Back Fence PDX, Some Thoughts

Posted on | May 23, 2008 | 9 Comments

I’m a teensy bit stressed at the moment. I have some big deadlines coming up, and I’m going to LA in less than a week and someone in the Melissa/Steve family got into a car accident. Everyone is fine, and Arch wasn’t in the car, thank goodness.

Back Fence PDX is on my mind. I love this project more than I’ve loved writing two of my novels. I have a crush on it. I think it’s such a cool thing. A few of my storytellers for the live event have expressed their concern that they aren’t good enough, or that people won’t want to hear their stories. And I understand feeling this. It isn’t true, but I understand what that feels like, and I’ve been trying to come up with the right thing to say. And I hope I have. I say, “Everyone wants to hear a story. Everyone wants to hear a voice.”

I have this conversation with V a lot. We talk about blogs and blogging and why this is such a huge medium. Why is it such a delicious thing? For me, I love the community. My bloggy friends are a part of my life. And I love laughing; I love the intimacy and I love the voices. It’s why, instead of blog roll, I have I Hear Voices.

This idea of voice is interesting and why, I believe, This American Life is so compelling. It’s a new story, a new voice. A new person to listen to. And this leads me back to Back Fence PDX. The other day, my partner, Frayn and I went to a meeting where we were explaining Back Fence and the woman said, “so it’s a literary event.” And I nearly went apoplectic trying to explain that there is nothing wrong with literary events, but THAT. IS. NOT. WHAT. THIS. IS. This is a storytelling event. It’s like a blog, but live and in person. And what we are doing is so far removed from standard literary events, it really can’t be in the same category.

My background as the graduate of an MFA program and as a bookseller makes me wary of readings. Well, at the risk of offending some of my blog readers who are writers, I’ll just come out and say it. I think readings are painfully boring. Painful. I hate them. I hate going to them. I have giving them. In fact, I’ve only actually read my book at one of my readings. I usually just read little personal essays a lot like blog posts. Because I cannot stand sitting in the audience and listening to a novel. It bores me and I start thinking really inappropriate things like, “what if I just walked up to the podium and informed the author that I was thoroughly bored and here’s how you entertain people,” and then I’d do a little soft shoe or strip off my clothes or crush a beer can on my head. ANYTHING to end the monotony.

Combine my mortal fear of boredom and Frayn’s background in sketch comedy and what we aim to do is more spectacle than reading. It is a show. You will be entertained, interested, focused on every single moment of the event. And we’re doing things to make sure of this. We’re getting a stage. We’re getting mics and a mixing board, and for the intermission, there will be swimsuit models. Swimsuit models because the theme is Summer Love. The swimsuits are from Popina, which is a designer who makes vintage-looking swimsuits.

Our storytellers are charismatic, interesting people. We’ll have music. Frayn and I are hosting. And swimsuits! And we’ll podcast the whole thing.

But what this means is, it’s a lot of work. And we could really spend a lot of money. But we’re both freelancers and while it’s incredibly glamorous that I wear my robe for 90% of my working day, it means we don’t have a lot of money. So we’re calling in every last one of our favors.

Two days ago at our meeting, we came up with a list of things we need to pull this thing off, and Frayn turned to me and said, “how are we going to get all of this?” and I said, “I don’t know. I hope the answer will come to me in the next 24 hours.” And the only thing that came to me, was my mantra, which is “just ask.”

So I’m asking my blog readers. Below is a list of things we need and would rather not pay for, or at least get a discount on, or do some sort of trade for, including running an ad on our website in exchange. If you can provide any of this, please email me at melissa [at] backfencepdx [dot] com.

1) Truck we can pick up and drop off an 8 X 4 stage.

2) A tent of some sort that our swimsuit models can change in.

3) Someone who can do hair and makeup.

4) Swimsuit models. We need a few more ladies who will model swimsuits. The sample suits come in sizes 2-4, however the woman who runs Popina is very cool and said that if she needs to use her regular suits, she will. If you do want to model, you’ll need to go in for a fitting at Popina.

5) Mixing board and mics and amp. And the know-how for working it.

6) A camera to video the whole thing so we can film it for the internet.

7) Audience members. This one you pay us for, but being an audience member is an incredibly important service and we appreciate it.

Okay, I thank you blog readers in advance for any thoughts or advice or things you can give. Now I need to write a book review, and then pass out because I am so fucking tired.

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BACK FENCE PDX MAY 19TH

WRITING BITES

Writing Bites are short writing consultations with me. Ten pages of writing, an outline, a pitch, a few blog posts…whatever writing bite you want me to taste. I’ll send you back a brief critique of the work and some idea on where you can take it from there. If you have specific questions about the text, let me know. I’m happy to answer them.

Writing Bites are $35.

Critiques are conducted via email unless otherwise arranged. I will contact you via email once your payment has been processed.

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