E-Panel: Directors of Reading Series
The following is an E-Panel of Directors of Reading Series. As more and more authors are trying to find way of publicizing their books, getting out and doing readings at well attended readings seems to be more and more important.
Those participating in this E-Panel are:
Sherrie Flick – Gist Street
Erin Keane– inKY Reading Series
Mike Kelleher – Just Buffalo
Nita Noveno/Caroline Berger – Sunday Salon
Kerri Sonnenberg/J. Seldess – The Discrete Series
Dan:
Hello there, thank you for agreeing to spend some time answering questions about you and your reading series.
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
Hi Dan. Thanks for asking.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
Thanks for asking me, Dan. What a great idea, I’m looking forward to learning from other directors.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
Sure thing.
Dan:
Let’s start by asking how you ended up being the director or co-director of your series? Did you start it yourself? Take it over?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
We started Gist Street from scratch. I was sort of floundering after living in Pittsburgh for two years and wasn't finding the creative community that I'd always managed to tap into in other places. My new-found and now dear friend the sculptor James Simon offered up his studio space and said, "Go. The first reading is in March [2001]." My long-time friend, the talented poet Nancy Krygowski agreed to be assistant director (greet people
at the door and buy the pizza), and my husband the playwright Rick Schweikert agreed to be in charge of operations, which mainly meant beer and wine acquistion (fixing broken stuff, and dealing with my neurosis). And that's how it all started. Later I got the title of director because I'm the border collie of the crew.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
InKY began with an idea for a one-off event by a classmate, and the three of us (Nicole Wilson, Pam Steele, and me) spun it into a monthly event. Nicole ended up moving to Colorado, so that left Pam and me in charge.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
I came to Buffalo from NYC in 1997 to study in the SUNY Buffalo Poetics Program. My landlord at the time, Debora Ott, was the founder of Just Buffalo, a literary center that had been in existence since 1975. Ted Pearson, who had just moved to Detroit, had been running a series called “Writers at Work,” for several years. When I met Debora, she told me she needed someone to take over the series. I ran that series as well as a writing contest part time for several years while in grad school, until funding for both dried up. In the meantime, my job grew into the full-time position of Artistic Director. Now, in addition to literary programs, I run workshops, publicity, marketing, and I edit a weekly literary column in Artvoice (a local alternative paper) under the aegis of Just Buffalo.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
Well, I was finishing up my MFA at the New School and wondered what I should do next. My advisor/instructor, the poet and essayist, Honor Moore, suggested I start a reading series. About a week later I was walking past a new bar, Soundz Lounge, in my neighborhood on the Upper West Side. I went inside and the manager happened to be there so I proposed the reading series and with some negotiating, he agreed.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
Another Chicago poet, Jesse Seldess, and I started the Discrete Reading Series in March of 2003. I edited a magazine called Conundrum and he publishes the journal Antennae, and we wanted a live forum for the writers and the kind of work we were publishing: Conundrum was dedicated to publishing innovative poetry and cross-genre writing, and Antennae publishes poetry and other interdisciplinary texts, particularly those connected to music. We didn’t know of another reading series in Chicago presenting work like this, so we decided to start one.
For the past two years Jesse and I have organized the monthly events, sharing all of the tasks involved, from making grant proposals to hosting and mc’ing each event. The timing of this interview occurs just as Jesse is in the process of disengaging from his role as co-director of the series, as he’ll be leaving the country at the end of the summer. I plan to continue to coordinate the series solo.
Dan:
Where is your series held? (City, State, and then more specific)
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
Pittsburgh, Pa. In the Uptown section of the city, which is between Downtown and Oakland. It's in a three-story artist studio. The building is brick, turn-of-the-last-century. There are often large sculpture projects in progress on the first floor. We have the readings on the third floor, which is also James Simon's living space. He lets us invade once a month. We set up chairs and re-arrange the couches so it seats 70-80. There are many big windows, and from the space -- once it gets dark -- you can see the twinkling lights of downtown. It's very magical. In the winter there's a wood burning stove going. In the summer ceiling fans.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
Louisville, Kentucky at the Rudyard Kipling, which is a bar/restaurant in Old Louisville (www.therudyardkipling.com).
