For many years, I have trudged down to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., every Memorial Day and Veterans Day to participate in readings by local authors. The event included music—singers accompanying themselves on guitar or banjo—and poets outnumbered prose readers like me. It was a joyful occasion and entertained many passers-by.
No events on the mall have been held since the onset of the covid-19 pandemic. More than a year passed with no gatherings. Then, this Memorial Day, the program organizer, Dick Epstein, decided to hold the event not in person but remotely by Zoom. More than twenty of us sat in front of our computers with webcams and performed. My contribution was reading from three of my novels.
The content of the readings emphasized the theme of Memorial Day, remembering our war dead. It was a rewarding afternoon. Dick tells me that future readings will continue to be remote. I’ll tip off readers here so that you can tune in.
Tom Glenn, Writer 