July 25th was the last Speakeasy at Will’s Pub. Tod Caviness has hosted this monthly drunken literary event for years. At this final edition, someone had created cardboard cut out photos of Tod’s face on Popsicle sticks to be used as masks.
A documentary was made about the speakeasy when it went the way of the Dodo when Will’s Pub closed down years ago.The speakeasy rose from the ashes like a phoenix when Will’s re-opened in it’s present location (1042 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL).
The Speakeasy is usually about poetry and spoken word but Tod introduced Drew who has performed his original acoustic guitar songs on the Speakeasy stage throughout the years. A Tod mask was shoved into the speaker.
Drinks flowed and the poetry got edgier. I’ve sketched at a number of these events and sometimes the line between art and anarchy has been crossed. Some history need no be repeated.
The Speak ease was form when there was a dis time vacuum in the Orlando Literary scene. Over the years however, spoken word events have popped up like mushrooms all over town. If only the visual arts community had a similar event to get artists out to meet and share ideas. There is a monthly artist critique, and an Artist’s Social but p true longstanding event hasn’t yet taken form.