I was very nervous before last night's Tight Lip reading but in the event it went well. It's far harder to read serious stories than it is to read funny ones. With a funny story (assuming it is actually funny) you can tell the audience is engaged. Serious stories can feel like reading into a void. People I spoke to afterwards seemed enthusiastic and I was glad not to have settled for something jokey. It's given me the confidence to think about reading more serious pieces in 2009.
I enjoyed Heli Clarke's reading, and had a very interesting discussion with her afterwards about improvisation in reading. Her approach to reading in public is very different to mine and has given me lots to think about.
It was very exciting to see Lee Rourke. He read a piece from his book Everyday, The Fat Slubberdegullion (online here), as well as a new piece that is scheduled to be published in Ambit next year. The Fat Slubberdegullion was a very funny satire on office life, and worked well as a spoken piece.
I had a fantastic night – thanks to Jay and Sam for the invitation to read. The next Tight Lip is at the Latest Music Bar on January 9th and features a discussion with Nina Antonia, author of a recent Johnny Thunders biography.
Really glad it went well and looking forward to lots more fabulous stories from you in 2009..!
Hi James
Doing a little net-surfing to see how much info might be about on our next event with Nina Antonia and I saw this come up about that and your last read. Just want to say, thanks, i appreciate your spreading the word about Tight Lip and our events.
PS if you want to include a link for me (which also has bulletins about upcoming events) you could link to this: http://www.myspace.com/hammettstoryagency
Best wishes, and happy new year!
Jay