Another part of what should have been “a double vax hot summer” activity morphed into another pandemic statistic. As days ticked by, the COVID infection rate soared. A week before my friend’s latest book launch, we entered Stage 5. Yet, not even the plague could stop me from writing an introduction. The show must go on, even if it’s over Zoom.
Since we got to know one another through The Austin Writers Roulette, I briefly traced our friendship, including one clip, which I posted in the Zoom chat. I knew the risk. As soon as people see a link, they have to click on it. I heard the audio from the video in less than 20 seconds. Not only did I want to share one of Donna’s performances, but I reminded Donna that one of our deceased friends had been present during that show. What a gift!
Welcome to Donna Dechen Birdwell’s Friday the 13th Post-Apocalyptic during a Pandemic Book Launch! That title alone is part of the reason we’ve been friends since 2012. Interesting people have interesting friends.
Donna and I met a month or two before I launched The Austin Writers Roulette, which was a theme-inspired spoken word and storytelling show, which I produced and hosted for eight seasons. However, that first season took place in a capoeira studio that I transformed into a storytelling event space. I had no idea what I was doing that first year, but apparently, I knew enough to attract a major talent like Donna.
Not only did Donna grace the Roulette stage that first show, but she was a frequent performer throughout all eight seasons. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know about her anthropology background and personal adventures over the years. And she was one of 20 artists who I extended a personal invitation to perform for the final show in December 2019.
World-building is one of the most challenging tasks speculative fiction writers have. Donna’s writing seamlessly immerses her readers into whichever world her story takes place to the extent that one doesn’t wonder if it could exist, but rather how soon our world will evolve into it.
Of all the things that Donna boldly shared over the years at the Roulette, she confessed that the sexy steamy things made her nervous for her adult children to read. For the 2016 Roulette show, Sex, Love & Virtual Reality, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xogbZlhCmOg timestamp 8:50), Donna read scenes from her novel, Way of the Serpent. By overwhelming audience applause, she won best woman-identified piece. It was probably her declaration, “There’ll definitely be more sex,” that sealed the deal, elevating her into the Pantheon of Kinky Grandmas. (OK, so that’s not actually a real thing, but it we keep saying it, the Pantheon of Kinky Grandmas will manifest.)
So, now that I made her blush, please give a big Zoom welcome to Donna Dechen Birdwell!