Night of Song & Stories to explore theme of gravity Jan. 15

The public is invited from 7 to 8:15 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 15, to join members of the Rehoboth Beach Writers’ Guild, along with musicians Victor Letonoff Jr., Scottie Raughly, Kent Schoch and Stuart Vining for a fun event that is part reading, part open mic night. Each brief reading (300 words or fewer) or song will either include the word “gravity” or explore the term in some way. The event is free and open to the public and will take place at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats in Rehoboth Beach,.

Schoch will perform a song inspired by the idea of gravity. Others might discuss the effect of gravity on ageing or the gravity of a situation, or in the case of award-winning poet Gail Comorat, the opposite of gravity, as she describes feeling her unborn child suspended in weightlessness during the month astronauts first walked on the moon.

Also reading will be RBWG member Steve Hayes, whose first novel, “Light on Dark Water,” an ocean sailing venture intertwined with an emotional return to Vietnam and the brutality of war, deals with gravity in more ways than one - both literally and metaphorically. Hayes, a former speechwriter for the U.S. secretary of the treasury, is himself an avid sailor. He says of his novel, “It’s a story that lived in my gut for over 40 years.”

RBWG started the themed short readings of 300 words or fewer to encourage more people to get up and share their work. RBWG does limit the number of readers and musicians, which keeps the program to about an hour.

Although this event is free and open to anyone, RSVPs are greatly appreciated from both readers and those who want to simply listen. Dogfish Head will be serving throughout the event.

The RBWG hosts four Free Writes each week for aspiring and professional writers, a book club for writers and ongoing classes in fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry. These events are made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, go to www.rehobothbeachwritersguild.com.