There was a wild storm in Massachusetts last night. Crazy stuff. And the Thursday Theater of Words and Music, which is an event that's usually packed to bursting, was much depleted. When Stace and I turned up to present our writing group's flash fiction chapbook, our audience members, which included close friends, comprised a handful of people. Of course, it didn't matter a jot. Honestly, it was a real honour presenting our work and ideas about flash, especially to such a receptive group. In fact, the organisers, Laurette Folk and Jennifer Jean, gave wonderful talks themselves about the artistic process, inside the wind-whipped bookstore. The open mic afterwards was also most enjoyable, featuring three talented readers including our own Steve Mac.
Something Stace and I were keen to put across was that our work doesn't have to be released by a major publishing house (or anything approaching it) to have an effect on the world. A while back, Steve Almond gave a book launch for his own brilliant self-published chapbook, in which he said we writers make a choice about whether to affect a lot of people in a small way, or a few people in a deep way. His words touched on a feeling I've had for a long time -- while I'd love my work to be shouted aloud by many, I'm happy if it's whispered by a few.
That said, it was amazing to turn up to Tara Masih's book launch the other night and see the Brookline Booksmith packed out. It was a gorgeous evening. Tara read from her beautiful work and everyone seemed to have a copy of her book in hand -- after the huge amount of work that goes into a story collection, how lovely to see it celebrated by so many enthusiasts.
Audiences who truly listen are always an absolute privilege, and while it's lovely to have a bustling crowd, a smaller group can be just perfect.
It really is all about the whispers. And you know how those can spread.
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