A Writer's Notebook, Day Three-Hundred-And-Fifty-Four

Tomorrow afternoon I have my reading, and I am, I must admit, a bit nervous about the event.  I am sure that I am driving Melissa nuts tonight, to be honest, though I think she understands.  Part of the nervousness comes from the fact that this is my first real even of this sort in many years.  I've not done a reading, other than at an open mic, in a very long time, and I am a bit rusty.  That is why I have practiced reading the poems, looking them over and considering just how I want to present them.

I also have to admit that part of my nervousness comes from the content of the work as well.  One poem in particular is about a fairly personal experience and sharing that piece means exposing intimate vulnerabilities.  That is, of course, a part of being an artist of any sort, but it does not make it less intimidating as an experience.  I am glad to be reading that piece, but this is the first time I'll be sharing it so publicly, and I feel vulnerable as a result.

As well, I am also feeling a bit odd about being a featured reader at such an event, since I don't currently have a book or much published work at all.  First off, most people who do these kinds of events are doing it to promote their books, particularly to sell them at the event.  I can also imagine how it might seem to someone that does want to read as well, who is not yet widely published.  It can seem unfair that someone else in a similar boat is being promoted in such a way, and I do feel a bit guilty at that, if I am honest.  I mean, realistically, that is probably my own issue, but I do feel a bit strange reading as a featured guest when I don't have very much to show for myself in terms of a career.

All that being said, I am sure about the work I am reading, and I feel confident that I know how to present that work at this point.  I've done multiple read-throughs of the material, both silent and aloud, alone and with an audience, and I feel prepared. I have an outfit picked out, even.  I think it will be great, and I am fairly certain that once I get up there, I'll find that groove and it will all go great.  Either way, I'll be sure to share the details tomorrow.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Writer's Notebook, Day Two-Hundred-And-Fifty

Each of the three pieces I wrote today was a bit of a struggle to get going, if I am honest.  That happens, as I have mentioned, and my answer is generally to just wait it out, and the results vary.  A lot of the time, if I am really stuck, I might try to force something out, often it winds up being a bit meta, with me writing about being stuck without much in terms of inspiration, and it feels a bit like I am working scales in a way.  All the aesthetic decisions are there, they just don't always have a lot of purpose behind them, and that is fine in that context.  Essentially, I am just forcing myself to do the work, and getting it done, and I am showing myself that I can and will do it even if inspiration never strikes.  This can often take pressure off, and that lack of pressure opens up creative thinking and inspiration. Now, that is a fine thing for me to do, and I am likely to use that approach again many times in the future, but today I felt that I wanted to make myself do
Read more

A Writer's Notebook, Two-Thousand-And-Fifty-Nine

I have been thinking about how I can discuss certain aspects of my poetry and the choices I make as a writer.  In particular, I tend to write without as much reliance on sensory details and descriptions, instead choosing more abstract depictions.  This is something that I know many writers would call an odd choice, as specificity seems inherently to demand the application of detail, but I tend to be a bit hesitant about relying on depictions that utilize the senses, as I find that approach somewhat problematic.  For one thing, sensory description is always going to be less than universal, and not only because of the reality that there are individuals who lack one or more sense.  In many ways, for me, the deeper problem is one related to language itself.  Our use of language creates our experiences in a very real way, though I can't necessarily offer a full explanation of what I mean by that right here, but using a word for an object bestows qualities on it.  If I call something a s
Read more

Poem: Already Over

Already Over Moments pass away faster than we can even notice them: it takes time for the light that hits the eye to be understood as an image, let alone for the body to respond. It may only be fractions of a second, but what we think is now has already ended. Yet, somehow we can act upon this world as if we are present in the present, and not trapped just a few moments in the past.
Read more