Coming Up - Readings!

After my marathon last week, I have no plans to go to book sales this weekend, since I have family and friend activities scheduled. Had I the time, I might have checked out sales in Windsor Locks (their sale actually started on Oct. 17 but runs through the week), Cheshire, and Somers, but maybe next year.

I am, however, doing something worthy of including here, as I deemed that the blog should include "other literary exploits"--going to readings/book signings. As a collector of signed books, my fondness for these events has rivaled my passion for used-book sales, although I confess that my attendance has dropped off within the past few years, mostly due to the need for child care and the general laziness which seems to come with my aging. However, I'm actually finding a free slate this week, so I hope to be at all three events--to wit:

Thursday, Oct. 22 - Multi-poet reading at Saint Joseph College in West Hartford, in celebration of the release of the anthology Visiting Wallace: Poems Inspired by the Life and Work of Wallace Stevens. This event takes place at 7:30 p.m. in the Crystal Room in Mercy Hall, and it's spearheaded by the anthology's editors, Dennis Barone and Jim Finnegan. These guys used to be in charge of one of the best poetry open mikes in the area--an annual benefit for an anti-hunger organization. Sadly, that hasn't happened for several years now, but I'm glad to see what they've been up to in the meantime. Around ten Connecticut poets are scheduled to read, my favorites being Doug Anderson and Dick Allen.

Friday, Oct. 23 - Junot Diaz reading and discussion of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao at the Hartford Public Library, 6 p.m. Oscar Wao is this year's "One Book for Greater Hartford." I read it some months ago for my book club, and although no one else liked it quite as well as I did, I liked it enough to want to hear it read aloud, as it has a unique "English/Spanish/Nerdish" voice. (Diaz actually described it as such in an interview.)

Saturday, Oct. 24 - Reading by Wally Lamb from his novel, The Hour I First Believed, with a storytelling appearance by Raouf Mama. Wally Lamb is a sweetheart of a guy who once publicly announced my former fiance with a female pronoun (OK, he has an unusual name) but still deserves the good fortune that has fallen upon him via Oprah. Moreover, he's doing this reading as a charity event to help establish a endowed scholarship at Eastern Connecticut State University in honor of Sandy Taylor, another sweetheart of a guy who established Curbstone Press in Willimantic. The reading is at 7:30 p.m. at Shafer Hall at ECSU, $10 for adults and $5 for students.

I probably won't review these events but am happy to let folks know they're out there. I will probably return to book sales in November, and will post an update before I go. Until then, read well!