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(noun) — a gathering of writers, editors, staff of arts organizations, educators and other creative types at a local watering hole in order to socialize and create community.

Creative Cocktails is Louisville’s first media mixer

Next Event: Creative Cocktails #4:

Date: To Be Announced

Time: 5:45-7:15pm

Place: To be announced

Creative Cocktails is sponsored by the Writers Workshop Project with the grateful support of an arts organization that wishes to remain anonymous.

Past Events:

Creative Cocktails #3 attracted about 25 creative types to The Comedy Caravan on Monday, October 13, to enjoy fellowship, Fried Chili Wontons from The Bristol Bar & Grille, and a special cocktail. Other alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks were available. A few folks stuck around to hear part of the Don Krekel Big Band jazz show.

Creative Cocktails #2 took place Thursday, July 10, 2008. More than 40 creative types showed up at the Brown Hotel’s South Lobby for free appetizers, specially priced wine, a creative cocktail (see recipe below), and to build fellowship and community.

Creative Cocktails #1 took place Thursday, March 13, 2008. Venue host Ken Shapero offered the hospitality of his club The Jazz Factory, and provided free appetizers, happy hour-priced drinks, and a special Creative Cocktail (see recipe below). Many folks stuck around for Jazz & the Spoken Word at 7:30.

The event was great fun, and a success, though we also learned, sadly, that The Jazz Factory will close March 29. Ken’s club has become a Louisville icon, not only bringing top-shelf performers to the city in a musician-friendly atmosphere and on one of the hippest stages around, but offering local musicians and spoken word artists a place to perform as well. We’ll miss it.

Despite the sad news, the event brought us creative folks together, and I look forward to holding these every few months – so check back for the next Creative Cocktails club date.

March 13 Photos

Jan Weintraub, writer, Kentucky Author Forum.

Karen Mann & Katy Yocom, writers, Spalding MFA program administration.

Barbara Cohen, writer, Irvington Writers Studio.com (Barbara drove down from Indianapolis to be with us); David Dominé, writer, author of Ghosts of Old Louisville.

John Gregory, writer, producer of NPR’s This I Believe; Heather Jacobs, fiction writer; Barbara Eilert, writer, marketing specialist, president of Eilert Inc.

John Gage, musician, songwriter and host of Kentucky Homefront; Dorney Thompson, writer.

Not Pictured: Merle Bachman, poet, director Spalding BFA program, author of Recovering “Yiddishland”:Threshhold Moments in American Literature; Melissa Bernstrum, writer; Gayle and George Henratty, writers, Spalding MFA program; Kathleen Driskell, poet, Associate Program Director, Associate Professor of Creative Writing, Spalding MFA program; Cameron Lawrence, writer, radio producer; Reed Thompson, writer, intern at WFPL’s State of Affairs; and yours truly, Michael Jackman, host of Creative Cocktails, writer, Lecturer in Writing at Indiana Univ. Southeast, and president of the Louisville Writers Workshop Project.

Corrections/Additions: Please let me know at mjackman/at/mjfreelancer.com