Last night, Robert Freeman Wexler and I read at the KGB Bar. Robert read from his novel, “The Painting and the City” and I read a short story called “In the Drawback”. Robert was kind enough to share with me some Throat Coat Tea, which tasted like aniseed and really did coat the throat! Wonderful stuff when you have to read for 25 minutes.
The bar itself is fantastic. Up a flight of ricketty stairs, the walls dark red and covered with Russian ads and paintings, the atmosphere is smoky although no smoking is allowed any more. The mood is vibrant with conversation, yet through both readings there was absolute silence. What a brilliant audience! If I lived anywhere within two hours of New York, I would travel in for this night every month. Andrew Fox and Chris Genoa are up next, reading on September 16.
Afterwards, about 30 of us went out for a stunning Chinese meal, which puts the best that Suva can offer to shame.
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