Advance Tickets are No Longer Available. A VERY limited (like 2 or 3) will be available at the door.

Join us Saturday, March 23, from 4-6 p.m. at the Push Comedy Theater for a fun afternoon. Mikey Mason is coming to town and he wanted to play a concert in honor of Michael Khandelwal's birthday (which is on March 23) and make it a fundraiser for The Muse Writers Center.

Michael and Mikey are excited about the good work The Muse is doing to transform lives through creative expression by integrating the innate benefits of creative writing with wellness practices for self-discovery, connection, and empowerment. They believe that the expression of authentic writing is a positive force for health, wellness, healing, and peace, in individuals and in our world at large including those living with challenges such as domestic trauma, loneliness, disability, homelessness, severe illness, bereavement, and loss, as well as youth in crisis, wounded veterans, and seniors living in memory care. They partner with organizations such as Tidewater Youth Services, Wounded Warrior Project, Urban Renewal Center, the Brock Cancer Center, and others to ensure they reach the communities that don’t have access.

Mikey and Michael can't wait to see their friends, meet new friends, celebrate, and help a good cause!

Join us!

Get Your Tickets Today

As this is a fundraiser for The Muse, we are asking for a donation to receive a ticket. The suggested donation for each seat/ticket is $25, but if you cannot afford that donation, just name your own donation. If you can afford more, please donate more, or become an event sponsor (see below). Seating capacity is 99 people. To get a ticket, please enter your # of seats and then select click the "get tickets" button.

Become a Sponsor

All sponsors are guaranteed reserved seats at the show (as long as you arrive on time). Please visit our sponsorship page for more information and to make your sponsorship donation.

What if I Can't Come but Want to Make a Donation?

We would be grateful if you made a donation to support The Muse's programs if you cannot attend. If you are able to donate $250 or more, please use the sponsorship link above. If you would like to donate an amount under $250, please see our donations page and select the program you wish to support.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

• Stephanie Catherines
• Jennifer Edwards
• Matt & Tracy Jackson
• Brooks Johnson & Germaine Clair
• Michael Khandelwal
• Ann Sullivan & Steve Burgess
  (this list will be updated daily)

Additional Supporters:

• Fred Levy
• Michael-Ray Mathews
• Mandy Pennington
• Laurine Press
• Donna Simmons

Event Schedule

• 3:30 p.m.: Doors Open
• 4 p.m.: Poetry & more by Michael Khandelwal, followed by a Concert by Mikey Mason
• After the show, Mikey will be available to sell and sign CDs and other merchandise. And Michael will be on hand to talk more about The Muse and hang out.

Will There Be Refreshments Available?

The Push Comedy Theater will be selling beer, wine, sodas, water, and snacks at a cash/credit bar.

Who is Mikey?

Mikey Mason spent more than a decade as a full-time standup comedian.

In 2011, he released "She Don’t Like Firefly" which went viral on YouTube and got him featured on Nerdist online, SyFy, MTV Geek News, The Funny Music Project, DrDemento.com, and even Time magazine. Fourteen albums and seven EPs later, his lifelong love for fantasy, science fiction, cats, and games continues to inspire his music and help him evolve as person and artist.

Today his profession is creating art and music with geeky themes. His performances are sharpened by long years of experience as a stand-up comedian. He’s performed at theaters, bars, comedy clubs, casinos, colleges, festivals, and conventions across the US, hosted podcasts, exhibited at art shows, created a coloring book, and more, continually expanding his horizons.

His book, Confessions of a Geek Bard, was released in June 2023 through Falstaff Books. Learn more about him and his music.

Who is Michael?

Michael Khandelwal is the Executive Director of The Muse Writers Center, a nationally recognized literary center in Norfolk, Virginia. An award-winning writer and teacher, he writes poetry, fiction, editorials, profiles, and feature articles, which have appeared in Rattle, Coastal Virginia Magazine, Alt Daily, and elsewhere.

A Hampton Roads native, Michael attended the University of Southern California (B.A., M.P.W.). In Los Angeles, he also worked in film and on the radio while teaching neuroscience at USC and poetry, drama, and acting in the city.

Besides teaching fiction and poetry workshops at The Muse, he has also taught or presented for The Poetry Society of Virginia, Chesapeake Bay Writers, the Hampton Roads Writers Conference, the CNU Writers Conference, and the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, among others. He has served as a poetry judge for Teens With a Purpose and the Virginia Commission for the Arts’ Poetry Out Loud Program.

He also serves on the nonprofit boards for Hampton Roads Writers and the Christopher Newport University Writers Council and is the chair of the Norfolk Arts Commission’s Nonprofit Advisory Group and an occasional member of the grants advisory panel for the Virginia Commission on the Arts.

He is a past web content management specialist for The American Council on Education, the past President of the 2008 Electoral College of Virginia, and a past member of the Norfolk Electoral Board and Norfolk Arts Commission.

As a precocious 13-year old, he began running science fiction, media, gaming, and comic book conventions, doing so until age 23. Through the life-long friendships he made during those times, he still tries to stay involved in local fandom. He is honored to serve now as the Toastmaster of MarsCon, a convention where he reunites with his second family every year.

Under his leadership, The Muse Writers Center has grown from a small nonprofit to one of the largest literary centers in the nation. He believes that “expressing yourself changes everything,” and his goal is to help create literary programs, events, and community outreach at The Muse that empowers people and enriches lives.

You can let us know you are coming on Facebook.