Shady Cosgrove – She Played Elvis
November 7th 2007 04:28
Guest speakers quite often disappoint – it is a fact of life for goers of seminars, meetings and ‘get-togethers’. But I usually go anyway. You never know when you’ll strike that rare, interesting person who can actually communicate to an audience.
Such was my pleasure on Friday night when our collected book clubs invited Dr. Shady Cosgrove to speak at an informal gathering. Shady has been a journalist, sports reporter, lecturer, writer and intrepid traveller. Plenty of talent and experience to call on, but that does not always mean someone is a good speaker. I have seen (and unfortunately heard) very talented writers get up and try speaking to a sea of faces, and failing … miserably.
But Shady had us interested from the very beginning. She was enthusiastic, expressive, coherent (some are not), entertaining and human. First of all she made it clear from the very beginning how pleased she was to be there. She had us believing we were doing her a favour, when in actual fact it was the other way around. Certainly a good mind-set to have your audience in!
But I suppose the trick is to have the right content for your audience and an authentic and sincere delivery, and Shady did not disappoint there either. As ‘book-clubers’, we were all readers, and Shady’s manuscript She Played Elvis was short-listed for the Vogel Literary Award, so that is exactly what she spoke about … she knew that was why she had been invited. However, the pleasing aspect of her talk was the sharing of the journey she under took to write it and what it meant to her personally.
A big Elvis fan, Shady and her partner Scot made a pilgrimage from Oregon to Graceland in Tennessee for the 25th Anniversary of the King’s death – with Shady busking (yes, she’s a musician too) Elvis songs along the way. Even in my advancing years, I consider this a cool thing to do!
But the trip becomes more than a tribute to Elvis. In traversing her homeland, Shady comes to terms with many things … family, relationships, home, heart and the complicated matter of patriotism. And she was honest enough to say she is still without all the answers, just a clearer view of the world – her world at least.
Reading from her story, she was fluent and confident and I believe I could have listened to her read the whole manuscript! When someone is passionate about their topic and speaks from the heart, you have a winning combination that calls to all people.
So before you groan and sigh over yet another guest speaker, be aware that it could just be worth your while this time. And best of luck to Shady. I look forward to reading the published edition of She Played Elvis.
Image: uow.edu.au
Such was my pleasure on Friday night when our collected book clubs invited Dr. Shady Cosgrove to speak at an informal gathering. Shady has been a journalist, sports reporter, lecturer, writer and intrepid traveller. Plenty of talent and experience to call on, but that does not always mean someone is a good speaker. I have seen (and unfortunately heard) very talented writers get up and try speaking to a sea of faces, and failing … miserably.
But Shady had us interested from the very beginning. She was enthusiastic, expressive, coherent (some are not), entertaining and human. First of all she made it clear from the very beginning how pleased she was to be there. She had us believing we were doing her a favour, when in actual fact it was the other way around. Certainly a good mind-set to have your audience in!
But I suppose the trick is to have the right content for your audience and an authentic and sincere delivery, and Shady did not disappoint there either. As ‘book-clubers’, we were all readers, and Shady’s manuscript She Played Elvis was short-listed for the Vogel Literary Award, so that is exactly what she spoke about … she knew that was why she had been invited. However, the pleasing aspect of her talk was the sharing of the journey she under took to write it and what it meant to her personally.
A big Elvis fan, Shady and her partner Scot made a pilgrimage from Oregon to Graceland in Tennessee for the 25th Anniversary of the King’s death – with Shady busking (yes, she’s a musician too) Elvis songs along the way. Even in my advancing years, I consider this a cool thing to do!
But the trip becomes more than a tribute to Elvis. In traversing her homeland, Shady comes to terms with many things … family, relationships, home, heart and the complicated matter of patriotism. And she was honest enough to say she is still without all the answers, just a clearer view of the world – her world at least.
Reading from her story, she was fluent and confident and I believe I could have listened to her read the whole manuscript! When someone is passionate about their topic and speaks from the heart, you have a winning combination that calls to all people.
So before you groan and sigh over yet another guest speaker, be aware that it could just be worth your while this time. And best of luck to Shady. I look forward to reading the published edition of She Played Elvis.
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