Porter Square Books Reading-What Went Down
Last night I read at my neighborhood bookstore, Porter Square Books. I dig this bookstore because the staff are friendly, the aesthetics pleasing, and it brings joy to what is essentially a strip mall. The turnout was lovely, though I was puzzled by the very old couple seated in the back. As my Mom said, "Do you suppose they knew what was going on? Or did they just want to sit for a spell?" I think they actually came for the reading because they were early, but I do think one of them was asleep during the reading.
Nathan from the bookstore asked me to read longer than I usually do, so I was reading some parts cold, which freaked me out a little, but I think it went well. It was good I read longer though because no one had questions. Well, we made Erica ask a question but it hardly counted as it was coerced.
I was delighted to meet in person Jason Feiffer, whose blog,Happyscrappy, I've been reading for some time now. We talked about reading the New Yorker and his new gig at Boston magazine. I think Jason is the first person I "knew" through the Internets and have met after "knowing" them. And he wasn't a sexual predator lurking for 15 year old girls so yay!
I think perhaps the funniest moment came after the reading was over. A woman was hovering near the reading area and I felt my crazy radar spiking. So, of course, my mother starts talking to her. When confronted on this later, she admitted, "Oh sure, she seemed nuts. That's why I wanted to talk to her."
Anyway my Mom was talking up my book and waves me over and the woman asks me, "Does it have a happy ending?" I laughed and gave her a half answer and then she said, "But does the character stay down South or move back North?"
"I'm not going to tell you that," I said.
"Oh, well I'll never have time to read it," she told me.
Maybe I should start reading audiences the last chapter, to save them, you know, the time and trouble of reading the book?