Tom actually performed two other excellent pieces, but we ran out of tape. So it goes. You should definitely check him out and buy his book though.

What's that? Yes, you're right June, we have put together a lineup that makes you the biggest Cottonmouth ever. Yes, June, people will be fighting each other just to get in and see you. But here's the sad bit, and the reason why they're going to such an effort: you are the very last monthly Cottonmouth for 2009. June, how could you?

Here's a strange Wikipedia fact about the number 17:

"In Italian culture, the number 17 is considered unlucky. When viewed as the Roman numeral, XVII, it is then changed anagramatically to VIXI, which in the Latin language it translates to 'I have lived', the perfect tense implying 'My life is over'."

We have lived. After a year and a half wrestling with this crazy beautiful word-beast we've built, proudly watching her grow up to become one of this town's and this country's most eligible word-beasts, we're in need of a little time to recharge.

So. Hiatus-warming party, anyone? This lineup is a greatest hits collection with no filler whatsoever, featuring a selection of some of the most outstanding readers from the last sixteen installments plus three of your favourite Cottonmouth musical starlets.

Firstly, a greatest hits collection needs a new track to entice you, and we're not going to just give you some lame outtake that wasn't even worth a B-side. No sir. Leading the lineup for this last-hurrah-for-now is shapeshifting Melbourne guest TOM CHO, whose new short-story collection "Look Who's Morphing" has the West Australian calling him a "modern Ovid" (and the Sydney Morning Herald incisively decreed that he "is obviously clever and can write well").

Backing up Tom are ten of the strongest performers we've had in our time together so far. All are wonderful. If you've been to at least one Cottonmouth before, you'll likely have encountered and loved at least a couple from this delectable selection:

• Patrick Pittman
• Scott-Patrick Mitchell
• Simon Cox
• Tristan Fidler
• Gabrielle Everall
• Lily Chan
• Jay Pruyn
• Anna Dunnill
• Byron Bard
• MC Able

And I haven't even mentioned the bands, June! RABBIT ISLAND will once more take the stage with LI'L LEONIE LIONHEART (hopefully armed with their sketchbooks)! And CARBUNCLE will blow your minds just as they did last year when they were on a slightly different SalamandaStrong sort of trip! Some of us are still recovering.

Meantime, come down to the 459 Bar, Rosemount Hotel, 459 Fitzgerald St, North Perth, on Thursday June 11 to help us celebrate what we've all built together. Five bucks, doors open 7.30, musical mayhem at 8, spoken words soonafter.

If you want to take part in the final open mic, make sure you get down early to get your name on the list before it fills up. As ever, if you've got zines, books, CDs, badges, manifestos against capitalism or anything else you want to sell at our front desk, bring them down. We don't take any commission, we just love to sell your stuff and give you the money. Drunk people also seem to like to buy your stuff, particularly if it's pretty.

Let's do this, June. Let's make 'em proud.

The Future?

While the engines cool over the next six months, we'll be back with a few very special one-off events, so we're not going to be too far away. It's a hiatus, okay? We're on a break. Just spending some time apart?

Regular monthly Cottonmouths will return in the early part of next year, and we'll soon be sending a callout for new committee members along with information on some of our special gigs throughout break time (including the launch of our "it's looking bloody amazing" anthology somewhere around September). Her life is not over, and she'll be back with you before you know it.

Sign up to the mailing list using the box over to the right if you want to stay up to date with us, or hook up on Facebook, or, y'know, subscribe to an RSS feed or something. We have many options for instant Cottonmouth Fact Delivery. It's Your Choice.

Blowing in from the east, feature reader STEVE SMART is well known to anybody who has frequented the scungy poetry bars of Melbourne -- we're pleased to invite him into our own for a performance you're not likely to forget. And just check this out for a hell awesome¹ complete lineup, wandering down many strange corners of the darker narrative arts:

• LISA MACKINNEY
• KEVIN GILLAM
• SAM CARMODY
• MAX NOAKES
• JAMES BERLYN
• JEREMY BALIUS
• MICHELLE GOODWIN.

Music? Just as awesome. That will be SPLENDID FRIENDS (Cottonmouth faves Craig McElhinney and Camryn Rothenbury) and BENJAMIN GOLBY of New Rules For Boats (and a quite marvellous solo release last year).

For his performance, James Berlyn will be collecting your deepest, darkest secrets in a jar, so please make sure they're not repressed when you get here -- we'll be directing you towards our confessional typewriter for an in-confidence purge.

Join us, please, and keep the winter away just a little bit longer. Bar 459 at the Rosemount, Thursday May 14, doors at 7.30, stuff starts at 8. Be early to register for the open mic. If your ears are bleeding with drum and bass, you're in the right pub but the wrong room. Just keep calm and carry on through to the back, where we'll be ready and waiting to bleed your ears in that special Cottonmouth way.

If you've got zines, books, CDs, badges, cookbooks or anything else you want to sell at our front desk, bring them down, even if you're not performing. We don't take any commission, we just love to sell your stuff.

^1. For your reference: on the scale of awesome, "hell awesome" sits just above "damned awesome" and only slightly below "I got Springsteen tickets!".

Want to keep the love alive? Well, you can download our April zine here. Or you can listen to some of the performances below. The audio recorder crapped out in the intermission, so we've only got the first four, but the video is making its way up as we speak.

• Joanna Gould
• Tiffany Ha
• Janet Jackson
• Jimmy the Exploder
• James Quinton
• Leonie Brialey
• Bec Giggs
• Paul Harrison

As well as musical performances by Pond and Pex.

As always, doors open at 7:30pm for an 8:00pm start. Entry is $5. Bar 459, Rosemount Hotel, 459 Fitzgerald St, North Perth. Please get down early to sign up for the open mic, and please make use of the typewriter, which might actually be there this time.