Laugh in Durham, make art in Apex

I dare say that no one who was at the Life is a Verb reading last night at The Regulator bookshop in Durham, North Carolina, will ever forget this man. He was the entertainment, not me, and what an extraordinary pleasure to be in the presence of his fantastic madness and questions and more. I've no idea who he is, but for that bright shining hour he captivated me (us).

I'll catch you (and me!) up on book tour news soon, I promise, as well as post essays about crossword puzzles and Spongebob that have been in the works. Doing all this on the road is more difficult than I imagined, because I also like to sleep periodically. Smile. So, photos to come from Canton and Cleveland and Reston and DC and Durham and more.

Until then, you might enjoy this interview with me that was posted recently on Women on Writing. I'm learning a lot from my answers to the questions people are posing to me. Here's an excerpt:

"I think in order to reclaim awe, we have to give up caring too awfully much about what other people think of us. Sometimes we hide our exuberance because we fear we might look naïve or foolish. I would scream with joy at seeing the ice cream truck, but you’d make a note in my personnel file. I was in Madison, Wisconsin, recently for a book reading and my host, Jodi Cohen, took me with her to sing for Jewish services at a senior citizen center. The speaker talked about the Ten Days of Awe that those of the Jewish faith were celebrating at the time. “The first time something remarkable happens,” she said, “we call it a miracle. But when it continues to happen, we just call it ordinary.” I think we can get back to seeing things as a miracle if we give up wondering or caring how others will perceive us."

Tonight (Nov 19), I'll be making art and reading at the Artists' Oasis in Apex, North Carolina, from 4-8pm. Come, join the fun!

Comments

[Rick Hamrick]

Um...were his peeps waiting to collect him at the door?

I can only assume you never felt the experience to be anything beyond unique to the day and time, as opposed to an "oh, my! Where did I leave my small personal-protection object?" kind of feeling.

Someday, I hope to learn more about how this man came to overshadow you, Patti.

David, I get. He can pull that off, even if he must pay later. And, I'm sure he has (pulled it off, and paid the price).

This person? Must. Know. More.

[Sue]

I loved the photo's of the you and the man. They definitely capture the intensity of the interchange. BUT I wanted to get even a snipet of the questions or comments or whatever that made him so entertaining. Those details really are the meat of writing. Probably the tour catching up with you to forget that readers want the details. Hope to hear them soon.
Smiles,
Sue

[amy]

ok girl...
i am lovin your hair...just so you know...
amy