Baby's First Reading

Reading in front of an audience for the first time.

Apr 03, 2025

I’ve never been a public-speaking sort of guy. I'm more content to create videos in the safety of my own home. Q&As for my movies always felt different. I was comfortable there. I figured you wouldn’t be sticking around if you didn’t want to hear from me.

Last Saturday night was the first time I’d read fiction in public since high school English class.

The evening was stacked with writing talent, and then there was me—some dude who had literally never done it before.

Because I was reading with a band, I felt like I needed a piece with some energy. I chose a chapter from Situation Nowhere that comes out of the blue. It was a good old-fashioned rant about “content creators” and big tech’s slow devaluation of art. It was the only thing that felt standalone in the book.

I was nervous all day, and by the time I was about to read, my stomach had clenched. I knew if I could crack a joke first and get people laughing, I’d settle in. It worked, and surprisingly, the reading was a ton of fun. I’d even say thrilling! When I finished, I realized the piece probably came off angry. “The book’s funnier than that,” I ended.

After I left the stage, I beelined to the bar, then settled in and enjoyed a cocktail. As I watched Kevin Maloney close out the evening, reading from his hilarious book, Horse Girl Fever, I thought, man, I can’t wait to do this again.

Thanks to Maudlin House, all the amazing writers, and Movie Club band for putting together a special night.

Aug Stone has a more thorough recount of his time at AWP. I suggest you read it!

Here’s LEAKED VIDEO of the reading:

LATER THAT NIGHT

A long line had formed outside the Clash/Rose/Car Crash Collective party.

My friend Kevin was already inside. “I just talked to the doorman,” he said on the phone. “If you give him a copy of your book, he’ll let you in.”

Sure enough. I skipped the line, slid the book to the doorman, and entered “the first AWP afterparty that people care about.”

Later that night, Jessamyn Violet (my Maudlin House mate!) heard the story and had me take a photo with him. To say I was drunk by that point is an understatement.