I thought it was peculiar that we were required to go to the Joseph O' Connor reading as part of IDC. For all of our other Meet The Artist events, we've had to meet an individual who has played a significant role in the artistic community, like the photographer who traveled to New Orleans to take pictures of the Katrina aftermath. This time, it was a reading and oddly enough I had to be there for my English class as well. Overall, I loved Joseph O'Connors excerpts. I was inspired enough to write down certain lines of his excerpts because they really were so profound. His metaphoric skills were beyond the skill level of any work of prose of any other writer I've ever read. I was intrigued by his usage of vocabulary and his imagery, it was pretty incredible. Certain lines I wrote down included "her beauty was like a tightened bow", "some people drive the train but others build the tracks", "your blush would sing this bad" and "like the betters of tomorrow they will always be". I was also drawn to Joseph O'Connor's accent and his superb articulation. I loved the sound of his voice, the way he spoke, and of course his sense of humor. However, I don't think the particular room we were in was adequate for a reading. Where I was sitting for example, I had an obstructed view and I was far from the podium. As I observed spectators around me, I noticed many of them sleeping and looking bored at times. I personally found myself drifting off at times. I feel that this reading would have been much more effective only if the entire audience would have been given the chance to sit closer to the podium. Maybe I'm wrong and individuals were falling asleep because they felt like they were being read a bedtime story, because I felt that way at times too. Readings are very particular, this being my first, in that they require a lot of concentration to follow. I think  be read aloud to an audience in this way, and literature is better when it is read in ones mind.