Just a quick update to say that the talk and the tour are both (thanks to you, Story Club) SOLD OUT. Laura Thom as Oak Hill is keeping a waitlist for the talk.
Oh, man, the cemetery walk would be so cool. Wish I could go. I actually listened to a lot of Lincoln in the Bardo while walking around a cemetery in my neighborhood. I got very emotional hearing all the young soldiers while looking at civil war graves. I hadn’t planned to walk In the cemetery because I was listening to this particular book -it was just one of my walking routes.
How lucky for all those DC fiction readers! It sounds like a remarkable two days. Rob Casper is a dear friend - wildly generous and wicked smart. That will be an amazing conversation. Hope there’ll be a record of that to be shared.
I can't make the LoC event, but hope to see you on the walking tour, George. Am waiting to hear back about available space. Even if I don't see you this trip, it all sounds lovely & I hope you enjoy.
It was a such a pleasure to meet George and spend a gorgeous spring evening at Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown! Laura Thoms and everyone at Oak Hill put together a fabulous event, and George gave us a wonderful craft talk based on his experience writing Lincoln and the Bardo. For me, the main takeaways were about the value of seeking out the writing projects that call to you, especially if they present interesting and hard narrative problems (George feared Lincoln might be too somber, too much of a thematic departure from the zany splendor of his 10th of his December stories); the value of giving yourself permission to do what the project needs (there were key moments when George empowered himself to turn a play into a novel, and to create novelistic bricolage from other people's books); looking for the universal in your characters (the character of Abraham Lincoln consists of a father grieving a child, a famous man who wants to get out of the spotlight, and a man who tones down his own charisma to stay devoted to his wife); and connections between the Tibetan Bardo and what George highlights as skaz in the Swim in the Pond (the sense everyone has that the world is insane but they are not, which George learned from reporting on a a group of homeless guys for GQ magazine).
George - wonderful to see you in the flesh last night at The Library of Congress. Well deserved honor. I came armed with a question but the program didn't provide time for any audience Q&A. So, here is my question. I get the story started and the +/- meter starting the thrum but I want to know, for you, what precedes that. This, no doubt, wanders into the mystical mists of inspiration, but how does the throb of a story present itself to you? Does a character "appear"? (I remember Nabokov once said that he was sitting around his kitchen in Ithaca one Sunday morning and Lolita walked in and said "hi") Does a scene? A situation? A theme? What happens, for you, before the first raw sentence is put down and the meter starts oscillating? Maybe I can narrow this to - "what was the first throb that led you to what became, "Lincoln in the Bardo". Thanks for last night and I join the choir in appreciating what a gift SC has been. Cheers - Stephen Hunter
Was one of the lucky DC readers to attend the LOC lecture. It was sublime and inspiring. Thank you George for your impassioned remarks on the importance of the arts in these “interesting times”.
Just a quick update to say that the talk and the tour are both (thanks to you, Story Club) SOLD OUT. Laura Thom as Oak Hill is keeping a waitlist for the talk.
Thank you all, so much.
This all sounds terrific, Have a great time, George! Wish we could all be there. Do you know if any of this will be filmed for later viewing?
Oh, man, the cemetery walk would be so cool. Wish I could go. I actually listened to a lot of Lincoln in the Bardo while walking around a cemetery in my neighborhood. I got very emotional hearing all the young soldiers while looking at civil war graves. I hadn’t planned to walk In the cemetery because I was listening to this particular book -it was just one of my walking routes.
Congrats on all these events, George!
How lucky for all those DC fiction readers! It sounds like a remarkable two days. Rob Casper is a dear friend - wildly generous and wicked smart. That will be an amazing conversation. Hope there’ll be a record of that to be shared.
Have a great time, George!
I can't make the LoC event, but hope to see you on the walking tour, George. Am waiting to hear back about available space. Even if I don't see you this trip, it all sounds lovely & I hope you enjoy.
Seattle is waiting for you George…
It was a such a pleasure to meet George and spend a gorgeous spring evening at Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown! Laura Thoms and everyone at Oak Hill put together a fabulous event, and George gave us a wonderful craft talk based on his experience writing Lincoln and the Bardo. For me, the main takeaways were about the value of seeking out the writing projects that call to you, especially if they present interesting and hard narrative problems (George feared Lincoln might be too somber, too much of a thematic departure from the zany splendor of his 10th of his December stories); the value of giving yourself permission to do what the project needs (there were key moments when George empowered himself to turn a play into a novel, and to create novelistic bricolage from other people's books); looking for the universal in your characters (the character of Abraham Lincoln consists of a father grieving a child, a famous man who wants to get out of the spotlight, and a man who tones down his own charisma to stay devoted to his wife); and connections between the Tibetan Bardo and what George highlights as skaz in the Swim in the Pond (the sense everyone has that the world is insane but they are not, which George learned from reporting on a a group of homeless guys for GQ magazine).
Have a safe trip.
Boy howdy, does this sound like a grand time, or what?!
I agree, would love to be there but won’t be able attend. I hope there will be a video.
George - wonderful to see you in the flesh last night at The Library of Congress. Well deserved honor. I came armed with a question but the program didn't provide time for any audience Q&A. So, here is my question. I get the story started and the +/- meter starting the thrum but I want to know, for you, what precedes that. This, no doubt, wanders into the mystical mists of inspiration, but how does the throb of a story present itself to you? Does a character "appear"? (I remember Nabokov once said that he was sitting around his kitchen in Ithaca one Sunday morning and Lolita walked in and said "hi") Does a scene? A situation? A theme? What happens, for you, before the first raw sentence is put down and the meter starts oscillating? Maybe I can narrow this to - "what was the first throb that led you to what became, "Lincoln in the Bardo". Thanks for last night and I join the choir in appreciating what a gift SC has been. Cheers - Stephen Hunter
Was one of the lucky DC readers to attend the LOC lecture. It was sublime and inspiring. Thank you George for your impassioned remarks on the importance of the arts in these “interesting times”.
I shall be there in spirit!
Best wishes,
Val Harbolovic
Oh my god- I hope you have a long holiday coming up to rest after this packed schedule of adventures!
Congratulations George. A lot of work but a thing of love you do. Above all have fun.
The LoC has a Youtube account and posts many videos of events there.