Max Gibson reads “Lemon Fresh,” a monologue by John Cotter, on March 30, 2023, as part of an NER Out Loud event at Middlebury College. “Lemon Fresh” was originally published in NER 42.3 and a recording of Cotter reading his work can be heard here.

MAX GIBSON ’25 is a sophomore double majoring in Japanese and film studies from New Orleans, but he currently lives in Washington, DC, and Charlottesville, Virginia. Max is a head coach at Oratory Now and participated in the Spencer Prize in 2022. Besides Oratory work, Max is very active in the Japanese department as a member of the Japanese house and co-president of the Japanese club.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JOHN COTTER is the author of the memoir Losing Music (Milkweed Editions, 2023) and the novella Under the Small Lights (Miami University Press, 2010). The monologue “Shelter in Place,” which appeared in NER alongside “Lemon Fresh,” was originally commissioned for Vis-à-vis, an evening of monologues at Endangered Species Theater Project in Frederick, Maryland, directed by Aaron Angello and performed by Jordan Hill.