Nearly anything goes at monthly events

There are four rules of LitLit, a literary open mic held at the Howland Cultural Center on the first Friday of every month. Audience members must listen in near silence, like at a jazz club, and a limit of 20 people get five minutes to read whatever they want, to a point.

The last stricture is "no hate speech," says founder Donna Minkowitz, but the structure is democratic: All erotic material and other genre-agnostic work is welcome.

On Friday (May 1), LitLit will celebrate five years of taking what can be a lonely and thankless pursuit into a social setting. (The event grew out of pre-pandemic sessions organized by Julie Chibbaro at the Howland Public Library.) For this occasion, the time limit is seven minutes and all performers may take the mic, not just writers.

Part of the evening will be spent honoring regular attendee Addison Goodson, who died April 16 at his Beacon home. A relative plans to read one of his works, says Minkowitz. "The only time he missed coming was to deal with medical issues."

Regulars praise Minkowitz's ability to provide an "accepting, no-judgment space where people listen," says Natalie Wilkinson, who writes poetry and short stories.

"Donna's generous spirit holds it together," says Nadine Revheim. "LitLit helped me find my voice as a writer and be comfortable as I read my memoir pieces and nonfiction essays."

Though Wilkinson says she found the open mic format to be "terrifying" at first, she discovered that "the audience lets you know the places where something lands, where something falls short or where they lose interest, without saying a word."

Revheim says she built the courage to read because of the "friendly and encouraging environment with structure that respects the writers and listeners. Donna is consistently fair to all readers and sets an equitable tone."

The readings examine a wide cross-section of life, says Wilkinson: "mental health, brushes with stardom, fictional nature adventures, children's stories, travel, religious, LGBTQ issues, relationships and family issues."

All genres are represented, even "some that have no name yet," says Peter Ullian, who has been attending since the beginning. "The experienced writers inspire me with their skill and wisdom; those new to sharing their work inspire me with the purity and freshness of their visions."

For LitLit, "I strive to be grassroots," says Minkowitz, who was the first full-time reporter to cover LGBTQ+ issues for The Village Voice and has published a novel and two memoirs. "People come from all walks of life: young, old, different races, published writers, unpublished writers," she says. "Whoever signs up gets to read."

LitLit began during the pandemic "as a funny-hair reading session" on Zoom, says Minkowitz, with in-person gatherings later on the back patio of Homespun Foods (now Dave the Butcher) on Main Street. When cold weather arrived, Minkowitz found a more permanent spot.

"The most beneficial aspect is that it's a 'third space' to share," says Revheim. "Donna's generous spirit is what holds it together."

The Howland Cultural Center is located at 477 Main St. in Beacon. The doors open on Friday (May 1) at 6:30 p.m. for sign-ups, with readings from 7 to 9 p.m. A $5 donation is suggested, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.