Hot Air Quarterly Reading
Saturday, July 11, from 7 – 9 PM, contributors to The Hot Air Quarterly will be reading from their work at Pacific West Graphics (at the corner of South and California) in conjunction with Art Hop. We have a wonderful line-up, though I am, of course, prejudiced :) And as a writer who has attended a number of readings throughout my career, I can attest that it is one of life’s rare treasures to hear a writer or poet read from his or her work.
Some writers aren’t good readers, it’s true. The late, great George Garrett comes to mind, one of the most impressive, accomplished and influential writers of the 20th century. He could write anything and his workshops were pure gold. But when it came to reading, he read in a rushed monotone. And one famous writer, whose name most readers would recognize if they heard it, was the star reader at a conference I attended. He was so drunk that he listed dangerously from side to side throughout his entire reading (a story that, unfortunately, I had read in The New Yorker on the train ride down, and hated), appearing to defy the laws of gravity. The audience was taking bets on whether he would hurl or pass out before he finished. Miraculously, he completed his reading before either unpleasantry came to pass. Then again, maybe this was his shtick.
But by and large, writers and poets tend to be good readers, and no one can give their work the nuance, intimacy, and depth that the author can. (I should qualify this statement, though, by saying that one time Melinda Brown of People of Progress arranged for an actor from Riverfront Playhouse to read my children’s story, “Tall Tale of the Moth People” at a reception she organized for Portfolio North; and this woman’s version had me and everyone in the audience spellbound. I seriously doubt that I could have done such wonderful job.) A reading is a somewhat arcane if not anachronistic event these days, but it is also one of the most subtle, intimate, and thrilling. One of the things I love about the written word is that it allows us glimpses into other people’s heads; something that visual media can’t access. A writer reading his or her work gives added insight into this mysterious world of “other.”
The reading is open to the public and is free of charge. It starts at 7 PM, with a reception for the talented and lovely cover artist, Raette Meredith, from 6 PM to 7 PM. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served. You can come for just a little while, or you can stay for the whole thing. I’m hoping we’ll have time for a Q&A session afterward, especially since my friend, Clark Beek, whom I met at the Squaw Valley Fiction Workshop several years ago, will be here from the Bay Area to read from his memoirs about his time sailing around the globe in his 40 ft. ketch. Clark is a true modern day adventurer, and not only does he have fantastic stories, he’s a terrific writer, and a witty and engaging raconteur.
So here is the line-up, with a bit of background on each reader:
Jim Dowling is a present-day teacher, former railroad man and erstwhile chef at restaurant Humble Pie, which some readers may remember from “the day.” He also spent time working on an oil rig in Louisiana (which seems to have had a lasting influence on his writer’s ear :)
Peter Wright was born in England went to sea in 1943 at the age of 17. Apprenticed to a West African Liner company, he obtained a second mate's certificate in 1946 and sailed between Sierra Leone, Ghana and Nigeria until 1952. He spent the next thirteen years at sea, eventually becoming First Mate and Master. In 1965, he emigrated to the USA, and for many years, he’s been writing about his amazing life. Peter is the author of A Drop of the Hard Stuff.
Kimberly Carlson is a contributor to Enjoy magazine, a novelist, and a mom. She earned her M.A. in Literature from Humboldt State University and worked as a writing consultant for National University for several years.
Larry Greco Harris, also a teacher, has been a fixture on the local and regional poetry scene for years. Larry is not only a fantastic poet, he’s probably one of the best readers I’ve ever had the pleasure to hear.
Sorca O’Connor is a former university professor who now lives in Big Bend where she is working on a novel.
Bill Siemer is co-founder of The Hot Air Quarterly (and the guy whose bright idea it was), is the author of three books of poetry, Whispers of Whiskeytown, Skeletons to Find, and Fighters; a novella, Becoming Cardinals; as well as the novel Cracker Jack. Currently, he’s fascinated with Polynesian culture and is planning to teach in Hawaii in the fall.
Yours truly is author of the novels, The Last Good Fairy (winner of a New England Book Show award) and Planet Dreams; the children’s book The Legend of the Flying Hotdog, chosen by Parents Magazine as one of the best kids’ books of the year and optioned for film by animation director, Yvette Kaplan; and two nonfiction titles, The Natural Remedies for Common Ailments Handbook and Natural Asthma and Allergy Management.
Clark Beek, who happened to be sailing in Thailand when the Christmas tsunami hit, whose boat, Condesa, got run over by a container ship off the coast of Brazil (he ended up body surfing the bow wave when he jumped ship), and who sailed around the tip of Cape Horn with two other crew, is a regular contributor to the magazine Sail. He has also been published in Yachting World, and was recently profiled in Latitude 38. Clark maintains a blog; if you want to check out any of his archives, visit www.condesa.org.
Each of us will be reading about ten minutes, and as I said, I hope there is time afterward for questions, on any number of topics—Clark’s or Peter’s sailing adventures, any of our backgrounds or areas of expertise, writing, Hot Air itself, etc.
I hope to see some of you there!
Above: “Poppy” by Raette Meredith, which graces the cover of the summer issue.
Note: I’ll be taking a vacation for ten days, so my next entry, which will be the 18th installment of Crazy Good Fortune Out of the Blue, will be posted Thursday, July 9.
Monday, June 29, 2009