Wednesday 2 July 2008

'Excuse Me Sir'

So last night I waited breathlessly in the travel section of Borders, Oxford Street, in anticipation of what was ahead. At 7.00pm I began my first ever reading. Thankfully there were people there to listen. Six of them! And I only knew five! Thanks to Emily for dragging along her work colleague, Louise. Before I reached the end of the first paragraph a guy in a Borders t-shirt walked up to us and began telling me that what I was doing was in fact "not allowed without prior consent from the manager". I apologised, asked to speak to the manager, was told he/she wasn't in and so we left. 

We made our way to a bar on New Oxford Street where I started my reading again. This time I wasn't asked to leave and it went pretty well. I stuttered and stumbled a few times but after a few Peroni's that was to be expected.

So, because a few people probably thought this was a bit of a joke and I was just making a load of random people meet in the travel section of a bookshop, I am going to do it again. I'm not sure where or when yet but initial thoughts point to a park - maybe followed by a game of flicket (cricket with a flip-flop).

Thanks to the six who came last night. I would have felt very embarrassed doing a reading to no one.