The Poetry Reading

Last night I met up with a friend of mine, Quan, from UVA back in the day. (She actually also went to Fuqua but we didn't overlap there.) She sent me a note early in the morning asking if I'd join her for a little poetry reading that evening after dinner. Now, I don't frequent poetry readings, but I'm always up for trying something new and the little official blurb she included mentioned a glass of wine. Of course, I'm in! Plus, I'm excited to meet up with Quan! Quan does warn me that she hasn't been to one of these before either, but she's looking to try more things in the art realm. I love it!

She swings by around 8pm and I hop in her cab and we are off to the reading. Quan is fluent in Mandarin so helps to navigate our way there. We pass our destination address number and hop out. 

Here is roughly my though process:
 - Oh, the address leads us down this dark alley? I've done this before, no big.
 - Oh, the building # leads us into what appears to be someone's home? [Quan and I exchange uncertain glances]. I thought we were headed to a bar? Remember, the wine?
 - Ok, we hear voices upstairs, there is something happening here...
 - Yes, why don't we walk into someone's home and up the stairs...
 - Oh, hey, really drunk, loud guy at the top of the stairs... Quan asks "are we at the poetry reading?" drunk guy responds, "come on in!!!" 
 - [We walk from the hallway through the door and into said poetry reading]
 - It looks like we are in someone's apartment?... There are definitely people here.... 20 or so?
 - [round the corner], oh, yes, we are definitely in someone's studio apartment as we are now standing in this man's bedroom.... WTF?
- Where is said promised wine? I'm going to need a glass pronto.

I'm not sure exactly what my expressions were on the outside, but I was dying laughing on the inside. We mingled & met a couple people (including the homeowner), Quan being far more outgoing than my shell-shocked self. Grabbed 2 glasses of wine, [which when we were asked to pay for them I about peed my pants, but still politely complied.] Then we found our seats on the floor for the poetry readings.

Honestly, they were interesting and it was incredibly interesting to see a certainly new, artsy side of Shanghai. The readings were parts of a series of short stories actually and I'm intrigued about the other pieces as well. Also, our fellow listeners were interesting. One guy mentioned how he once rode an overnight train from somewhere to Beijing seatless. That's right, that means he spent 10 hours on a train without a seat...... WHY?!?!?!?!?!

As interesting and comical as this had turned out to be, at "intermission" we politely said our goodbyes and ducked out to head to another bar where we could grab a drink and catch up. Quan suggested this place called El Coctel and it was fabulous! Will absolutely be returning here! As for another studio poetry reading, that's TBD.

Morning update... I didn't learn we were so in the know until Quan sent me the cover of "City Weekend", a popular entertainment magazine in Shanghai. HOLY COW!!!! This is the organizer from last night. And I know for sure because he was wearing the EXACT same outfit. 

Oh I love Shanghai adventures!

The alley (No it's not my camera, this is actually how dark it was)

The "poetry reading" / studio apartment