I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the new short film by Antonia Bogdanovich — MY LEFT HAND MAN —  starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Nanny McPhee, Love Actually), Andrew Howard (Limitless, upcoming “Hatfields and McCoys”), Kevin Bigley (“The Chicago Code,” “CSI: Miami”) and Erich Wildpret, who is a Latin American star. The 18-minute dramatic short screens as part of the NJ Film Fest at Rutgers on January 28th.  Although the film clocks in at under half an hour I was captivated by the beautiful mosaic of emotions Bogdanovich was able to create both as writer and director in this film.  The story is told in a straightforward, simple manner however the situation is anything but conventional.

The Emersons are a theatrical family, of sorts – one son is a street performer who recites Shakespeare while his older brother picks pockets in the crowd. Their father, a has-been thespian, spends the take on booze and ponies. But Samuel wants to make like his comic book hero The Cardinal Comet and split; and a visit from a loan shark gives Samuel a chance at freedom.

Ms. Bogdanovich graciously allowed me to pepper her with questions, both about this amazing film and the process of making it, as well as how her impressive lineage played a part in making her who she is today.  Read on as she tells me about the challenges of creating a short film, how her own rebellious youth helped her created the character of Samuel, and exactly what a “left hand man” means to her …

Antonia Bogdanovich

Antonia! I just saw your short film, MY LEFT HAND MAN, and found it incredibly compelling. In 18 minutes you manage to tell a story which provides so much back-story yet takes place in a very short span of time.

You not only directed MY LEFT HAND MAN, but wrote it as well. Where did this idea of the story come from?

Antonia Bogdanovich: The idea came from a few places. I love Shakespeare – as an actor, I studied it a bit at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London (summer program). And I have seen quite a few very good productions on stage, as well as some of or most of the films. I really relate to his work, it has such depth yet it is so accessible. The crime elements are from my own experiences….ahem… I was a bit of a juvenile delinquent – rebelling pretty hard against my upbringing. So I basically hung out with kids that stole cause they had to (their parents didn’t have enough to finance their extracurricular activities) or because they just liked the thrill of getting away with it or both.

The comic book comes from my son – who loves superheroes – but I chose comic books because I wanted it to be clear that my character couldn’t really afford cell phones or cable TV. Then it became even more important to show that their father wouldn’t really allow it even it they could afford it.

I also really wanted to write about two brothers. And what it would be like if they had to fend for themselves. My parents were away a lot working when I was growing up, and I had to figure out a lot of stuff on my own. And I love the dynamic of brothers. It’s really fascinating how close they can be, but don’t necessarily interact the way sisters do. (I have 2 sisters).

What does the title mean to you personally? And further, what do you think the title would mean to your characters – something different?

AB: The title, as you probably gathered, is a play on “my right hand man.” So the title means having someone you can depend on, but in a real backwards kind of way. You can depend on them, but you really shouldn’t. So the father depends on his kids, but he shouldn’t. The brothers depend on themselves, but they shouldn’t have to at such a young age. And in the end, they all encounter great losses because of this. So I guess the title is really about enabling and co-dependence, familiar themes I think all families contend with, but this one worse than some others.

I think to my characters the title might mean something different for each one. The father would deny it completely. The older brother would say that no one was or is his right or left hand man. And the youngest brother, Samuel (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), would probably feel the same way I do about the title. Samuel’s brother is his left hand man. He depends on him because he really doesn’t have a choice. But in the end, he only has himself to depend on. So in a way, he’s free.

MY LEFT HAND MAN will be screening as part of the New Jersey Film Fest at Rutgers. How did you become a part of that?

AB: I submitted to the New Jersey Film Festival and they accepted the film. I really thought festivals in New York and New Jersey would respond to this story so I searched festivals in that area. Fingers crossed I get into a few more!

Thomas Brodie Sangster in a scene from "My Left Hand Man"

Thomas Brodie-Sangster is utterly amazing in this film. How did he come to this role?

AB: Thomas Brodie-Sangster is unbelievable. He made me tear up a number of times on the set. And I don’t usually cry in front of people I barely know, but one time I had to literally go outside. I was so overwhelmed with his sheer, natural talent. We would really like to work together again so I pray that happens in the future. The way I found him was I called my dear friend Sean Valla to ask if he would edit my short. He was in Louisiana at the time working on a feature film, The Baytown Disco. I told him about the script and described the main character. He said, “you should check out Sangster” – who was actually working on The Baytown Disco. I asked if he were British and if he could do an American accent to which the answers were both “yes”. Then I looked him up on IMDB and almost died because he was perfect. Then, of course, I recognized him from Love Actually and Nowhere Boy. Then I got really lucky because I sent him the script and he liked it! Sean Valla did end up being my editor so I got 2 great people with one lucky phone call.

