Last Thursday, Jackie and I drove six hours south to Lexington, Kentucky, where Christopher Rowe and myself did a reading for the Trampoline anthology that Kelly Link edited for Small Beer Press. Kelly and Gavin were there for the reading as well. On the way down, there was much unanticipated road construction that bottled-necked our progress on several occasions, and then a massive storm slowed us to a crawl, because I couldn't see two feet in front of the car, and it felt like we were going to float right off the highway. But we made it, and were greeted with wine and everyone's smiling faces, and it felt like I'd just come home, instead of having driven away from it.

The bookstore where we read was two stories tall, in a mall-ish sort of plaza. We read on the first floor with microphones. There was a seated audience in front of us, but also there were people coming down escalators who peered our way, and some who stopped to lean over the balcony above to look and listen. It was strange, because I've only given readings at conventions, which are always in small settings with intimate groups of listeners. The only other time I've read somewhere more public was at a pub here in town.

The reading went well, though, I think. Next month I'll do another one (this time with Maureen McHugh) at Mac's Paperbacks in Coventry Heights (Cleveland). If you're in the area, please come out! Or, if you're not in the area, check out the Trampoline readings page at Small Beer Press, and see if a reading will be near you, and go to that one.

After the reading, we ate good food and drank good beer, and had a good, merry-making time in general. I think Jackie is considering pitching a new reality tv series to the networks called Latina Eye for the Straight White Guy, after giving a friend of Christopher's lessons on hip movement and finger shaking while telling someone off.

Then it was the next morning, and brunch at a nice vegetarian place called Alfalfa's, and then shopping at a couple of cool stores. I got a Japanese lamp shade and a bar of sandalwood soap. Jackie got a bracelet. We are made happy very easily sometimes.

Then it was six more hours on the road, after saying goodbyes to the good people mentioned above, and home again, where we watched Bridget Jone's Diary to cheer us up after leaving such a fun time.