Following a successful debut series of literary salons last year, Artsmith has planned a new format this season. The monthly salon will begin Monday, October 4 at 7:00 p.m. at FIRE! Smokehouse and Grill in Eastsound. It will continue on the first Monday of every month through June.

“Last year’s weekly series was very successful, but moving to a monthly format gives us more room to experiment with new things. Being in Eastsound will help us reach a wider audience also,” assistant director Jennifer Brennock said.

The salon on October 4 will feature writer Michael Kerr from Ashland, Oregon.

Kerr, a professional writer with a dry sense of humor, said his work has been called “barely tolerable,” “needs more work,” and “I don’t get it.” Kerr is the author of two chapbooks of poetry, “Luggage Trunk of Air Hostesses” and “An Unauthorized and Inappropriate Image Taken In Between Posed Shots On a Windy Day Which I Was Unaware Of.” His stories and poems have appeared in “Prick of the Spindle,” “Troubles Swapped for Something Fresh: Manifestos and Unmanifestos,” “Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader,” the upcoming “Anthology of the Awkward,” and elsewhere.

Kerr’s story “Stranded in Kosmas” was nominated for inclusion in Norton’s “The Best Creative Nonfiction Volume 3” and can be read at http://www.prickofthespindle.com/nonfiction/2.1/kerr/stranded_in_kosmas.htm .

His reading will be backed by beats by local DJ Owlform.

“I’m really excited to see what these two, who haven’t even met, will come up with creatively on the spot,” Brennock said. “It’s a twist on the traditional literary reading. I think this year’s series will have a more urban feel to it even though it’s still the same grassroots, volunteer-run, island thing.”

Each month the First Mondays salon will host featured writers working in all genres from poetry to screenwriting who will come to Orcas from all over the western United States.

The salon includes an open mic session and anyone is welcome to share their original creative writing for about ten minutes.

“This project is to support writers,” Brennock said. “It is still a totally open forum and I know many will push the envelope.”

The salon is free to attend and is a collaboration with FIRE! Smokehouse and Grill. Located in Eastsound, Artsmith is a nonprofit supporting writers and visual artists.

Information about the Artsmith Salon Series is available at www.orcasartsmith.org, 376-2025, and salonseries@orcasartsmith.org.