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
I run several series. My primary series, “In the Hibiscus Room,” has been held for the past few years in The Hibiscus Room at Just Buffalo. However, we are moving downtown to save costs and share space with CEPA and Big Orbit Galleries. My new series, starting in the fall, will be called the Orbital Series, and will take place primarily at Big Orbit Gallery, located at 30d Essex, St. in Buffalo. In addition to the Orbital Series, I oversee three monthly open readings in Buffalo, Niagara Falls and North Tonawanda, NY. I also curate several major events throughout the year, including “If All of Buffalo Read the Same Book,” a city-wide reading program focused on the work of one author; a quarterly writer residence program with White Pine Press, called “World of Voices;” and several large scale reading events at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery as part of their “Gusto at the Gallery” series.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
We just moved from our beloved home of three years, Soundz Lounge on Manhattan's Upper West Side, to a new location, Stain Bar, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (766 Grand St). It's a great place owned and operated by a fellow writer and New School alum.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
We program events in Chicago, IL. at the 3030 arts space. 3030 is a former Pentecostal church located in a residential neighborhood on Chicago’s near west side. In 2002 it was rented and renovated by a collective of musicians who transformed the space into a top-notch performance venue for jazz and improvised music. This collective has since incorporated as the non-profit Elastic Arts Foundation.
Dan:
How often are your readings held? Weekly? Monthly? Something else?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
Our readings are once a month, 12 months a year. Usually the first Friday but we can always work around an author's schedule. We have always had the readings on either Friday or Saturday at 8pm (socializing begins at 7:30). Every July on the third Saturday we have a BIG outdoor cookout (there's a backyard at the space with live chickens. I'm not kidding) where we feature a press (This year Soft Skull; last year it was Verse). It's
a big potluck with a giant grill. It generally morphs into a late-night party.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
Monthly, every second Friday.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
It depends – I generally have anywhere from 5-7 events per month.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
It's usually every third Sunday of the month at 7pm (sometimes we move it back or forward so as not to compete with the major holidays).
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
Discrete programs an event every second Friday of the month. Sometimes we’ll program a second event if someone happens to be traveling through town at short notice whom we would like to feature. These “bonus” events are not always on Fridays, so we try to keep Discrete’s audience in the know with a barrage of email announcements and flyers.
Dan:
Does your series charge a specific price to get in? Pass a hat?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
We ask for a $3 suggested donation at the door. That also enters you in our Gist Street raffle, where we offer up copies of each authors' book, small sculptures, drawings, baked goods, and fresh produce (in season).
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
We’re completely free at this time. We’re thinking about starting to pass the hat, but we’d rather explore grant options first. We’re pretty committed to keeping our event free in order to attract the widest possible audience for our performers. We do ask that patrons order food and drink and tip their servers well.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
The Orbital Series charges $4 general admission, $3 for students/seniors, $2 for members. Open readings are free. Larger events range from free to $20 a head, depending on various factors.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
Nope. The reading series is free. We just like our patrons to buy drinks at the bar to thank our bar host.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
We ask for a $5 donation at the door.
Dan:
Does whatever money you might bring in cover your charges? If there is an excess does it get banked for future events, spread out among the readers, etc.?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
The money we bring in pretty much makes us break even after we pay for our expenses and give James a little stipend for letting us use his space. In the freak chance we have surplus it usually goes toward taking the authors to dinner or towards the cookout... Usually, we're putting in cash from our own pockets here and there. No one is making any money--just spreading literary goodwill.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
We don’t pay for the space, and we rely on free publicity (we have a WONDERFUL publicist, Jason Cissell), email list, web presence, and good old-fashioned flyer distribution to get the word out about our events. Any money we get in the future will go toward paying our performers and travel expenses for out-of-town readers.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
All of the money goes to Just Buffalo. When we do a budget at the beginning of the year, I am usually given some money for programming. This usually far exceeds whatever we bring in from entry fees. Most out of town readers stay in my guest room. For some I can get airfare donated by board members (frequent flier miles). When I can, I try to bring writers to local universities, who often have a couple of hundred dollars lying about for programs. Sometimes I a have the writer give a workshop the day after the reading and pay them a portion of the tuition.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
The only money we've brought in was for a special fundraising event to help those affected by the tsunami.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
We have to pay the space and whatever is left over from the door is split equally between the readers. This variable amount is a token of appreciation. It doesn’t cover most readers’ travel expenses, but at least it’s enough for dinner or a few drinks after the reading. We’re exploring more grant opportunities as I would like to offer every reader a respectable honorarium at some point. In the past year Poets & Writers have been very supportive of some of our featured readers through individual grants they’ve made from a fund specifically set aside for readings and workshops being organized in Chicago, Thank you anonymous donor!
Jesse and I don’t pay ourselves for any of our time coordinating the series, and we personally absorb the costs of copying, mailings, CD duplication, refreshments and other incidental expenses.
