Monday Night

Whew, now that I have cleared the fog from my brain I can finally tell a bit more about Monday night. Joseph Beth (one of the bookstores nearby) had an event with the four authors of the Memoirists Collective which is pretty amazing because they have three different publishers who all chipped in to send the four to this event. It is also amazing because they came to Cleveland of all places! Now what I have to say is that if you have the chance to see any or all of these authors then don't hesitate. . .GO!

Josh Kilmer-Purcell- who I have written about many times on here, but it was the highlight of my year to meet him in person (Yes, I am that big of a geek! The only thing that could rival that would maybe be meeting Jim Butcher. Has anyone here besides Bill even heard of him?). He is actually very sweet and kind of quiet and really intense, but underneath you can see that wry sort of humor that comes out in his book I Am Not Myself These Days (which if you have not read it yet what the hell are you waiting for?). Unfortunately for me, you can tell just how much he is in love with his current Bf when he talks about him. B., you are one lucky man!

Hillary Carlip- she is an amazingly funny woman. She had the entire audience cracking up with her juggling routine (which was the winning performance from her appearance on the Gong Show). I am almost done with her book Queen of the Oddballs which details a journey through a few decades. Wow, I still have to say the part where her father started dancing at the cotillion was one of the best parts. If you have ever felt like the odd person out, or have struggled to be famous while everyone around you makes, or just want a great read you have to pick up her book. Hillary is such a genuine and sweetly funny woman that you will just fall in love with this book, I guarantee!

Maria Dahvana Headley- Wow, she shines from the inside out and you can see it in her infectious smile and her sparkling eyes. I have her book The Year of Yes next on my reading list. I can't wait to read this because she went through what so many of us go through, shitty dating lives. Essentially she decided to say yes to anyone who asked her out. The chapter that she read to us had me cracking up and got a really bad song stuck in my head. I can't wait to dig deeper into the rest of this book!

Danielle Trussoni- is now the literary darling with her book Falling Through the Earth detailing her dysfunctional upbringing. The part that she read Monday night was enough to wrench your heart, but Danielle seems to have come through it just fine and has taken those experiences and moved right on.