Literary Firsts

Monday night’s reading was such a great, varied collection of work. Carolyn, Alysia, and Rodney were a delight.

For those of you who missed it, photos and videos are below.

Thanks, as always, to Randolph Pfaff, for taking them.

Carolyn Zaikowski reads from her new novel manuscript.

Alysia Abbott reads a new essay.

Rodney Wittwer reads a wide breadth of poems, old and new.

Carissa Halston hosts and reads (but mainly listens).

Ladies, gents, readers, writers—thank you so much for being there.

The videos are here. The next reading is in April. I can’t wait to see you then.

Alysia Abbott. Carissa Halston. Rodney Wittwer. Carolyn Zaikowski.

7pm. Middlesex Lounge.

Be there, Boston.

The next Literary Firsts is only five weeks away!

Be there for Alysia Abbott, Rodney Wittwer, Carolyn Zaikowski, and me!

See you then!

Carissa Halston is your host.

Carissa Halston has written a couple books, is working on a couple more, edits a literary journal (apt), runs a small press (Aforementioned Productions), hosts and curates a reading series (Literary Firsts), and is currently teaching undergraduates about rhetoric and composition. She’s been a prose editor at AGNI, and the recipient of grants and awards from the Wesleyan Writers Conference, UMass Boston, San Francisco State University, The New York Book Festival, and a few other places. She’s generally a fiction writer, but she’ll be reading non-fiction this time around. She loves you just for showing up. Honest.

Carissa is the confessional reader for the January 20 reading.

Finally, the AWP reading is tonight! Be there at 5:30pm for the literary force that is James Tadd Adcox, Sam Cha, John Cotter, Melissa Febos, Elisa Gabbert, Robert Kloss, Vanessa Veselka, and Adrian Todd Zuniga!

And, while you’re here, check out the Phoenix interview with founder and host, Carissa Halston.

If you missed last week’s Literary Firsts, I can’t stress enough the talent that was in that room (minus my reading from a work-in-progress that is sure to change). We had a heartrending essay from Jennifer De Leon, a slew of smart and touching poems from Erica Anzalone, and a startlingly funny, yet vulnerable confessional from Ilan Mochari. You can watch the videos here and check out the photos below.

Carissa Halston reads from her work-in-progress novel.

Jennifer De Leon reads her essay, “Mapping Yolanda.”

Erica Anzalone reads her poetry.

Ilan Mochari reads his confessional essay.

Photo credit, as usual, goes to Randolph Pfaff.

This was our final reading for 2012! See you in January for the reading that will close our third year!

I’m sad to say that, due to a medical emergency, Myfanwy Collins won’t be reading at Literary Firsts tonight (but I’m looking forward to having her read at a future event).

That said, I’ll be wearing my fiction reading shoes tonight. So, if you’re in Boston and want to hear me read, I’ll see you at 7pm at Middlesex Lounge!

Heaps of gratitude should be thrown toward our wonderfully talented readers and audience members from Monday night’s reading. What a wonderful way to celebrate the first anniversary of Literary Firsts. If you weren’t able to make it to the reading, you can now watch the videos and pretend you were there. If anyone asks, you loved the free cookies (unless you didn’t–that’s okay too).

Carissa Halston reads from The Mere Weight of Words

April Ranger reads her poetry.

Emily Sweeney reads her essay.

Ethan Gilsdorf reads "Astral Projection, the Silver Cord, and Other Lessons."

Many, many thanks once again to Ethan, Carissa, Emily, and April for reading, to Randolph Pfaff who always captures the events through photography and video, and to the Middlesex who always provide a great venue.

Photo credit: Michael Diskin

Literary Firsts founder and host, Carissa Halston, was recently interviewed for STUFFBoston. She talked about the series, sex, why it’s okay to talk about sex, and why she loves her Hedgehog (named Hedgehog). Check out the interview here and be at the Middlesex Lounge on April 18 when Carissa will be reading from her forthcoming novella, The Mere Weight of Words.

Carissa Halston is your host.

Carissa Halston is the author of A Girl Named Charlie Lester, the editor of apt, and the founder/host of Literary Firsts. Her debut novel was called “emotionally generous” and “a lovely piece of female confessional” by Kirkus Reviews, as well as a “great read” by Curve. She has been twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize and was honorably mentioned in the 2008 New York Book Festival. Her novella, The Mere Weight of Words, will be published in late 2012 by Aqueous Books.

Carissa is the fiction writer for the April 18 reading.