Last night, as part of the Dekalb County Public Library's Author Talks series, I went to a reading by author Anne Lamott and her son, Sam.
When I learned about the event a week or two ago, I debated about whether or not to go. Lamott's book Bird by Bird is a classic about the craft of writing, and I've owned a well-loved copy of it for years. But to be honest, I haven't read any of Lamott's other books and wasn't particularly interested in the topic of the talk, the new book on which she collaborated with Sam about the birth of his son and her own transition into grandmotherhood. So I was torn, but in the end I decided to go.
Sam and Anne Lamott
The Lamotts took turns reading passages from the new book, Some Assembly Required, and bantered a bit in between. The readings were funny, and moving, and the familial chemistry between mother and son was clear: these are two people who genuinely not only love, but like each other. After the readings, they took a few questions from the audience. Some were about this book specifically, while others were about the craft of writing. It was nice to see that I wasn't the only one who came to the event because of BbB.
Following the Q & A, the Lamotts signed copies of SAR. As the crowd began to form a line, Anne made her way to the signing table and passed by where I was, and stopped to chat with me. She saw I was holding my copy of BbB and graciously offered to sign it (so often, authors won't sign anything but their current book, let alone a dog-eared paperback copy of an old one). She was very kind, and before she continued on toward the signing table, she thanked me for coming and gave me a hug.
Anne Lamott and me, now BFFs (well, okay, not really)
Hearing Lamott speak in her honest, funny way about writing reminded me that it's important for me to make time for literary "stuff" in my life--writing, reading, and talking to others who love those things. Even just flipping through BbB while I was waiting, re-reading passages I'd underlined long ago, I found myself nodding a lot and thinking, "YES, that makes sense." I'm really glad I decided to take a chance on this event.
