19 November 2019

Collateral Damage


At the Private Eye Writers of America’s November 1, 2019, Shamus Awards Banquet in Dallas, Texas, Max Allan Collins said something during his presentation that has been the talk of the mystery community ever since.

In explaining why he said what he said, which you can read here, Collins wrote about the other presenters working under the same trying conditions: “Speakers preceding the awards proper began abandoning the mic, and just talking loud — one made a joke of it and yelled his entire fifteen minute presentation (that got very old). A stand-up comedy routine that went flat had been prepared with visual aids that would have been difficult to see even under better circumstances. A lovely speech written by the absent recipient of the Eye (PWA Grand Master, Les Roberts) proved too lengthy.”

I was one of those presenters.

Unlike Collins’s presentation, the entirety of my seven-minute presentation was captured on video. Here it is:





3 comments:

  1. Sounds like some sour grapes on the part of Mr. Collins. I think your presentation was enthusiastic and highly appropriate!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I was having computer problems yesterday, so did see the video until today. It sounded like you did your best with what you had to work with.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Michael's speech was fine and interesting, but the necessity of having to deliver it in a shout (however humorously handled) was made by the unfortunate circumstance of the sound system-less venue with its unfriendly layout -- audience to left and right of the speaker. No sour grapes on my part or, for that matter, any negative reflection intended on the speech or the speaker.

    ReplyDelete

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