Brookline Booksmith recap, excerpts, virtual readings, travel, and home
My reading at Brookline Booksmith last week was such a great time for so many reasons. First of all, I got to hear Jill McDonough read from her book Habeas Corpus (and from her forthcoming book, Where You Live). I got to listen to her answer questions about writing and the history of the death penalty in the US and teaching writing in prisons, which is such important work, not just because adult learners are largely forgotten across the board, but because people in prisons rarely have access to the wide range of literature that the rest of society does, much less the opportunity to have that literature expounded on by an astute reader/teacher like Jill. Short version: Jill is awesome and if you were lucky enough to have been there, you know what I’m talking about. Shorter version: go buy her first book and pre-order her second.
Also, I got to see so many people at the Booksmith that I don’t normally see, including my publisher, Cynthia Reeser, who was visiting all the way from New Orleans, and Neal Bruss, one of the two linguists to whom I dedicated the book (the other linguist, Carolina Barrera-Tobon (since married, and is now Carolina Tobon-Hicks) was at the NY reading, so I’ve got all dedication bases covered). Also, Evan Perriello, the Events Manager at BB, was such a great help during the event and he even asked an insightful question that I loved. Also, (just one more also, I promise), in the middle of my reading, I touched my right eye and it started leaking and would not stop. It was okay–I rolled with it. Since the right side of Mere’s face is paralyzed and she can’t even close her eye, and I could still see, though I couldn’t stop it from weeping everywhere, it was fine. It didn’t really affect my reading, though it did make it surreal. So thanks to everyone who came out to hear Jill read and me read (and to watch my eye leak!) and to be supportive. You’re great and I love you.
In other Mere news, I am very happy to have an excerpt up at The Good Men Project. In the excerpt that ran in The Collagist, we’re introduced to Mere’s parents. In the GMP excerpt, we meet the people that Mere gravitates toward in her parents’ absence: Agatha and Patrick. You also get the explanation for why Mere is named Mere. So go read it!
On the tour front, I’ve got another busy week lined up. I’ll be doing a satellite reading at Maple Street Bookshop in New Orleans on Wednesday at 6:30pm (wine and cheese at 6!). FACT: You can go to the bookstore right now and get the book because they already have them, so if you’re in New Orleans, go and do it and I’ll look for you (through my computer) on Wednesday night!
Just two days later, on Friday, July 27, I’ll be reading in person in Manassas, VA (a stone’s throw from DC) with the always lovely Gillian Devereux. There will be poetry; there will be fiction; there will be karaoke! There will be copies of Mere and apt and They Used to Dance on Saturday Nights and Focus on Grammar, and I will be there, so if you’re in or around DC, I hope you’ll be there too.
Again, just two days after that, I’ll be back home in Boston, reading at Tres Gatos in Jamaica Plain. There will be a full reading at 3:30pm, when I’ll read alongside James Caroline, Cassandra Long, Lilly Mara, Dolan Morgan, Tom Oristaglio, and Matthew Zingg, as followed by dinner service. During dinner, you can order me off a menu and I will read to you, tableside, a short portion of the book or a short bit of fiction, and the proceeds will benefit Join the Conversation: Filmmakers Against Sexual Violence. I recently had a conversation with Randolph about the term “rape culture” and why it’s confrontational, as a phrase, and why it needs to remain that way to bring about real change (by way of difficult conversations) regarding sexual violence. So, if you can make it, not only will you be supporting literature (and me), you’ll also be supporting a great cause.
There’s one more virtual reading/signing in the works, so regardless of where you are, I’ll be able to see you soon. But I’d love to see you in person, so if you’ve got an event where you’d like me to read, my contact info is on the front page of this site–let me know and we’ll work something out!
