Friday night I participated in a panel discussion with two other authors, Marie Bostwick and Lauren Lipton. It was part of a series done by the Litchfield County Writer’s Project, in conjunction with the University of Connecticut. As soon as I arrived, I met Marie and Lauren and we were instant best friends. We all had dinner with Davyne Verstandig, who is the director of the program and then we went on stage to read from our novels and answer questions from Davyne and the audience.
That’s Davyne on the left, then me, Marie and Lauren.
Afterwards, there was a book signing and guess who I met? THE MAN OF THE BLOG!
Yes, our very own Alan had driven all the way from his part of Connecticut to this part of Connecticut just to attend the reading, which was just so sweet. He is even more charming in person than he is on the blog. Here he is with me and a copy of my book, An Innocent, A Broad.
Another regular blog commenter was there. She was too shy to introduce herself, but was very sweet to email me later to say that she had been in the audience. I’m not sure if she wants me to tell you all that she was there, due to said shyness. But, during the discussion, Lauren, Marie and I had mentioned Dorothy Parker so this particular blog reader/attendee sent me an email with this poem, which is fitting, because Denis nixed the black dress in the end.
THE RED DRESS
by Dorothy Parker
I always saw, I always said
If I were grown and free,
I’d have a gown of reddest red
As fine as you could see,
To wear out walking, sleek and slow,
Upon a Summer day,
And there’d be one to see me so
And flip the world away.
And he would be a gallant one,
With stars behind his eyes,
And hair like metal in the sun,
And lips too warm for lies.
I always saw us, gay and good,
High honored in the town.
Now I am grown to womanhood. . . .
I have the silly gown.
Thank you all for your advice/opinions. It was so much fun to hear what you all thought. I didn’t tally the votes, but it seemed to be leaning toward the red dress anyway. I’ll post a photo of me wearing it with shoes, makeup, hair and hopefully staring, slack-jawed and drooling, at the gallant one himself, and his beautiful wife.
Thank you for sharing the wonderful poem. I’m glad you chose the red dress. You will be stunning,slack jawed and drooling or not.
Hi Ann:
looking forward to the photos.
Alan:
nice to meet you!
Love the pic of Alan, so nice to see you both.
Ann,
Looking orward to see the photos also. Nice to mmet you Alan. You will look georgeous in what ever you wear.
Ann, you are a true gem, so down to earth..:)
Hi Alan….Nice pic of you and Alan, so good to put a face with names….
You will look absolutely stunning and looking forward to see you all decked out for the evening…
Sweet poem….
Really great to see pics from the reading and to see Alan!!!
Glad the night went well …
Rock that red dress next weekend!!!!! So exciting!!!
Sounds like you had fun!! Alan’s even cuter than I imagined
You will look fabulous in the red dress. Can’t wait to see pictures!
How absolutely cool is this – a photo of you and one of your bloggers, Alan. I’m loving this!!!! Sounds like it was a terrific evening! Did you have a good time Alan?
Thanks for the poem ! I am also glad you decided upon the red dress! I wish I had made it the other night, not far from me at all, maybe next time!:)
Great poem secret blogger… and Hellooooo Alan really opening yourself up to us buddy.. nice to have a face to “The Man” Sooooo happy the red dress is going to meet the Obamas I feel They are worthy so what happens if you get a stain on it????do they let you keep it ?.Glad the reading went well as the post card says “wish I were there”
Hey, Ann and Alan -
Glad you got to meet….. And glad the evening went well. Can’t wait to see pictures of next weekend – wahoooo!!
Great pictures! Glad you had fun and had the chance to meet Alan. I am so happy you are going to wear the red dress!!! It was my first choice for you.
Christine
Kudo’s on the red dress selection! I have some friends who used to play in a wonderful, hilarious power pop group in Chicago, “The Elvis Brothers”. They had a great song “Red Dress” and you should run it by your esteemed husband: “baby’s got a red dress, and I ain’t getting no rest, we like to leave the house a mess when my baby wears her red dress”. It’s on Itunes under Graham Elvis – check it out if you have time.
Thanks Ann for sharing the pictures and how things went at the reading. I also enjoyed hearing what our fellow bloggers who went thought of it all…thankyou. And how wonderful to see what Alan looks like…Hi Alan!! I agree that it’s nice to put a face to our “Man of the Blog”!
That poem, “The Red Dress”, is so perfect! But I was thinking of Denis as the gallant one (“And flip the world away. And he would be a gallant one, With stars behind his eyes, And hair like metal in the sun, And lips too warm for lies.”) and you as the beautiful wife while I was reading through the poem.
