In mid April, I had the privilege of reading from my first novel for a local island media group named Vashon Live. They jumped into the performance vacuum generated by the complete shutdown of Washington State; musicians and other artists were looking at a dismal future, as were the people who make performative art happen, i.e. the riggers, sound reinforcement, technical staff, and media producers.

It was, and still is a small group of dedicated experts and artisans, working long hours to make it possible for people sheltering in place to access music, dance, and spoken word performances. The pandemic, in fact, has inspired a great, interconnected system of content producers that has resulted in an astonishing world of online art and performance. I’m honored to have been able to participate in one of Vashon Live’s events.

They had been producing several events weekly since early March when I was invited to read. It was my second reading since the book came out in January; I got one reading in at the local bookstore and then bookstores weren’t happening any more. This was a wonderful opportunity to hone my reading chops (you can decide for yourself what shape they’re in) and get some experience and exposure.

Vashon Live itself is struggling, as is almost everyone. They’re in the process of applying for nonprofit (501(c)(3)) status, but that takes time, and everybody’s got to eat sooner rather than later. If you like the video, and are feeling like it, a donation of any amount would be appreciated. If this isn’t a good time, watch and enjoy anyway!

I’m hoping there will be another reading in the near future; an early draft of the next book is in the offing, and it would be a lot of fun to read from the second half of Speakers of the Earth as well as something from the next one.