1. I love it when a writer of keen intellect and elegant prose turns out to be, herself, an elegant, gracious, and keenly intelligent person. Today Louise Steinman, author of The Souvenir, visited Lane Community College and spoke movingly about the story of unearthing her father's WWII letters after he died in 1990 and how the discovery of a Japanese flag he had brought home from the war led Steinman to travel to Japan to return the flag to the family related to the Japanese soldier whose name was on the flag. I wrote Three Beautiful Things about this book back in September, 2007, here.
2. I was invited to a luncheon with Louise Steinman and was asked to invite three of my students. Marla, Teresa, and Alex all beamed to be in Steinman's company. It's no wonder. Louise Steinman listened intently to the students' own stories about family members who'd been in combat, as well as their comments about their lives. She valued the students, respected them, and helped them see that greatness is as much a matter of spirit as it is in achievement through publishing.
3. It was a movie to challenge the senses with its frantic pace and techno throbbing soundtrack, but my World Lit class seemed enthralled and excited by our viewing of Run, Lola, Run at 8:00 this morning. It's a hypnotic study of love, chance, and the way the slightest occurrence can result in the direst of consequences, but alter that occurrence very slightly and the consequences can be considerably sweeter.
1 comment:
The whole experience with Louise sounded rewarding.
Post a Comment