Short films can sometimes be more challenging that full-length movies which is something most people would never consider. I’m sure you had to juggle a lot of moving parts to make this film. What’s a story you could share with our readers that’s a good example of this?

AB: On the challenges of short films, three days before we started shooting we lost the actor that was supposed to play the father, Warren. He got a recurring role on a TV show so I totally understood at that time because mine was a short with no real money. Needless to say, I was panicked. We needed an English actor, etc and as you could probably tell from the quality of the acting, I wasn’t about to use a mediocre actor. So I knew if I didn’t end up recasting it with a really talented actor, I would end up cancelling the shoot. I basically “called in” my first big favor. I actually had to call a few people I knew before I really got the favor…lol. The 1st few people I called were like….”ahhh, you say it’s for a short….yeah can’t really help there.” Then someone put me in touch with Andrew Howard, who was literally between projects in Los Angeles for one week and agreed to do it. I will never forget what he did for me or for this film. He was incredible! He is so funny too, that he had everyone on set in stitches!

The film has a beautiful aesthetic – every frame carries an emotion with it. Was that intentional? Or do you just do that intuitively?

AB: As far as the aesthetic (thanks so much for the incredible compliment), I do it intuitively. But I was an amateur photographer and also dabbled in oil painting. My grandfather was a fine artist, my father has an incredible eye, and my mother was an amazing production designer so I guess you could say it’s in the genes. However, I’ve always been an extremely visual learner. So I have to give some of the credit to myself. And when I write scripts I do see every shot in my head and every location before I write it.

Antonia on set

How hard was it for you to switch between your writing persona and your directing persona to complete this film? Was there ever a moment, directing it, that you were tempted to re-write something in order to make something flow better?

AB: Funny you ask about the writing/directing persona. I actually re-wrote up until three days before we were going to shoot. I only stopped because my 1st AD was like, “we need a shooting script now so I can send it out to the crew so stop sending me new drafts!” But on set, my actors improvised a bit – mostly the foul language and some English slang. I only actually wrote one “fuck” in the script. But as I’m sure you noticed there were many many more than that, which was perfectly fine with me because it was completely authentic to the story we were telling.

You are the product of two very talented parents whose combined success in the industry is estimable. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you were going to follow in their footsteps. My dad’s an accountant and that’s the last career I would choose. Even though you are obviously talented as a writer and filmmaker you easily could have decided to do something else to be rebellious. So, my question is – taking all that into account – was this career inevitable? Or could you see yourself doing something else just as easily?

AB: My parents…yes… are a tough act to follow. Well, I started out at a very young age wanting to be a singer. I was quite good, but I had terrible stage fright so I got as far as back-up singing and a demo tape. I also worked in production right out of high school for a number of years, but never knew quite what I wanted to end up doing. At that time, I never ever considered directing. It was too much pressure, and I didn’t have the confidence. I also studied acting and booked quite a few acting gigs. But after one really bad experience – I left acting and the business for good, swearing that it wasn’t for me and decided to become a scientist – as far removed as possible

But within a year of college, I took up writing – poems, short stories, and journalism. I kept telling myself that this was a hobby and I wasn’t an artist, dammit. Even when I wrote my second screenplay, I was still telling myself the same thing. I was in complete denial. But now, I would have to say that this was truly inevitable. Though I tried very hard at other things, none of them stuck. It’s quite a relief for me to not fight it anymore. I’m truly at peace with it. I wanted so badly to do something different than my parents. I was such a rebel. But I realized at some point that I can be different than them, but still make pictures. And now I’m so proud of their accomplishments where as when I was younger, I was intimidated. I am so thankful for everything they taught me about film-making even though when I was younger I often would roll my eyes at them when they would try to teach me something. My mother knew so very much about every aspect of film-making it still boggles my mind.

As far as directing, it was much easier for me to be a writer than to admit I wanted to be a film director. After directing some theater, I actually did the short to make sure that what I really wanted to do. And, by the second day I was so sure and so comfortable being a director it was unreal. It was a true “ahh” moment. It also felt so real and so perfect for my personality. I really feel at home on a movie set – probably because I spent more time with my parents on movie sets than I did at home. Sad as that may sound, it’s true. When I see lights and cable laid across the ground it actually reminds me of the good parts of my childhood every time. And we all know how that feels when we see something from our childhood that just makes us feel comfortable. Well, that’s how it feels like for me on a movie set.

