« nanowrimo | Main | College Board AP World Languages Program »

Sun | October 08, 2006

Le festival du New Yorker

I went to hear TC Boyle read at the New Yorker festival. It was kind of like the PEN crowd-- affluent, late middle-aged, complacent. That's what they get for charging twenty dollars for a reading and scheduling it at 9:30 on a Friday night. Or maybe they get that no matter what. The audience sat in the center of the room-- a warehouse turned dance studio, black all around with a small, perhaps makeshift stage in front-- in a block of fold-up chairs with a lot of space on all sides. I had a momentary inclination to sit in the back, where there were two rows of completely open seats, so as not to disturb anyone. Not that it had started or anything. Anyway I got over that and walked up a little more and sure enough found a single spot the third seat in, from the fifth row. Or I didn’t count the rows, but that’s where I guess I was.

The roly-poly in front of me examined her purse with her husband, discussing its features, its clasps. Later in the reading, when I laughed at one too many lines from Mr. Boyle’s story, she shifted, did that quarter turn thing, that means, stop having fun, it's not allowed. And I wasn't even having that much fun but she was having less, or none, is the point. I didn't listen to her, I've outgrown listening to everyone else, and it's not even like I was laughing, loud, or often. In fact I was surprised she heard me. Immediately after the reading she said I'm about ready to go to her husband, but they stayed for the Q&A, probably because no one else got up.

I'm glad I went, because he was cool, and I just wanted to hug him, is all. I just wanted to hug him and be like you're so cool and I love you, and I'm sorry you had to read to these awful people who do nothing but dine out and purchase silk scarves. He was nice, though, to all of them, and didn't reveal any aversion, unlike Andrea Lee, who basically said that readings were a chore. It's like way to push away everyone who just came to see you. I wish I had a question for him, but I hadn't thought about it and I didn't think of any on the spot. I'm not really good at asking questions at readings. I should practice, or something, because it's much better to interact on some level.

« Previous | Posted by Lily in journal | on October 8, 2006 03:17 PM | Next »