thedarkages | Reading went well

My reading at the UCI Bookstore went surprisingly well. There was great turnout -- maybe 45 people -- and the Bookstore was warm and inviting, thanks to all my old friends running the place. Michelle Latiolais spoke on some outrages of aggressive copy-editing at the major presses, and Vicki Forman read a heartbreaking account of the death of her premature daughter, aged three days. The latter was just such solid writing! Forman reminded me of Defoe in her spirit. Andrew Tonkovich, my editor, was a very generous master of ceremonies.

There were a lot of friends in the audience. None of the MFA candidates knew me, but there were many people from the IVC workshops, past and present, and it was good to see all of them. It felt like a community. I feel grateful.