by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban
Today, like every first Friday of the month, downtown Doylestown will celebrate the event with music, food and a festive atmosphere that welcomes all: families, couples, and friends.
The first time I attended First Friday, my daughter was nine, and my son twelve, and it was freezing cold because it was February. So, mainly, we stayed indoors listening to different groups perform and doing crafts at the Michener Museum and the library. There were not many people in the streets back then, but that has changed over time, especially on days like today when the weather is warmer.
On first Fridays, most stores are open late and offer food or drinks but, if these snacks are not enough for you to call it dinner, you can always go to one of the many wonderful restaurants that dot Main and State and the neighboring streets.
If you come today and are in the mood for a little culture, you can join me and 15 other writers who will be doing a reading at Saxbys at 22N Main Street, Doylestown ((215) 345-1300) from 6 to 10 PM. The event is free and it offers a rare opportunity to sample different styles and genres and talk to your next favorite author in a relaxed atmosphere.
If you cannot make it and wonder what you have missed, you can check the readings later as they are going to be filmed and then released as a series of video podcasts.
And if you really cannot wait to hear my contribution, you can read it right now, by clicking here:
My reading will be my homage to Federico Garcia Lorca, the Spanish poet and playwright who is a character in my work in progress.
In my story, Federico and Carla listen to a poem that Federico wrote and the Canadian bard Leonard Cohen translated into English and put to music. (You can hear the song by clicking in the video below.)
Leonard Cohen was so taken by Federico’s work, he named his daughter, Lorca, after the poet.
In one of those bizarre coincidences, as I prepared for my reading, I learned Leonard Cohen has been named this past Wednesday this year’s recipient of Spain’s Prince of Asturias Award for letters.
My sincere congratulations to a great man and artist.
I hope you come see for yourself what First Friday in Doylestown is all about. And if you do, please, stop by at Saxbys and come to say hello. I’d love to meet you.
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