Dan:
Is food and drink available?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
Yes! It's BYOB for the audience. But we also contribute "starter" beer/wine/juice. I used to be a professional baker, so I make cookies, cakes, pies -- and audience members have taken to bringing baked goods and other food. James' next door neighbor, Antoine, makes homemade bread and ice cream (and sometimes a whole baked ham) each month. Nancy brings the pizza. You can pretty much eat dinner if you arrive early enough.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
Yes, a full bar and a wonderful menu of tasty home-made goodies, including the best burgoo in town.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
Beverages are sold at readings.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
Yes, lots of drinks! People can bring in their own food.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
Bottled water is for sale at the space, but the space is BYOB and many people share. Sometimes people will even bring plates of brownies or other treats for general consumption. We don’t sell any concessions other than the water that the space makes available for a $1 donation.
Dan:
Does your series sell any merchandise? Hats, t-shirts, mugs, etc?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
We used to have t-shirts but have sold out of them. They had a great painting on the front by the artist John Fleenor. We might try tote bags next, with another drawing by John. At one point, we got beautiful blue glass mugs made for the "staff," but they had a typo and read: "The Gift Street Reading Series." Everybody got a big laugh out of that one.
I feel a need to say in here somewhere, that this series is really a collective effort. Jon Ritz does our sound and records each reading; Cindy Closkey is our web goddess she built, designed, and maintains our website out of the goodness of her heart (and one blue Gift Street mug); John Fleenor (who lives across the street) is our location coordinator (he gets the authors what they want when they need it); James Simon himself sets up
the chairs and mops the floor each month...We haven't burned out because we're all friends and getting together to set up is actually fun.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
Not yet, but t-shirts are in the plan for the future.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
No.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
No, but that's not a bad idea.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
We have to work on our branding! If anyone has a catchy slogan we can put on a Discrete Series T-shirt or bumper sticker, please let me know!
We do run a little book table during the readings where that evening’s featured readers can sell their wares.
Dan:
What level of career are you looking for in the authors who come read?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
We focus on writers with their first or second books. There are times when we have seasoned authors request a reading. This year Jean Valentine and Lynn Emanuel contacted us about reading at Gist.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
We’ve had everyone from undergraduates to established career writers. Greg Pape, who read for our National Poetry Month celebration in April, is promoting his eighth book of poems. Marcie Johnson read for us on a bill of Chicago poets in January—it was her very first public reading, though she’s published and was finishing up her MFA at the time. We’ve showcased a handful of really talented undergrads, many emerging new voices, and our fair share of mid-career and beyond writers. We’re equal-opportunity like that—excellence is our only requirement.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
All levels. Most, I guess, are early to mid-career, as that’s where I am in terms of poetry, and so that is where I have the most personal connections to other writers. But I have brought in everyone from first time readers to Pulitzer-Prize Winners and Nobel Laureates.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
From emerging writers to established authors. We're an equal opportunity reading series.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
We program readers and performers whose work we admire. The individuals featured in the series happen to occupy any of the various points on the career spectrum: some readers have published in journals but have not yet published a book; others have authored a book or a few chapbooks; and another group, including the writers Paul Hoover, Cole Swensen, Pierre Joris, Kent Johnson and Maxine Chernoff, are very accomplished and recognized in their field.
Dan:
Do you specialize in one form at all? Novel, short stories, poetry, non-fiction?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
Ideally, we like to have one poet and one prose writer each month. It doesn't always work out that way though. Our main concern, however, is no prima donnas and the QUALITY of the work.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
We tend to lean toward poetry because it’s our favorite genre, and because of all the literary genres I think it’s the one in most need of a friendly, accessible, free monthly show. Taking poetry readings out of the university basements and coffeeshops and into a bar goes a long way toward pulling in new audiences for poets. That said, we have and continue to feature novelists, short story writers, memoirists, essayists, and in September we’ll host Scott Richter and his very funny collection of irate emails, Letters to Saint Clinton (http://www.cafepress.com/kcomposite.13879750). Basically, if a writer is a good reader and has quality material that lends itself to live reading, I’m interested.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
My primary interest is in poetry. But I do a couple of fiction readings per year. My larger events, like If All of Buffalo Read The Same Book, are usually fiction based, as well-known fiction writers tend to draw the largest audiences.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
Prose in whatever form/genre-- novel, short stories, memoir, essays, etc.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
Jesse and I founded the series to present poetry in relation to other text-driven types of performance. Jesse has been the primary force in programming compelling and innovative performances by musicians, interdisciplinary artists and sound artists to compliment the writing (mostly poetry) that is most often showcased. Some of the non-poetry programming at Discrete has included: a world premiere of a musical performance by German composer Gerhard Stabler which scored the performers’ physical movements as well as their speech acts; Composer/vocalist Jennifer Walshe performing a poem by Kurt Schwitters; the video and electronic music duo Fire & Ice performing their piece “The News” which samples graphics and speech from the nightly news.
