An Evening With Sarah Vowell at Hollins

Hollins President Nancy Gray chats with Sarah Vowell after dinner at Nancy's house.

Sarah at her table, history prof Ruth Doan at the right.

Your favorite editor and Sarah.

It was Sarah Vowell night at Hollins tonight and your favorite editor was part of a group that had dinner with the famous writer at the home of Hollinis President Nancy Gray. As I mentioned to Sarah upon meeting her, it was the first time in my memory that I was nervous about meeting somebody.

This somebody, though, is one we'd like to impress, I suspect, to be remembered by. 

That ain't happenin', but she was gracious and though in a group of total strangers, she held her own nicely. I got the distinct feeling that she is basically shy, but her wit is never more than a hair's breadth away.

Nancy and Sarah chat.

When she asked how I'd like to have her book--which I shoved at her--signed, I said, "Oh, something simple like, 'Last night was wonderful,'" she looked blankly at me and said, "I think I'll keep it simple." Great comic timing all evening.

I'll remember her talk most because 10 minutes into it I had to pee. I was on about the third row and couldn't leave. Twenty minutes into the talk, it was getting painful. Forty minutes in, I was thinking, "Would suicide be tacky?"

I made it through, ran to the bathroom. And met a line of old men ahead of me. Suicide was looking less tacky.