The Ray’s Tap Reading Series presents: Manners Please

“I believe the knowledge of the rules of living in our society makes us more comfortable…[although] some of the rudest and most objectionable people I have ever known have been technically the most correct.”  Amy Vanderbilt 1952

The Ray’s Tap Reading Series presents “Manners Please: A show about Manners, Etiquette and Politeness and what other words might be out there to describe how we should behave and interact with each other and how we actually do.  Armed with a variety of source materials on the subject, an amazing group of Chicago writers and artists are going to be presenting their thoughts.  

The Ray’s Tap Reading does not respect your time but it only happens twice a year and another thing, you can come and go as you please, and there will be a bar.

Featuring the work of:  Martha Bayne, Brian Nemtusak, Robin Cline, Ian Belknap, Mason Johnson, Dave Synder in tandem with Naomi Washer, Matt Test, Megan Larmer, Daniel Shapiro, Randall Colburn, Margaret Chapman, Chris Schoen and the music of Tijuana Hercules.  The show will also feature some out of town work from Mark Chrisler and Tim Racine. The show is hosted and curated by Chris Bower.

Saturday March 16th at the Prop Thtr (3502 N. Elston) at 9 PM.

The show is 15 dollars or-pay-what-you-can.  All proceeds go to the artists.

The attached poster is by Susie Kirkwood. (susiekirkwood.com) The illustrations that she used to make the poster came from one of the source materials the readers used to make their work.  They are by Joe Eula and his work is pretty cool so check it out and don’t sue us.

Lies, Liars and the Myth of Truth

The Ray’s Tap Reading Series is coming back on September 8th at the Prop Thtr at 8 PM

The show will include performances by Matt Test, Dave Snyder, Mason Johnson, Samantha Irby, Barrie Cole, Vickie Walden, Margaret Chapman, Chris Bower, Daniel Shapiro and feature the music of Tijuana Hercules.

The show will be 15 bucks or pay what you can so come and pay nothing if you have nothing.

More details and a new Susie Kirkwood poster coming soon!

Grandma: Another tiny story from The Family Dogs

Grandma

Grandma used to work but not for money.

She used to help take people’s blood over at the Catholic Hospital. She came over to our house one day after work, her white blouse splattered in blood, and from her I learned that even volunteers can be fired.

Inventions: A Tiny Short Story

This is a tiny story from a yet unpublished book called, Family Dogs.

Inventions

Dad invented a baseball bat that could swing itself. There was a hinge near the bottom of the bat that was voice activated, and as the ball approached all you had to do was yell, “Swing” and it swung.

Despite the genius of it all, it wasn’t really any fun.

But when we humored him he knew it so he stashed it away inside his “mistake box” filled with other mistakes like the fake bush you could fit over real fire hydrants that was partially responsible along with me, a lighter and a gas soaked effigy of a girl I liked but didn’t like me, that burned our first house triumphantly to the ground.