My favorite photographer, Kim Buchheit, just sent me her shots from the memoir readings at KGB last month…I read from the fourth chapter of my work-in-progress. I think it was the best reading I’ve ever given, primarily because my other main character (Mr. Em) was in the audience. Characters physically attending readings of material about themselves: another reason I love the genre. Also wonderful was to share the mic with the talented likes of Helaine Olen and Raven Snook; Helaine was in the first critique group I was ever a part of and an inspiration for ways of writing about family, while Raven’s stories and performances about being a female impersonating a male female impersonator are hilarious and touching.

This week, the memoir hit the 80,000 word mark, and I am in the throes of massive revisions. I feel like I’ve been saying that for the past year and a half…but there are three totally different drafts, which I print to remind myself that there is some kind of forward motion here…