Old New Worlds
Part II
Chapter Fourteen
As my contralto-nutritionist friend Monica Reinagel has pointed out, “By now, you’ve gotten emails from every website and business you’ve ever visited, announcing how they are responding to current events.” Hers was not that kind of newsletter, and neither is mine. It’s just me reaching out to you during these bizarre, extraordinary, and worrying times.
At 7:30pm today, I was to have been giving a reading from Old New Worlds at Buunni Coffee on 4961 Broadway in New York, as part of their Multiverse Reading Series. In these new times of lock down, and social distancing, and isolation, and staying in place, the reading—along with myriad events in New York, in the U.S., in the world—has been put on hold.
But let’s put a new spin on this.
So, this Artist in Residence is still going ahead with a reading, albeit in solitude, and I hope that you will listen during your compassionate retreat. As you listen, you’ll hear why I thought this particular chapter was appropriate at this time; hardship is timeless and universal, but there is hope.
The chapter is from the audiobook of Old New Worlds, and if you would like to order the complete version—or any other audiobook, for that matter—I urge you to consider Libro.fm, because then you can support your local independent book store. They could really do with our help at this time.
I hope you enjoy the reading, and please take care!
Judith
Thank you so much Judith
How good it was to just sit still for a while and listen to you reading. And what a good thought it is at a time like this that the body is able to heal.
I look forward to hearing more from you!
Thank you for your lovely comment, Jean. Sending you well wishes as you practice your compassionate retreat in beautiful Cape Town.
Thank you, Judith! Your voice and the story itself are mesmerizing. I will have to buy your book now!
Be well.
Wonderful, Cherry, thank you! I hope it resonates with both your South African roots and your immigrant status.
I was taken back to a time when people, with good reason, acknowledged their vulnerability far more readily. I wonder if we are being told that we are just as vulnerable now?
Ross, it’s difficult not to see this as a strong lesson to our current age and society. Thank you for your insightful reading.
I have always loved to hear a good expressive reading . I grew up hearing wonderful stories read to me by my mother. Thank you Judith; this story shows me the strength and resolve these folks had and that we should have. Press on
Thank you Joan—I am in awe of what they managed to achieve.
What a lovely surprise – and what a treat to hear you reading. Thank you, Judith! George and Sarah sounded pretty much as I’d imagined them while reading – I wonder why!
Is your book available in an audio version (yet)? If not, May I suggest that this would be a good time for the Artist in Residence to produce the audiobook.
Indeed, dear Carola, the audiobook is available— https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781950584437-old-new-worlds. I’m so glad you heard George and Sarah in your head!
I was grateful to hear your choice of selection, having experienced your reading of the first half in November and now hearing the second half for the first time. Your giftedness in bringing the written word to life is matched only by your skill in crafting the word itself. Thank you for enlivening our compassionate retreats. You are a gift.
Thank you for such a heart warming response, Scott! And thank you for your theological insight into this passage.
Dear Judith,
This chapter is so fitting to our present circumstances and reminds me that people have always had to deal with hardship. How we deal with it is up to us, and it’s possible to do so with grace and humility – and with the help of our community. Your reading was a balm for my soul and gave me hope. Thank you for sharing your gift with us.
Thank you, dear Cindy. We are living through history, and it’s salutary to learn from those who have done so before us.
What a wonderful treat to hear your voice.i felt that I could relate to your characters when I read the book but you really brought them to life.i would recommend your book especially at this time to show the endurance of humans and our will to survive and learn
Thank you, Jeanne, for your lovely comment! These are unprecedented times, but we can, as you say, take comfort in knowing that others have endured, survived, and learned, and we can too.