Dan:
Does the work being read have to have already been published, or at least in the process of?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
When we first started out we had several writers with only literary journal publications. But now, I would say 99% of our writers have books or book contracts under their belts. We don't have open mikes.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
Not at all. In fact, I get excited when an established writer brings new work to InKY, because I know it’ll be a new experience. I love a good “you heard it here first” reading.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
It’s up to the artist.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
No, a few writers have "tried out" pieces for the first time at the series.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
We don’t have any input into what a reader may or may not read once they step up to the microphone. If someone has been programmed into the Discrete Series that means we already have an appreciation for their work that goes beyond a preference for one poem over another. Many poets like to read new work or work in progress at some point in their reading because this is usually an important part of the writer’s process in clarifying some intentions of the work to themselves. I think the Discrete audience is a valuable one for the level of engagement it brings to the writing and its writer. While the series does not have a formal Q & A component, I hear a lot of constructive dialogue occurring naturally in conversation before and after the readings. Visiting readers have remarked to me that the Discrete audience is a special pleasure, one that offers a genuine sense of connecting with one’s readers and in understanding how they are experiencing the so-called “open” texts that distinguish the series’ aesthetic bent.
Dan:
Do you allow authors to sell their work at your readings?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
Yes, we inventory the books, sell them for the authors, and then give them the cash at the end of the night. We have pretty decent book sales, and since we can't pay a stipend, the authors appreciate the sales. Our audience seems to make an extra effort to buy books.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
Yes, we encourage it—books, chapbooks, magazines, cds, whatever they have. We feature a short open mic at the beginning of the program, and one night it seemed like everyone had something to sell, even open mic readers—one guy sold poems for $1 a page. I think he made a killing. People like a bargain, I guess.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
Yes. If they are selling chapbooks or limited publication books, they sell their own works. For bigger name authors, Talking Leaves Books, the local independent bookstore, sells the books.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
Yes, we’ve had book sales.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
Yes, as I mentioned before, authors are encouraged to bring their books, chapbooks, pamphlets, broadsides, journals they edit, etc. to sell on our book table during the event.
Dan:
Do you have any idea how your series might affect short term sales numbers of the readers who appear?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
I have no idea. But I do know often times, after an author's reading people come to our website, and click on links to purchase books. If it's a good reading, there's also word of mouth, of course. I think that goes a long way.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
No, we don’t partner with any bookstores, so I’m not sure how we’re affecting things. I hope it’s positive.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
Marginally, at best. Most of my authors publish on small presses, and so a reading can help sell a few books. If All Of Buffalo Read the Same Book is, again, on a different scale altogether. We usually help sell around 1500-2000 books per year with that event.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
Not really.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
Most of the writers we feature are publishing in the vibrant network of small presses from all parts of the US (and internationally). Journals like Aufgabe, Factorial, Traverse, 26, Bird Dog, Parakeet, Antennae, Skanky Possum, nocturne, Magazine Cypress and presses such as Litmus, Etherdome, Omnidawn, Gong, Tougher Disguises, Flood Editions, Burning Deck, Salt, Green Integer, Roof are critical centers of activity for contemporary poetry working out of the postmodern tradition.
Of course the big chain bookstores stock next to none of these publications and few independent bookstores (of which there are already a diminishing number) in Chicago have the inclination or ability to order these publications for their shelves. I (and others in Chicago) typically drive to Milwaukee, to the great Woodland Pattern Book Center, or order through SPD (Small Press Distribution) to get our hands on books and journals publishing writers like those featured in the Discrete Series. All of this is to say that I don’t have any gauge for determining to what extent a reading influences the local sales of their books, except in the immediately visible case of what books are sold at the reading itself.
