News & Events

One Week From Today: See Me Perform Live!

tall solo microphone with stage lights at a performance
January 20, 2020 by Liza Achilles 8 Comments
Poetry of Love, Performed Live

Curious about my love poetry? Since my book of sonnets is unpublished, the only way you have access to it is at my live performances!

I’m excited to share that I’ve been invited to be a featured poet at an event one week from today. Come out and watch me perform poems from my sonnet collection titled Two Novembers: A Memoir of Love ’n’ Sex in Sonnets.

The action will be happening at Port-au-Prince Haitian Cuisine, 7912 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland, on Monday, January 27, 2020, at 7pm.

Poetry at the Port

This event is part of a series of poetry / open mic nights called Poetry at the Port. Poetry at the Port was conceived—and is organized, directed, and hosted—by the award-winning poet Indran Amirthanayagam. Amirthanayagam has been hosting monthly Poetry at the Port events since June 2018, and I am proud to participate this month as a feature.

Each Poetry at the Port event includes two to three featured poets, as well as open mic time. Everyone is welcome to sign up for time at the open mic. All languages are welcome! Also welcome are all types of performance, including not just poetry, but also music, stand-up comedy, and other performance types. Featured poets generally perform for 15 minutes, while open mic slots are restricted to 5 minutes to allow multiple people to perform.

Extravagance

Hmm, I think I got carried away with the microphone photo at the beginning of this blog post.

This restaurant is not a concert stage, nor a stadium. It’s a little venue in Silver Spring featuring Haitian food and powerful artwork on the walls—but no elevated stage or tiers of seats. So don’t come expecting a Springsteen-like affair. Just little ol’ me at a mic, as young men in the front row slouch upon their fists or stare into their phones:

Liza Achilles at the mic for poetry performance 2019

This photo is from my open-mic performance at Poetry at the Port last August. It’s not prime-time TV . . . but it’s extravagant in its own way. I mean, let’s be real: there aren’t many things more extravagant than writing down personal thoughts about a love interest, and then reading them aloud before the public.

So, join me in the extravaganza! I genuinely hope to see you there.

What’s extravagant in your life right now?