A very good day

My reading at Fall for the Book went very well. I saw a lot of familiar faces in the crowd, tons of alumz, and I signed many books. The tent was about half to two thirds full when I started, but by the wrap up it was SRO. I guess hearing some crazy lady reference butcher block table sex will make your average busy sophomore pause for a listen.

While I was reading, Amye Archer's review of Death Wishing went live at Necessary Fiction. It's a great review, plus anyone googling for Jerry O'Connell is going to check it out. THAT's marketing genius.

It was a terrific pleasure to have fellow Ig-mate Jacob Paul at the festival. You can see him at far left of the audience pic below. I introduced his reading later in the evening, and he read a bit from Sarah/Sara but also from a fascinating new manuscript he's calling Chelm Dreaming. Later he visited my class, where they wore him to a nub.

Fall For the Book

So here at George Mason we’re in the midst of Fall for the Book, a free festival with too many events, most of which take place on campus, with the others hosted elsewhere in the community. This year’s lineup is the hippest and the best.

Last night Sherman Alexie kicked ass, and yesterday afternoon I listened to Staceyann Chin give a thrilling performance in the plaza just below my office window. Hoping to go to the Rae Armantrout/ Ron Silliman reading tonight, and for sure I’m dropping into the Dave Housley/Reb Livingston panel on local literary magazines tomorrow. I’m gutted that I have to miss D. Harlan Wilson on Friday, but I’m sure he’ll get a crowd.

The Festival is in its 10th year, and is run by my colleagues Bill Miller, Art Taylor, Ruth Goodwin, and Wade Fletcher. With easily 130 panelists, readers, and performers to wrangle, and writers being what they are, the FFTB team deals with behind the scenes drama like you wouldn’t believe. But you also have happy accidents, like learning that Nathan Leslie lives in your own back yard (he introduced a speaker at an FFTB event hosted by Northern Virginia Community College).