3 posts tagged “garrison keillor”
It's been a while since I've done an On My Nightstand post - here's the current stack. I'm in various stages of reading all of these books.
The Elements of Style by Strunk/White - I haven't picked this up in a while, and need to do so soon. It's been in all of my On My Nightstand posts thus far.
The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne - The original Winnie the Pooh has been read and replaced.
Good Poems by Garrison Keillor - Still working on reading this entire wonderful collection.
The Collected Stories by Amy Hempel - These wonderful stories are so short it's easy to pick up and read whenever I have a moment.
Essays of E. B. White - The original master of the personal essay.
I am America (and so can you!) by Stephen Colbert - very hilarious, reading a little every day so as not to finish too fast.
The Elements of Style by Strunk/White - I haven't picked this up in a while, and need to do so soon. It's been in all of my On My Nightstand posts thus far.
The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne - The original Winnie the Pooh has been read and replaced.
Good Poems by Garrison Keillor - Still working on reading this entire wonderful collection.
The Collected Stories by Amy Hempel - These wonderful stories are so short it's easy to pick up and read whenever I have a moment.
Essays of E. B. White - The original master of the personal essay.
I am America (and so can you!) by Stephen Colbert - very hilarious, reading a little every day so as not to finish too fast.
Saturday's
Mo Willems event kicked off an incredible line up of fall book
readings/signings all over the city.
Yesterday I went to see Garrison Keillor at the Union Square Barnes and Noble, for his new novel Pontoon. It made me pleasantly nostalgic because the first book signing I went to after moving to New York was a Garrison Keillor book signing, for the script of A Prairie Home Companion. That was a little over a year ago.
Here's a secret: I don't really like book readings. Might sound strange for someone who goes to so many, but I often get a little bored if an author is just reading a piece of their work. I'd usually rather read it myself. There are exceptions. Garrison Keillor is an exception, because his voice is more soothing than butter. Chuck Palahniuk is another example, because he's a great reader and his stories lend well to vocal performances. But most of the time, I really enjoy hearing the writer talk about the book, writing, and other things, rather than read aloud. And Garrison did just that yesterday. He entertained us with many great ideas, including how he's decided that now, having reached age 65, it's time for cheerfulness.
He read a small (1 or 2 pages) excerpt from the book, but mainly just talked to us and answered questions. That's just the way I like it. It was also fun to get to talk to him for a minute while he was signing my book; after I told him I lived in Hoboken he was interested in hearing all about the Hoboken Ferry.
I've started to notice something about large book signings, especially the ones for authors who are quite famous. In any large group of author fans, there is one person who feels compelled to stand up during the Q&A and pronounce a fact or a personal opinion, rather than ask a question. Often times the person wants to state an opinion about the book or tell how they related to a certain part or character. Then, at the end of their own speech, they somehow work in a pointless question that loosely relates to the opinion they wanted to share. Last night, it was a man who enthusiastically stood up to ask his "question" and said that he first met Garrison Keillor at the corner of 57th and 5th and that he (the "question" asker) asked Garrison if he could yell out "Garrison Keillor!!" and point at him. He then repeated what Garrison said to him at the time, which was "It would be good if you didn't." Glad we all gathered there to hear that. Fortunately, we all moved on from that and all the other questions were intelligent, and Garrison's answers were graceful and witty.
The entire event was filmed and is going to be featured on www.bn.com in October. Garrison was at his best and I highly recommend it to any other GK admirers. I wonder if they'll cut out the part with the 57th and 5th man.
Yesterday I went to see Garrison Keillor at the Union Square Barnes and Noble, for his new novel Pontoon. It made me pleasantly nostalgic because the first book signing I went to after moving to New York was a Garrison Keillor book signing, for the script of A Prairie Home Companion. That was a little over a year ago.
Here's a secret: I don't really like book readings. Might sound strange for someone who goes to so many, but I often get a little bored if an author is just reading a piece of their work. I'd usually rather read it myself. There are exceptions. Garrison Keillor is an exception, because his voice is more soothing than butter. Chuck Palahniuk is another example, because he's a great reader and his stories lend well to vocal performances. But most of the time, I really enjoy hearing the writer talk about the book, writing, and other things, rather than read aloud. And Garrison did just that yesterday. He entertained us with many great ideas, including how he's decided that now, having reached age 65, it's time for cheerfulness.
He read a small (1 or 2 pages) excerpt from the book, but mainly just talked to us and answered questions. That's just the way I like it. It was also fun to get to talk to him for a minute while he was signing my book; after I told him I lived in Hoboken he was interested in hearing all about the Hoboken Ferry.
I've started to notice something about large book signings, especially the ones for authors who are quite famous. In any large group of author fans, there is one person who feels compelled to stand up during the Q&A and pronounce a fact or a personal opinion, rather than ask a question. Often times the person wants to state an opinion about the book or tell how they related to a certain part or character. Then, at the end of their own speech, they somehow work in a pointless question that loosely relates to the opinion they wanted to share. Last night, it was a man who enthusiastically stood up to ask his "question" and said that he first met Garrison Keillor at the corner of 57th and 5th and that he (the "question" asker) asked Garrison if he could yell out "Garrison Keillor!!" and point at him. He then repeated what Garrison said to him at the time, which was "It would be good if you didn't." Glad we all gathered there to hear that. Fortunately, we all moved on from that and all the other questions were intelligent, and Garrison's answers were graceful and witty.
