First Annual Lit on The Bricks was held Sunday, April 20

It was a warm, spring day in April in Atlanta, a perfect day to celebrate poetry, rock ‘n’ roll, and Rocky Road ice cream.  Swami Gone Bananas, featuring Tommy Dean of the legendary Atlanta band, the League of Decency, set the mood at Rock, Rhyme and Rocky Road, the first Lit on the Bricks event, with swinging tunes from the rock era. 

Natasha Trethewey, Pulitzer Prize winning poet, headed the group of prominent poets who read their selections from Under the Rock Umbrella: Contemporary Poets from 12951 to 1977, edited by William Walsh.  The participating poets, Anthony Grooms, Beth Gylys, Megan Sexton, Chad Davidson, Ralph Tejeda Wilson, Gregory Fraser, and William Walsh autographed copies of the volume for purchasers. An additional treat was the performance by Cheyenne D. C. Johnson, the school winner of the 2008 Poetry Out Loud competition.

Guests did not leave hungry, but indulged in Varsity dogs, fries, and onion rings, or opted for a variety of flavors of Jake’s Ice Cream, including a brand new flavor Hippie Chippy named for the occasion by daughter of one of the poets, or baked goods from the Fine Arts Club.  The Grady Foundation hopes to make Lit on the Bricks, in a variety of formats, an annual event.

(Click on any photo for a larger view)
Natasha Trethewey 2007 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Poetry		Beth Gylys
Anthony Grooms		Megan Sexton
William Walsh		Chad Davidson
Megan Sexton		Greg Fraser, Beth Gylys, Chad Davidson