Ivan E. Coyote have her way with a standup mic was just one of the pleasures of the workshop called "The Art of Talking the Talk" that took place last night at the Listel Hotel. Coyote, who makes most of her money from live performances, covered everything from preparing your work (figure out where to pause— like a landing on a stairway, memorize if possible, add some banter) through getting ready for a reading (research who your audience will be, get there early, make friends with the sound guy, listen to the performers before you and adjust your material accordingly), using your body as part of the performance and how to adjust and use the mic, and then she encouraged each of us to take a turn up front and use some of what we'd just learned like:
We listened, we took notes, we asked questions, we laughed out loud (a lot), and then most of us, no matter how nervous we were, had a go in front of the mic. At the risk of sounding corny (which Ivan tries not to be but sometimes is—in a good way), I'd say this may have been a life-changing evening.
You'll have to ask Ivan for the details of how, in her haste to empty
her bladder before a set, she managed to pee into her own back pocket—or maybe you'll get to hear the story at her next workshop!