The entire event was filmed and is going to be featured on www.bn.com in October. Garrison was at his best and I highly recommend it to any other GK admirers. I wonder if they'll cut out the part with the 57th and 5th man.
In the spirit of High Fidelity, I'm going to start a "Top Five" feature where I will post my picks for my five favorite things/people in any category that strikes my interest. Today's Top Five was inspired by reading Bill Bryson's African Diary. I started thinking about notable (famous, living) people who inspire me because of the talents they have, the kind of person they are, and the lives they lead. I admire many different people for many different things, so making the top five was no cake-walk. I listed the top five, and wrote a few sentences about why I chose them.
1. Bill Bryson. Bill is the world's best travel writer. He is interested in absolutely everything and describes the details of his journeys masterfully. He's also hilarious. He has travel books about Europe, America, England, and Australia. He wrote a book that details the origins of the universe in a way that conveys the immense wonder and amazement of it all, while still making you laugh. He wrote a beautiful memoir, a tribute to the wonderful lost days of post-war America. He visited Africa with CARE and wrote a diary of his experiences - donating all royalties to CARE. He was given an honorary Order of the British Empire for his contribution to literature. Oh yeah, he's also a loving husband and devoted father.
2. Garrison Keillor. To me, Garrison Keillor is the world's best story teller. I grew up listening to him on Prairie Home Companion, and to this day his voice still sooths me. I respect all that he has accomplished - on the radio, as a writer, in cinema. He is one of a very small handful of people keeping the glory of radio still alive. I love his taste for and appreciation of poetry. His books of selected poems are beautiful. He's a literary hero that no one from our generation can match.
3. Ben Folds. Not only is Ben Folds an original, talented, and fun musician, he is also a stand-up chap. Who else would not only make friends a cab driver who shuttled his band around East Lansing, but invite the cab driver on stage that evening to play harmonica and jam with the band? I work with someone who met Ben at an airport and gave him his cd, and Ben called later and asked him to tour with his band, and was nothing but wonderful the entire tour. Ben's talent and humor are also inspiring. I don't know any other artist who can write songs about love and his children and have them be incredible and sincere without being cheesy. Only Ben.
4. Kurt Vonnegut. Kurt is hard to do justice to in words. He is such an outstanding author. His writing is meaningful, funny, accessible, and relevant. He is a pacifist. I love that he is also interested in art and graphic design. He's just an unbelievably cool, larger than life guy. There's so much to say about Kurt Vonnegut, but I can't do him justice.
5. Johnny Depp. I love how devoted Johnny is to his family. I respect his hatred for paparazzi and his decision to live in France to have a normal life with his girlfriend and children. I love his choice in movies. I love that he likes to play the oddball. He's made amazing film choices, and is an incredible actor.
I'll continue this feature semi-regularly. It's just for fun. I encourage anyone else to comment with picks for their own top five, or to start their own top five on their vox.
1. Bill Bryson. Bill is the world's best travel writer. He is interested in absolutely everything and describes the details of his journeys masterfully. He's also hilarious. He has travel books about Europe, America, England, and Australia. He wrote a book that details the origins of the universe in a way that conveys the immense wonder and amazement of it all, while still making you laugh. He wrote a beautiful memoir, a tribute to the wonderful lost days of post-war America. He visited Africa with CARE and wrote a diary of his experiences - donating all royalties to CARE. He was given an honorary Order of the British Empire for his contribution to literature. Oh yeah, he's also a loving husband and devoted father.
2. Garrison Keillor. To me, Garrison Keillor is the world's best story teller. I grew up listening to him on Prairie Home Companion, and to this day his voice still sooths me. I respect all that he has accomplished - on the radio, as a writer, in cinema. He is one of a very small handful of people keeping the glory of radio still alive. I love his taste for and appreciation of poetry. His books of selected poems are beautiful. He's a literary hero that no one from our generation can match.
3. Ben Folds. Not only is Ben Folds an original, talented, and fun musician, he is also a stand-up chap. Who else would not only make friends a cab driver who shuttled his band around East Lansing, but invite the cab driver on stage that evening to play harmonica and jam with the band? I work with someone who met Ben at an airport and gave him his cd, and Ben called later and asked him to tour with his band, and was nothing but wonderful the entire tour. Ben's talent and humor are also inspiring. I don't know any other artist who can write songs about love and his children and have them be incredible and sincere without being cheesy. Only Ben.
4. Kurt Vonnegut. Kurt is hard to do justice to in words. He is such an outstanding author. His writing is meaningful, funny, accessible, and relevant. He is a pacifist. I love that he is also interested in art and graphic design. He's just an unbelievably cool, larger than life guy. There's so much to say about Kurt Vonnegut, but I can't do him justice.
5. Johnny Depp. I love how devoted Johnny is to his family. I respect his hatred for paparazzi and his decision to live in France to have a normal life with his girlfriend and children. I love his choice in movies. I love that he likes to play the oddball. He's made amazing film choices, and is an incredible actor.
