First Annual Lit On The Bricks is coming
GET LIT! with rock ‘n’ roll and poetry, Sunday, April 20

Get out your flower-power and hippie duds, and wear comfy shoes so you can rock out on Sunday, April 20, to the sounds of Swami Gone Bananas.

Swami Gone Bananas, a rock ’n’ roll band featuring Tommy Dean, also of the legendary Atlanta dance band the League of Decency, will take center stage along with eight award-winning poets for the first annual Lit on the Bricks event, 4-7pm Sunday, April 20. Hosted by the Grady High School Foundation, the fun takes place on the school’s arts plaza. The event is open to the public.

Lit on the Bricks promises rock, rhyme and even rocky road, as in ice cream ­­– plus popular food selections from The Varsity restaurant, which will roll in its portable kitchen for the event. Come to dance, come to eat, come to be inspired by major poets who live in this region, including Emory University’s Natasha Trethewey, winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry.

The music gets going at 4pm, followed by eight prominent poets who will read works featured in the recent anthology, “Under the Rock Umbrella: Contemporary American Poets from 1951 to 1977.” Edited by William Walsh, this exciting 450-page volume is a collection by poets born during the rock heyday; the collection showcases their poems most influenced by rock music.

In addition to Ms. Trethewey, who won the Pulitzer for her poetry collection “Native Guard,” the participating poets are: Anthony Grooms; Beth Gylys; Megan Sexton; Chad Davidson; Ralph Tejeda Wilson; Gregory Fraser; and anthology editor William Walsh. This is a rare chance to experience so many literary luminaries appearing on one small stage. Following their readings, the band will crank back up and the poets will sign copies of  “Under the Rock Umbrella.” Books will be for sale throughout the event.

Admission at the entrance is $10 for adults, free for all students (18 and under). Everyone is encouraged to get in the spirit by wearing their tie-dye shirt, or squeezing into those old patchwork bell-bottoms or that granny dress. Adults who dress up with some ’60s or ‘70s style will get $2 off the on-site admission (or $8 instead of $10).

What: Lit on the Bricks, Featuring eight top poets from “Under the Rock Umbrella,” and the live rock band Swami Gone Bananas When: 4-7pm Sunday, April 20 Where: Grady High brick courtyard Admission: $10 adults ($2 off if you wear ’60s or ’70s attire); free to students (18 and under)