Dispatch From The Willamette Writers Conference-What Goes Into a Reading?

Photo Credit: Edis Jurcys

When Gigi Rosenberg first started performing, she was terrified of making eye contact with people. So she filled a half dozen theater seats with stuffed animals and rehearsed looking them in their googly eyes. Now she has graduated to human audiences, and coaches other writers and presenters to improve their own performances.

But she hasn’t forgotten where she came from. When appearing at the Willamette Writers Conference this past Saturday, she brought along an old friend: a pink and white stuffed hamster.

Rosenberg is a lovely and dynamic woman who was eager to share her accumulation of tips with a crowd of twenty-five writers. “When I go to readings, I’m there as a reporter/anthropologist/spy,” she said. And she has the eagle eye of all those professions. In the latter part of the workshop, when participants had a chance to step up and read a few paragraphs of their work, Rosenberg made many a small suggestion that led to large improvements. She had the power to stop nervous laughter or halt a restless shifting of weight between feet.

Hearing people’s first paragraphs was great fun. We were reminded of what a diverse crowd is Willamette Writers, as subject matter ranged from nonfiction about women’s relationships with their fathers to fantasy about the life of a troll.

Rosenberg’s own main writing topics are parenting, relationships and the writing life. Her latest essay “Signora” appears in the Seal Press Anthology The Maternal is Political and Oregon Humanities. Parenting, Writer’s Digest, The Oregonian, Jewish Review, Kids Vermont and Cycle California! Magazine have also published her work.

She said I could pass on some of her tips to improve your readings, or to appreciate what goes into a good reading if you prefer to be in the audience.

• Get used to having people stare at you. Cultivate your inner diva
• Rehearse! Practice in front of a supportive friend, not your narcissistic friend
• Get there early, know your room
• Make eye contact first to establish a connection with your audience.
• Start your first sentence on an outbreath.
• Look up at points that have special meaning.
• Bring clean copy, printed with large type.
• Make sure your sentences end on a page, so you don’t keep the audience waiting in mid sentence.
• Mark on the paper where you need to take a breath.
• Write encouraging notes on your paper, like “They’re lucky to have you.”
• Rehearse in the outfit you’re going to wear.
• When in doubt, speaker slower and louder than feels natural.
• Lots of people close their eyes when listening at a reading. They’re probably not asleep.