After a scenic trip through farm country, watching the horses and cows enjoy their Sunday pasture, my friend Maureen and I arrived at Westfield Heritage Village, Rockton Ontario. We made our way to the Summer Stage where the great children's author, Paul Yee, was reading, or more accurately telling stories from his books. I own two books by Paul Yee, "The Ghost Train" and the other one, a collection of stories, which title, I forget. I took two phtographs of Paul Yee, and later on, I went up to say hello and connect as Groundwood authors.
In the few minutes it took for my hostess to fetch my bottle of water, I had strapped on my head mic, found my books and instructed Maureen on taking historic photos of my very first reading of "Between Sisters." After my introduction, I thanked my hostess and launched into my ice breaker: a robust "hello, how are you doing"? I repeated it with a big grin to give my audience a chance to smile and reconnect with their voices. I introduced the book and gave them a very brief summary. Then I explained what I was going to do in my reading: twenty minutes of reading and twenty minutes of questions. Then I introduced my brand new reading glasses which I had purchased in honour of the reading. They couldn't help laughing.
The weather was favourable, sunny and breezy. The audience ranged from young children to probably eighty years old. I took my time and read, finding the appropriate tones and expression. Thank goodness for the reading-aloud, and poetry recitation tests that Miss Quao gave us in Morning Star School.
It was quiet as I read. From time to time I looked up to engage my audience's eyes. Some people looked at me, others looked down, others found imaginary spots upon which to train their gaze. All were attentive. More people found their way to the summer stage, probably following the sound of my amplified voice. They filled the benches and stood around the tent. Every now and then, soft laughter rippled through the group. Inside Gloria's mind we were one. In time, I ended the reading and asked for questions.
Stay tuned for the end of this piece.
In the few minutes it took for my hostess to fetch my bottle of water, I had strapped on my head mic, found my books and instructed Maureen on taking historic photos of my very first reading of "Between Sisters." After my introduction, I thanked my hostess and launched into my ice breaker: a robust "hello, how are you doing"? I repeated it with a big grin to give my audience a chance to smile and reconnect with their voices. I introduced the book and gave them a very brief summary. Then I explained what I was going to do in my reading: twenty minutes of reading and twenty minutes of questions. Then I introduced my brand new reading glasses which I had purchased in honour of the reading. They couldn't help laughing.
The weather was favourable, sunny and breezy. The audience ranged from young children to probably eighty years old. I took my time and read, finding the appropriate tones and expression. Thank goodness for the reading-aloud, and poetry recitation tests that Miss Quao gave us in Morning Star School.
It was quiet as I read. From time to time I looked up to engage my audience's eyes. Some people looked at me, others looked down, others found imaginary spots upon which to train their gaze. All were attentive. More people found their way to the summer stage, probably following the sound of my amplified voice. They filled the benches and stood around the tent. Every now and then, soft laughter rippled through the group. Inside Gloria's mind we were one. In time, I ended the reading and asked for questions.
Stay tuned for the end of this piece.
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