monoceros blogsEarly. When you're due to introduce an author at a reading, prepare early. Read their work in advance and take notes. I left my introduction for my friend till the last minute, because I kept putting teaching ahead of everything else. The reading was for Friday evening; I began working on Thursday, which ought to have been plenty of time. But being the slow worker that I am, I needed some time to read the work Michelle gave me, the critiques I'd written for her in the past, the bio I got from her, before setting out to write the actual introduction.
On Friday morning, I also had to rush to school for an appointment with Ha Jin, and our meeting was interrupted by a fire drill in the English department. We wound up in Amer's where I offered to buy him a hot drink as he was coughing badly. He turned me down and I bought a hot chocolate since the folks at Amer's probably wouldn't let us hang out without purchasing some beverage at least. Before I knew it, time was up and I had to take him back to the English department. I had to gulp down my drink, which wasn't so good an idea. And I still couldn't finish it anyway. One thing that I got out from the meeting - his real name. And I went on to tell him the story about my family name, or the story my father told me about our ancestor being a tax collector and running away to Hainan Island. I told him it probably wasn't true but I liked the story, and he said that there was probably more truth to it than I imagined.
By Friday afternoon, I was panicking. Introduction still incomplete. The night before, I couldn't stay awake past one, and I dreamed that the organizer of the reading series was calling for me to introduce Michelle. And there I was among the audience, still scribbling incoherently in a notebook. The organizer spotted me and apologized to the audience and requested a five-minute wait while I finished writing. Fifty pairs of eyes lasered me to nothinginess. Oh, the mortification we experience in dreams.
The actual event went far better, thankfully. I did finish writing in time, three hours before the reading. Michelle liked the intro, my peers liked it, and now I can say I'm done with public speaking at readings. I can attend the rest of the series without worrying about a future reading of my own or giving introductions for a long, long while.
The party afterwards was good fun too. I dragged Irene, erstwhile MFA whiz now turned lecturer, to go with me. We drank wine, ate cashew nuts and cheesecake, commiserated about teaching. I was in semi-punk mode with combat boots and people said I have to let that side of me out more often. Interesting. After Irene spilled some red wine on the white carpet, I knew it was time to take off. We cleaned up good, did a quick tour of the pretty house, and then stumbled through some bushes to get to my car. Back to bed and a dreamless sleep this time.
Posted by Monoceros at November 13, 2004 12:56 AM