October 21st, 2011 § § permalink
If you weren’t at Monday’s reading, you missed out. Everyone was pitch-perfect. Even if you were there, you probably want to relive it. Click here to start. Photos below.
Danielle Dreilinger reads from her memoir-in-progress, NXNE.
Catherine Parnell reads her short fiction.
Janaka Stucky reads his poems.
Elizabeth Gormley reads her confessional tale.
Highlights from the evening include Danielle Dreilinger’s sultry coo, “Do you hear that? That’s the sound of public radio,” Catherine Parnell’s dawning recollection, “I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but with Johnny, they’re the same thing,” Janaka Stucky’s winking reminder, “I’m covered in honey,” and Elizabeth Gormley’s self-deprecating, “That was my father’s wet dream for his kids: to be an Irish Catholic Republican is to make lots of babies and lots of money and derive no obvious pleasure from either.”
Get in on all the action. Watch the videos here.
October 14th, 2011 § § permalink
So sayeth the Boston Phoenix.
Speaking of fun (though not necessarily free), you might be reading this post while deciding which panel to hit up at the Boston Book Festival. If you see Jennifer Egan, high-five her for me.
After you’ve decided, don’t forget that you have plans on Monday night. On October 17 at 7pm, you’ll be at the Middlesex Lounge when Catherine Parnell will read fiction, Danielle Dreilinger will read an essay or two, Janaka Stucky will read poems, and Elizabeth Gormley will charm everyone in the room with a confessional tale. It’s the last Literary Firsts reading of 2011, so you will be there and I will love you for it.
See you then.
September 17th, 2011 § § permalink
Danielle Dreilinger is a freshly typed manuscript. (photo credit: Georgia Young)
Danielle Dreilinger is a regular contributor to The Boston Globe. In former lives, she has been a music critic, a New Yorker, a contra dancer, and a Yankees fan, in no particular order. Her work has appeared in Ploughshares, The New York Times, Boston Magazine, The Nashville Scene, and No Depression, among other outlets. You can catch up with her at boston.com and thedailyreason.com.
Danielle is the essayist for the October 17 reading.
September 17th, 2011 § § permalink
Elizabeth Gormley is a daredevil jump.
Elizabeth Gormley’s work has appeared in Wild Violet, The Rainbow Times, Broke in Boston, Savior Flair, and The Improper Bostonian, among others. She primarily writes fiction. She was a scholar recipient at the 2011 Juniper Summer Writing Institute at UMass Amherst, and received an Artist’s Grant for a Vermont Studio Center residency.
Elizabeth is the confessional writer for the October 17 reading.
September 17th, 2011 § § permalink
Catherine Parnell is a midnight tempest.
Catherine Parnell teaches writing and literature at Suffolk University in Boston. She’s the fiction editor for Salamander, an associate editor for Consequence Magazine, and an editor for Anomalous Press. Her non-fiction chapbook, The Kingdom of His Will, was published in 2007; recent and forthcoming publications include stories and reviews in The Baltimore Review, Slush Pile, roger, Diverse Voices Quarterly, Dos Passos Review, Painted Bride Quarterly, Stone’s Throw Magazine, The Poetry Dress Project 2011 and Another Book, as well as various newspapers and newsletters.
Catherine is the fiction writer for the October 17 reading.
September 17th, 2011 § § permalink
Janaka Stucky is a rare hare. (photo credit: Adrianne Mathiowetz)
Janaka Stucky is the Publisher of Black Ocean, based out of Boston. He is the author of Your Name Is the Only Freedom and his poems have appeared in publications such as Denver Quarterly, Fence, North American Review, and Volt. In 2010, he was voted “Boston’s Best Poet” in The Boston Phoenix. He is practicing the perfection of effort while working on silent relationships with knives, pugilism, and a history of tentacles. His chapbook, The World Will Deny It for You, will be published by Ahsahta Press in 2012.
Janaka is the poet for the October 17 reading.
September 4th, 2011 § § permalink
It’s Labor Day weekend and there’s much to do. But making the latest Literary Firsts flyer isn’t one of them.
Thanks, as always, to Randolph for his design skills.
Please join us on Monday, October 17 at 7pm when Catherine Parnell will read fiction, Janaka Stucky will read poetry, Danielle Dreilinger will read part of her memoir, and Elizabeth Gormley will read a confessional tale.
It’s the last Literary Firsts for 2011, so be there to celebrate with us.