subject their young daughter to dangerous spinal surgery. An ambitious young athlete, she competes in a swim meet and wins a diving competition, after which she ends her parents’ painful dilemma by taking the decision herself to go ahead with surgery. Moynahan, having lived most of her life in New York City, is a brand-new Irish citizen and eager to connect with others contemplating living and working in Ireland.
In Kate McLeod’s play, “The End Of the World, Let's See How That Goes,” David is packing for the Apocalypse. As he decides what to bring, he muses on just how the end of the world will impact him; what personal essentials he must have; and how society’s conflicts and the suffering they incur will be over. All through his musings, his consciousness sings in his brain. The piece was beautifully acted by Bruce Falk (David) and sung by Doug Shapiro (David's Consciousness). A reading of another McLeod play, “For the love of Me,” is set for Dec. 6 at Spencertown Academy Arts Center in Spencertown, N.Y., at 7 p.m. It’s a three-character play in monologues, set in Ireland in the late 1880s.
Al Gonzales, NYPD retired and bagpipe virtuoso, recently appeared in “A Cop, a Cabbie, and a Crusader,” at the Irish Repertory Theater, an award-winning presentation of the 17th Annual 1st Irish Theatre Festival. At the Ellington, he presented an excerpt from his play, “Officer: Confessions of a South Bronx Cop.” The monologue takes the audience back to his rookie days and a rainy night on 8th Avenue. He catches a thief breaking into cars and discovers him to be a childhood pal. The son of a nurse and a football coach and once a promising star athlete, the culprit is now a crack addict. Gonzales is faced with a moral conflict as the area is used by cops to park their personal vehicles and they wouldn’t go easy on the thief. The idealistic rookie confronts his conscience and his first lesson on the law — its shades of gray. He lets the thief go.
Frequent salon contributor Ron Vazzano reflected on his admiration for Superman prompted by the character’s latest iteration on film. Ron’s relationship with the man of steel was forged in his Catholic childhood and dovetailed with his hero worship of Jesus Christ — also the son of “unearthly” parents, who used his super powers for the good of mankind. Perhaps Ron also caught a vibe from the recent Comic Con 2025 gathering of comic book characters at the Javits Center.
Mark William Butler, former IAW&A Board Member and director of five Eugene O’Neill Award shows (so far), is working on IAW&A’s Christmas salon on Dec. 8, which he will curate and host. Meanwhile he will preview an updated version of his musical, “The Ugly Christmas Sweater,” on Thursday, Nov. 20, as part of the CreateTheatre New Works Festival, at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42nd St. He treated the salon to a sample of what’s in store by performing the song “We need a Brand New Christmas.”
Kevin Bourke received a warm welcome and response to his debut presentation at an IAW&A salon. He shared an excerpt from a story about a group of people during a lockdown in a Hawaiian hotel. They have to live without cable, internet, phone or alcohol and are left with themselves and nature. Instead of devolving into chaos they find forms of enlightenment. A writer of fiction and drama, Bourke also brings 35 years experience in the book publishing industry to his brand new membership in IAW&A.
Sartorially seasonal in his raffish black cape, Gordon Gilbert got in touch with his inner Dracula to elucidate how a vampire goes about choosing his evening meal. At this time of year, he says, “It’s hard to stay sober” (get it?). A long-time active member of IAW&A, Gordon is a frequent host and presenter at spoken-word events around New York City, including renditions of his play, “Monologues From the Old Folks Home.”
Singer/songwriter Daniel Harnett capped the evening with a set of his original songs, starting off with the somewhat poignant but amusing “When I Get Skinny Again.” He followed that with “Roll n’ Roll,” ”Say I’m a Good Soul,” and a rousing closer, “Why You Ridin’ With Me” that had the audience chiming in on the chorus.
IAW&A is a welcoming community for creative people to share their art with each other and an appreciative audience. The next salon will be on Nov. 11, at 7 p.m., again at the elegant Ellington, where the bar and menu are excellent. Admission, as always, is free.
