Local literary journal Slake celebrated the publication on its second issue with a bash at the Track 16 art gallery in Santa Monica. Well over 700 partygoers showed for the shindig, which included readings by Slake contributors Rachel Resnick, James Greer, John Albert, Amy Scattergood, and FishbowlLA’s own Matthew Fleischer. We were bursting with pride over our little Matty, who drew laughs and hoots from the crowd with his reading of “Mushrooms to Mecca.” An excerpt:

In some countries they call pigeons squab and eat them as a delicacy. In America, we tend to let them feed on our scraps and then get pissed when they shit on our cars — a resource turned into a filthy, disease-ridden nuisance. You can learn a lot about a place by its birds.

And here’s our editor celebrating a reading well read. More pics after the jump.

Hank Cherry reads for the adoring crowd

Slake editors Joe Donnelly and Laurie Ochoa

MOCA’s Erica Wrightson and your FishbowlLA editrix Pandora Young

Samantha Maze, rock critic Lonn Friend, and Erin Broadley of the LA Weekly

Joe Donnelly and author Arty Nelson