Tonight's Poet Corner: Introspection
As a bookseller, writer, reader, and reviewer, I have been given the amazing opportunity to meet and talk to many published authors. While some of these authors are well-known, others are either just starting, or they might have even played a role in my life in the past. One such author, for example, is a former writing professor of mine, who I believe did the best in teaching me discipline, bolstering my creativity, and allowing me to finally feel like I can be myself. That, and of course, he's got a great new novel out.
Before I started working at Copperfield's, I had never really had the experience of going to an author's event, getting a book signed, or simply having conversation with fellow writers who were published. Sure, I had gotten autographs from performers such as actors and musicians after shows, which did mean something to me. Authors, not so much. As I am myself a writer, I find the chance to meet authors to be extremely important. Whether or not people believe it, writers need to network and connect in order to create the community that they live in, no matter how many days we spend alone in our houses or apartments, hunched over our computers and staying away from other people.
Some authors I have met, well, they have a reputation. Brandon Sanderson and Rita Mae Brown remain the two most prominent authors that I have talked to. While they were both promoting new novels, I had a chance to get Elantris by Sanderson and Ruby Fruit Jungle by Brown signed instead. These were important books to me, books that stimulated my creativity as a writer and reaffirmed my place as a gay artist who can find a niche in society.
Other authors I've met have only just started or they are continuing to gain prominence in the writing world. As a reviewer, I have had the honor of reading books before they are published, in order to write a brief blurb praising it and subsequently nominating it for IndieNEXT, which promotes the books that gain the most accolades from bookselling reviewers such as myself. The fact that I have been able to walk up to someone like, say, Laura Dave, and tell her that I nominated her book Eight Hundred Grapes for IndieNEXT, feels absolutely surreal, and so invigorating. The book world and industry has always been extremely important to me, and now I find myself delving more and more into it, and I couldn't be more excited.
Most of all, I feel incredibly blessed to be able to attend such amazing author events and hear all the different stories from each one. I walk away with so much more to chew on, whether it has to do with the writing process, with our culture, with characterization, and with life itself. Being a writer and reader, to me, has so many dimensions, and what makes my life delightfully more fulfilling is the ability to fraternize with those I look up to, those I respect, those I have always wished to work with, and those I have even worked with before. Words cannot express the immense amount of gratitude I feel for the support and encouragement of my fellow booksellers and writers, who have helped so much in forming the network I have today and solidifying my love for literature.
Overall, I give the authors I have read, or learned from, a great deal of credit for who I am today. Without meeting authors such as Brandon Sanderson, I would not be as engaged in the fantasy/sci-fi side of literature. Without meeting authors such as Rita Mae Brown, I would feel less compelled to be blunt and honest in my writing. Without meeting authors such as Andrew Sean Greer and Steven Galloway, my mind would be less open to the mysteries of magic and the past. Without amazing sports writers such as Joe Konte and Andrew Baggarly, I would not find nearly as much enthusiasm in my dedication to the San Francisco Giants. Without meeting authors such as Laura Dave and Cynthia Bond, I would be less driven to write stories that felt closer to home and family. And without meeting authors (and professors) like Ryan Gattis, I may not have been open about my sexual orientation for a much longer time, which would have seriously, seriously stunted my ability to write authentically.
That said, I am sincerely looking forward to the future, and reading and reviewing many more amazing books even as my life becomes busier and busier. With two jobs, the impending restart of my teaching credential program, and a wedding to plan, I find myself picking up fewer and fewer novels for the time being. But I'm not stopping. I have gained too much from my experiences with fellow authors to become lazy. Part of being a writer is not just reading; it's also listening, speaking, discussing, questioning, and exploring. And my explorer's side will never fade away.
Have a great night and a great weekend, everyone.
Before I started working at Copperfield's, I had never really had the experience of going to an author's event, getting a book signed, or simply having conversation with fellow writers who were published. Sure, I had gotten autographs from performers such as actors and musicians after shows, which did mean something to me. Authors, not so much. As I am myself a writer, I find the chance to meet authors to be extremely important. Whether or not people believe it, writers need to network and connect in order to create the community that they live in, no matter how many days we spend alone in our houses or apartments, hunched over our computers and staying away from other people.
Some authors I have met, well, they have a reputation. Brandon Sanderson and Rita Mae Brown remain the two most prominent authors that I have talked to. While they were both promoting new novels, I had a chance to get Elantris by Sanderson and Ruby Fruit Jungle by Brown signed instead. These were important books to me, books that stimulated my creativity as a writer and reaffirmed my place as a gay artist who can find a niche in society.
Other authors I've met have only just started or they are continuing to gain prominence in the writing world. As a reviewer, I have had the honor of reading books before they are published, in order to write a brief blurb praising it and subsequently nominating it for IndieNEXT, which promotes the books that gain the most accolades from bookselling reviewers such as myself. The fact that I have been able to walk up to someone like, say, Laura Dave, and tell her that I nominated her book Eight Hundred Grapes for IndieNEXT, feels absolutely surreal, and so invigorating. The book world and industry has always been extremely important to me, and now I find myself delving more and more into it, and I couldn't be more excited.
Most of all, I feel incredibly blessed to be able to attend such amazing author events and hear all the different stories from each one. I walk away with so much more to chew on, whether it has to do with the writing process, with our culture, with characterization, and with life itself. Being a writer and reader, to me, has so many dimensions, and what makes my life delightfully more fulfilling is the ability to fraternize with those I look up to, those I respect, those I have always wished to work with, and those I have even worked with before. Words cannot express the immense amount of gratitude I feel for the support and encouragement of my fellow booksellers and writers, who have helped so much in forming the network I have today and solidifying my love for literature.
Overall, I give the authors I have read, or learned from, a great deal of credit for who I am today. Without meeting authors such as Brandon Sanderson, I would not be as engaged in the fantasy/sci-fi side of literature. Without meeting authors such as Rita Mae Brown, I would feel less compelled to be blunt and honest in my writing. Without meeting authors such as Andrew Sean Greer and Steven Galloway, my mind would be less open to the mysteries of magic and the past. Without amazing sports writers such as Joe Konte and Andrew Baggarly, I would not find nearly as much enthusiasm in my dedication to the San Francisco Giants. Without meeting authors such as Laura Dave and Cynthia Bond, I would be less driven to write stories that felt closer to home and family. And without meeting authors (and professors) like Ryan Gattis, I may not have been open about my sexual orientation for a much longer time, which would have seriously, seriously stunted my ability to write authentically.
That said, I am sincerely looking forward to the future, and reading and reviewing many more amazing books even as my life becomes busier and busier. With two jobs, the impending restart of my teaching credential program, and a wedding to plan, I find myself picking up fewer and fewer novels for the time being. But I'm not stopping. I have gained too much from my experiences with fellow authors to become lazy. Part of being a writer is not just reading; it's also listening, speaking, discussing, questioning, and exploring. And my explorer's side will never fade away.
Have a great night and a great weekend, everyone.
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