Listening to Anne Lamott speak at The Depot last night was such a treat. Phoebe and I LOVE "Bird by Bird" and she was able to get her copy signed after Ann spoke about and read from her new novel "Imperfect Birds". Anne's voice as a speaker and as a writer is generous, open, witty and authentic. This is her home town and so the large group packed into the tiny space was filled with her family and life long friends and the love in the room was infectious. If you haven't read any of her work I would highly recommend "Bird by Bird" and am looking forward to reading "Operating Instructions" soon. My favorite part of her talk has to do with the title of her new book which is taken from this Rumi poem: "Each must enter the nest made by the other imperfect bird" I'm paraphrasing her but she said something like close friends are life's saving grace. They invite you into their messy, ragtag, imperfect nest and there is warmth and protection and maybe there's a nice cup of tea and their face is there saying I can't stop the hurt or get it off of you but I can keep you company. The she went on to talk about the comfort and value of hearing "me too" and how that is what makes is possible to get through the challenges life puts out there whether it's in work, parenting, love, illness or death. We all need to feel that connection to others and know that we are not in it alone, you know? I totally get that and I totally love Anne Lamott. Thanks for reading and thanks for offering a "me too" every now and then...Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Listening....
Listening to Anne Lamott speak at The Depot last night was such a treat. Phoebe and I LOVE "Bird by Bird" and she was able to get her copy signed after Ann spoke about and read from her new novel "Imperfect Birds". Anne's voice as a speaker and as a writer is generous, open, witty and authentic. This is her home town and so the large group packed into the tiny space was filled with her family and life long friends and the love in the room was infectious. If you haven't read any of her work I would highly recommend "Bird by Bird" and am looking forward to reading "Operating Instructions" soon. My favorite part of her talk has to do with the title of her new book which is taken from this Rumi poem: "Each must enter the nest made by the other imperfect bird" I'm paraphrasing her but she said something like close friends are life's saving grace. They invite you into their messy, ragtag, imperfect nest and there is warmth and protection and maybe there's a nice cup of tea and their face is there saying I can't stop the hurt or get it off of you but I can keep you company. The she went on to talk about the comfort and value of hearing "me too" and how that is what makes is possible to get through the challenges life puts out there whether it's in work, parenting, love, illness or death. We all need to feel that connection to others and know that we are not in it alone, you know? I totally get that and I totally love Anne Lamott. Thanks for reading and thanks for offering a "me too" every now and then...
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6 comments:
I love Anne Lammott - first discovered her when I was raising my little boy and I still have my copy of "Operating Instructions" - so I highly recommend it! I'll have to check out the ones you've recommended. Lucky girl to be there in the same town. Inspiration so close, it's gotta rub off!
A signed copy. What a blessing! I have read "Bird by Bird" in the past but am off to revisit it once again. Thanks for the heads up on the new title!
How lucky you guys were to go to an Anne Lamott reading! I LOVE her too and have a few of her non-fiction books on CD. She has such a fabulous philosophy on life. What a rich evening it must have been :) She's a jewel, just wish she'd write more books more often!
I love her! I just picked up Bird by Bird to read on my cross country trip. I really loved her book about grace. How inspiring!
I've always wanted to MEET Anne and give her a bouquet of wild flowers. Traveling Mercies made me laugh and cry , much needed the fall my mother passed away. I found you from a magazine and delighted to read about her first.
beth...
i love this post.
i love that you introduced me to a new author, whom i can.t believe i haven.t yet read.
and
also the bravo show...i read the article and it sounds like their home is even crazier than mine, which is hard to produce.
thanks for always sharing the joys of your heart.
you are a dear.
happy tree hugging this weekend.
never been!
c
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