By Mike Rifkin
It’s an unseasonably warm afternoon in March, when most folks in Ottawa would like to be outside enjoying the beginnings of spring.
But, dozens of people are spending it in the basement confines of The Manx Pub on Elgin Street.
That’s because it’s Saturday and time for another instalment of The Manx’s Plan 99 Reading Series.
The series started in 1999 and takes its name from Ed Wood’s 1959 movie Plan 9 From Outer Space, which organizer David O’Meara calls “a really bad sci-fi film.”
Plan 99 runs in two blocks, from January to April and September to December.
The series has hosted a wide variety of poets and authors from Ottawa and across the country.
“We’re pretty picky about the people we bring in,” says O’Meara, who is also a bartender at The Manx and an established poet.
He has had two collections of poetry published: “Storm Still” in 1999 and “The Vicinity” in 2003.
O’Meara’s connection with Canada’s literary world has helped him seek out writers to bring to the series.
“We keep track of who’s got new books coming out,” says O’Meara.
“I know a number of writers. Basically, it’s finding a good mix of people; fiction and poetry.”
Plan 99 gets funding from both the Canada Council for the Arts and The Manx, which O’Meara says allows them to bring in authors from all parts of Canada.
“We do all of Canada,” he says.
“We’ve had writers from Vancouver, Newfoundland, the Prairies, Quebec. Usually it’s people from out of town. Because we have the funding, we have the opportunity to bring people from further away.”
Authors who have been featured at the series include Newfoundland novelist Michael Winter, Kingston poet Steven Heighton and, most recently, Toronto novelist Ray Robertson.
Robertson read on March 19 from his newest novel, “Gently Down The Stream,” a book about, he says, “dogs, monogamy and karaoke.” This was Robertson’s first reading from his new book.
“It was kind of fun, without the pressure,” he says.
One audience member, named Jennifer, called Robertson’s reading the best reading she had ever attended.
With a capacity of only ninety people, The Manx resembles someone’s rec room as much as a bar, making it the ideal place to hold an intimate reading.
With no visible change to the décor, the pub is transformed from its usual role as noisy drinking room into a venue for the quiet enjoyment of literature.
Signs posted around the room ask for quiet during the reading and audience members oblige.
Most quietly pay attention and sip drinks, but laugh enthusiastically when Robertson reaches a funny part or offers an glib remark between sentences.
“It’s a good space,” says O’Meara.
“It’s cosy. Everyone seems to enjoy themselves. They can have a bite to eat and a drink and enjoy the reading.
“It’s a nice mix because it’s usually a solo author so it means an hour of reading at most.”
Robertson says he enjoyed the intimate atmosphere of The Manx. He says he doesn’t mind the small, yet enthusiastic, crowd.
“It’s small, but the people who come care about books,” says Robertson.
“If I was another writer I might get a line of fifteen people. I’ll probably sell 10 books today.
“It’s important for someone like me. It’s good to hear people laugh. It’s nice to have that connection.”
O’Meara says it is the fact that people come back every week that has kept the series going.
“Everybody who comes out loves it,” he says. “We have a lot of returning audience members. There’s a good core of people who come.”
In the coming weeks, The Manx will host readings by Toronto poets Maureen Harris and Ronna Bloom, Toronto author Diana Fitzgerald Bryden, Newfoundland poet Patrick Warner and Montreal author Jaspreet Singh.