- S T O R Y T E L L E R -
GARY ZENKER
READINGS
The opportunity to read for an audience is a special thrill...and an equally special fear. Unlike writing where we can rewrite the piece over and over again, reading it aloud changes everything. Live, it's no longer just about our mastery of words. Few of us have professional training in presentation but we do our best to deliver the stories the way we imagine them in our heads. So, in no particular order....
Everyday Magic
Writers Read - January 2025
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Based on a prompt of "Supermarket", I joined 14 writers in New York City at the City Winery with my story (written in about a half hour and submitted just before the deadline) about my father and supermarket shopping.
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Higher Calling
Noir at a Bar Oxford - November 2024
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Another noir story, focused on a detective and his unusual client. I love the challenge of writing these for readings of less than seven minutes, but still cramming in a plot, character(s) and a surprise you probably don't see coming.
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Where Do I Come From?
Phoenixville Library - October 2024
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Written several years ago, rewritten the afternoon before I was to read, edited up to ten minutes before I actually read it. Another story about my son and parenthood.
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Happy Birthday
Noir at a Bar Oxford - October 2023
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Inspired by the carousel in New Hope and the desire to write something creepy. Listen to the very end where a fellow author compliments me by calling me "a sick SOB."
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I Like Your Shoes
Wilmington Writers Group
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This story was inspired by a single line spoken by a person in line at a supermarket. Read during an open reading at the writers group.
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Critique
Phoenixville Public Library
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Inspired and imagined by a single line spoken by a person in line in the next aisle at a supermarket. Read during an open mic reading at the library.
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And The Crowd Roared
Rosemont Senior Center
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A true story involving my son Seth, the shower and the game he invented, Shower Soccer. A story about how the unique relationship between fathers and sons...and how it may not be easily understood by others.
Waiting
Phoenixville Public Library
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A short story about guys and what they talk about when alone. Published online by StoryADay.
Sounds of the Season
Holiday Reading
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Pure fiction but that gift WAS in fact one item owned. I just reimagined how it might have been used. Read at a special Holiday Reading Event organized by the Main Line Writers Group.
Wedding Jitters
Wilmington-Chadds Ford Writers Group
Everybody loves a wedding, especially when someone stirs the pot with a bit of drama. Read at an open reading at the Writers Group.
Femme Fatale
Noir at a Bar - April 2018
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Once again a guy taken in by girl, with just a twist in the typical Noir story presentation.
Statute of Limitations
Noir at a Bar Oxford - June 2018
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Another Noir story presentation. Boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy kills girl's husband. It's a love story.
Case of the Widow Bialofski
Noir at a Bar Oxford - Fall 2017
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Another Noir story presentation. Boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy kills girl's husband...and then it all goes wrong. It's a love story, but whose?
Self Restraint
Main Line Writers Group Group Read at Michael's Deli
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The ties that bind people in a relationship aren't always physical. Read at the group's open mic reading
Soup For One
Phoenixville Public Library Reading
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A father's first responsibility is to keep his child safe. The second is to subjugate him. Here is a story about my meeting that second responsibility.
Crazy Love
Phoenixville Public Library Reading
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Love...exciting and new. Climb on board. It's surprising, too!
Second Thoughts
Philcon 2020
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from the anthology "The Twofer Compendium."
Going Commando
Wilmington Writers Group
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Published in "Chicken Soup For The Soul: Laughter" in 2019