The Reading

The reading is over. Whew! I was so nervous yesterday. My stomach kept doing swoops all day like I was on a rollercoaster I couldn't get off. That awful dropping feeling, over and over again. When it finally came to the time, we all sat in the old church where the readings are. Hildred, Genevieve, and I sat in a row waiting our turns. I was third out of five. When my turn came I went up to the podium and Gary the writing coordinator adjusted the mike for me. It was easier to speak than I expected, though at one point my throat closed up and I couldn't speak for a moment. Thankfully it passed. I read an introduction to the excerpt and then the first four pages of the novel, the prologue to SEA CHANGE. I tried to look up at the audience as often as I could.

Someone else, Chris, also read part of a Young Adult novel. His was very different from mine, funny and a light-hearted look at interrelationships in high school. His main character is a boy whose has a brain transplanted from the dying football star's body into his wimpy one. It's a funny conceit.

Many people have come up to me and told me they liked my reading, including people I don't know. One artist told me I really captured the atmosphere of a Life Drawing class, which made me feel good, as I was concerned about that, reading to a bunch of artists. People have told me they could really picture the images and that they want to read more. I hope they'll be able to someday!

After the reading there was a bonfire. Then a dance party! We went up to someone's studio and she put on her ipod and we danced for hours. They were mostly pop songs from the 80's--it was great fun.