While it may not have been as cool as the reading that took place last week, the second edition of Soda Series, brought to you by Greg Gerke and John Dermot Woods, happened in Prospect Heights last Sunday. Holy crap did it have a good line-up. Matt Bell, ladies and gentlemen.

Matt read from his new story collection coming out on Keyhole later this year. If you’re a fan of Matt’s writing then you should start getting very excited because it is very, very good. He had a couple gallies to pas around. Mr. Peak and I fought for a copy with our teeth.

The inimitable John Madera. John and I got into a heated discussion over literature, which inevitably lead into a discussion about the meaning of art and, subsequently, to the meaning of life. Shit got a little deep and that was just fine with me.

I’m glad I went cause I got turned on to Jeff Parker. Jeff is a very funny man with very insightful things to say. And apparently he’s a skateboarder from Central Florida, which makes him nothing less than a King among men in my books. I bought his book and he wrote his favorite quote from T.S. Eliot in it: “Hello Mr. Death. How do you like your blue-eyed boy now?” So good.

I didn’t get a good pic of Amber Sparks, unfortunately. It was her first reading and she did a bang-up job. She got all high tech and read from her iPhone.

The writers in discussion. Thanks to John and Greg and all the writers for making it happen! Soda Series is swiftly becoming something very good to look forward to.