The annual, not-to-be-missed Gist Street Cookout is approaching:
It’s summer! The corn is over knee-high, and the basil plants have decided they’d like to stay for awhile. That means it’s time to fire up the grill for the annual cookout extravaganza.
SATURDAY, July 17th in the backyard of the studio. SATURDAY. This year, we’re featuring VERSE PRESS (www.versepress.org) and offering an amazing smorgasboard of readings from 5 (count em 5) of their finest poets: Peter Richards, Christian Hawkey, Lori Shine, Eric Baus, and Diane Wald. These
poets are making a heroic effort to get to Pittsburgh by car and plane just to read for you. There will be *many* books for sale.Our cookouts feature some of the finest potluck dishes in the Pittsburgh region and perhaps the world. This means you, yes you, need to pull out the stops and bring something in a dish or something for the grill. Find Aunt Edna’s potato salad recipe or whip something up you’ve been wanting to try out on a LARGE crowd or buy a big ol piece of fish, chicken or beef. Someone needs to bring a watermelon. I’ve promised a watermelon to the poets. Also, bring things to drink. Last year we–tragically–ran out of beer.
305 Gist Street. James Simon’s sculpture studio on the first floor, backyard. Socializing and cook-outing begin at 7:30. Readings begin at 8:00. Homemade bread by Antoine. LOTS and LOTS of pesto made by the Gist Street staff. I’ll make a pie or two. $3 suggested donation. Gist Street raffle. Enormous quantities of food you’ll be talking about until next year about this time.
For bios of all the poets, coherent directions, and gossip: www.giststreet.org. 412-434-5629 if you’re lost.
Please, please heed the call to BYOB. It’s so desperately annoying to bring a bottle of wine to an event like this and have all the vino run out before one can have a second glass.