2017

The Main Line Writers Group had been operating for seven years, the Wilmington Writers Group for five. We had published a book of our member stories a couple of years earlier. Things were chug-chug-chugging along. 

My good friend and extraordinary writer Tony Conaway was talking with me in the parking lot after a fall meeting. Tony, I should note, is a phenomenal writer. With his booming baritone and immense presence, he was more than a writer: he was a damn fine performance artist.

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Although he submitted several pieces to participate in an occasional Noir At The Bar held in Philadelphia, he was blocked out because his pieces had not been published. At that moment, I was inexplicably pissed off. How could a writer as good as Tony be blocked? I remember my exact words. "Fuck them. We'll do our own." Sometimes a good curse phrase is needed as a rallying call.

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And we did, ensuring that Tony always had the featured spot he deserved. I changed the name slightly to Noir at a Bar and designed a logo worthy of the endeavor. After our first two readings in West Chester, Jay Kennedy, a board member for the Oxford Public Library, suggested doing an event associated with them. We agreed on it being a fundraiser of some sort, then worked out the details. 

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Together, the Library and I have hosted five (ort has it been six?) fundraisers and published one book of original stories. Covid temporarily changed our scheduled readings and we're back....but sadly, without Tony. He passed in 2021. However, he's as much a spirit in all this now as he ever was. If you listen closely, you might even be able to hear him in the background. I know I can. 

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