Where Everybody's About to Forget Your Name
I have some rather sad news to impart this evening. The Barbes Reading Series is no more. This, I am sure, will come as a bit of a shock to some of you, and I'm sure it will make me far less relevant or interesting to others, but as for me, I'm okay. The management at Barbes had some good reasons for deciding to do away with the series this year - mainly, over the past several years, the series has simply had trouble finding a regular audience, despite good press and a steady stream of high- and medium-profile names. I may curate another reading series in a few years, and my pals at Barbes have said I shouldn't rule out the possibility of hosting a few one-off events, but as far as every other Sunday goes - well, we're done for now.
But it was a pretty awesome run, I have to say. I met some amazing writers, earned some valuable experience, took on new responsibilities. And hey, it gave me something interesting to talk about on Jeopardy!.
I'm aware, as I said, that most of my relevance in the literary world is tied up with this series. I haven't published anything in two years, and there's not a lot I'd be proud to share with the world that I've been working on in the interim. So I guess that's the thing I need to concentrate on - doing worthwhile things. Barbes was my worthwhile contribution, but maybe now it's time to work on actually bringing some writing of my own into the world.
So what's next in the life of Jess? Obviously, writing, writing, and writing some more. This fall, I'll be taking my first formal writing class in nearly a decade. I'm hoping it winds up reaping some good benefits. I have read the teacher's first novel, and it was excellent (at the very least, it's clear that we like the same authors). But even if he winds up being less than helpful (which, for six hundred bucks, he'd better not be!), it's always been my feeling that in a roomful of authors and author-wannabes, there will always be someone who can teach you something.
Also, I'm taking up yoga. Lord knows I need something to help me de-stress, and I get the impression that hard liquor is only going to take me so far.
But it was a pretty awesome run, I have to say. I met some amazing writers, earned some valuable experience, took on new responsibilities. And hey, it gave me something interesting to talk about on Jeopardy!.
I'm aware, as I said, that most of my relevance in the literary world is tied up with this series. I haven't published anything in two years, and there's not a lot I'd be proud to share with the world that I've been working on in the interim. So I guess that's the thing I need to concentrate on - doing worthwhile things. Barbes was my worthwhile contribution, but maybe now it's time to work on actually bringing some writing of my own into the world.
So what's next in the life of Jess? Obviously, writing, writing, and writing some more. This fall, I'll be taking my first formal writing class in nearly a decade. I'm hoping it winds up reaping some good benefits. I have read the teacher's first novel, and it was excellent (at the very least, it's clear that we like the same authors). But even if he winds up being less than helpful (which, for six hundred bucks, he'd better not be!), it's always been my feeling that in a roomful of authors and author-wannabes, there will always be someone who can teach you something.
Also, I'm taking up yoga. Lord knows I need something to help me de-stress, and I get the impression that hard liquor is only going to take me so far.