Final question – the film ends on an open-ended note of confusion, but hope too. What do you think that says about you, as a writer?

AB: Every opportunity in life brings another challenge, not necessarily an obstacle, but another choice. So Brodie-Sangster’s character, Samuel, is not quite sure where he’s going to go next. But I do have him leave the house so the audience would know he’s not going to stay “in there” figuratively or physically. I think that traumatic events are so confusing. I’ve had a few bad ones, and some of them were at a pretty young age. But if you experience tragedy, you also have to have hope that things will improve otherwise you would literally die from grief. You actually learn that things get better after going through something difficult for the first time. In other words, you learn to have “hope” that things will get better with time and space from the actual event.

So I think as a writer I will always want to leave my audience with some hope, but also with the understanding that life can be pretty confusing with its fair share of ups and downs. And when we are first confronted with something I think there is always a time where we are confused by it or don’t quite understand what is happening to us or the people around us.

~~~

Thank you, Antonia Bogdanovich, for giving us so much background on your wonderful film!

For those of you who are interested in seeing My Left Hand Man at the festival, please click here for more information.  The screening will be held January 28th starting at 7:00pm and Antonia will be making an appearance so if you read something here that you’d like to know more about, or if something about the film brings up your own questions – get yourself over there and ask away!

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In a time when full immersion is the key to any good entertainment experience Mardi-Ellen Hill has managed to create a multi media-universe that allows the participant to be drawn into a world of her creation through any number of doors.  Choose your favorite: book, game, music, and let the hidden mystery that is the MEND™ Universe unfold.

I got a chance to chat with creator Mardi-Ellen Hill who could explain this multi-level, multi media project far better than I ever could . . .

Tell us about your project.

Mardi-Ellen Hill

THE SPELL OF VAUGIRARD is a five book series that unfolds a new idea in books, games and film/television. It is a semi-autobiographical story — a narrative about a dynasty who once reigned with their own personal cache of knowledge and power.

The Barringtons were known as the life of every party. At the dawn of the 21st century,we find the characters entrenched in a one-upmanship duel unfolding on the global stage. The dynasty is about to become extinct; outdone by their own hand and inventions. Their human forms survive due to a musical familial connection to the earth; embedded in a hidden map that protagonist, Lily Barrington, discovers in the nick of time. The map shows their origins on earth and the dynasty’s importance to our future of learning and progress.

First, let me say it is very rewarding for my work to be included in such a fine site– especially a live theatre site. My work, THE SPELL OF VAUGIRARD began as live stage-play — a New American Work for the stage, it was funded twice by the NEA in that category. As an American women, I was proud to have contributed to works created in this era. I wanted the work to move forward – to be seen and heard by larger audiences, not be solely accessible to an audience where the work might have a premiere and a few showings! The futurist I am, I took the initial support opportunity to develop a totally new model– a platform connected by the tracks of my original music CD. The CD sets the unfolding clockwork scheme of the play. The stage is the arena for the reveal of a new invention called MEND™- musical encode decode. The floor of the stage itself recreates a hidden map, a gps pattern that brings a city scheme to life.

Six sections comprise the original play. During the development phase of the late 90s,four of the six sections were presented and reviewed. By the new millennium Hollywood came calling. I sent them my original music CD. The music unfolds the force of action driving the narrative and the characters forward and uncovering a hidden matrix– place by place, time period by time period — each place of “origin” is linked to a subset of other places and paths around the world. All of the paths connect directly back to a main story line unfolding on a live stage in NYC. That stage is where the dynasty Matriarch is about to transfer her power and directly aim her targeting message to many involved in a cover up that has haunted the dynasty for eons. One person, the Matriarch’s daughter-in-law, the protagonist has been left out of the family fold. As our guide, Lily Barrington receives the Matriarch’s message via a simulcast– and is forced to take the huge risk to out the family players — I don’t want to give away the whole thing!

The play, an ARCADIA meets DAVINCI CODE meets LOST went through many transformations. In Hollywood it turned into an epic- book bible from which several books and scripts were culled. I then spent a several years developing the web and blog sites – so people could become acquainted with this new idea.

What makes the prequel book THE SKELETON SCORE timely/ accessible is the way we are introduced to the characters and challenged along with Lily Barrington to unlock a prophesy cryptogram that allows readers,players and attendees to take part in the unfolding thriller drama and build their own MEND™ interface.

