I read at people
Last Thursday was my first reading. It was held at Lorem Ipsum Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It’s a small store, but the bookcases were on wheels, which allowed us to clear up space for about 25 chairs. Bookcases-on-wheels are, well, heavy, and the hardwood floor had some ripples in it that made maneuvering a little tricky. Our biggest fear was that a shelf would tip over, avalanching the floor. Of course, I imagined worse, having to find ways to distract the audience from the bookstore employee unable to feel anything overseen by the lower third of his spinal column. My slide show just isn’t that good.
It was interesting how some of my choicest punch lines curdled in midair, while text I sort of regarded as connective tissue got big laughs. At least I kept the gibberish under control. When I’m nervous, my speech sort of decays into a kind of labored mumble, the vocal equivalent of falling up a flight of stairs, if that makes any sense. If nothing else, I managed not to sound like an opium addict.
Sorry to brag.
Next up: Word Books in Brooklyn, November 1, at 7:30.