Last week’s “Between The Pages” event on Bainbridge Island wasn’t perfect, as you’ll see below … but it was a success. (Let me check that: Once things got to Bainbridge, things were perfect.) But an enthusiastic crowd of about 75, paying at least $50 a ticket, came out to support the Kitsap Regional Library system and listen to a powerhouse lineup of female authors — Jane Smiley, Josie Brown, Eileen Goudge, Joshilyn Jackson and Tatjana Soli — read from their latest books.
Here’s a six-minute video of the evening‘s highlights, prepared by event organizers Robbie Wright and Liberty Bay Books owner Suzanne Droppert.
And when I asked Josie Brown to reflect on the evening, here’s what she had to say:
It was a great adventure, for sure. We had plenty of time to get to the ferry. Too much, apparently, because we got onto the wrong one: the Bremerton one as opposed to the Bainbridge — and didn’t realize it, until we almost docked and my husband, Martin, timidly asked me (because he thought I’d faint): “Hon, um, wasn’t this ferry ride supposed to be a half-hour, tops?”
A mad rush by taxi (we had a colorful driver — Anthony, originally from Buffalo, and the topic with him jumped from his tenure in the armed services to his job as a masseuse, to hemp clothing) and we were there, only fifteen minutes late. Jane was laughing because she’d made it over earlier that morning to visit a pal — and she was the one we thought would get lost or be late, as she’s always the one texting, “I have to be where? When?”
It was a wonderful crowd! Friendly, inquisitive, and obviously avid readers. What I love, too is that there were quite a few teachers and librarians there as well.
Eileen calls us “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Books.” Most of us met face-to-face for the first time just the night before, but you’d think we’d known each other for quite some time, the way everyone got along. Joshilyn is a consummate performer: you can tell she was an actress in her previous profession. Tatjana gives an eloquent read. Her book is serious, but she is lighthearted and fun. She and her husband, Gaylord, dance the tango!
The way back — this time the RIGHT ferry — was too short. It was fun just to sit together and recapped the fun. I hope everyone in the audience had as much fun as we had.
