There is, of course, a story behind Nathan Manske’s founding of Imfromdriftwood.com, a collection of “true stories by gay people from all over”:

The morning after I watched the Gus Van Sant-directed, Sean Penn-starring, Dustin Lance Black-written Milk, would you believe I was inspired? But funny enough, what inspired me was Milk more so than Milk. An image I recalled wasn’t even in the film. It was a photo of Supervisor Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the U.S., riding on the hood of a car in a San Francisco Gay Pride march, holding a sign that reads, “I’m From Woodmere, N.Y.” The sign was intended to show how far people came to attend the San Francisco rally, but it meant something more to me. It meant that there are gay people in every small town and every big city across America and the world. I was thinking about that photo in between assaults on the snooze button and I responded to Harvey’s sign. I’m from Driftwood.

An accomplished copy-writer for some of the biggest companies in the world, Manske is indeed from Driftwood, Texas, but has lived in Brooklyn, New York since 2003. Imfromdriftwood.com recently attracted it 100th submission!  Add your own story to the site and then join us on June 10th for a reading by Manske and friends of some of the most compelling work.

Manske will be joined by these three incredible memoir and documentary artists for one night only!

Sarah McEneaney shares a series of thoughtfully rendered personal narrative paintings covering the flux of human experience ranging from the mundane to the acutely traumatic. (Salon Preview)

Stephanie Yuhas reads from “American Goulash,” a collection of stories about growing up a first-born American daughter to an all-Transylvanian family. (Salon Preview) American Goulash website.

Michael M. Koehler shares PARADE, a photo essay exploring his relationship to Philadelphia, mediated through images of this city’s iconic Mummers. (Salon Preview) Michaelmkoehler.com

The Salon takes place at the Laurie Beechman Cabaret (601 S. Broad St.) and runs from 7:3opm to 9:30pm
Admission is $8, seating is limited, and we typically sell out!  Please buy your tickets in advance.