I set up a personal video camera to record my first post-publication reading of Committed: A Memoir of the Artist’s Road, one I did at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland. When I got home I realized I had forgotten to clear room on the memory card; it only recorded the first half. I’ve joked before about my poor videography skills.
Perhaps it’s no surprise that for my second reading, sponsored by disability advocacy group ResponsAbility in Alexandria, Virginia, I relied on them to see that it was recorded. They did, and it turned out great.
The event began with me reading three short excerpts from Committed, followed by a half-hour q-and-a “fireside” chat (they projected a video of a fire on the wall behind us!). I’ve posted online the portion of the video featuring me reading from Committed (the video opens with the introduction, if you’re short on time I start at the 4:18 mark). ResponsAbility plans to post the entire event, and I’ll add that link to this post when it is live in the next week or so.
Feel free to watch the reading and let me know what you think.
The Artist's Road 
You command the lectern, Patrick. I wish I could fake half your presence. Well done. The bi-polar theme was much appreciated by your audience, I’m sure. And your book has a number of themes from which you can tailor-make various presentations. I’ve never thought about that before — designing a “reading” to fit the audience.
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Thanks, PJ. I’m sure you bring plenty of presence to your readings; I do bring to this the experience of all of the public speaking I had to do in my last job, and my years of singing in front of audiences.
I would argue that the fact that the book can be directed at so many audiences is part of the problem it took some time to find a publisher. There are perhaps too many audiences; some publishers and agents kept wanting me to focus on one: artists yearning to create, or those interested in mental health struggles, or those interested in stories of D.C. inner politics, or fans of the classic family dysfunction memoir. I hoped some folks would want to read an all-in-one.
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Hi Patrick, I enjoyed your reading very much. Authenticity is so important when we present ourselves in public and your’s shows here. Your voice is genuine and heartfelt as it is in your memoir. You deliver your brave message–stepping outside your comfort zone to tap into your own creativity–very effectively. I’m so excited to feature you as my guest and help you spread the message of COMMITTED. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks, Kathy!
For readers’ edification, I will be appearing on Kathy’s blog in January. In the meantime you can read her kind review of Committed on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/review/R18SPVBEN8TNQ2/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00P2X6H7K
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