Dan:
What sort of attendance numbers do you see? Is there a standard crowd that you can expect on a regular basis no matter who is reading?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
Our attendance is usually around 70 people for each reading. We consistently have to close the doors because we are full-up at 15 minutes to start time. Gist Street is very social and people tend to come each month because they trust us to bring in good writers--and not necessarily to support a specific author. Our email list is around 600 people -- we have some great regulars but people cycle in and cycle out. It's a changing crowd -- but always a great crowd to read to. We LOVE our audience. Many of our closest friends started out as audience members wandering through the studio door.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
We’ve had as many as over 100 and as few as 25. There’s a standard crew we’ve come to look for, and then there’s the crowd specific authors bring with them. Local writers bring in way more than out of towners. I’ve learned to always put at least one Kentuckian on every bill, unless the readers have strong connections and a fan base here already.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
I’ve given up trying to predict audiences. My regular series averages 20-30 people. Good nights we’ll get 50. I have no way of knowing. On the other hand, big name authors can command large audiences. Arundhati Roy drew six hundred paid one night and a thousand the next.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
Well, it ranges. Sometimes we'll have a few people, mainly writers' friends and family. Other times, we'll have a nice showing. If the weather's crappy, attendance is low.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
Many of the attendees are familiar faces, and there’s a core of about a dozen people who are up for the perfect attendance award. We’ve had as many as seventy (which is maximum capacity of the space) and as few as six people attend a reading, but we average a regular crowd of about 30-40.
Dan:
Are there better nights of the week, or seasons of the year, to hold readings and get big audiences?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
In general, seasons don't affect us. People come over after work on Friday. We're like a literary happy hour. They'll also shift pretty easily to Saturday though. After the college students are out for the year, we see a little drop in numbers, but not much.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
I’ve noticed that we have to compete with extended daylight and tons of fun free outdoor stuff in the summer, so we’ve started offering theme nights in June and July. Next year, we might take the summer off, just to have a break. We’ve always held our readings on Friday night, which I like because we start at 7 and end at 9, so it’s a perfect after-work dinner-hour get the weekend started kind of timeslot. For early birds, it qualifies as a night out, but for many folks it’s early enough that it won’t interfere with their night-time plans, especially in Louisville where the bars don’t close until 4 a.m. We like to think we’re the happy hour that’s good for your brain and soul.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
I think mid-week tends to work best. In the fall, the Orbital Series will take place on Thursdays.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
Well, I think it depends on who's reading and if it's a themed event. We had an impressive showing at the fundraising reading I mentioned earlier. Everyone was generous with their time and resources.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
Our events are almost always on a Friday night and that seems to suit most everyone just fine. Exceptional events we’ve had on Sunday or Monday evenings have turned out a sizable crowd as well. A Tuesday afternoon, say, would probably have some trouble. The month/time of year is a variable we’ve reckoned with more acutely: January and February are a little more difficult to draw a big crowd because in Chicago these are the months to stay indoors and eat a lot of potatoes. Summers can be a tad dodgy too, surprisingly, for the opposite reason—sun and BBQ’s. Spring and fall draw steady crowds—perhaps it has something to do with the momentum of academic calendars, as a portion of our audience is connected to the college rhythm either as faculty members or students.
Dan:
How far in advance do you set your schedule? What helped determine that length of time?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
We're starting to put together our 2006 schedule right now. I like to work about 6 months ahead of the start of the new year because then we can send out a year-long press release and we can also print year-long schedules. We solicit a lot of our readers so it's good to get in there early before their planners are filled.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
We’ve tried to schedule out as far in advance as possible, but some months I’m still chasing down an elusive performer for a final yes or no up to the week before we have to announce. We’re getting better at scheduling as we become better known, because many writers approach us first. That helps ease our guilt somewhat—it’s hard for me to ask people to read for us when we can’t pay. As a working writer myself, I know I’m always pleasantly shocked when I get paid, but I have a hard time exploiting others, even for a good cause. So there’s a lot of sucking up and sweet-talking involved. But as our reputation grows, we’ve found that more often than not, writers either approach us or are delighted to be asked to be a part of InKY, and our schedule has filled up with much more advance notice this year with less pleading on our part.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
I set it well in advance. At least three months before the first reading. This allows me to print a full season calendar and to get the word out about all of my events to the press in plenty of time to have them listed.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
It depends on the number of writers who are interested in reading and when. It's just a matter of timing, but normally we'll know who's reading a month or two in advance.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
We like to have the schedule set at least 2-3 months in advance to allow for whatever contingencies may arise in coordinating one, sometimes two or three readers coming in from out of town. At one time we were scheduled several months into the future because the series was attracting a lot of interest from writers traveling to Chicago from out of state, usually New York or California. I find it beneficial to plan as far in advance as possible when applying for grants as well.
Dan:
Do you normally deal directly with the authors, or their publicists?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
We almost always deal with authors directly. I like to get a sense of the person. We want readers we get along with. Since no one is getting paid in this scenario--the least we can ask is that everyone have a good time--and that includes the director.
