The Public Option

My writing group, The Guttery, had it's first reading last night at the Blackbird Wine shop's First Wednesday series (http://The Guttery.com) I had pushed for this quite a while and it's very gratifying to see that it all turned out so well. Aside from the recognition we got... items in a few of the local papers, listings on the web, and lots of friends showing up, I still can't get over the look on their faces as they accepted the applause offered. A real Sally Fields moment there. Yes, guys, they really, really like you.
Only 5 of us read last night, so that means that the other 5 have yet to experience this thrill. Hopefully that will come. As the date for the reading came closer, I could sense the anticipation and excitement from some of my colleagues. We spent a couple of group days critiquing our "performances" and even practiced with a mic once. It was well worth it. Given that I've had the most experience in front of groups and performing, I was able to pass on some of the things I learned while doing "An Evening with Woody Guthrie."
I must confess, a small part of me felt like that teacher again. Watching...hoping...loving...smiling...admiring...enjoying.
It was good to find my teacher, public reader voice again too. If you couldn't make it, not to worry, you can see a nicely edited version right here:

http://orelitrev.startlogic.com/digital/indexnew.htm

This morning at about 8:00 I checked my email and saw that Tola had sent everyone in the group a thank you and an idea. I saw, too, that he sent it at 2:38 am. Winding down, I guess. His idea involves a reading series that we sponsor, regularly.
On a personal note, I received some nice responses in the audience to the Preface of my memoir that I read. One guy told me, "you really had me." Felt good. Especially since I received a rejection form letter in the mail that afternoon. There are so many ways to say we're not the right agent/publisher for you. I'm coming to believe it's up to me to get my book out there. The internet is more than happy to oblige, so now it looks as if the next step is to explore those options.

II
I've noticed lately that as so many print magazines are dying, many more online versions are cropping up.
It's a great way to garner exposure and build up a resume. Let's see, Bruce Greene's work has appeared in Rudolf's Diner, Bay Area Writing Project Digital magazine, The Blood-Horse online, and...(Coming soon to a digital zine near you)