BookTalk: Video

After a delay of a couple weeks, I finally found the time to upload video from BookTalk featuring Alice McDermott, author of the National Book Award winning Charming Billy, & Blake Robison, Artistic Director of Round House Theatre, who staged the play version of the novel. This was our inaugural BookTalk event, and it received funding this year from the National Endowment for the Arts. Look for more BookTalks in the future. And don't forget, if you'd like to hear more of Alice McDermott, she was also featured on The Writer's Center's podcast. In an interview with Shannon O'Neill.

BookTalk in Pictures

Thank you to everyone who came out for BookTalk: A Community Reads with Alice McDermott & Blake Robison yesterday. We had a packed crowd for the event (as you can see from the pictures below). A special thank you to the folks at Round House Theatre, especially Blake Robison & Lance Tucker. Also, big thanks to the National Endowment for the Arts, from which The Writer's Center received funding this year (to help launch BookTalk). For those of you who haven't seen Charming Billy at Round House yet, there's still time! A whole new week of shows has been added, so it's now running until February 27. Visit www.roundhousetheatre.org to purchase your tickets.

Later this week I'll post some video for the event. For now, pictures will have to suffice.

Blake Robison, Artistic Director of Round House Theatre and adaptor of the stage version of Charming Billy.

A big crowd.

Alice McDermott discusses female narrators in literature.

Blake Robison & Alice McDermott discuss adapting the novel to the stage.











We had a great time at yesterday's event, and we hope to do it again next year. If you were there and wish to share your thoughts on the event, please do so in the comments section of this blog. And those of you who still haven't gotten enough of Charming Billy or Alice McDermott, don't forget The Writer's Center podcast, which this month features her discussing the book.

Round House's "Charming Billy"

All this month--and with a whole week of shows added recently--Round House Theatre is putting on its production of "Charming Billy."

Zach and I made it down to the show on Monday. Gotta say: love it. For those of you who're familiar with the book, Blake Robison, RHT's Artistic Director and the play's adaptor, does a great job of putting it onto the stage. Of particular note, for me at least, was how the "narrator" of the book is presented on the stage. This isn't actually going to be a review of the play because, unfortunately, I wasn't able to take notes (no pen). BUT, I will say it's well worth a trip to RHT. Instead, take a look at The Gazette's description of the show in this week's issue. Or the Post preview here.

The only thing I'll add is that there is no intermission to the show, so plan accordingly!

If you see the play, don't forget that on February 20, TWC is hosting Alice McDermott & Blake Robison at the Center as part of our BookTalk: A Community Reads event, which rec'd funding this year from the National Endowment for the Arts.

And then, of course, we have our first ever podcast, this time featuring workshop leader and literary agent Shannon O'Neill (whose How2 Find a Literary Agent workshop you can find here) interviewing who else but Alice McDermott.