Quite Simply an Awesome Time

Because I started traveling the day after it (and am still out of town), I’ve taken quite a while to write about the fabulous reading I attended on July 24 at Lotus Blooms—a magnificent store, incidentally, that I highly recommend patronizing if you ever find yourself in Alexandria, Virginia!

On that note, I think this was the first reading I’d ever done that was local to me. That was a treat and meant that Rick Write was easily able to come along. In fact, it was he who was gracious enough to capture the videographic evidence of my reading below. :) (Big thanks, Rick!)

Despite the store’s being local to me, I had for some odd reason never visited it—a circumstance I’m glad to have remedied! Literally the first thing I noticed upon entering was how beautiful it is. The second thing I experienced was the unambiguous graciousness and friendliness of the staff. I’m so glad editor and author Rachel Kramer Bussel organized and convened this reading at such a lovely location—and that it’s somewhere I’ll have the chance to visit often!

From left to right: Rachel Kramer Bussel, me, Tess Danesi, Kristina Wright, Michelle Augello-Page

As far as the reading goes, it was purely a delight to get to see fellow authors and readers Rachel, Kristina Wright, Tess Danesi, and Michelle Augello-Page. In addition, I was delighted to see to see a few members of the audience I already know and love. You know who you are—thanks so much for coming out to see us. :)

The reading was devoted to Rachel’s anthologies The Big Book of Submission (in which I don’t have a story) and The Big Book of Orgasms (in which I do). I read my story “Payback” from the latter. Once again thanks to Rick Write, here is the video of it:

Big thanks to everyone who came out to see us, and especially to Rachel for organizing, Kris, Tess, and Michelle for coming to read, and Lotus Blooms for hosting us and for simply being awesome!

Love,

Emerald

“This town, this night, this crowd, come on put them up, let me hear it loud, this town, this city, this crowd, stand up on your feet, put your worry down…”