Elizabeth Gilbert Comes to Dallas

By Pamela

If you've followed us much at all here, you know how much we love supporting authors when they come to our area. Not only do I believe it's good karma or kismet but, as a writer, I find it so fascinating to hear an author share her story about how her book came to be. Much like watching the director's cut of a movie with the commentary on, listening to a writer tell about how a story grew from a germ of an idea into a tome you can hold in your hands is so intriguing.

Elizabeth Gilbert 

Soon we will be in the company of Elizabeth Gilbert as she tours through Dallas to promote her new novel, The Signature of All Things. Care to join us?

She will speak at Highland Park United Methodist Church's Authors Live! on Monday night, November 4, at 7 p.m.

Ms. Gilbert returns to her fiction roots in The Signature of All Things following the memoir of her spiritual and geographical journey in Eat, Pray, Love. Multiple narrative threads weave seamlessly into this 18th-19th century saga that is typically Gilbert.

Highland Park United Methodist Church is located at 3300 Mockingbird Lane in Dallas. Ms. Gilbert's appearance is sponsored by The Friends of the Highland Park Public Library and The Friends of the SMU Libraries. The event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and there will be a book signing following the program.

Hope to see you there!

On being a groupie

By Pamela

I've never been a People magazine subscriber. I'm not a fan of celebrity interviews, per se. Nor do I stalk follow many people on Facebook or Twitter I don't personally know, unless they have something interesting to say.

Pinewood Book Club members meet Julie Kibler!

To that end, I will admit that authors tend to draw me in, and I try to not pass up an opportunity to attend a book signing or talk by someone whose work I admire. This month, we in the Dallas area have been fortunate to have several authors stop through on tours.

Of course, Julie has been back in town, making the rounds to local stores. She was even gracious enough to spend a couple hours with my book club friends at my nearby retirement community. They read (or listened to) Calling Me Home this month and seemed to be delighted to have Julie discuss her story with them. The fact that Susan came, too, made it even more special.

Cheryl Strayed signs Joan's copy of Tiny Beautiful Things.

Last Tuesday Susan, Joan and I met at the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) for an evening with Cheryl Strayed. I've read both Tiny Beautiful Things and Wild, so it was wonderful to hear Cheryl speak about her creative process.

Tonight, most of us from What Women Write will be back at the DMA to spend the evening with Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout, author of several books including Olive Kitteridge and her newly-released The Burgess Boys.

Even if you're not close to a big city where authors frequently stop, you can enjoy virtual tours via Facebook or their websites. Also, Oprah's OWN featured her interview with Cheryl Strayed yesterday. My mother, who lives several states away, was able to watch Cheryl's interview, giving us something to share over the miles--a treat for us both.

We'll keep posting about authors as they cross our paths and would love to hear about your experiences, too. As for me, I've dedicated a special section of my bookshelf for my autographed books. Not only did I treasure the stories they told, but each also holds a memory of the time I met the author--typically while in the company of my dear friends.

Me with Susan and Joan at the Cheryl Strayed event.