I had a dream; I am a liar

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

A flight of unexpected corporate work came in, and I was awake most of the night getting it done. At 5:30 AM I thought it might be best to close my eyes for an hour or so, today being a teaching day at Penn. I pulled two blankets to my chin on the downstairs couch and didn't sleep until, suddenly, I was trapped in the net of a flash dream. It went something like this:

I was at a crowded bookstore, doing a Handling the Truth event, which is to say teaching a memoir workshop. A pretty young writer approached, clutching Jane Mendelsohn's magnificent American Music to her breast.

"I so loved this book, thank you for writing it," she said.

"Oh," I said. "It's a lovely book, a beautiful book. But I didn't...."

Interrupting me, the young writer began to speak, in detail, of her book love.  I nodded—of course, of course; I had raved about it endlessly myself.  "But," I kept saying.  "But...."  Thwarted time and again in my desire to disclose as she went on and on. Then, interrupting herself, she said, "I guess some author is here for the Handling the Truth event."

I nodded.

Leaning close, she confided, "I'm not staying for that. The book seems a tad overdone."

I never got to say what was true—about American Music, about Truth.

I hate that.

5 comments:

Melissa Sarno said...

Hmmm. : ) And. I am obsessed with this photo.

Beth Kephart said...

My dear Melissa, I found her in this very posh designer mall in north Miami Beach. Gucci, I believe.

I totally dug her green hair. Green being the color of ...

Melissa Sarno said...

So strange, I rarely come back to a blog once I comment but I came back to save the photo! Now I see your words and it reminds me of something... so this, Beth, must be her song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgaQK839LxA

KFP said...

Beth: What a funny dream. You are in good company in real life. John Irving has told the story -- you probably know it -- of how he was sitting on a plane and a passenger was reading one of his books, perhaps Garp. Irving was debating whether or not to reveal himself as the author when the passenger angrily threw the book to the ground. She may even have uttered something like "what a piece of ____" though I may be misremembering the tale. And you knowGarp is a magnificent book. And you were only dreaming.

I actually came here to get the dates of your upcoming signing in Philadelphia for Handling the Truth, as I am updating Local LIT. Also, so I can mark my calendar to be there.

Don't worry. It will be magnificent.

Kelly H-Y said...

Oh my goodness ... what a funny dream (and, no worries, no one would say that about your books!!).

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