Because I am every bit as sick of writing about my teeth as you are of reading about them, and because I don't particularly feel like taking on any of the other things currently making me crazy, I thought I'd share something positive that I'm looking forward to. I'm taking those lemons and making some lemonade, by golly. If I have any left over, perhaps I'll squish them in someone's eye.
Tomorrow after work, I'm going to try to go see a book signing by Anne Lamott.
I've always been a big fan of Anne Lamott. Her book on writing, Bird by Bird, had helped me immeasurably, and Operating Instructions, her account of the first year of raising her son by herself, went a long way towards convincing me that even fucked up, broken people can be good parents. I've been a little less enamored of her later work, as she has delved further and further into a Christian world into which I have a hard time following. Even then, however, she writes more about spirituality than religion, and so it's not so hard to digest. A lot of it actually speaks to me, as scary as that can be sometimes.
I don't know if you remember this or have been reading long enough to catch it the first time I wrote about it, but when I was looking for a literary agent, I knew I'd found the right one when she compared my writing to Anne Lamott's. I don't think for a moment that I'm nearly as good a writer, but I'd like to think that we're on the same path. Minus a lot of the Jesus, perhaps, but still.
So if you're a Dallas area stalker and would like to kill me, you should hide outside the Barnes & Noble at Lincoln Park in Dallas tomorrow night. I've got to warn you, though. The pain in my mouth and the bullshit in RobWorld is making me mean. You might have to sneak up on me.
14 comments:
Dude!
I read Bird by Bird last month on a flight and it was absolutely fantastic. It's the rare book about writing that really inspires you to sit down right then and get on with it. Have fun meeting her!
I've taught both those books in my classes; I love her early work, too. Try to get a pic with her! Or of her, since you're great at that photog stuff.
And let me know if you want me to mail you some better drugs. ;)
Rob, I saw her Sunday night in New Orleans, and she was wonderful. I hope you write about her appearance where you are ... not only because I want to hear your impressions, but because I'm curious as to whether she says anything about her visit to New Orleans. She seemed very affected by her tour of the city (as any person with a beating heart would be, let's face it). I love her.
I'm currently reading her book "Plan B" and enjoying it quite a bit. I missed a chance to see her speak in January - I was bummed. She's awesome, I'm jealous that you get to see her.
I've read Lamott for about 20 yrs. and it is funny that you should mention her delving into writing about faith... it is what drew me to her in the first place in 1988 when i went on a semester program way way wwwwwaaaaayyyyy up in the mountains of ashland oregon. she was one of the recommended authors, and really hit me hard and strong.
if you've not heard of David James Duncan, you may be interested in reading the River Why and the Brothers K (baseball meets dostoyevsky). He started out kind of christian but has morphed to environmentalist buddhismishness, and is just simply an amazing story teller.
Have fun at the book signing.
I saw her talk at the Dallas Museum of Art a few years ago (holy crap, I checked my archives... it was six years ago - time flies).
She was funny. I liked her blond dreadlocks - I wonder if she still has them.
If memory serves, she talked a lot about her journalist father and how he typed on a manual typewriter and how important it was to retype everything manually - about how it gives a closer connection to the work than a computer.
My writing teacher at the time said he had a really nasty story he could tell us about her, but he wouldn't give it up (the bastard).
I'd like to go tonight, but there is soccer practice. Have fun.
I'm very jealous of you right now. I love Anne Lamott.
Hug her for me if you can, Robbo. She's the best. I've long co-opted her prayers. Morning: "Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease." Evening: "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou."
That's also kinda what we say when we surf on over to Rob's World, too. Heh.
Hope all the pain, physical and transcendental, is still abating.
Dude, maybe you need to be makin' some lemon drop martinis in place of the lemonade. Certainly mixed with the codeine you'd be flyin' really high.
Have fune at the book signing.
I am SO jealous! Anne Lamott is one of my favorite writers, ever since I read Bird by Bird about eight years ago. Have fun!
I love Anne Lamott, but a little too much Jesusy goodness for my taste. Blech. But I still love her.
I feel exactly the same way. Maybe it's a phase she's going through.
I enjoyed Traveling Mercies, despite my non-theistic bent. A few years later, though, Plan B just grated on my nerves. Even the writing style felt precious and affected, and usually that's what ropes me in, even when the subject matter isn't something that would ordinarily interest me. (Isn't Bird by Bird the book where she says that a good friend is somebody who's so fun to be with and talk to that if they suggest a trip to the dump you can't think of anything you'd rather do? That's how I usually feel about her writing. Which isn't, um, to compare Christianity to the dump, exactly. It's just not something I seek out on my own.) I've so utterly loved most of her work that my reaction to Plan B really surprised me.
And, yeah, I've gotta say, your writing also holds my interest even when the subject isn't something that ordinarily grabs me. There are definitely some stylistic similarities, or some... something, that just makes both of you very charismatic writers.
I'm glad that something good happened. (Also if you need someone to hook you up with the Ambien I have a few to spare. I'm just saying.)
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