TWO CHAIRS, TWO MINDS, ONE MEMORABLE EVENING
TOP 10 THINGS I LEARNED AND LOVED FROM BEING IN THE AUDIENCE AS ANN PATCHETT AND ELIZABETH GILBERT HAD AN HDR* IN FRONT OF THOUSANDS OF FANS
10. They both equate writing fiction with wearing a 300-page horse hair shirt
9. They both had disastrous first marriages and are now happily married to men 16 1/2 years older than them.
8. They are both deliberately, and joyfully, childless
7. They both feel they have an "energy credit" due to this fact, and "spend" their credit taking good care of other people's children/loved ones
6. They took each other book shopping at Powell's, and talked about all the books they love, shared books each other needs to read, then bought each other books.
5. Liz Gilbert said if she loves a book, highly recommends it to a friend and the friend doesn't love the book, she seriously doubts whether or not the book was actually good.
4. When Ann Patchett highly recommends a book, passes it on to a friend and the friend doesn't like it, Ann serisouly doubts whether or not the friend is any good.
3. Their friendship has taken place exclusively through hand-written letters. No phone calls. No e-mail. No visits. This is only the second time they've seen each other, and the first time they've appeared together.
2. Wherever Liz goes, she draws a crowd. She is instantly recognized, and mobbed.
1. Nobody ever knows who Ann is, and even after they do learn who she is, she feels invisible. Yet she is the one with the self-confidence.
* HDR = Heavy, deep and real (aka a heart-to-heart)
** To hear more from Liz Gilbert, go here.
15 comments:
Lindy was there.
Sounds like the perfect evening.
HDR?
clue me in
Go Mama: HDRs are heavy, deep and reals (aka heart-to-heart conversations). Good question! I always assume everyone lives in my brain (because it feels like it sometimes).
SOOOOOO jealous! Damn, girl! I can't believe you were in the freaking room with them!
BTW, when do I get to hear about your weekend? I'm dying here!!!!
So glad you got to be there. Sounds like a good time and very affirming.
This was wonderful. I like Ann's comment about the "friend" not liking the book. Oh, how lovely to have an old-fashioned correspondence relationship. I used to write letters...pages and pages. Now? Not so much.
Awesome Carrie! Thank you for sharing!
I would have loved to have been there.
Oh, I totally wanted to go to , I don't this and then forgot all about it. Can you be my literary calender? Also, I would have loved to have heard both these talking about fiction as a 300-page horse hair shirt (I'm not sure what that means exactly, I've read some of Elizabeth Gilbert's short stories and they're fantastic...
TOTALLY agree on the book sharing! I have a friend or two whose intellect I've questioned because they don't like obviously stunning works of fiction. :))
What a wonderful evening-even up at the very tippy-top of the Schnitz!
Thank you.
I find #1 very interesting.
:)
You got to go to that???? I'm SO jealous. I wanted to go, but it was sold out, and I couldn't really have afforded it anyway. And so I inquired about volunteering, because I used to volunteer for some of their events, but nobody got back to me.
Thanks for sharing about it. :)
I often question my own taste when people don't like books I recommend, so I get that one.
OMG OMG OMG I am so jealous!!! I adore Liz! Would love to be in an audience with her and ... anyone! Heard she was once with Anne Lamott - now that would have been a hoot!! I have heard of Ann Patchett but don't know her stuff. DO you have pics? Where was this? Did you watch the TED video? I linked to it on my blog too and LOVED it. It's been inspiring me all week. Liz came to me in my morning meditation as "lustrous Liz" inspiring my creativity and humor. It's working! ha! :)
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