Most of us enjoy being read to, as evidenced by the popularity of audio books. Part of the attraction is convenience. You can listen to your favorite thriller in the car, sample the summer’s hottest bestseller while walking the dog, catch up on that celebrity biography as you battle a jigsaw puzzle. But when was the last time someone you know, someone from your community, read you a story or a poem or an essay?

I’d venture that it wasn’t since you were a child, when your parents lulled you to sleep with a bedtime story, or your nursery schoolteacher taught you the alphabet from a read-aloud primer, or the children’s librarian enchanted you with a fairy tale. Conversely, we might get read to by loved ones at the other end of our lives, bedridden and hooked up to the morphine drip (“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” would be a trippy tome to go out on).

But why, for most adults, should being read to (by family or friends or neighbors) be such a limited “bookend experience?” Well, for Kennebunk-area residents, it doesn’t have to be. The newly created Portside Readers is a small group of enthusiastic, talented readers who, in coordination with the Kennebunkport library, record spirited readings of short stories, poetry, nonfiction, memoir, drama and more. The readings, aimed at an adult audience and running about 20 minutes each, are posted online.

I’m part of this reading group, and to date we’ve posted members’ original essays and poems, classic stories by Roald Dahl and O’Henry, chapters from a family memoir, excerpts from “The Soul of an Octopus” and poetry by Maine’s Robert Coffin – to name just a few offerings.

I’ve been a big reader since a tender age. My sole motivation back then was to read comic books. I started with Classic Comics that featured timeless adventure stories like “Robin Hood” and “The Count of Monte Cristo.” And then I discovered Marvel Comics: Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, The Hulk, Iron Man, Dr. Strange. Oh man, was I hooked; and a lifetime habit was established.

It wasn’t until recently though that I tried my hand – or should I say my voice – at reading aloud. I have a deep, resonant voice, so I assumed I’d be a natural. I was deluded. When I first heard my recorded voice, I was surprised at how flat and sing-songy it sounded. Definitely needed work. Reading aloud is an art form, with time-tested techniques and performance- based traditions. Fortunately, our group includes theater professionals, teachers, and other members with public speaking and musical experience. “Performers,” in some sense of the word.

Everyone has something to teach, and we all learn from each other.

If you love the written word, and enjoy being read to, you can tune in anytime. New readings are posted every Wednesday at 7 p.m. on the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library Facebook page or YouTube channel, or on the town of Kennbunkport’s cable channel 1301. All the readings are archived, so you can watch any of them at your convenience. You may discover a neighbor or two in our reading group.

There’s a library poster for children that declares: “Reading is FUNdamental.” I posit that being read to is fun, too. I encourage you to tune in. I bet you’ll enjoy it.

Steven Price is a Kennebunkport resident. He can be reached at sprice1953@gmail.com.

Copy the Story Link

Comments are not available on this story.