Neil Gaiman and Friends Book Reading at Columbia University

Neil Gaiman headed out to New York City on June 15th for a book reading at the Cowin Center Auditorium at Columbia University. It was my first chance to see Mr. Gaiman up close, hear him read part of his story and buy a signed copy of his newest book release, Stories, which was edited by Mr. Gaiman and Albert Sarrantonio.

The deciding factor for me to go was that it was a free event! I love free. Free + Neil Gaiman+ Other Writers I Had Read= I have to go! The equation was very simple and since the book reading took place on a Tuesday, a babysitter was easy to find. We drove to Hoboken, New Jersey, parked the car, and hopped the subway to New York City. After a full day of wandering the streets of New York City and seeing the sights we went to the book reading early.

We arrived at about 5pm, 2 hours before the reading was slated to begin. The Cowin Center Auditorium has a max capacity of 600. Our arrival early assured us good seats. When Neil Gaiman arrived, he walked down the hall where his fans were seated and took the time to stop and say hello to everyone. This gave me my first impression of the famous writer in the flesh. He is a really nice dude.

We filed into the auditorium at approximately 6:30 and bought copies of the books we wanted. The only book I was interested in buying was the signed copy of "Stories" which was pre-signed by Neil Gaiman. The auditorium soon became packed with fans of the writers who would be doing the book readings.

This was the first book reading event that I have ever been a part of. It was fun, entertaining and really cool to see and hear the authors sharing the works they have written. Before the reading began, the authors were introduced along with the stories they would be reading from. Joe Hill, author of Heart Shaped Box and the short story The Devil on the Staircase, was moderator for the author panel. He opened the reading by asking the authors questions about the differences between short stories and novels, the feelings the authors experience when writing them and how the characters in the stories come about.

Walter Mosley spoke to the audience about his most famous character Easy Rawlins from the Easy Rawlins Mystery series and how he never expected the character to die but suddenly on page 100, the character went and killed himself. He had no intention of doing it but that is how it happens with writers. Sometimes the characters take over and there is not a thing a writer can do about it.

Jeffrey Ford, who was kind enough to sign my copy of Stories, read from his short story Polka Dots and Moonbeams. Kurt Andersen read part of his short story Human Intelligence. Kat Howard, who had her first story every published in the book Stories, read part of her short story A Life in Fictions. I must say that this is my absolute favorite story in the book so far. I look forward to more of Howard's work. Lawrence Block, author of The Matthew Scudder Novels, read his short story Catch and Release which is my second favorite short story in Stories. Neil Gaiman then read part of his short story The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains. Each author read just enough of their stories to make me want to read the entirety of them.

Other writers who are featured in the book Stories include Joyce Carol Oates, Gene Wolfe, Chuck Palahniuk and so many more. You can get a copy of Stories through Harper Collins. Or you can see the Youtube video excerpt of Neil Gaiman reading his story here.