There is a magical land in the middle of NYC that is a labyrinth of apartments lived in entirely by ARTISTS. Painters, dancers, writers, you name it, they are doing it, and some of them have been doing it since the 60s and 70s.

Last Thursday, I was invited to participate in the World Voices Festival at Westbeth Artists Housing. Audiences received a map and could wander from apartment to apartment, listening to readings (and checking out how other people live, which is an intensely New York past-time.) I read from The Island Dwellers in Samantha and Stephen Hall’s gorgeous living room, surrounded by Stephen’s paintings. Stephen and Samantha were the consummate hosts, as were their two cats, Tank and Trevor. Trevor helped with mood lighting by unplugging a lamp during the second round of readings. Thank you for your lighting design expertise, Trevor Hall.

One of my favorite paintings by Stephen Hall