The tricky bit about doing a talk/reading with only a few days to prepare is that I don't have anything big coming out in the near future. I could read some older stuff, and I think I'll bring some, but I think I'd rather experiment a bit.

The idea I'm working with comes from one of my CapClave panels, in which we were talking about researching historical clothing (and using historical and contemporary designs to extrapolate to the future). I told an anecdote about when I was trying to research mens' underwear of the early 20th century.

I think it would make an entertaining talk to bring along some of my research books, share the bit of detail, and then read a bit of my work that uses that bit of research; I'd use all WWI examples. It would be the examples most directly taken from research: a chapter on female canteen workers in "Poppies Are Not the Only Flower"; jam tin grenades in The Moonlight Mistress; the flooding of Belgium and the occupation of northern France in the in-progress "Moonlight Marriage." I also had a bit of the occupation in "Under Her Uniform."

Does this sound like it could be entertaining? Or would it be frustrating to only hear parts of stories?