Through necessity, Michael J. Vaughn became the father of an invention.
A San Jose resident, Vaughn is a longtime member of the South Bay arts and literary scene as a writer, poet, editor, critic, musician and singer. This latest feather in his cap--or fedora, as he sometimes wears--is Michael J.'s Fiction Lounge, a monthly fiction reading series held at 7:30 p.m. the last Thursday of each month at Saratoga's Blue Rock Shoot coffeehouse, 14523 Big Basin Way. Although each gathering begins with a featured writer, the open-mic portion that follows is open to all, including poets, musicians or comedians.
After years of attending, and sometimes hosting, poetry readings, Vaughn says he began to feel like the odd man out. Although he enjoys writing poetry and has had more than a dozen works published, his true love is fiction.
"I knew there could be a better venue for fiction than at poetry readings," Vaughn says, smiling over a frothy latté at the Blue Rock Shoot last week. After walking into the coffeehouse's cozy downstairs area this past December, Vaughn liked the sense of place it offered and knew he'd found the right spot.
"Fiction readings are also a good way to meet other writers. Sometimes, you can only talk about certain stuff with other fiction writers. Not that poets don't understand," he adds. "But fiction writing is different. Most people have enough discipline to write a one-page poem, but a novel can take years of discipline."
Vaughn is no stranger to perseverance. A graduate of San Jose State University with a degree in journalism, he spent more than three years as publicity director for Saratoga's Villa Montalvo and more than five as host of Art@8 Poetry Series at City Espresso in Campbell. Among his current positions are opera and theater critic for Metro and the Palo Alto Weekly, arts editor for Santa Clara Vision and fiction editor of The Montserrat Review, a San Jose-based literary journal.
Along the way, he's also found time to write and publish two short stories, a novel excerpt and a full-length novel, 1995's Frozen Music. His as-yet-unpublished works include a one-act play and three other novels.
With Michael J.'s Fiction Lounge, Vaughn looks forward to meeting and inspiring other writers, especially unpublished hopefuls. He also hopes to attract audience members who show up out of curiosity and stay because of enjoyment.
"The average person seems to be very intimidated by poetry--maybe they think it's too obtuse or artsy. It seems they're more likely to come to a fiction reading. I want to get across the idea that a reading can be fun!" Vaughn says, noting that at his series' Jan. 28 premiere, more than 20 people showed up--most just to listen to featured writer Bill Burman of Santa Cruz.
The next reading, set for Feb. 25, features Willow Glen novelist, poet and singer Cindy Williams Gutiérrez reading excerpts from Surrender. A literary mystery novel-in-progress, it also reflects her own bicultural heritage as the daughter of a Mexican mother and a European-American father.
Saratoga, California Since 1975
