Video & Photos from Nov. 16th reading at Dot2Dot Cafe
I heard Eimear McBride read at Porter Square Books last month. Her award-winning book A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing (Incredible. Singular. I highly recommend.) received early rejections from publishers and sat in a drawer 9 years. At the reading, she was asked what it was like to promote a book she'd written so long ago. McBride said that when she writes, it's like being in love. "I'm not in love with Girl anymore," she said. "I'm in love with [the book I'm currently writing] … but I want to honor who I was when I wrote Girl."
When I published Wonder/Wander in 2009, I envisioned a performative reading of this sort. But I was newly returned to Boston and didn't have the confidence or community. Now, five years later, reading in Dorchester, the neighborhood I call home, among friends from so many parts of my life, and strangers who shared a piece of their Sunday, felt so good. It felt like honoring who I was when I lived and wrote Wonder/Wander.
So again, thank you.
If you missed the reading, please enjoy these photos and video excerpt. You can still order Wonder/Wander online here. Consider giving it as a gift this holiday season, and/or sharing your support for Wonder/Wander on social networks (if you own a copy, post a photo of W/W on your bookshelf. Tag me in the photo and then tag a few friends who you think would enjoy reading it). Finally, if you know other venues for live readings, please put me in touch--I'd love to do this again.
All good wishes,
Aaron