What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

by misc. authors, Richard Peabody (Editor)

36 Poets & Writers Spill Their Worst Reading Experiences Brett Axel, Mark Baechtel, Abby Bardi, Linda Blaskey, Jim Bourey, Jamie Brown, Nancy Naomi Carlson, Joan Colby, Pete Dantinne, Barbara Esstman, Abby Frucht, Meredith Davies Hadaway, Lola Haskins, Alma Katsu, Randi Gray Kristensen, Gerry LaFemina, Sara Levy, Jo McDougall, Dinty W. Moore, Miles David Moore, Meredith Pond, Charles Rammelkamp, Paisley Rekdal, Melissa Scholes Young, Amber Shockley, Rose Solari, Ed Southern, Amber Sparks, Marilyn Stablein, Sharon Suzuki-Martinez, Susan Tepper, Lee Upton, Michael Waters, Tim Wendel, Katherine E. Young, and Ed Zahniser.

84 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2019

Reviews

[Cindy Brookshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this little pocket-sized book in which poets and writers share their worst reading experiences. Makes a great gift for the new author getting ready to go out to meet their audience at book talks and book signings for the first time. As they soon find out, it feels good to commiserate with others who have gone out to be "fearless and raw" only to find no one shows up or some other fiasco happens. But it happens to everyone. I remember Maya Angelou stopping mid performance to berate an audience member who tried to take her photo and disrupted her line of thinking. I remember going to see Alice Walker speak at a university on the anniversary of her book, A Color Purple, and feeling shame that less than a third of the auditorium was filled. As for me, the worse experience was an open mic at an historic museum. A guy with a guitar and moleskin full of writing had traveled 2 hours to attend -- only to find a mere six people in the audience, all of them readers, and the one restaurant it town, closed. I plan to buy more copies of this book and give it to fellow authors braving the circuit to market their books and give back to the writing community.

[Ken Poyner · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are a writer, you have been there, and these incidents are common and well known. If you are not a writer, these incidents may be a surprise to you, but there is not enough speculation on why such problems exist in the literary community to make revealing such occurrences an educational opportunity. Essentially, it says what every writer knows, and does not illuminate sufficiently what non-writers may find strange or revealing about the writing life. In the end, some writers might buy the book to drink in the shared experience, and most non-writers will not see an instructive point to the book.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who has given a reading, a talk, or a presentation or has sat on a panel in front of a terrible--or in some cases, nonexistent--audience, will identify with these funny/sad, often humiliating stories. I certainly felt like I could add a few.
This is a tiny book--perfect as a stocking stuffer or in a guest room nightstand.
I thoroughly enjoyed this fast read....which upholds the old adage: misery loves company.

[Sarah Tollok · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book fit perfectly in my purse and perfectly into my life as a an aspiring writer. It’s good to know that even those with fully-formed books that they have sent out into the wide, wild, world have also had cringe-worthy moments along the way. I find comfort in their embarrassment and inspiration in their willingness to then turn around and go to the next reading.