I so look forward to seeing you all dressed up in your red gown and hearing how the evening went. I can only imagine the thrill of meeting the Obama’s in person. Wondering if Denis will be speaking at all? I’ve seen a couple of these dinners on TV in the past and they were hilarious!!
That is so awesome to see you and one of the bloggers. The Red one it is, the truth is you look beautiful in both, cannot wait to see the whole outfit. Also watching DL tonight on Actors Studio, can’t wait. I wish I could have gone to the book signing. thx for the photo.
Ann:
Probably everyone knows that DL is on Actor’s studio today at 7m pst.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KkMSkmx7sM
found this one. Tina and Ike, regardless of how their lives were, still able to create this. And Specter, regardless of what he is being judged on today – killing somebody charges – was able to come up/envision the music for the background.
I hope smarts do not come together with crazy, that this was only a fluke.
Interpretation of Ann’s excerpt for Lady Chatterley’s:
interpretation:
Connie felt some curiosity as she listened to her husband’s caregiver telling tales about other people from the village. She rationalized/reprimanded herself, that she should respect the feelings of those the conversation was about. Connie patches things up in her mind by thinking that even satire has an element of empathy(somebody cares at some level)Connie now brings in the novella writing concept, and incorporates that the writer can blend into the story that empathy, and curiosity, and make the readers rejoyce at some instances and be repulsed at others. Connie continues to analyze that it is in those tight spots where the core of human emotion displays itself that the empathy can understand, clean and refresh.
Nice pictures…nice to meet you Alan..also, nice choice on the dress…like the poem and love Colleen’s lyrics..have fun !
Not only is DL on the Actor’s studio tonight, but he will also be on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart at 11:00.
Lupe, that Ike and Tina video is FANTASTIC. Wow. Just wow.
And I love your interpretation of the DH Lawrence passage. Especially the line, “it is in those tight spots where the core of human emotion displays itself that empathy can understand, clean and refresh.” Nice.
And Jane, I feel like an awful wife for not immediately thinking of my husband as the “gallant one,” but thinking, on rather more grandiose terms, of the president of the United States.
Ann, lol…don’t give it a second thought. You will be attending a very major event and I would expect nothing less than grandiose thoughts
Thanks for passing along the info on the Actor’s studio and Daily Show.
Thanks Lupe for the youtube clip…I agree with Ann…wow! Her singing gave me goosebumps, especially that song. And also thankyou for the interpretation! My brain was really struggling…now it all makes perfect sense
Thanks to all of you for the kind words; I am flattered (and a wee bit embarrassed).
Just as Ann had promised, the panel discussion on Friday evening was both fun and interesting, even for us non-writers. Davyne (the moderator) asked a number of basic yet thought-provoking questions, such as (I’m paraphrasing here) “When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?”, “What books are by your bedside?”, and “Who are your literary grandmothers (and grandfathers)?” Among the writers cited as influences were Dorothy Parker (by Lauren Lipton), John Cheever (by Ann), and Edith Wharton (by Marie Bostwick).
It’s still hard to believe that Ann, Marie, and Lauren had just met; like old friends, the camaraderie among the three of them was pitch perfect. They were all articulate, opinionated, and funny, and their observations and insights about the writing process and the publishing business were fascinating. My best friend is a published author, and I now have a greater appreciation of his craft (and his livelihood).
As for meeting Ann herself: well, three days later, I’m still chuckling about THE MOMENT OF RECOGNITION when, after I introduced myself, Ann suddenly realized who I was. I was pretty nervous, but she was absolutely giddy with excitement! It was a funny and charming moment that I won’t soon forget.
It won’t surprise any of you to learn that Ann is a total babe in person (I think I just wandered into “Wayne’s World” territory here). And she was so very gracious with the time she spent chatting with me. Most importantly, she is everything we’ve come to know and love about her from this blog. Ann is the genuine article, folks, the real deal.
See, I told you he’s charming!
Aww…thanks so much Alan for sharing your thoughts on the evening and on Ann herself. I enjoyed reading your post and your confirmation of what we all believe Ann to be. The description you provided of Ann as being a “total babe” works for me
There are many things that attracted me to Ann’s blog and Ann herself…her genuieness was certainly one of them. It easily comes through in all of her writings.
I didn’t vote but was secretly rooting for the red dress. It is fabulous on you!
How fun to read my spiritual grandmother’s poem today.
Aw man, the red dress won! You’ll look wonderful though. Have FUN!!! C’mon Denis…the black one, the black one!!!