Rally Set for December 8 to Push for Naming of Michael Garin as Poet Laureate of Manhattan

A grassroots movement to name Michael Garin poet laureate of Manhattan (or at least 54th Street) will hold a rally in Madison Square Park this Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Garin, the Drama Desk winning composer, pianist, singer, actor and all-round bon vivant, has created a viral sensation with his daily Facebook poems promoting his performances at Bill's Food & Drink, The Monkey Bar and other venues. A collection of these poems, Get Shameless or Stay Fameless: The Facebook Doggerel of Michael Garin, is currently available on Amazon. Mr. Garin has been a mainstay on the late-night music scene in New York for decades.

From the VIP Room at Limelight to hosting the groundbreaking (and illegal) Dutch Weismann Burlesque revues to such classic uptown boîtes as Elaine's, The Monkey Bar and Bill's Food & Drink, Mr. Garin has been synonymous with Manhattan nightlife at its finest. Stephen Holden of the New York Times called him "a virtuoso musical wit." Will Friedwald of the Wall Street Journal said, "Michael Garin may be the most extreme polymath I've ever encountered." And now we can add poet extraordinaire...and hopefully Poet Laureate. In honor of famed New York poet Delmore Schwartz's 100th birthday, the many fans and followers of Michael Garin will be out in force on Sunday, December 8 at 2:00 p.m. to urge Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio to name Michael Garin Poet Laureate of Manhattan (or at least 54th Street).

A few lucky attendees will be given free copies of Get Shameless or Stay Fameless, and everyone else will get free candy. Pitchers of beer have been slated for afterwards. For more information, contact Mardie Millit at 646-361-6714 or mardie@gmail.com.

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