Going to a reading, more often than not, has been seen as an obligation. “It’s an unspoken agreement,” says Reading Under the Influence regular Jesse Jordan, “I’ll sit and listen to you even though I find it boring because someday I’ll be reading.” That trend, however, is being pushed aside thanks in part to the people at RUI. A monthly reading series at Sheffield’s, RUI uses trivia, crowd participation and, obviously, drinking to help everybody feel engaged. Readers pull passages from famous works for part of the night and quiz audience members for a chance to win books or drinks. Then the audience hears original works by local and touring authors. As to be expected, the back room at Sheffield’s is usually filled with local writers of every caliber who are more than ready to share a beer or pitch a story. “It’s really one of the best places for networking. There’s just a lot of downtime where you’re meeting people at neighboring tables [who run] small zines to large journals,” says Jordan. This month’s reading is April 7, and features Peter Schilling, Delphine Pontvieux, Kim Morris and Brenden Detzner. Cover is three dollars, and the reading begins at 7:30pm. (Peter Cavanaugh)
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