Over at our sister blog, FishbowlNY, somebody’s got a beef about readings in New York. As in where did they all go? “Flip through Time Out New York’s “books” section or the Village Voice calendar and you will be hard pressed to find a book event that isn’t a bestselling author or celebrity,” this anonymous griper at the New York Inquirer vents.
“Most often these high-profile events don’t even include a reading or a talk because of time constraints. They’re held in spaces that are virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the store with stray book browsers wandering through the event space, yapping on a cell phone. The allure of people sitting in a cozy space listening to a writer speak about his or her work has been replaced by staffers directing troves of people into lines and pushing them through to the cashier. If you love book culture, this is all pretty bleak.”
That doesn’t sound like the New York literary scene I know. I don’t read the listings in TONY or the Voice regularly, so I don’t know how complete they are or aren’t, but Stilljohn.com has a calendar with plenty of readings and other literary events, in bookstores, bars, and other venues. And again, I don’t go to the type of mega-star events where Barnes & Noble might herd everybody in lines to get their books signed without a reading first, but every event I’ve been to lately has had a reading and conversation between the author and the audience. Maybe this person needs to get out more, or find a new news outlet, or both. But maybe I lead a sheltered life, and things really are as bad as all this. Tell me how it is out there…