Olympic figure skating is one of those things. I never mean to watch, and then, somehow, there I am and five hours have passed and it’s late and my head is full of salchows and axels and spangles. There are a lot of brilliant technicians out there on the ice, and they’re riveting to watch, but the ones I love are the performers. Anent this, I was directed to Jason Brown’s 2014 performance at the US National Championships. He’s not just good–he is a brilliant performer, and more than that,… Read more Did You See What I Did There? →
My daughters gave me this t-shirt a few years ago. I don’t wear a lot of t-shirts–particularly t-shirts with slogans on them–but I keep it for exercising and for those… Read more No, I Won’t Put You In My Book →
One last thing about reading to an audience: bring a big box of graceful resignation. Because sometimes, no matter how wonderful your work is, no one shows up. Or, perhaps… Read more Crickets: The Art of Reading to an Audience →
Do you need to read accented speech with an accent? Let’s think about it. Dick Van Dyke is appearing in the new Mary Poppins film–not, blessedly, as Bert the Sweep,… Read more ‘Ow’s that, Guv’nor?: The Art of Reading to an Audience →
The first reading I ever went to was by a well known writer of whose work I was a huge fan. There were three readers (I think it was in a bookstore). I found the first reader un-compelling–he read in a subdued, almost monotone voice, and I couldn’t focus on the words–let alone the story. The next participant was not much more inspiring, but I was there for reader no. 3, so I waited patiently. And then it was the third reader’s turn. And she read in the same dry,… Read more Modulation: The Art of Reading to an Audience →
Once you’ve gotten past your jitters, or at least bundled up your jitters and put them in a small box on a high shelf, it’s probably time to think about… Read more Decisions, Decisions: The Art of Reading to an Audience →
This weekend past I was a reader at SF in SF, the San Francisco SF reading series. I like reading to an audience–I’m a lapsed Theatre major, and while I’m not a… Read more Just Do It: The Art of Reading to an Audience →
A friend mentioned the other day that she’d run into a novel set in the mid-19th century in which everyone addressed each other by their first names. All the time.… Read more Let me call you… Mister →
Madeleine Robins 