Ann Patchett, everyone’s BFF
I need to start this entry with an
admission: I have not read a single Ann Patchett book. I have heard her name
come up in literary circles for over a decade and it is “on my list.” FredShafer uses her material in his workshops at OCWW, but I just haven’t
gotten around to reading Bel Canto, The Commonwealth, and—now, The Dutch House.
I moonlight At Wilson Abbey an
event space and especially show up for book events put on by The Book Cellar
and Women and Children First, as well as book launches held there. As much as I’ve
decried buying more books, I am packing out my shelves more than ever.
Back to Ann Patchett who had a
Chicago appearance to support The Dutch House at Wilson Abbey last week. I
wanted to hear this woman that everyone talks about so glowingly. There were
350 people in the auditorium. I stood in the back. When she came on at exactly
7 pm she apologized for being late??? Then told us that she’d missed an earlier
flight and had to take the next one out of Nashville, being United that was 3
hours delayed. Okay, this sounds like a kerfuffle—then she shared why she missed that first flight. She
was able to get into the dentist office to repair two crowns that had broken.
Okay. So now the stage is set for
a brave, high-functioning woman, not only a writer. She was only a smidgen sedated.
For the next 90 minutes she stood
and spoke non-stop without a moderator or the benefit of an interviewer to
carry part of the load. She spoke extemporaneously and with great wit and
clarity. We were held in the palm of her hand.
She seems to be everyone’s best
friend. She lauded friends’ books and promoted various writers, not just for
their lyrical voice but because they are wonderful humans. She is someone who
can wrangle a favor for you and give one in return.
Ann Patchett reminded me of Charles
Dickens on a speaking tour. Because little money was made in publishing (then
and now) he converted his fame into a speaking tour. Imagine the Beattles in
Yankee Stadium, now picture Charles Dickens coming on stage. He was greeted
like a rock star, once of the most famous people of his day.
“As painstaking a performer as he
was a writer, Dickens had prepared diligently for the tour, rewriting and
memorizing key passages from his books especially for these engagements. He
used a book only as a prop; he was so familiar with the material that he could
improvise with ease.” He spoke for over 2 hours most evenings.
Patchett then took question from
the audience before going to a back table to personalize books. I had to leave
early so did not stay till the end. She outlasted me—and I hadn’t been to the
dentist and rushed to an airport.
Ann Patchett is a class act.
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