Thank YOU, thank YOU, thank YOU. Hello Again! Welcome to another wonderful collaboration between East Side Story and The Post. Let me be the first to officially, whole-heartedly welcome you to the recap and review of the 163rd epic edition of East Side Storytellin’! Like the 162, I repeat … 162, previous shows East Side Story has put together, we all decided to take a break from our busy schedules all over town in order to sit back and relax and get everyone cultured up just right in the form of a Nashville writer reading from original prose, followed by an amazing local musician performing and talking about their original music, and then a round-up creative conversation with all featured guests of this event to talk about their individual journeys and personal ties to Nashville. Without further ado, fulfilling the entertainment portion of your day, this is the recap and recording of East Side Storytellin’ 163. Let us begin, again.
The first featured artistof the night is someone who I first met at East Side Story when he brought his books for me to sell a few moons ago. He is one of the most driven authors who I’ve met while in Nashville because you are likely to find his work pretty much all over the place and in most local businesses if you open your eyes. Point taken, he’s already had his book in The Post East for quite some time before tonight. This guy studied English rhetoric at the University of Texas (hook-em horns) and theology and philosophy at Vanderbilt University School (go dores). He’s independently published two novels exploring existence and love, and recently released a book of poems and comments entitled This Book Has No Title: The Black Book. He is the walking, talking, and writing modern day concept of Arsenio Hall’s Things that make you go Hmmm, in the best of ways. Featured on stage to share his words, thoughts, and positive/insightful energy, it was a delight to introduce the man, the legend, the friend, Collins I Aki to a room filled with support, love, and applause.
Collins is one of the most productive and prolific artists I know. It was no surprise that he took no time in jumping right into his work and feeling at ease in front of a room of active listeners. The lighting was lit, the mood was on point, and Collins was in his element of saying profound things that shake the room and the world around us long after the initial word and blow. Collins is a writer who uses free verse and complimentary, mind-altering ideas in a dancelike formation of construction that reveals two epic things from the get go: 1) the set up and scaffolding of language has been built by an expert that wastes no time but also takes his precious time putting things together and 2) the mountains of work he has constructed and shares with the public is solid (from the underground to the foundation to the tippy top floor), built to last long after we are gone, and is meant to both amaze and change the way you see the world around you.
Collins is not only brilliant and prolific, he is also someone who leaves no stone unturned when he questions and reveals life and personal experiences he has learned from and evolved with. He embodies hope, truth, the divine, the unknown, and a beautiful mix of the past with the future we have yet to produce. The words and concepts that he shapes allow for the audience to sit and listen to the firs wave of sentences and then have the space to reflect on that wave as the ripples continue to flow for minutes afterwards. There are secrets uncovered, privilege dissected, and more open-ended questions and concepts than you can tackle in a handful of rounds of listening and reading his work. It is substance over surface, and a philosophical playground for you to play in, get lost in, and find yourself inside and out, if you are willing to experience it. Collins’ work is well worth your time and energy. Do yourself a favor today and listen to it in the recording below.
Our featured music of the night is a near and dear friend of one of my hometown buddies. This lady, not the BG friend, was born and raised in Hartselle, Alabama (closer to war eagle than roll tide). She grew up playing the piano by ear, taught herself how to play guitar in high school, and also studied up on the craft from her family tree where the blood and creative juices trace back to one Hall of Famer by the name of Tammy Wynette. This young lady, not Tammy, has influences in Vince Gill, Miranda Lambert, and Chris Stapleton, to name a few. She is somewhat a regular at the Bluebird Café now, and is really just getting started. Currently writing songs for an EP, we are lucky to have this lady tonight before she heads off to the Grand Ole Opry sooner than later. It was probably the easiest thing I did for the day to introduce this lady and get a big round of applause for the one and only Mary Elizabeth Hilliar.
Like Collins, Mary and her work is like witnessing a sky filled with shooting stars by yourself. Without a witness to confirm the magic, you are left sitting in absolute wonder at what you think you saw and experienced. Her songs reflect on the basics and core of what life is about. Her lyrics look simple on a spreadsheet, but they dig as deep as the ocean when you actually breakdown what she has just sang. And, oh my goodness, can this girl sing. She has music in her blood, but she has more talent than most in any room in music city. And like a professional athlete in their prime, she makes it all look so easy when she’s doing her thing and just being herself.
Mary took some time in between songs to reflect on the origin stories of each ditty and to add more color to what are already brilliant canvases that she has created. She works magic by complimenting humor with heartache, raw life with raw dreams, and everything in between. One second, her voice and stories will make you laugh. The next second you’ll be crying (on the inside, if not on the outside). Basically, Mary will make you feel and feel more than you did before you hear her sing her stories. She is a tremendously talented writer and singer, and her friends who follow her as fans will attest that she’s just as good of a person as she is an artist. My hope is that she continues to develop in both fields and doesn’t forget about us when she hits the stages with bigger and brighter lights. Again, do yourself a favor and listen to the recording link below.
After the music, I got Collins to join Mary and me on stage for a good chat. I threw out a combo of questions for them both to tackle, and they did not disappoint. Both of them came at each question with much thought and truth from a lifetime of experience and self-reflection. What truly knocked me off my feet for this show was just how cool both Collins and Mary were/are. They feed their passion to create over any sense of ego, and it shows. They both inspire me from example, and I know that I will not be the only one who was in the room at The Post East on this given night who will continue track the skies and future of both of these shooting stars. They are that bright and good.
So, here is the edited version of East Side Storytellin’ 163, the night when Collins I Aki and Mary Elizabeth Hilliar and friends lit up our world and changed our realities for the better at The Post East on Tuesday, October 15, 2019. Feel free to listen to and share this recording with as many people as humanly and computerly possible. They will thank you for it sooner than later.
Before I say goodbye for this round of fun, I’d like to give a big round of thanks for Collins & Mary Elizabeth for sharing their stories, talents, and time with us.
You can experience more of Collins writing here – @soul_lit_writer (IG), www.facebook.com/MyHeartAfterEsther
You can listen to more of Mary Elizabeth’s music here-www.maryelizabethhilliar.com
You can listen to this show, edited, soon, alongside the previous shows too, on our website, www.eastsidestorytn.com, at our In Our Own Words Tab – see here – www.eastsidestorytn.com/in-our-own-words
I’ll keep the gratitude going for Tom Eizonas, my lovely wife and most talented artist in Emily Harper Beard (efharper), and everyone that came out live to support the show … and to everyone who has helped continue to spread the word and support the show online afterwards.
Last, but certainly not least, I’d like to give one last shout out to Tonya and Chris for making The Post so welcoming and positively life-changing for the East Nashville community at large.
Our next show will be our next great Anniversary show!
East Side Storytellin’ 164
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
at The Post (1701 Fatherland Street) at 7pm
reading- Amy Jackson
singing- Amy Speace
That said, that’s all for East Side Storytellin’ 163 and another fabulous event at The Post with East Side Story at the helm. Thanks for coming out please remember to be nice to one another out there.
I repeat, please remember to be nice to one another out there.
Thank you and goodnight.
Much love, mE