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or why I won't be doing the reading I originally had scheduled for later on this month.
Let me start by saying that it's been an amazing 8 months. I have met and spent time in the company of remarkable writers and will treasure those experiences and hope for more. I've also met lots of enjoyable new writers, so all in all, it's been a swell time for building writerly community and all that.
I have also never canceled a reading. Ever. I've read with migraines and in states of exhaustion and at completely unreasonable times. I have read with writers whose work I loathed as well as those who wrote things I loved. I've read with poets, romance, mystery, nonfiction, science fiction/fantasy and erotica writers, 4-8 readings a year, every year for the last 5 years or so. Along the way, I've learned a lot about presentations and doing reading well and what works and what doesn't.
And so we arrive at this week. I was scheduled to read at a local queer writers series back at the beginning of the year, without any discussion of what I was to read or not read. A couple of months later, a local literary (mini)light or Special Snowflake with one book to his credit was scheduled to read with me. Well and good. I attend one of the other series readings and the organizers burble at me and encourage me to read smut. I eye the audience and decide that I'm not planning on it, as it does not appear to be a receptive bunch for a smut reading, let alone a lesbian one. But whatever. I nod and make polite noises and begin looking at some skiffy and romance instead.
2-3 days later, the Snowflake 'discovers,' some 3.5 months after the original announcement goes out and a scant few weeks before the reading, that I write smut. I write other things as well but this is apparently all he can see. He then fires off an email to the sponsoring org and the event organizers about how his many, many 'liberal' friends often bring their children to his readings and how 'difficult' it will be for that to happen if I read, you guessed it, smut. What those readings are, I'm not clear, as his website doesn't list any. And why there are vast crowds of 'liberals' dragging their children to queer lit readings clearly not geared for the kiddie set let alone literary readings that sound excruciating, I don't know. My friend who's been going for years says she's never once seen anyone under 20 or so at this particular venue. I am not copied on this email.
Nor do I see the response from the organizers. Instead, I get an email from the Snowflake 'apologizing' for the email I haven't received from the organizers which apparently asks me to keep it PG. But since I never got it, he may well have made that part up. He then informs me he's not a 'prude' (no, of course not!) but he needs to think of those great roving packs of liberal kiddies. Indeed. I respond as politely as I am able and inform him that I was not planning on reading erotica anyway, get over it.
A week passes. I go to Phoenix, I come back from Phoenix a happy gal. Day job immediately goes in to the crapper and I have a horribly stressful few days. In the midst of this, Snowflake sends out yet another email to most of the Midwest, including everyone listed above, once again exhorting us to "Think of the children!" and urging the organizers to curb my "scandalous" (yes, this is a quote) content. At which point, I have a fit and long story short, refuse to read with him since he's clearly an ass (not an actual quote. I went with unprofessional and incapable of acknowledging other writers outside his genre) and doesn't really care what I say or do. Still catching up on the emails from that one, since I now have everyone's attention. Urgh.
I will say this for it - it does make my other not favorite writerly behaviors from earlier in the year pale in comparison. But I do adore it when writers whose careers aren't going well feel the need to stand on other writers to demonstrate their continuing specialness. It really doesn't make you look taller, you know and by the time you're claiming you've invented your subgenre, are a misunderstood literary genius and that other writers make you look bad, most of us are cheering your trip down. Just saying.
Let me start by saying that it's been an amazing 8 months. I have met and spent time in the company of remarkable writers and will treasure those experiences and hope for more. I've also met lots of enjoyable new writers, so all in all, it's been a swell time for building writerly community and all that.
I have also never canceled a reading. Ever. I've read with migraines and in states of exhaustion and at completely unreasonable times. I have read with writers whose work I loathed as well as those who wrote things I loved. I've read with poets, romance, mystery, nonfiction, science fiction/fantasy and erotica writers, 4-8 readings a year, every year for the last 5 years or so. Along the way, I've learned a lot about presentations and doing reading well and what works and what doesn't.
And so we arrive at this week. I was scheduled to read at a local queer writers series back at the beginning of the year, without any discussion of what I was to read or not read. A couple of months later, a local literary (mini)light or Special Snowflake with one book to his credit was scheduled to read with me. Well and good. I attend one of the other series readings and the organizers burble at me and encourage me to read smut. I eye the audience and decide that I'm not planning on it, as it does not appear to be a receptive bunch for a smut reading, let alone a lesbian one. But whatever. I nod and make polite noises and begin looking at some skiffy and romance instead.
2-3 days later, the Snowflake 'discovers,' some 3.5 months after the original announcement goes out and a scant few weeks before the reading, that I write smut. I write other things as well but this is apparently all he can see. He then fires off an email to the sponsoring org and the event organizers about how his many, many 'liberal' friends often bring their children to his readings and how 'difficult' it will be for that to happen if I read, you guessed it, smut. What those readings are, I'm not clear, as his website doesn't list any. And why there are vast crowds of 'liberals' dragging their children to queer lit readings clearly not geared for the kiddie set let alone literary readings that sound excruciating, I don't know. My friend who's been going for years says she's never once seen anyone under 20 or so at this particular venue. I am not copied on this email.
Nor do I see the response from the organizers. Instead, I get an email from the Snowflake 'apologizing' for the email I haven't received from the organizers which apparently asks me to keep it PG. But since I never got it, he may well have made that part up. He then informs me he's not a 'prude' (no, of course not!) but he needs to think of those great roving packs of liberal kiddies. Indeed. I respond as politely as I am able and inform him that I was not planning on reading erotica anyway, get over it.
A week passes. I go to Phoenix, I come back from Phoenix a happy gal. Day job immediately goes in to the crapper and I have a horribly stressful few days. In the midst of this, Snowflake sends out yet another email to most of the Midwest, including everyone listed above, once again exhorting us to "Think of the children!" and urging the organizers to curb my "scandalous" (yes, this is a quote) content. At which point, I have a fit and long story short, refuse to read with him since he's clearly an ass (not an actual quote. I went with unprofessional and incapable of acknowledging other writers outside his genre) and doesn't really care what I say or do. Still catching up on the emails from that one, since I now have everyone's attention. Urgh.
I will say this for it - it does make my other not favorite writerly behaviors from earlier in the year pale in comparison. But I do adore it when writers whose careers aren't going well feel the need to stand on other writers to demonstrate their continuing specialness. It really doesn't make you look taller, you know and by the time you're claiming you've invented your subgenre, are a misunderstood literary genius and that other writers make you look bad, most of us are cheering your trip down. Just saying.