Presently, we also have a nice working relationship with Graywolf Press. My contact there, Mary Matze, has a good sense of the kinds of authors we like and suggests about one a year our way. I wouldn't mind having more relationships like this. Everyone just needs to be on the same page for it to work.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
Normally, we deal with the writers themselves. Most poets don’t have publicists and most small presses aren’t knocking themselves out to book their poets for events, at least not in Kentucky. Prose writers in general tend to be better taken care of, but fictionists and memoirists we book are usually local or we have some connection, so we approach them directly. I’ve booked through one publisher, he was really great and hand-delivered the writers himself.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
I only deal with authors if I can help it. Agents, though good for their authors, suck for programmers. They charge, on average, 5 times what I pay an author that I have dealt with directly. It’s worth the trouble finding a home phone number or an email address or even a fax number if it means avoiding professional handlers.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
Yes, directly with the authors.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
So far only one of the authors we’ve programmed in the Discrete has any sort of liaison: a personal secretary. The rest we deal with directly- a definite perk for Jesse and I!
Dan:
Not to imply that artists, or their publicists, would ever be temperamental, but do you have any horror stories to share (I’ll leave it to your own discretion as to whether or not you want to use specific names)?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
Hmmm. Because we deal directly with authors--and those authors are often suggested by past readers or we've met them through residencies or at conferences, etc. we really have had very little trouble with any of our readers. In fact, I can say--with the exception of one person--I wouldn't mind going out for a drink with anyone who has read at Gist Street.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
You know, usually our readers are an absolute delight, but of course there’s always one…. The aforementioned publisher did have a dud. This one guy, an older gentleman, was the first in a line-up of three poets. He had been rescheduled from another month and didn’t really fit with the other readers (he writes a lot of short meditative nature pieces while the other two are rollicking postmodern fun types), but we started to be concerned when he asked for a chair to sit in on stage. Well, OK. He might have health problems. Then he dragged what looked like a metric ton of poems, both loose and bound, up on stage, sat down, and proceeded to read for at least a half-hour. Our readers get 10 minutes each, and we have to time our shows down to the minute because there are other events scheduled for our space after us. We tried to catch his eye to give him a signal, but he never looked up from the pages. At all. It was agony, he’d give a 90 second set-up for a haiku. It was like he was reading to himself, no sense of the audience or the feeling in the house. Any time I think that the audience isn’t having the best time ever, I worry that we’ve lost them for good. The audience was one massive set of rolled eyes, and what’s worse, the next two readers had to cut their sets short because of him. I felt so horrible for the other readers because they had traveled to be there, too. Embarrassing and awful, and the Sit Down Time Bandit (who’s somewhat of a Big Name in Kentucky) will not be invited back.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
I have found most authors to be incredibly gracious and well-behaved. Without mentioning any names, I will say that the worst experience I ever had was with an alcoholic American poet who spent the day getting drunker and drunker on our wine. By the time of the reading, he could barely see or speak, and so slobbered through his poems in a way that alienated everyone present. After he left, we found out he had also stolen money from our concession stand. Following that, he had the nerve to demand that we send him a first edition copy of one of his books that he no longer owned, claiming that the book actually belonged to him, since he wrote it.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
No, not really. I guess we've been lucky?
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
So far everyone’s been simpatico. No horror stories to speak of.
Dan:
I’m sure there’s even more stories in this vein, but who was the biggest pleasure for you to host and have your series give a boost to?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
Wow. We've had so many great people through our doors. Let's see. We asked John Dalton to read before he received the Sue Kaufman best first novel prize and the Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers Award. That was kind of cool. Nancy Reisman read before her first (great!) novel First Desire came out. Aaron Smith is one of the writers who read early on with just a few literary journal publications and now he has won the Starrett Prize and his book will be coming out with University of Pittsburgh Press. We're very proud of him. Ladette Randolph, Erin Flanagan, Kellie Wells, Joy Katz, John McNally, John Rybicki, Matthew Zapruder, Joshua Beckman, Anthony McCann, Lois Williams, Ann Pancake, Terrance Hayes, Rick Hilles, and Tracey K. Smith all gave fantastic readings. Tomaz Salumun came even though he was having major back pain. He had to sit in a chair to read. It really felt like a historic moment.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
Like I said earlier, most of our readers are wonderful people as well as great writers, and as writers ourselves we tend to be friends or colleagues with many of them, so it’s hard to name just one. But I did do a little spirit-fingers cheer when Kevin Ducey emailed us and asked if he could read. He came all the way from Ann Arbor because his sister lives here and she wanted him to give a reading in Louisville. His debut collection, Rhinoceros, won the APR/Honickman Prize and it’s absolutely fantastic, I’m a huge fan. He’s a peach of a guy, too. Oh, and when Greg Pape managed to finagle his way here from Montana by way of a paying gig in Illinois just in time for National Poetry Month, that was a big coup, merriment all around since he was our graduate thesis mentor and a close friend.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
I have hosted so many writers over the years, and most of the experiences have been pleasurable and unique. One thing I do with nearly every writer is take them to see Niagara Falls. Many of them get to see it for the first time and they all have different responses to it. I remember Eileen Myles taking out her notebook to write a description of the sky above the falls. She was at work on a book called “Skies.” When the book came out, I looked for a poem that included the sky above the falls, but I couldn’t find it. Someday I’ll write a book about taking writers to the Falls.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
Wow, hmm, there have definitely been more than one who inspire me to go straight to my desk and write. Jonathan Dee read at the May Sunday Salon and he was awesome.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
I’ve been pleased with the non-poetry performances we’ve featured, when possible, on the bill with a poet, regarding the extent to which we’ve perhaps introduced a mostly literary audience to experimental activity in other media. Painter and sound artist Mark Booth, for example, is well known in Chicago’s visual and interdisciplinary art communities, and his work engages a lot of the same concerns that contemporary innovative poetry explores. Expanding the audience for his work to include the writing community met a key objective Jesse and I put forth when we founded the series.
