I am deeply immersed in the timeless world of travel, or rather visiting which is what I have been doing for several days now. I have officially lost all sense of how long I have been doing this, four days feeling like twelve. Time is a blur of dinners, and lunches with friends, a series of strange beds and children, new dogs and beer at the pub. A drive through my favorite city, over the golden gate bridge, through Sausolito, Mill Valley, and a picnic at Muir Beach. All of this activity has caused my husband to come down with a nasty kind of flu-like illness, so he is now on the couch in an attempt to sleep off the dreaded bug.
I have been sitting in the yard immersed in Pam Houston's "Cowboy's are my Weakness" a recent purchase from a used bookstore. My dear Christian Kiefer, whom we are staying with is friends with Pam, so I have been receiving little glimpses into her interesting and adventurous sounding life, (I am careful not to make assumptions about how an author lives, there is a tendency on the part of readers to idealize people and their situations). Reading her gives me more reason to document the little happenings of my life, and shape them into stories (all too often I question my ability in this realm). I think good writers have the gift of valuing their own unique perspectives on the world, instead of worrying about whether or not a story is interesting. A tin can can be interesting if viewed by attentive and thoughtful eyes.
I received a gift from Mr. Kiefer of a copy of "Stevenson's Travels with a Donkey", illustrated by the incredible Roger Duvoisin, who I am now researching, (he wrote and illustrated the famous kid's book "Petunia".) It begins with an inscription which I wrote on the first page of my favourite new leatherbound journal (an early birthday gift from my husband):
"Every book is, in an intimate sense, a circular letter to the friends of him who writes it. They alone take his meaning, they find private messages, assurances of love, and expressions of gratitude, dropped for them in every corner. The public is but a generous patron who defrays the postage. Yet though the letter is directed to all, we have an old and kindly custom of addressing it on the outside to one. Of what shall a man be proud, if he is not proud of his friends?" ~Robert Louis Stevenson
Posted by kerismith at June 05, 2005 08:15 PMI am missing your wonderful entries this week!
Posted by: Alex on June 12, 2005 01:15 AMI have been thinking about these very same things this day. It really is, I think about giving value to our own lifes, with being present and taking it in. I found a sad letter in an old book, someone foreign to me, an unsent letter. The sadness in it was the way in which the reader reported their life as boring unimportant, I couldn't help but think it was so because they chose to see it that way, and to live it that way.
Posted by: Kim on June 11, 2005 08:04 PMOn the topic of what makes a good writer. I think good writers write in specifics, rather than generalities, and aren't afraid to reveal the details of their lives, even if that means laying bare their imperfections.
Posted by: Kristin on June 9, 2005 10:42 AMwhat a lovely gift from jeff. i'm eyeing the pale pink and mint green 5 x 7 moderno journals!
happy journaling!
~lucy, who also has a close friend named keri :)
Posted by: kaleidoscope lucy on June 8, 2005 12:28 PMWhat a small world--Christian Kiefer graduated the year before I entered UCD...to study with Pam Houston. And you know Christian and now you're reading Pam's book. It's six degrees of separation at work!
I don't believe I ever met you, Christian (if we did it was short and fleeting), but Tony M. played your CD in his office all of the time and he often spoke of you fondly. Your name is well known around the UCD graduate department.
Pam's work is wonderful--definetly read "A Little More About Me" next. I also heard her read from her latest book, "Sighthound", when she came through the East Bay last week.
Posted by: Kate on June 8, 2005 11:53 AMi love your empahsis on not idealizing. i'm adoring of imperfections lately. it's the real bits that seem to make us gloriously unique. you are an insightful and true writer, i want to say please stop questioning this, but i also am thankful that you share your questioning! thank you!
Posted by: mati rose on June 6, 2005 06:38 PMI love "Cowboys are my Weakness". I just moved to San Francisco and that is one of the very few books I brought with me. I've read each story so many times, they're like old friends. Other favorites....Have you read "The Time Traveler's Wife" or "The Dive from Clauson's Pier"?
Enjoy your travels.
Posted by: Katia on June 6, 2005 03:40 PMWhat the hell??!? You stole my copy of Stevenson's Travel with a Donkey?!? But that's my favorite book!! You evil woman!!!!
(Missing you both already. A lot.)
Big love,
CK
Posted by: Christian Kiefer on June 6, 2005 02:21 PMThat Pam Houston book woke me to her existence in the world--funny, amazing, and inspiring to writers!
As your illustrations are to artists. Yay for creative communicators!
Posted by: Nita on June 6, 2005 10:23 AMI just went to Christian's site...wish I'd known you guys would be at that gig in Sacramento on Saturday night...my musician boyfriend and I would have checked it out. (We live in Davis.) As for Pam Houston and the book you're currently reading, I just wrote about both a few weeks ago...
http://marilyn.typepad.com/california_fever/2005/05/synchronicity.html#trackback