Great time at the Olney Library! I was one of six local writers invited to be part of a reading. To my delight, we had a full house. They organizers asked me to lead off and so I chose a silly, humorous piece about robot dinosaurs and a master sculptor who happens to be a triceratops. I figured you start with a light appetizer to set the mood.
The host, a librarian named Valerie, introduced the group and the purpose of the reading. Then, I advanced the stage and gave a short intro and told them the true story of Oscar, the Grouch’s birth to warm them up. I decided to treat the show like a stand up comic who treats a new venue as an opportunity to test new material–
One of the great things about a live performance is you get a chance to hear people respond to your work. Does the laugh line work? Do you get a gasp? Does that bit you were worried about actually work? Can a general audience who may not read the genre your writing in enjoy what you’re doing? Do audience members who came to hear another author twiddle their thumbs impatiently or get into your piece?
I got my answer in every explosion of laughter (and maybe one or two duds.) What a blast. I think every reading hit its mark and I was proud to be a part of the event.
Thanks to everyone who read, came, and chatted with me afterwards!
