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Travis DeVore's avatar

Love all the reading recommendations. Brings a bit of anticipatory joy.

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Jim Ruland's avatar

Thanks, Travis! All three of these books deliver in a big way on their very different premises.

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Aug Stone's avatar

Good to finally meet you in person, Jim!

The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne sounds right up my alley. Sad about Tim Mohr, I've been meaning to read that for years. I've talked to people from that scene and it sounds fascinating

"Corporations have a way of rendering the efforts of individual artists invisible, like what we do doesn’t matter. I don’t believe that, of course..." I'm glad there's a bunch of us who don't believe that

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Jim Ruland's avatar

Right on, Aug! Sorry we didn't get to hang afterward but thank you for understanding!

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Lex Orgera's avatar

Looking forward to Black Van. So good the audience was into it. I've had a few readings where the audience just looked at me blankly. The. Worst. I'm trying to figure out how to introduce and read the poems in the upcoming book so that people don't look blankly as I read the poems in the pissed off voice of St. Agatha. ;)

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Jim Ruland's avatar

Thank you! If you figure it out let me know. So many factors from the venue to the engagement of the crowd to even the lighting and microphone situation.

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Lex Orgera's avatar

Yes and the more formal the setting, the more dicey this is. Bars, coffeeshops you can expect your audience to have a personality. It’s those auditoriums you gotta watch out for. 😂

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Jim Ruland's avatar

Most definitely. Especially the settings where someone introduces the person who introduces the reader.

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Lex Orgera's avatar

Oh god yes. Layers and layers of awkward.

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Layne's avatar

I ordered Make it Stop this week. Excited to read it when the book store gets it! Also we have Tender is the Flesh on the shelf and have not read it yet. I should ask my partner her thoughts on it and give it a go!

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Jim Ruland's avatar

Thank you, Layne! Much appreciated. You'll have to let me know how you find Bazterrica.

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