Besides the book, I use on-line features to bring in audiences on many different levels. The on stage auditorium recreates a playing field of a town’s original genome, where the music theme heard in the 21st century harkens back to a chilling event and a murder in the middle ages. The audience members become witnesses to a murder about to happen again — they become an integral part of the evidence and the scheme– traveling along with the dynasty members who are in a fight over the new invention. The dynasty conflict reveals a centuries old estate fight about to render a gifted and prolific dynasty broke, and stuck in limbo unless the audience can intervene.

How did this incredible idea come to you?

I began writing this story when I was fourteen. The drama of science and how things and human beings worked was always on my mind. Add to that a very dramatic family background, one that a child could only make sense of by using music to plot out and store her family’s memories. The book’s opening Soliloquy, gives a feel for a lost familial voice that re-emerges again and again; my way of presenting the driving nature of the human spirit and how human progress is made.

What are the things that audiences will find most appealing about stepping into this universe?

The work is filled with clues and interactive avenues that are built into the body of the narrative. The reader/user/attendee will have lots of opportunity to build their own personal tool kit and grow the new invention, MEND™– musical encode decode at their own speed and level of comfort. There is a Fashion Arcade, a Village Square, a Museum, a Geodesic radome and host of other mobile spots of learning and entertainment that will be downloadable on any mobile technology.

Who have been your greatest influences in creating this work?

I was greatly influenced by great writers, thinkers, performers, as diverse as Ray Kurzweil to Herman Melville, to Glenn Gould. In my lifetime, the well known soprano Phyllis Curtin has made an enormous impact on me. Her voice, which I first heard at 19 ignited the whole room and every one in it, in one flash of immense power. I walked in one person, and walked out transformed. I have dedicated the role of Rose Barrington to her. And my father, who’s love and knowledge of of opera, civil rights, ip rights, strategy in war, made a lasting impact on my young life.

What are the next steps for you – both with your project as well as with your personal goals?

I have built this model, and with wonderful people. I am in the process of changing my role from company head- creator to becoming consultant. There are many other things I want to do, including writing my own memoir, speaking on the global trail and working on new projects of others!

I hope to find the right launching pad, production studio, partner- home asap! The book series has been requested by an agent. Publication would catapult the story into action.

And finally – where can our readers go to continue to follow your progress?

To follow our progress, please go to: www.menduniversebuzz.wordpress.com.  To contact me directly, reach me at mardiellenh@aol.com.

___

Thank you so much, Ms. Hill, for bringing us into your universe.  I encourage THM readers to check out the MEND™ Universe and get lost in the wonderful creative labyrinths that await you!

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Tell me the truth . . . Paper Airplanes – Origami for Americans or just a clever way to send the math test answers across the room?

America’s favorite paper company, Dunder Mifflin, used the Paper Airplane in the director’s cut of their paper commercial, and everyone’s favorite engineer – Dilbert – has one in the opening credits of his animated series.

This weekend you can compete in the First Annual Paper Airplane Derby as part of the Come Out & Play Festival.  It’s a great chance to be creative, show off your skillz and win a trophy!

I chatted with Rachel Schutt and Linda Perkins about what makes their Derby the fliest event at the festival.

The 2010 First Annual Paper Airplane Derby is going to be part of this year’s Come Out & Play Festival in Brooklyn, NY. It sounds like a great day! How did you get involved in the festival?

Rachel: I had participated as a competitor in the festival a couple years ago. I love games, in particular, scavenger hunts. When we saw that there was a call for submissions to the festival, we brainstormed a bunch of ideas. In our brainstorming, we gravitated towards games with a certain structure: participants are given a bunch of materials and in a limited amount of time must construct/engineer/design a product which they must then immediately enter into a competition. We played around with a bunch of “products” and decided that the simplicity of the paper airplane and the fact that *anyone* could do it made the paper airplane a good candidate. We put together a proposal and were excited to be accepted into this year’s Come Out & Play Festival. We’re in amazing company.

Paper Airplanes are this iconic thing – everyone made one with the first hand-out they ever got in first grade . . . it was inevitable. What’s your theory as to why people love to turn paper into paper airplanes?

