To Remain Nameless was released at the beginning of the pandemic, when we were all in lockdown and no one knew what was going to happen. It was not a good time to release a book. But interesting things happened as everyone tried to find their bearings. The amazing Mary South (You Will Never Be Forgotten) started a mailing list for writers who put books out at that time, and an ad hoc community formed. From relatively obscure writers like me to established writers working in all kinds of genres. We communed and bitched and celebrated any victories, gave each other advice, and read on zoom at times. Finally this week, the memoirist Meredith O’Brien (Uncomfortably Numb) organized a reading at Tatnuck Books outside Boston, and a few of us who were in the area gathered there to read together. It was wonderful to meet everyone, and fascinating to read with a diverse group of writers who would otherwise not be programmed together. Meredith introduced us, and readers–in order–were Christina Chiu (Beauty, a novel), Leslie Gray Streeter (Black Widow, a memoir), David Daley (Unrigged, a work of political reportage), Alice Early (The Moon Always Rising, a novel), and me. My reading starts at 43:30.
Video is here.
Brad Fox 