Noir at the Bar Manhattan

Last Sunday's Noir at the Bar event in Manhattan went, I thought, very well. However, a competing MWA event at another venue, the Giants/Patriots game, and probably as well the very visible mourning for the attacks in Paris all conspired to keep attendance low.

It was a pity. A lot of good stories were read and though the crowd was small, the atmosphere was wonderful. I had a good time, a good crepe, and hope to get a chance to read there again in the future.

I keep telling people, these readings are a lot of fun, and I don't mean that just from the writers' perspective. They're good entertainment. Dickens had a second career, one that probably helped kill him, reading his work to massive crowds from a stage. That would have been great to see. Also Angie Dickinson. I don't know if she ever read any books or stories on stage but, yeah, I'd buy a ticket. I guess as long as your last name is close to "Dickens"....

But I digress. Noir at the Bar events are held in cities all across the country so there are lots of opportunities for people to see them. Not so many to see old Boz, and DVDs give us Angie, but still, live events have that energy and intimacy you can't get anywhere else.