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Wanted: Bistro Table and a Latte

Writers cast for characters in the melee of a modern cafe.

Kevin S Moul
5 min readMay 14, 2020
A teal cup and saucer on a table in modern bistro, a chai latte with a flower traced in the steamed milk
Photo by the author: Kevin S Moul, Location: Provision Coffee, Arcadia District, Phoenix AZ

A Cafe Voyeur waits for his theater to re-open

Every writer’s toolbox should include a bistro table and a latte. It may not be the sexiest power tool available when compared to a butterfly keyboard or the most current version of Scrivener, but similar to a seldom used ball peen hammer-impactful when needed.

As most writers nod in agreement, a few will wonder at the banality of such a statement, but in anticipation of cafe’s reopening, I invite you to take a seat and appreciate the return of this unique theater.

The 2020 pandemic rewrote the playbill, and postponed these performances.

The urban cafe is a fertile ground to cast for characters. I’ve been missing the melee of emotional tangles, the portfolio of character studies without subtitles, and the knowledge gained through a gentle eavesdrop into a conversation.

I am reminded of a scene that became important to my writing pre-Covid-19.

On this particular day I was looking for attributes of a new character for my novel. Before I cast my thoughts inwards, I looked up to survey the room. My chai, always in a mug, was still too hot to drink.

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Kevin S Moul
Kevin S Moul

Written by Kevin S Moul

A photographer, writer, and storyteller who uses many lenses to view this and other worlds. On Instagram @kevinsmoul

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