I read last night at Little Five Points pub. I was the last one to read. SUPERSTAR ALERT. Faye First introduced me and she was great. “I knew Pearl first in 1974 when we both worked for Mayor Jackson. She was great to work with and she’s a great writer. She can write anything. Etc.” Then she finished up and they applauded and I leaped up on the stage and lowered the mic cuz I was shorter than the other people, especially the tall, slender blond before me who swayed her knee-length (!) hair and sang country love songs about “my man done me wrong,” to an audience made up largely of lesbians and bi-sexuals. But now it was my turn and there I was; purple jumpsuit, black turtleneck and my silk scarf thrown around my neck. I sat down on the stool and I said, “Flashback! Flashback! Flashback!” and I played with the word for a while. Then I stopped and read “Blue Lights in the Basement,” with waving arms and gestures and all that stuff. Making faces and shit. I was having a ball! And the audience laughed and listened and got real quiet. They had talked all through the other performances. Walking around, talking. But you could hear a fucking pin drop. So I got bold. Told them I was gonna read some other stuff and then did the thing about Kris and the Klan guy giving her a ride; some things about Deig and the missing and murdered kids; and they ate that shit up! Gasping and quiet and laughing and clapping. “I will claim myself for myself . . .” I said, and they really applauded me. It was great! I read with expression. I used my arms. I was a fucking actress. I loved it!