GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Michael Moore knows exactly what to say to scare his audience.

"I want everyone to practice these words: President Romney," he said to a crowd of 1,300 at Fountain Street Church on Thursday night. "I just want you to be prepared."

The response to his belief that Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney will win November's election was predictable – boos and hisses. Although the filmmaker/political firebrand/writer came to Grand Rapids to read from his latest book, "Here Comes Trouble," as part of the Grand Rapids Public Library's summer program GR Reads, no reasonable person expected him not to discuss politics in an election year, or mention last week's shootings in Aurora, Colo.

Moore's local appearance came a day after he made a high-profile appearance on CNN, where he discussed the need for better gun-control laws in America in the wake of Aurora. But Thursday, he took the thought a step further.

“We are a very cruel people to each other,” he said, a hint of despair in his voice. “When historians and anthropologists dig us up, they’re going to wonder, ‘Why did these people do this to their own?’”

For the first half of the two-hour program, Moore — a Flint native who currently lives in the Traverse City area — stood at a podium and engaged primarily in leftist political discussions, often dabbing sweat from his brow in the un-airconditioned church. He then moved to an easy chair and read excerpts from “Here Comes Trouble,” which contains non-fiction stories from his life prior to the release of his first film, 1989’s “Roger and Me.” Moore wrapped the program by taking a number of questions from the crowd.

He also held a brief press conference with local media before the talk, where he revealed he's working on his first new documentary film since 2009's "Capitalism: A Love Story." He wouldn't reveal what topic it would cover, but said he was inspired by recent political activism to roll film again.

“I was so tired of making these movies (advocating change), and nothing happens. Then last year, Occupy Wall Street happened,” he said, adding with a laugh, “It was too soon! I was enjoying my vacation!”

Moore comfortably shifted tones throughout the program, from fiery ranting to genial humor to emotional poignancy. One moment, he’d eviscerate George W. Bush, and the next, he’d jokingly apologize for wearing shorts in the sweltering church. He often used comedy to spice his polemics; he poked fun at liberals – whom he referred to as “we” – for being flaky and disorganized, and ridiculed some conservatives for “believing Adam and Eve rode on dinosaurs 6,000 years ago.”

When he ad-libbed, his delivery was disarmingly ragged around the edges, and when he intended to rouse the ire of his base of admirers, he sounded well-rehearsed. He expressed his disillusionment with President Obama, and told a story about how he purchased entirely Michigan-made chairs from then-Grand Rapids company Greystone Seating for the refurbishment of Traverse City movie house, the State Theatre, and saved money over buying Chinese-made seats from American Seating.

(Note: An American Seating representative responded to Moore's claim, saying, "This is not true. Our seats are not and never have been manufactured in China.")

He also joked about how, in his youth, Flint was a happening city, and Grand Rapids was a “cow town.”

“And then some guy fell into the presidency, and things took off with soap and other products,” he said, to much laughter. “By the way, I’ll be staying at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel tonight.”

Most entertainingly, he read a story from his book about how, as a teenager, he once gave a speech angrily attacking the Michigan Elks Club’s then-racist admission policy. He received a lot of attention for it – “I just wanted to say something” was his reason – from national media, and from the opposite sex.

“I’m going to skip a part of the story,” he said, paging through the book. “It’s about a girl I liked, my debate partner. She lives in Grand Rapids, and I’m afraid!”

Moore blushed and covered as the crowd roared with laughter. It intensified when his former crush stood up and revealed herself.

“I did love you! I just couldn’t say it until I was 58,” Moore laughed.

“I love you too,” she replied.

The evening ended with a poignant question from an audience member, who wanted to know how Moore remained inspired to “say something” in the face of negativity. Although Moore sometimes engaged in grandstanding at the podium, his response was honest and forthright.

“I have a lot of optimism because I take the long view of this,” he said. “In the movie of real life, good wins over evil. The bad guys always lose. Eventually, the slaves were freed. Eventually, women got the right to vote. It does get better. It might not happen as quickly as we’d like, or even in our lifetimes, but it does get better.”

Email: jserba@mlive.com or follow John Serba on Twitter