Outside Event 1

Ashley Livingston


Wendy Sumner-Winter

English 1020

14 March 2010



Outside Event 1: Richard Bausch



On Thursday, March 4th, I attended my first outside event for this semester. It was so packed. My first impression of Burkes Bookstore was that it was a hole in the wall place. Parking around the bookstore is an absolute nightmare! I circled the block twice before I gave up and decided to park a couple streets over. The small building was way too crowded. Most people were on there feet, because there was no place to sit. The audience had many adults in it. The place has an odd smell to it. It is a cross between mold and old books. Old books have an odd smell.

I got there after Bausch’s daughter sang. Bausch gave a few thank-you's on the side and then began reading. He read one of his short stories. It was called “Immigration.” The story was about a couple. The couple’s last name was the O’Keefes. Michael, the husband, was Irish and Rita, the wife, was American. They were married in Tennessee. The story takes place in Memphis. The couple was going to an office on Summer Avenue to get their permanent residency. The couple displayed normal arguments that husband and wife often have. The morning they had to go to the office they were arguing. They barely make it in time to the place. The two got into a woman’s office and began the process. The woman worker asked Rita at one point if they had any kids and she began to cry. The woman eventually exits the room because Rita continues to cry. Michael does not do a very good job at comforting her because he is embarrassed. He touches her shoulder and then they talk a little. They both agree it was a bad morning. They say “I love you” and the story ends.

While he was reading, he spoke in an accent to emphasize the Irish element. I liked how he did this because it made me picture the character better. He gave life to the story. He incorporated details into his story. It helped me as his audience to visualize what he was reading.

After Bausch was done, another author took the stand. The author’s name was Wyatt Prunty. He spoke for a short time. He read some his poems. At this point, I had lost some of my focus because I was tired of being cramped in the small bookstore. When he finished, I left as quick as I could cut through the crowd. Some stayed to have their books signed by Bausch.

I thought about Bausch’s story on the way home. At first, I was not interested with it, and the story did not entertain me much. As I continued to think about it, I recalled the day before the event. I was in the vehicle with my boyfriend, Ryan. I was not feeling well, but I had promised to take him to a few places, so he could get a few things he needed done. While on our way to the first place, he calls his mother to ask her if where he was going was right. Of course not! I basically was taking a scenic view to the destination. The only problem with that was we were pressed for time. If we were late, it would influence everything else. I was mad, and we started to argue. My bad day made me think about the O’Keefe’s argument. They were stressed and one thing influenced another. I was sick and mad which made us start arguing. I related my experience with Bausch’s story. Thinking about his story more made me appreciate the story more.