Dan:
How, if at all, do you screen the work that’s to be read?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
Some of the authors we know or have heard read at residencies and such. Nancy is in charge of screening the poetry for the most part--I do fiction, non-fiction. We make final decisions together. Often times, authors are suggested through past readers. Then we just ask them to send us a book or excerpt so we can check out the work and make sure that it will fit with our audience. Super-academic work doesn't go over so well. We have a real sense of our audience and try to plan accordingly. We also try to curate our readers so when they read together it works well for everyone involved. We have two small panels of readers who read mailed-in submissions (or if we need second opinions) and then make recommendations to us. If anyone is interested in being considered, you can contact me at sdflick@hotmail.com.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
We don’t screen, exactly. We make sure we’re familiar enough with our writers’ work to be comfortable endorsing them, but they’re not limited to reading from their latest collection or a set list or anything.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
I don’t screen it. I did it once, when we were doing a fundraiser, and I’ll never do it again. I had somehow found out the invited author planned to read a foulmouthed comic piece about an orgy among costumed revelers. At the time, we desperately needed to cultivate the moneyed “NPR” crowd, many of whom I was sure would take offence to the piece. I asked the author not to read it, and he became very offended, accusing me of censorship. Eventually, he became “ill” and cancelled the event at the last minute, leaving us in the lurch. In hindsight, I wish I had never known what he intended to read, as I am sure the animus his story generated in the audience would have been directed at him and his work, and not at Just Buffalo.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
Well, my co-director, Caroline and I will read submissions to our website (www.sundaysalon.com) and discuss whether or not we should invite the writer to read at the series.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
Either Jesse or I solicit the writers/presenters directly based on familiarity we already have with their work. Some people contact us and we may or may not already be familiar enough with their work to offer them a date. In getting to know the work of a writer who would like to read in the series we usually borrow his/her books from friends and/or read whatever writings he/she may have published online. Sometimes people will send us copies of their books if we don’t know their work already. Of course, we can’t program everyone who suggests him/herself for the series, but we do read their work closely and thoughtfully. We’ve had to point some very talented writers toward some of the other series in town either because the scheduling would not work out or their work was more aesthetically aligned with another venue.
Dan:
Who handles the introductions for your series? Are they brief and to the point, or is some time spent glorifying the writer’s work first?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
Nancy and I both do introductions at each reading. She tends to introduce the poets, me the prose. Our intros are very brief. We never read peoples' bios verbatim--just give a few highlights.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
Honestly, that depends greatly on how much time I have the week before the reading to cook up something fabulous. I’ve been known to fashion some fun and passionate blurbs — I’m a literary evangelist. Sadly, due to a time crunch, some deserving readers are introduced with mere tidbits of biographical data. I ease my guilt on that point by reminding myself that the work speaks for itself.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
I used to write brief introductions to the work. I worked within serious constraints, limiting myself to biographical info and one paragraph that focused in on one specific aspect of the work -- kind of like telling someone to look at the color blue in a painting. For the last couple of years, I have limited myself to biographical info about the author, letting the work speak for itself. I am not sure which is better. I often feel guilty for not writing more serious introductions, as I once did.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
We ask our writers to send us a mini-bio (1-2 paragraphs about themselves, their writing, etc.) which we read at their introductions.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
Compared to the university model our introductions are brief. We do value the effort of saying more than just the bio that the writer him/herself sends along. Jesse and I share the job of introducing; we’ll usually each introduce one reader per event. While neither of us carry on with great dissertations lasting 5 minutes or more, we try to make comments that provide a framework for close listening or several possible points of access for the work we are about to hear.
