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Tuesday, February 13, 2007

A Good Reading Is Hard to Find

posted by on February 13 at 14:49 PM

You know readings? Where you sit and listen to someone reading you something they wrote? And they usually have an embarrassed look, wincing slightly at their own words? And you feel weird witnessing this? And all everyone wants to is be somewhere else, or at least have a drink?

The good thing about the reading series at the Bus Stop is that the readers aren’t reading their own work. And of course, it’s a bar. And the readers tonight are excellent. They include Erica C. Barnett, inventor of the viaduct; Josh Feit, the famous hippie; the lustful David Schmader; Town Hall’s director Wier Harman; and poet, laugher, and Stranger Genius shortlistee in literature Anna Maria Hong.

They are all reading on the theme “Dirty South.” Erica C. Barnett won’t be reading any Flannery O’Connor, alas, but if it’s any consolation Josh Feit used to say that Erica C. Barnett looks like Flannery O’Connor…

Bus Stop is at 508 E. Pine Street. Tonight. 8 pm. Free.

RSS icon Comments

1

Josh is right, Erica does look like Flannery O'Connor.

www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/.../m-459.jpg

Is that a bicycle chain around Flannery's neck?

Posted by tiptoe tommy | February 13, 2007 3:34 PM
2

dude, your link goes nowhere.

Posted by chr | February 13, 2007 4:35 PM
3

If they're going to read their writing at the Bus Stop, they might as well read 4 years' worth of Stranger paeans to density.

Posted by wf | February 13, 2007 5:16 PM
4

WF-- funny, but not the point.

Posted by Mark Mitchell | February 13, 2007 5:43 PM
5

Dan is slumming at the Bus Stop?

I like the place, but if the building was not going down, it could not pass a code inspection......

Paean to Dentistry - is that Josh singing? Erica on the flute.

Posted by celisea | February 14, 2007 4:39 AM
6

Christopher, while I agree that readings in Seattle, or anywhere, for that matter, can be dull, to me it's more a matter of setting and curatorial laziness that accounts for the tedious quality of some of these readings. For example, Stacey Levine is an experienced and incredibly funny reader, but at the University Bookstore, where I saw her read recently with another great reader, Matt Briggs, it was impossible to believe that the bookstore had put any effort into making the reading an event worth noticing.

Sure, I'm willing to believe that the Bus Stop reading could be a blast, especially considering that Anna Maria Hong will be reading, but don't insult Seattle writers by suggesting it's their fault that their readings aren't fun, it's more because many of the venues available seem to want their readers to be like kindergarden teachers, giving us all a soothing reading with a smart little lesson at the end.

Posted by Justin Dobbs | February 14, 2007 1:09 PM

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