Wednesday, July 20, 2011

I'd Still Own the Film Rights and Be Working on the Sequel

Here are the remnants of a stone building.

While I was reading that book Shadow Tag last week, I realized that Louise Erdrich was the first author I ever saw read in person before. Then I started thinking about all of the readings/speeches I've been to and decided to make a list - kind of like those things on Facebook where people list all the concerts they've been to, but WAY nerdier. Ready?

Fiction:

Louise Erdrich
Maya Angelou (twice)
Denis Johnson
Dan Chaon
Dave Eggers
Tom Barbash
Ethan Canin
Lorrie Moore
Michael Cunningham (Pulitzer winner)
TC Boyle
Lan Samantha Chang
Marilynne Robinson (Pulitzer winner)
John Irving (twice)
Michael Chabon (Pulitzer winner)
Paul Harding (Pulitzer winner)
Colm Toibin
Toni Cade Bambara

Poets:

Derek Walcott
John Ashbery

Non-Fiction/Speakers:

Ralph Nader
Walter Mondale
Jesse Jackson
Angela Davis
Noam Chomsky

I'm sure there are a few that I've forgotten, but I think I've caught most of them there. I sorely regret missing Kurt Vonnegut read the million times or so he was on campus and I'd still really love to see Joy Williams and Toni Morrison at some point if they ever come here, that is. Looking at these lists, I do feel pretty damn lucky to live in a community so rich in literature.

7 comments:

silly rabbit said...

I wish I could have heard Kurt Vonnegut too! But John Irving would have been another great experience that I'd wished I'd been able to attend.
Lots of marvelous names here... you are one lucky gal!

rel said...

Churlita,
My list is much shorter, like non existent. But then I live in no man's land. :)
rel

laura b. said...

That is ver impressive! I'm envious. Each of those people would be someone I'd be interested in hearing speak.

Unknown said...

I thought you were at the Ted Kooser reading too?

booda baby said...

Yes, you are - lucky to live in literature land. We've got quite a few authors who live here, but only TC Boyle's read lately. It's a fricking wasteland dressed up as paradise.

dmarks said...

You should go up the river a little ways and see this interesting stone building. It's got caves.

dmarks said...

And I recently caught Sebastian "Perfect Storm" Junger when he came to town.