I perform periodically, for several reasons. First and foremost, I love the experience of sharing my work directly with an audience. The immediate feedback of people approaching me after shows embodies the reason I write, for connection. I love to hear people's thoughts. Also, I think there's value in contextualizing my work. I am still struggling to encapsulate every delicate theme I'd like to instill in my essays; there's a consistent thread I'm grasping at, that a petite, well-spoken girl like myself is capable of atrocity not through the power of strict dichotomy, but because everyone has complexity to them. Demons are healthy, unavoidable, fascinating.
Live readings comprise a crucial component of the 21st century writer's toolbox. For those endeavoring to make this their paying livelihood, we must consider ourselves both artists and entrepreneurs. Readings help with publication. Finally, as a recovering alcoholic who misses the attention she could garner on a barstool, I find the stage a suitable stand-in.
So here is a log of the shows I've done, and updates on upcoming occasions. Come watch me read! I love audience interactions - heckle me, cheer for me, join in my occasional self-deprecation.
And I knew as clearly as I knew he’d altered the course of my life, that I could never be superficial with him again. So I let my true colors show and acted only in self-interest.