Rachel: Perhaps one aspect is it’s amazing that a 2 dimensional object can be turned into a 3-dimensional object and that the object can fly! When a kid first sees someone fold a paper airplane, it must blow their mind! And then I think people tend to feel happy doing activities they did as a kid. Though they may not always have the opportunity to do those things, or may feel a bit silly or self-conscious, it taps into their innate enthusiasm.

What’s your own funniest, strangest or most ingenious personal paper airplane story?

Rachel: I think Linda has a better story than I do because her story helped inspired this Derby. The story sticking out in my mind is a story my mom just told me the other day. One of my best childhood friends came over to play when we were 3 years old and he was very shy and quiet and didn’t seem to be doing anything, and then suddenly… he crafted a paper airplane! I don’t remember that. But now he’s an engineer.

Linda: I also work in the film business and once got an entire film crew to participate in a paper airplane contest while we were shooting on a stage at Steiner Studios. What started out as a joke became a competitive weekly event. It was really fun to see everyone perfecting their airplane designs, researching them on-line and practicing flights during the week for the Friday lunchtime competition.

You’re up against some stiff competition – for instance, during your time slot (Sunday June 6 at 12 PM) I may want to go to Prospect Park instead to check out the Festival’s game of Silverball (“a fast-paced and high-scoring game of human pinball, a cross between baseball and soccer, played on the side of a hill”). Or, I may want to play Sidewalk Wars which seems to be a combination of tag and kidnapping. Sell me on why the Paper Airplane Derby is better than ANY of those other things!

Rachel: The games you mention do sound fun! However, our games are BETTER because *anyone* can do it. You don’t have to be a super athlete or particularly coordinated to compete in the paper airplane derby! Also it flexes other skills: your engineering skills, your creative skills, your inner dork skills. We’re hoping that all types of people will show up at the derby. If you never won prizes for athletic events in high school, now’s your chance! We have trophies. Did I mention, we have trophies?

Linda: I would also add that all the games at the Come Out and Play Festival are fun for different reasons. It’s not necessarily that one is better than another but that games appeal to people for different reasons. We liked the idea that a paper airplane derby creates a level playing field — kids vs. adults, boys vs. girls, airplane design vs. airplane beauty. And whether you are a kid or remember the magic of making a paper airplane out of your math test as a kid we hope to create a fun and competitive environment with pageantry reminiscent of the Kentucky Derby. And there are trophies! Who doesn’t want to win a trophy!!

Lastly – We’ll post the winner of The Paper Airplane Derby (as well as some runner ups) next week. Before people head on out to compete – do you have any suggestions for winning? Give us your best tips!

Rachel: We posted some designs on our blog so those are some ideas. Practice makes perfect! But in addition to planes that fly very far, we also will be giving awards for planes that are beautiful so you can make a BEAUTIFUL plane that doesn’t fly very well at all and still win a prize! Also innovative design and most spirited participant. So my suggestion is just be yourself: creative, spirited, innovative, and you’ll have a chance at winning!

Thanks, ladies, for the great tips, and we hope everyone comes out to enjoy the fun and festivities of the festival.   Check back next week to see the winners!

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Webster’s Dictionary defines Theatre as … come on. You really think I’d start off like that?

Theatre as concept, theatre as concrete structure, theatre as war … for the purposes of these posts, “theatre” is any time someone stands (sits or lays) in front of a group of others and entertains them. So today rather than review a play, I’d like to exercise that notion and take a bit of a turn.

Author Greg Sanders is currently doing some live readings from his book Motel Girl. “These stories take the reader on journeys realist and absurd, meta-fictional and post-modern. Motel Girl is peopled by the colorful, the transcendent, the sane and insane – by egoists, self-deprecators, demons and drunks, by the well-meaning and by monsters” says the press release. Hmmm … that about covers all my required bases, as well as pretty much describes all the people in my circle. I’m already intrigued.

I sat down with Greg to talk about what it feels like to go from having your words speak for you … to speaking your own words out loud.

KTL: Hi Greg, thanks for taking some time to chat with me. First of all, congratulations on your book! I’m really excited that you’re getting out there, doing these reading. Tell me, did you decide to do this to promote the book, or because you wanted to hear the written word brought to life?

GS: Thanks Karen. I think I read for two reasons. The first is, as you say, to hear the written work brought to life, and doing so even points out places where I might be able to improve my writing next time around. You might think a phrase looks good and elegant on the page, but you might then notice that there are a few words that can be cut when you hear yourself speak it out loud. The second reason is business–to try to promote the book. I have an informal agreement with the publisher, Red Hen Press, that I’ll do about ten readings in the first year of the book’s life. Since Red Hen is fairly small, they depend on their writers to do a bit of promo. Well, there’s a third reason too–social. It’s generally a great excuse to get out, have a few drinks, and meet up with friends and strangers.

