Memphis, TN

I'm in Memphis, TN.  I had a radio/tv interview with Book Talk, a program on 89.3 WYPL.  The key point is that it was a radio/tv interview.  I thought it was a radio interview.  I wore a western shirt and busted up sneakers and I did not shave.  As I mentioned in a previous entry about my Greensboro visit, I do not like being underdressed.  The host, Stephen Usery, told me it was no big deal and then promptly went and put on a sports coat for the interview.  I went over to the studio and Stephen came in a few minutes later and said that my father, who was waiting in the reception area, had told him how much he appreciated Stephen interviewing me.  This made me feel like I was a kid in the Make-A-Wish Foundation and my father had facilitated the acceptance, publication, and subsequent promotion of this book without my knowledge.  The interview went well, though I once again talked about how lonely I had been in my youth.  I need to stop doing this.  Stephen had great, specific questions about the stories and it was a lot of fun.

We then went to Davis-Kidd for my reading.  There was a small group that included SWC-alum and all-around great writer/nice person, Nat Akin.  I read, which went well aside from the tiny child who screamed so loudly, for such a long time, that my left eardrum ruptured.  Her father proceeded to put her in some kind of sleeper hold and she passed out, which made my second story more fun to read.  After the reading, the staff asked if I wanted them to ship the banner they had made for the reading, which seemed to be fifteen feet tall.  I said yes, please, yes.  Where will I store this?  No idea.  Thanks to all the staff at Davis-Kidd for having me and Peggy Burch, who came to the reading and wrote a nice article for the Commercial Appeal.

I also bought The Dart League King by Keith Lee Morris.  I've been meaning to buy this since I heard him read from the novel at AWP, one of the most best readings I've ever heard.  Keith's book of stories, The Best Seats in the House, is also really fantastic.

Before all the book business, we went to the Rendezvous in Memphis.  It's probably the most well-known barbecue place in Memphis but I've never been a fan of their ribs.  Their lamb riblets, though, are incredible, one of the best things I've ever eaten.  So we showed up at 12:30 and realized, goddamn, they aren't officially open until 4:30pm.  They are serving ribs and ribs only, so we went ahead and ate.  It was underwhelming.  I felt like killing somebody.  We were going to try more barbecue after the reading, but we decided not to risk it.

Tomorrow I'm getting up at 5:00 am to drive back to Jackson for a television taping for the Mississippi Public Broadcasting show Writers.  I'll be taking part in a roundtable discussion with Richard Bausch and Elizabeth Spencer.  Then I drive down to Oxford for Thacker Mountain Radio.