On January 31, 2026, I gave a reading from A Familiar Problem as part of the Straw Dog Writers Guild January Showcase. Authors who published a book in 2025 were eligible and a dozen were drawn from a hat. I got to read third.

As I arrived, the traffic in downtown Northampton was terrible. I had left plenty of time because I know that parking can often be hard to find, but just getting to the venue was a challenge. Luckily I found a parking place without difficulty and arrived in good order.

There was a sizeable audience. The Straw Dog Writers Guild tends older, female, and queer. I think there were two other men besides me. But I’ve been involved with Straw Dog long enough that I’m nearly a fixture, so I always feel welcome.

The reading was held in the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Museum in the Forbes Library in Northampton. The wood paneling and large portraits of the former President and his wife made for an elegant backdrop to the reading.

Lindsay Rockwell (pictured to the left) led the organizing for the event and welcomed the audience. I’ve served with Lindsay for several years on the Program Committee and she did a fantastic job bringing everyone together.

Andrea Hairston served as emcee. She introduced each author and brought an enthusiastic energy to the role.

Most of the readings were of poetry or memoir. My offering of my weird speculative fiction was accepted with good humor, although someone always comments how weird my writing is. And I don’t even read any of the REALLY WEIRD bits.

One of the readers, LJ Cohen (pictured at the top), also write speculative fiction. I know her from Mastodon and we’ve met a couple of times at conventions (Arisia and Readercon). I decided to buy a copy of her book and got her to sign it.

After the reading concluded, I was able to pitch my books. I even sold a couple.

After I left, I saw why the traffic had been so congested: there were ice sculptures all over town, beautifully illuminated in the dark. It was a nice way to end the day as I headed home.