KTL: So, you’ve already done a few of these for Motel Girl. How did it feel?

GS: I’ve done two Motel Girl readings so far. The first was in Ithaca, NY, and then I did one earlier this week at The Half King, in Chelsea, which was great, and a solo show. There was a very sweet and warm vibe in the place. Although I’ve just started doing the rounds for Motel Girl, I’ve been doing readings for about ten years. I’ve read my stories at a bunch of venues in New York, sometimes hosted by a literary journal, sometimes hosted by a bar or restaurant. So it’s not an entirely new thing. It’s just that now I actually have a book, whereas in the past I used to just be able to point to literary journals where my stories were published. To the point of your question, it feels great to get up there and read a story. It’s the flip side of writing the thing, which involves a lot of isolation and silence.

KTL: When you’re standing up in front of a group of people … then it’s ALL YOU. You’re not an actor, reading someone else’s lines. This is you, speaking your words, front and center, no place to hide. Any pressure?

GS: I used to feel pressure, but now I just don’t want to screw up any of the sentences, and if I do I usually make a joke about it, or just read the flubbed bit again. I feel more pressure when it comes to selecting which story to read for which venue, and to ensure it stays within any given time limit. If you’re participating in a reading with other writers, you generally don’t want to go more than 12 or 15 minutes.

KTL: Did you ever consider having someone else read your work for you?

GS: Not really. I’m not sure what sucker I could get to do that, anyway. I think if it ever gets to the point of producing an audio book, the publisher would consider hiring an actor to make the recordings, though I’d even like to give that a shot if it happens.

KTL: How do you go about picking a venue for your readings? Is there a space that just wouldn’t work with your subject matter? Do you look for a vibe? A crowd? Or do you just go where the space is available?

GS: The short answer is that I’m a bit of a reading slut. If they’ll have me, I’m game. It’s really a toss up at times. You might read at a supposedly nice venue, but nobody shows up; or you might read at a hole-in-the-wall Monday night reading series, and the place is packed and energetic. Of course some venues are selective themselves, and won’t let you in unless you’re “known.” The Union Square Barnes and Noble, for example, practically laughed at me when I asked to read there. Others, like The Half King, have a submission policy. My publisher filled out an online form and sent the host a copy of my book, and he eventually emailed me with an invite.

KTL: Do you have acting in your background? Or playwriting?

GS: I was in a little theater group in high school, and I enjoyed that, but that’s it for acting.

KTL: Has doing live readings struck a chord with you … in other words, has hearing your stories read aloud given you the bug to see a full play of yours performed?

GS: One of the stories in Motel Girl, “PS2 Mouse Adapter,” was nearly adapted for the stage. An actor got in touch with me, said she enjoyed the quirkiness of the story and wanted to play the role of the main female character. We began to work together to write a stage play adaptation, but the actor then got a bunch of paying gigs so we’ve been out of touch. But yes, I’d like to adapt some of the stories for the stage or screen eventually.

KTL: Have you ever attended another author’s reading that really struck you?

GS: Unfortunately, the readings I remember the most are usually the terrible ones where the reader is up there for much too long, the bar is hot, your drink is empty, and the material is so-so. I won’t name any of those experiences, but they taught me to be quick about my own readings, to understand that often my audience is composed of people who are more interested in getting their next round than meditating on the existential issues raised by my short story. You’ve got to entertain to some degree, and not be precious about it. This is certainly not the rule, but if you assume that your audience is antsy, you’re more likely to do a decent job.

KTL: Here’s the bonus question section! Here’s your chance to go off topic, stay on topic, mention anything you’d like the readers to know about you, your body of work, Motel Girl, how it feels to be a writer … anything! For as long as you want! Go!

GS: Thanks Karen. I’ll just say that I’ve got a couple of new stories out and that I’m working on a new collection and a novel. You can get more info at http://www.gregorysanders.com.

You can still catch a few of Greg’s reading of Motel Girl around town; check out the following locations and times:

Thursday, January 15th 2009, 7:00 PM
KGB Bar
85 East 4th Street
NYC 10003
(212) 505-3360
Hosted by the Drunken, Careening Writers series

Thursday, January 22, 2009, 7:30 PM
Pete’s Candy Store
709 Lorimer St.
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 11211
(718) 302-3770

Wednesday January 28, 2009, 7:30 PM
Bar on A
170 Avenue A @ 11th Street
NYC 10009
Hosted by the Guerrilla Lit Reading Series
(212) 353-8231

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