Judith Kitchen Book Reading

I had never been to a book signing before and I must admit that I did not know what to expect. Aside from my teacher, I had never even seen a published author. I had truthfully been in awe of my teacher for quite some time but just like hanging around any celebrity; eventually you reach some level of comfort. If I have in fact seen one of these authors they were flying under the radar, or I just did not recognized them. The pictures on the book jackets never do them justice. That and Hollywood celebrities have walked right in front of me in Los Angeles and I have not noticed. Sadly I am just not that observant and I am using staring at things that most people would consider mundane (like red squirrels for example, in my home they are grey).

But Judith Kitchen was a strange mixture of both the expected and the unexpected. I marveled at this woman who seemed so content to just be herself. I enjoyed how unique she was and how content she was to be unique. I was not in the presence of a mythical and legendary creature and yet I was. She definitely had mad skills. She was one of the most effective lyricists, I have ever come across. Her words drew me into a personal world I could never hope to understand beyond a glimpse.

Not having seen a published author before, I had built them up to be these rare and exotic creatures, when in fact; they are just really interesting creatures. And they are out there, and much more accessible than I had previously thought. I really enjoyed how Judith sat on the table casually. I thought that was a really cool thing. My teacher later confirmed that most authors stand behind podiums and recite into microphones. I think I would have been a little more intimidated had she spoken from behind the Microphone. But the fact that she sat on the table made everything just seem a bit more comfortable. As it was, I just sat there with a big dumb grin on my face. I was extremely tired and she was making me laugh.

Mostly she recited passages from her work. I especially liked the ones from Only The Dance. Her childhood was what interested me most. When she moved on to her other works, I found it difficult to remain conscious. But even though I did not retain very much of her later passages, her lyrics soothed my aching mind and created a very enjoyable Friday afternoon. Had I walked a few less miles that week, I know that I would have been completely intrigued.

I did perk up however towards the end when she brought out an interesting concept. Her husband, a very intriguing and enjoyable chap, passed out photocopies of a strange old photograph. The photo depicted a very attractive woman in the wilderness surrounded by odd items. She carried an old fashioned record player and a big beautiful grin. Her husband almost passed out some unpublished work with the photograph, but unfortunately for anyone looking for a sneak preview, it was quickly recovered. However I was very interested in the uses of photographs for Fiction. Unfortunately I will keep these secrets to myself.