Word of Mouth Cincinnati, a literary event consisting of both an Open Mic and a Feature Performance, continues its fifth season, as usual on the last Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m., but the November 2018 edition will be held in a special venue: The Woodward Theater.
Our feature on November 27, 2018 is the book release celebration of the late Aralee Strange’s volume of poetry, The Road Itself (Dos Madres Press), with readings from Strange’s poems by Pauletta Hansel, Matt Hart, Jim Palmarini, Stacy Sims, Mark Flanigan, Steven Paul Lansky, Ali Edwards, Richard Hague, Michael Henson, Heidi Joffe, John Ray, and Michael Burnham.
The evening will also feature special musical guests, Ruby Vileos, who will be reuniting for the occasion in tribute to Strange.
While widely published in literary journals during her lifetime, The Road Itself marks the first overview of the late Aralee Strange’s poetic works. It is a tour de force that moves from the urban blight of 1980’s Cincinnati Main Street to the pastoral solitude of Adams County, OH to the Southern charms of Athens, GA while remaining forever rooted in the heart of America, exploring in equal measure the implied complexity of its inherent beauty and tragic flaws. Her unmistakable, even voice simultaneously pitched between Old Testament scripture and The Street, these tough, restless poems aspire to and attain a clarity of language and personal spirituality. The Road Itself also includes art by Jay Bolotin, Frederick C. Ellenberger, Kathy Prescott, Michelle Red Elk, Art Rosenbaum, Mary Seguin and Jim Wainscott, each piece inspired by Strange’s life and work. Edited and with an afterword by Mark Flanigan, and with a foreword by Pauletta Hansel, the poems in The Road Itself seek truth in all of its hiding places, much like its author.
Publication of The Road Itself was made possible in part by state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the Ohio Arts Council (OAC), a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.
Aralee Strange, a poet and playwright, was born on December 5, 1943, in Macon, Georgia, from where at a young age she moved to Birmingham, Alabama. After living and working in Atlanta, Georgia, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and New York City, New York, Aralee then settled for more than twenty years in Cincinnati, Ohio. In March 2007, she moved to Athens, Georgia, and lived there until her passing on June 15, 2013.
Strange’s body of work includes Etta Stone: A Film for Radio (1990), which she wrote, produced and edited at WGUC in Cincinnati and which was aired nationally on National Public Radio stations; dr. pain on main (1991), a play based on her series of poems by the same name, commissioned and produced by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; The Chronicles of Plague (1992), a play commissioned and produced by Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati; An Evening at the Sad Cafe (1995), directed scenes from her screenplay This Train, performed at Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati and at the Carnegie Arts Center, Covington, Kentucky; and This Train (1996-2001), a feature film she wrote, directed and edited.
The evening’s special musical guest is Ruby Vileos. A favorite of Aralee’s, Ruby Vileos is a four-piece band featuring vocalist/guitarist Ali Edwards (Snaggletooth, The Kiss Me Everlasting), guitarist Billy Alletzhauser (Ass Ponys, The Hiders), drummer Todd Drake (Snaggletooth), and bassist Victor Strunk. Formed in 1998, Ruby Vileos released three albums of music that bounced from proto-punk era power pop to dreamy, experimental modern rock sounds between 1998 and 2006: The King is Dead (2001), This is the Day (2004) and Fall of the Motor People (2006). After a long hiatus, and upon being invited to play at the book release celebration for The Road Itself, Ruby Vileos decided this was the right time to resume.
Word of Mouth Cincinnati, which began in January 2014, is co-hosted by fellow writers Jim Palmarini and Mark Flanigan. It was founded in memory of the late Aralee Strange who, after many years living, writing and producing work in the Cincinnati area, moved to Athens, Georgia where she co-founded Athens Word of Mouth.
WoMC is an intentional arc of both past and future utterance, inspired by our most revered voice, with a nod to her Athens, GA compatriots. Word of Mouth asks poets to Show Up, Mouth Off and Pay Attention.
Although some content may contain adult themes and language, admission to Word of Mouth Cincinnati is free and open to all ages (those under 18 admitted only with guardian supervision). The Woodward Theater is located at 1404 Main Street, across the street from MOTR Pub.