Dan:
What is the one thing that your series does that you believe is unique?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
We have a consistently attentive audience that feels involved in the social aspect of the series. We've been able to maintain the energy of a high-quality shoe-string program for five years without growing stale, bitter, tainted, or tired. We are consistently dedicated to getting out the word on the work of emerging writers who might not have a reading venue otherwise.
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
We feature live music between our open mic and our featured readers, which gives people a nice break between bouts of intense listening. I doubt that’s unique, but I sure like it. We take an ecumenical approach to style and genre, and in Louisville, we occupy the middle ground between endowed university readings and anything-goes open mic sessions. But I do like giving up a bit of our time to open mic, because it increases our audience—people will come to read who’ve never come to listen—and we’re always looking for the undiscovered talent. We’ve booked featured spots off of really solid open mic performances. And I like the give-and-take of open mic. Instead of looking down from our curator’s seat and declaring “This is Quality Literature” to the audience, they have a chance to show us what they’re doing as well. Of course it’s a mixed bag, as they say.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
My interests tend toward the avant-garde, so the balance of readers leans in that direction. But I am also mindful of the need to give local writers a shot when they have been working at it a while, or when they publish a book or chapbook. If anything is unique, I think it is that I approach the curation with a mind toward collaborations with other organizations. I often bring writers for a reading, but then bring them to a college or a school to give a presentation. If writers do something besides write, I try to take advantage of their other skills to make for a wide ranging program that includes the community at large.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
I think we are open to all kinds of writing and every level of writer.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
Many of the writers and artists we program read/perform at universities or galleries. These environments have a certain formality to them that is less a part of Discrete’s character and the character of the 3030 space. I think we create an atmosphere that is at once reverent and irreverent, bookish and streetsmart.
Dan:
What lessons learned do you think would be most important in passing along to anybody who was thinking of starting up another reading series in their area?
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
Pay attention to the big picture. Try and get to know your audience members. Get a good email list from people who specifically want to know about your program and DO NOT share it. Never under-estimate word of mouth. If someone comes in and is sitting alone and looking like they're going to bolt. Go over and say hi. Making your audience comfortable is as important as making your authors comfortable. It is the director's job to make sure things run smoothly--which includes all of the details of the event. Be
consistent. Be organized. Be friendly. Don't try and have a folding chair drive in order to get seating. It just doesn't work...
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
Partner only with responsible people, and don’t be afraid to ask people to read even if you can’t pay them. Some people are entirely too well-bred to refuse outright and are open to exploitation (kidding!). Keep your mind open about what kind of performer is right for your stage. A variety of styles is key, I think. Slam poets can share the stage with New Formalists, why not? And always keep the audience in mind — without them, you’re just reading to yourselves.
Mike Kelleher - Just Buffalo:
Well, to realize that writing scenes are often the result of the efforts of one or two people working really hard. The important thing is just to get started.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
I think you just need to be patient, persistent, and open to finding writers in all kinds of places.
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
Most of the organizer’s time is taken up by email correspondence. This is a joy, but the time it requires is not to be underestimated!
Programming consistently with the objectives/values you determine in advance will build a unique identity for a series, one that hopefully attracts an audience for well-known and less well-known writers equally.
Dan:
Thanks again for sharing so much valuable information!
Sherrie Flick - Gist Street:
Thanks Dan. Thanks for all you do!
Erin Keane - inKY Reading Series:
Thanks for asking, Dan.
Nita Noveno - Sunday Salon:
Thank you! Hope to see you at an upcoming Sunday Salon. We celebrated our third birthday on June 19th!
Kerri Sonnenberg – The Discrete Series:
Thanks for involving me in this discussion.
Thanks again for asking me to participate? Can you fix my name? It's Erin Keane.
Posted by: Erin | June 29, 2005 at 10:47 AM
No problem Erin. It only appeared 25 times or so, you'd think I've have noticed an S vs. E at least once.
Sorry,
Posted by: Dan Wickett | June 29, 2005 at 10:57 AM
Great interviews & lots of useful information. As an "emerging writer," this is the kind of information I copy & store away! When the novel finally gets published--say sometime within the next 100 or so years, depending on if/when I get an agent and publisher, I'll be in touch with these folks.
Thanks to all who participated. It's very appreciated.
Posted by: Mark Schannon | June 29, 2005 at 03:46 PM
hi can i know the factors that afflecting the acquisition of reading can you answer me now? i just needit its my homework do i search the right web?
Posted by: pia carla estacio | June 17, 2006 at 04:51 AM