Pivot Power

I am a big fan of the Pivot at the Press Club reading series. Not just because I got to read at the launch, and not just because Pivot is the Phoenix from the ashes of the wonderous IV Lounge reading series.

I love Pivot because it's awesome! It's a great space at The Press Club: art on the bathroom walls, a grape arbour out back (also a patio), red velvet curtains and mismatched chairs. The bartender/owners seem genuinely happy to be hosting a reading series, and if you want something they don't serve (ie., coffee) they'll tell you where to go get some and then let you drink it in the bar!

Another joyful thing about Pivot is the folks who come to listen. There aren't a lot of events where it's as easy to show up alone and find yourself in a conversation--and I have some great ones with then-strangers who shared my appreciation of public readings, friendliness and sitting down (everyone shares table space, happily).

Of course, the meat of any reading series is the reading and, it could be just me, but the readers at Pivot seem to pretty consistently bring it, fully. It's a curated series, three readers every other Wednesday, booked well in advance, no open mike. The curator (and host, mc, and driving force) is the charming Carey Toane. She's the one who puts together the evenings, too, so it's to her credit we're always seeing new and different stuff at these readings, prose and poetry, fractured and linear, established and new. You don't need to have published a book, or anything, to read at Pivot; you just need to be, you know, a good writer. Go here if you are interested.

If you've been with Rose-coloured a while, you know I'm a lousy photographer with a terrible camera, and yet I can't stop taking pictures. Here's a few highlights, badly rendered, from recent Pivots.

Phillip Quinn Reads!
Gillian Sze reads!
Angela Szczepaniak reads!
Jaqueline Larson reads!
Mark Sampson reads!
Sarah Selecky reads!

It's a crazy cornucopia, no? I'm really sorry Blogger ate the picture of Carey; it was a good one!!

My point? Ah, is that Pivot is one of my favourite ongoing events in the city, there's another one next week, and hopefully many more--and I hope to see you there!

She's wears her overcoat for the coming of the nuclear winter
RR