The Gothic Funk Press is very pleased to announce the launch of our new digital reading series, Salon Sangria. Our debut will take place on Thursday, July 30th, 2020 at 8 PM EDT.
Inspired by a long-ago summer night of spirited storytelling, Salon Sangria will feature a guest bartender and three guest readers.
Our reading will begin when our bartender shows you how to make a delicious libation (of course, you are welcome to enjoy any food or drink you wish during the event.) Please look below for an ingredient list and notes for our themed drink. Then, potable in hand, you can kick back and enjoy some of the wonderful literary voices working in Flint, Michigan and beyond.
Salon Sangria can be streamed via Gothic Funk Press on YouTube.
Our debut readers will be Bob Campbell, Sarah-Jean Krahn, and Reinhardt Suarez. Our guest bartender will be Irène Hodes. Our host will be Gothic Funk Press Director Connor Coyne.
Please direct questions to connor@connorcoyne.com.
GUEST READERS
Bob Campbell is a writer based in Flint, Mich. His creative nonfiction and essays have appeared in Belt Magazine, Forge Literary Magazine, and Gravel Magazine. He is a contributor to Belt Publishing’s Midwest Architecture Journeys, published in October 2019. Bob was a staff writer for The Flint Journal, Lexington Herald-Leader, and Detroit Free Press. He was also an electrician at AC Spark Plug, formerly a division of General Motors, before moving into journalism. His debut novel, Motown Man, will be published by Urban Farmhouse Press in August 2020.
Sarah-Jean Krahn is the co-founder of S/tick and has acted as Managing Editor since its inception in 2012. She is passionate about feminist writing, especially that which flagrantly breaks from the norm in terms of both content and form. In her own writing she explores the experimental and comments always on the political. Her poetry collection A Girl Who was His House will be published in September 2020 by Gothic Funk Press. Sarah-Jean works in post-secondary education in Alberta, Canada. Click to visit Sarah-Jean’s website.
Reinhardt Suarez is a Chicago-born, Minneapolis-based writer, editor, and raconteur. He has an MFA in fiction writing from The New School in New York City. Among other things, he enjoys a good slice of deep dish (Lou Malnati’s is manna from on high), a night of quality karaoke, and eking out thoroughly undeserved victories at Friday night Magic: The Gathering events. His written works include the young adult novels, Lords of Badassery and The Green Ray of the Sun, and countless capsule book reviews for the American Library Association’s Booklist. He lives with his wife, Kristin, their daughter, Morrigan, and their feline overlord, Karl.
GUEST BARTENDER
Irène Hodes, your proud virtual mixologist, has been many things. This current incarnation sees her as director of two film festivals and cultural events at the Sonoma County, California, Jewish Community Center. She spent over ten years in the wine industry, making, selling, and educating people about wine, as well as working in winery management. In the core of her being, she is a writer, artist, comedian, cook, traveler, wordsmith, and crossword puzzle enthusiast. During the pandemic she writes and edits a daily film and culture newsletter and is creating a virtual international film festival, (and drinks a lot of very fancy wine, craft beer, and artisanal spirits – it’s just what we do in Sonoma County).
INGREDIENT LIST AND NOTES
If/when you join our salon, you do not have all of the ingredients, do not despair! There are hundreds of variations on Sangria. The most important elements are wine, some kind of fruit (citrus-types are most traditional), sweetness, and ice. If you’re short on something, this is the absolute perfect cocktail to improvise! It’s a pandemic, and a cocktail is the last thing that should stress us out!)
Traditional Sangria
½ Apple (skin on, cored, rough chop)
½ Orange (skin on, de-seeded, sliced, with additional to garnish)
3 or 4 tbs brown sugar (or simple syrup, or agave, whatever sweetener you have)
1/3 c brandy (or other spirit you have – rum, vermouth, gin, have worked. Citrus-flavored booze also works such as Triple Sec, Cointreau, Citrusy Vodka)
¾ c orange juice
1 750 mL bottle of red wine (on the bolder side if possible).
Instructions: In a pitcher, muddle the fruit and sugar together with a long spoon for about 30 seconds. Add the brandy and orange juice and continue to muddle for at least another 30 seconds. Add the bottle of wine and stir well. Finally, add the ice and stir, to chill. Serve over ice (optional), and garnish with an orange slice.
White (or Sparkling) Wine Sangria (it’s summer after all…)
1 Lime (de-seeded, thin sliced rounds)
1 Lemon (de-seeded, thin sliced rounds)
¼ c sugar (or simple syrup, or agave, or coconut sugar, or maple syrup)
½ cup apple brandy (or any brandy)
½ green apple (cored, skin on, small rough chop)
1 peach or nectarine (or both! Thin sliced)
½ cup strawberries (sliced. I like berries, too, for that fresh fun element)
1 750 mL bottle of dry crisp white wine (dry is crucial – we are adding a lot of sweetness and flavor – don’t start off with a sweet or semi-sweet wine. Go for a Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Grigio, or similar) OR 1 750 mL bottle of a brut sparkling wine (because why not, you deserve it!)
For Serving:
Ice or Frozen Berries
Sparkling Water (optional, and clearly not if you’re using a sparkling wine)
Fresh mint (optional)
Instructions: In a pitcher, muddle or crush up the lemon, lime, and sugar for 30 seconds. Add the brandy and muddle for another 30 seconds. Add all the rest of the fruit and stir. Add the bottle of wine, stir. Taste and adjust the flavor if you so wish. Add the ice or frozen fruit, stir, and serve! If anyone would like it more dilute, or have a fun spritz element, top with a splash of sparkling water.