Every year, when Valentine’s Day rears it cherubic head, I find that people tend to fall into three different categories. There are the murderous, scorned lovers, who are all too eager to chew your ear off about how awful it is to have a holiday devoted to long-term relationships. Then there are the bunch prone to lamenting, convinced Valentine’s Day is a foul design of the universe, created solely to remind them that they are woefully single and will probably never find “true love.” Lastly, there are the giddy lovers that Valentine’s Day is geared towards. They can often be seen giggling with each other in restaurant booths, exchanging generic gifts like boxes of candy, teddy bears, or engagement rings.
As a lady who’s found herself in all three of these camps at different times in her life (some more than others, ahem), I was so pleased to learn that the Hudson Valley Writers’ Center Valentine’s Day reading, Love, Loss & Laughs, would have something for every type of valentine. For the cynical and lonely, there will be a reading from Have I Got a Guy For You!, a collection of stories in which the contributors hilariously describe their romantic misadventures with the mates their parents found for them to date. How can you feel enraged or depressed when you hear about someone else being forced to put up with her mother’s relentless attempts to set her up with Gelman from Regis and Kathie Lee? Now your Valentine’s Day isn’t looking so bad, is it?
For the more romantic crowd, there will also be a reading from Hot Sonnets, a collection of sultry, sexy, serious, steamy sonnets to really get you in the mood for Valentine’s Day. Maybe you’ll even be inspired to skip the heart shaped box of truffles in favor of writing your own love poetry for your special someone this year.
So, whether you’re embittered, forlorn, or already planning what to get your beloved for next year’s Valentine’s Day festivities, be sure to join us at the Hudson Valley Writers’ Center this Sunday, February 12, at 4:30 for Love, Loss, and Laughs!
