My First Reading

I've read poetry for an audience before when I did speech and debate in high school, but it wasn't my own poetry; and I've read my own writing before, but it was in a workshop class with the knowledge that people were soon to offer criticisms. Never before have I done a reading of my own work to an audience that clapped at the end. Yet, tonight, that's exactly what I did.

I read a few poems and one story to an audience of ten or so 8th grade girls, their teacher, and some folks form the Hungry Eye. All-in all, there were fewer than twenty of us. Here's how it went:

I got to the Arts Center, found the room and after some chit chat, Jo and I sat down in front of the gals.

Me: Everybody's sitting so far back. You're all in the third row.
Jo: I say we take out the first two rows so they're all in the first row.
Me: Or, we could make 'em move.
Jo: No, I know. We'll take out all the chairs entirely and just sit on the floor in a circle.

So we did.

We sat in a circle on the floor and the five of us: Juan, Jo, Juliana, Matthew, and I, read poetry and fiction. Then the gals asked us some questions, and we chatted with them for a while. It was intimate and laid back and kind of reminded me of a night out with the Pirates.

One question: Who's your favorite writer?

I said I'd give them three and I named Russell Crowe, Joss Whedon, and Neil Gaiman. I asked them if they'd seen Stardust and one, whose name is India, said she actually had a copy with her.

Afterward, as everybody was getting their stuff together to leave, I asked India if she'd ever read anything else by Neil Gaiman. Then she mentioned that Terry Pratchett was an author she liked, and I couldn't believe my luck. One of her friends came over, then another and then there were four of us talking about Discworld and I told them all to read Good Omens as soon as they could. To which they said, "Oh, that one! It's on our bookshelf right now."

It was a brilliant evening. I had a ball.