Reading: Brenda Hasiuk

Attended Brenda Hasiuk's reading/Q&A at Red River College today.

Watching Hasiuk settle in, I realized that the THIN AIR Campus Program readings, at least at RRC, is in many ways the ideal reading.




Creative Communications students, who study public relations, journalism, and creative writing, are mandated to attend. Furthermore, they've all bought, read, and discussed the book as a part of their coursework.

There are usually four or five other attendees, but because the reading is what would be an unfamiliar venue for most people, they're either a friend of the writer or someone who likes your writing enough to seek you out.



Either way, you've eliminated the tire-kickers and scenesters, and you've got an audience that is more than willing to debate your book with you.

In Hasiuk's case, they wanted to know WHY Rena and Adam got together, they wanted to know EXACTLY how she was able to write about a small town in Manitoba's north and from the perspective of an Aboriginal character AND a Bosnian refugee when she's the urban middle-class grandchild of Ukrainian immigrants.



And while you could make an argument that book launches are also pretty fun, they're mostly about celebrating the eventness of a book. It's also sales/marketing event for the press and a social event for all concerned.

But the campus readings are only about the book - enough to make the average attention-starved writer swoon!

But Hasiuk didn't swoon...she was eloquent and engaged and candid.

Fun!