The Reading That Almost Wasn't

lornawoodauthor

May 21

My friend and I travel in different circles. That is, I'm an introvert and have more just immediate family and a few far-flung dots, and she is tirelessly involved in community activities and courses at the local Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. So when she said she wanted to throw a book signing at her house, I pictured a throng of her friends.

But sunny, cooler-than-usual weather, at a time of year when the university semester has just ended and graduations are taking place hither and yon, and the local garden tour and Cahaba lilies are only a kayak ride away and the Columbus Symphony is holding a free, open dress rehearsal--my reading event had a lot of competition. Also, I did not invite all my friends, partly because it was too late by the time I realized her friends were not going to make a strong showing, and partly because I want to hold later readings at other venues (like my Unitarian Universalist Fellowship), where certain categories of friends would be a better fit.

I thought I was holding up pretty well at the idea of an intimate gathering. I even fixed myself some fancy, flavored coffee to mark the special day. But then my 8:30 Saturday morning student came, and after she left, I discovered that my husband--who, to be fair, is on pain meds following rotator cuff surgery--had drunk it all!

I freaked out. I won't burden you with a full litany of my despair, but the tl;dr was, nobody cared about me, and why should they, when I was wasting everyone's time, especially my own, with my crappy, pretentious poetry? Probably, I thought, I and my husband and my friend and maybe one other person would stand around thinking, "Well, this is a fail," until they could think of excuses for leaving.

But actually, it was lovely. The people who did come were wonderful and interested, and I signed and sold my first author copies of the collection. My friend put on a delicious spread, and altogether, it was an encouraging beginning. Enjoy the pictures.