Somehow I heard about a reading that was happening at the Jack London Bar last night- probably hours of browsing the internet. This wasn’t the usual reading, the author, Todd Grimson (who I was unfamiliar with), wasn’t present. He has MS and isn’t really mobile. So four local authors/actors read stories from his new collection, Stabs at Happiness.
Usually the reading aspect of a reading is my least favorite part. I can read so I don’t really need anybody to do it for me. I’m more interested in hearing authors talk about whatever is on their mind. But seeing four different people read back to back gave me a new appreciation for the art of reading. I thought two of the readers were pretty mediocre, they just read the words on the page. One guy, however, really gave life to the story. It was obvious that he had put a lot of thought into it and gave a performance on stage. He knew the pauses, the jokes, when to raise his voice and when to lower it. The story came alive and I found myself deeply engaged.
The woman who followed also did a great job reading a piece about Jean Harlow. This story was perhaps too long. If I can take two bathroom breaks while the reading is going on, it could probably be shortened- the Jack London has great acoustics in the bathroom.
I think I’ll be listening more closely to the next reading I attend. Hopefully the authors will put as much thought into it as the readers of Todd Grimson.