Back Fence=Huge Success!
Posted on | June 23, 2009 | 4 Comments
Seriously everyone. They had to turn away about 30 people. It was sold out. Packed. The storytellers were amazing and it was just so awesome. Check out that cool picture taken by Rich Burroughs. He took photos of the event using something called “film” though I think that one was digital.
Back Fence has another project we’re madly working on. There will be a tiny announcement about it in the Merc this week and I’ll link to it when it’s out. Such a cool project and I can’t wait for you all to see it.
Last week I went out on four nights. I saw a lot of reading-type things. I went to Disjecta and saw Jon Raymond read courtesy of Tin House. They comped me in and that always makes me feel so very fancy. I liked the Disjecta space, but I’m a little confused about the stage. The building itself is a big rectangle with a really cool ceiling, but the stage is set in the middle of the space and it’s a rectangle too. So the long side of the stage is parallel with the long side of the rectangle. I don’t know how to say that better. Essentially the stage divides the room into very unequal quadrants meaning that very few people can be in the audience of whatever is happening on stage.
The sound was quite good and I liked the art gallery, but the art left something to be desired. Oh MFA students, how cute you are (she says as she considers actually framing her MFA and placing it in the restroom for everyone to enjoy). As for the readers, here’s what I think when I see a reading: gawd it wouldn’t take much for that to have been interesting.
I don’t get readings. Authors are not performers so why is this the way authors are expected to market their work? I just don’t get it. I think an interview with an author is more interesting, or maybe just let them talk about why they wrote the book. Or they could do whatever special hidden talent they have, but please. Enough with choosing some portion of the novel that very few people have had the opportunity to read and then reading it without looking up at the audience for upwards of 20 minutes. It’s so blah.
I start to get all fidgity. And my skin gets itchy, and I start noticing the cracks in the walls because HOW MUCH LONGER DO I HAVE TO BE STILL?!?
I have some suggestions for improving readings:
1) let the audience ask the questions, but put a strict rule that no one may ask a question that contains the words: writer and process.
2) let the author interview himself (this could be funny).
3) let the author read from books that she really likes that are not her own.
4) strippers
5) the hidden talent idea from above.
Quasi played at the event too. I liked that there was a band. Next time may I suggest dancing. Or strippers.
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4 Responses to “Back Fence=Huge Success!”
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June 23rd, 2009 @ 9:37 am
My God, I need to get out of the Midwest.
June 23rd, 2009 @ 11:37 am
These are all the same thoughts I had at that sci fi geek reading thing I went to. SO BORING.
I would much rather watch writers ACTUALLY masturbate onstage instead of the oratory masturbating they’re doing.
June 23rd, 2009 @ 3:49 pm
I second Kiala’s suggestion. A lot.
July 22nd, 2009 @ 12:38 pm
I can’t deal with the tone and cadence with which writers read. So far, it seems to be universally the same with all writers. How is this possible? More importantly, WHY?!