WRAPPING UP THE SEASON

By Ben Greenman

from forthcoming collection, as yet untitled

The John Wilton “Mindreader” ensemble has performed more than one hundred thousand transferences this year, in each instance drawing on the inner thoughts of members of the ruling class, whether elected officials or captains of industry or those charged with designing and distributing the nation’s entertainment. Once a set of thoughts are collected, the ensemble renders it as prose or sometimes free verse, attaches an appropriate title (“I Wish I Were On An Island,” “Religious Conversion? Perhaps?” “Maybe I Need A New Relationship”), and places it in a large leather binder, which is then shelved alongside other binders in the Wilton Library in Norfolk, Virginia. With a thousand more readings scheduled this month, the season will then come to an end. It will, however, resume in the fall. The current manager of the ensemble, Louisa Wilton—the granddaughter of the original founder—has said that the group is looking to establish satellites of the national company that would be able to concentrate on the inner thoughts of more regional and local figures of power, such as mayors, school principals, and influential small businesspeople. “The goal of our library is to eventually include everyone,” she said. “We have four floors overground and four more underground, and when we run out of space, we can build.”