Here’s video of me reading from Slow River last month at the LLF Emerging Voices Writers’ Retreat in Los Angeles, where I led the fiction workshop. There’s seven or eight minutes of chat followed by seven or eight minutes of reading.
For other readings from Fellows (and soon, I hope, my the other faculty), visit LambdaLiterary.org. Many thanks to Tony for the videography. And to everyone who listened patiently…
Nicola Griffith 
Awesome, thanks for posting! I *love* Slow River, it might very well be my favorite book.
That was mesmerizing, thank you. (I'm tempted to donate funds to LLF for a tripod, though.)
I've read the book but hearing it added such a dimension to it.
Any tips for doing readings? I'm giving my first next month. I watched how you managed to keep from staring down at the page (even though your eyes needed to look down, you weren't huddled over the pages), and the inflections and pauses. Really brought it to life. I'm afraid my voice will shake (I'm pretty sure it will).
LL, thanks.
ElaineB, do donate! Seriously.
As for reading tips, the three most important things are:
– to rehearse
– to read slowly
– to make sure you'll be heard
Rehearsal: pick a piece, rewrite it for reading aloud (you may need to add a couple of 'he said, she said' tags; you may need to cut or reword sentences that are difficult to say) then read it to yourself four or five times. Then read it aloud four or five times. As you read it aloud, make notations on your paper: where you need emphasis, where you should pause, etc.
Then slow it down. Pause between every sentence. Slow, slow, slow. Figure out how and where to breathe.
And speak loudly. Practise that. Practise using a microphone, too. Poor mics–which is what you get, mostly, at these things–need to be much close to your mouth than you think. If you don't have a mic at home, practise with, I dunno, a hairbrush. Just practise turning pages, reading, and holding that thing in front of your mouth.
Sometimes it helps to walk the space before you perform, just to get a feel for the room.
Where will you be reading?
Incredible, alive immediate. Thanks for sharing.
jeanne
When I read all of your books the first time, this was my favorite.
jeanne, my pleasure.
Sarah, it's definitely close to my heart. I lived in that city for ten years.
Nicola this is so cool! That's long been my favorite book of yours. I love Slow River for the awakenings and the arrival and acceptance of identity separate yet still tied to family. (I would make little musical staff rest signs if I only knew how to in this format)
I had much more to say, (big surprise there eh) but written out it looked like spoilers considering there may be some people left on the planet who haven't yet read this great book. Now I want to read it again.
I listened to the others as well and I think this is a good thing for Lambda to be doing, right on. Sly
Thanks, Nicola. I'm going to copy off those tips and follow them! I'm reading during Women's Week in Provincetown. It's a short story, so there will be a bunch of us.
Sly, thank you. As for spoilers, we're all grown ups here–and any book that's been out fifteen years should be exempt anyway :)
Elaine, my pleasure. New performers always rush. Don't rush and all will be well.
I've been asked by a reader to make Castile a girl. (Out of my m/m couple Trinidad and Castile.)
My first question was “why Castile?” (I am ever the writer, always focused on Character) closely followed by “Why does he have to be a girl?”
Sigh.
And thanks for the reading tips!!
ssas, readers can ask all they want, but you're god of the story.