A statement in Do Nothing by Celeste Headlee stayed with me. Headlee maintains we choose to use our voices less and less when we want to reach out to others, falling back instead on written communication through texts, emails, and blogs (heh!). This, although verbal communication is more nuanced, information-rich, and faster.

The more I think about it, the more I agree with her. I’m a writer. I love writing, but I can’t ignore how I loved listening to vinyl records of children’s tales when I was growing up; how wonderful it was to hear someone’s funny story at dinner; how, for centuries, myths traveled from mouth to ear, and a bard knew hundreds of ballads by heart.

There is something in the spoken word. I often listen to audiobooks and, though this is still only a one-way communication, the nuances a good narrator overlays on the written text enrich the whole experience. Even when I read a book silently in the evenings, the voice in my head is that of a narrator.

So, these days, I aim to call my distant friends and meet my local ones, be it over coffee or for a hike or another get-together.

In the spirit of this, I’ve also been signing up to share my stories at live readings. My last reading took place on July 2. You can view the recording here. I read two stories: Salvaged (originally published in Escape Pod) and Clara (originally published in Electric Spec).

Next month, I’ll appear on Strong Women – Strange Worlds, where I’ll share an extended version of The Librarian (the shorter version first appeared in Shoreline of Infinity and was later reprinted in Stupefying Stories). Strong Women – Strange Worlds is a wonderful endeavor showcasing women and non-binary creators, so please spread the word! You can preregister through Eventbrite.

October 3 – on Zoom
12 noon EDT / 6 pm CEST

I hope to see you there!