Worcester Magazine
ASYLUM SEEKERS: I first showed up at the Worcester Poets Asylum the week of Halloween, 1996, back when it was held at the now long-gone Eleni s Midnite Cafe. I was living in California, then, and seeing a woman from Worcester long-distance. This was also my first featured reading on the East Coast, although I was an old hand at it on the West. Before the reading, I suspected I d end up moving to Worcester. The relationship had been getting serious, and at that time, my life was more flexible. By the end of the reading, I was certain. The Poets Asylum, with its mix of warmth, fun and talent, made Worcester instantly feel like home. (Which is good, because I also did a gig in Boston that week, and it sucked out loud.) Fast forward to the Sunday before Winter Solstice 2020, and my now-wife and I are in the mix of 40-odd poets in a Poets Asylum reading on Zoom, hosted by Rush Frazier. The faces are familiar, although some have moved off to places as close as New H