Tell Me Your Story

I've spent most of my life going to shows. I've seen almost every band I've ever loved and racked up a huge box full of ticket stubs from every venue in Dallas and beyond. It's the closest thing I have to a hobby. But every hobby needs a little refresher--I know knitters who throw in a little crochet once in a while to keep things interesting, and painters who dabble in drawing. For my purposes, I've added a new type of performance on top of my constant rotation of rock shows--the author lecture. I realize that this is not very rock and roll, but ever since seeing a fascinating presentation from Ian McEwan a few months ago, I'm sold. You get a fascinating insight into the writing process, and you often get to see audience members make a complete ass out of themselves during the question and answer portion. And sometimes, in the case of Colson Whitehead's appearance as part of the Dallas Museum of Art's Arts and Letters Live, you get to see a rising literary star before he or she truly hits the big time. And some day, when he's an Oprah's Book Club star, you can say you saw him before he made it big. Like that time you saw Nirvana at Trees. Whitehead will speak on his latest book Sag Harbor, among other things, at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the UTD Conference Center, 800 W. Campbell Road. Visit dallasmuseumofart.org for more information.
Fri., May 1, 7:30 p.m., 2009