I walked into the Newman conference center not knowing what to expect exactly of this said reading. It turns out though that I appreaciated the writings of Joseph O'conner who seems skilled in diverse ways. Perhaps it was his soothing voice that caught my attention or his clever wits, either way I was listening. Just the way he spoke was admirable, with that sense of eloquence and wisedom that he radiated through his calm, precise words. He seemed free of any nerves and upheld himself quite well admist such a large audience. Moreover, the way he slipped in subtle jokes lightened up the mood. For instance, when he was speaking of his town Dublin and portraying how monotonous it was. So much so, that if anything interesting happened, it would be centered around the "sheep and nun". His casual way of being ironic or exageratted added an attractive quality to his speaking.

As for the readings, I really enjoyed two pieces in particular. The first one was the reading of the extraordinary woman who had caught the narrators eye for being so distinctive. She was a first for him just like one has a first date, a first cry, a first kiss. She was his first shocking view, in a pleasant way. The way O' Conner read this excerpt was quite convincing as he held a fast pace to allude to an obessive lover. The next piece which I enjoyed even more was the love letter reading. There were just some phrases that stuck in mind. For instance, " you asking me to forget if asking the flames to freeze." That comparison to me, simply made me smile for it was so clever and well structured and exemplified his deep dying love for his lady. Another memorable line was when the narrator said, " I believe to my atom". I thought this was comical in the sense that it mixed emotions, which are always changing, with science, which a subject of evidence and stability. Furthermore, it surpasses the typical comparisons of ' I believe to my heart' or 'to the very bit of my soul' which would not have provided the same witty delight. Overall, I felt that the experience was amusing and Joseph O' Conner is undeniably talented.