I recently attended “An Evening with David Sedaris” at a local venue.  I became a big fan of Sedaris when I was living in New York and a friend of mine suggested I read his work.  I started with “Me Talk Pretty One Day” and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Before this, I wasn’t really into memoirs.  However, with Sedaris, I found something entirely different.  Those of you who are fans know what I’m talking about.  Sedaris has a way of being able to tell a completely cringe-worthy story which makes you laugh.  Do you feel uncomfortable laughing at some of his stories?  Yes.  Is that the whole point?  Yes.

When I heard that he was coming to town, I was very excited.  I knew that I loved his work, but I was also wondering what he would be like in person.  Sedaris was everything I hoped for and more.  People in the audience who already loved him were not disappointed, and newcomers to his work were pleasantly surprised (and somewhat shocked by some of his “racy” stories).  Admittedly, the audience skewed a little older so there may have been more shock than usual.

I guess the most interesting thing I took away from the event is that I was surprised by how vulnerable being in that situation can be.  You’re standing in front of a group of strangers telling stories about your life and sometimes even asking those strangers to laugh at your painful, sad, or embarrassing experiences.  I suppose it’s what every writer feels when they’re publishing their work.  You put all of this effort in trying to create something meaningful, and then you just let it go. *Cue Idina Menzel here*

At the end of his talk, he gave a book recommendation– “This Is The Story Of A Happy Marriage” by Ann Patchett.  I expected Sedaris to read a brief passage and maybe say a few complimentary things about Patchett’s work.  In fact, he did read a passage.  What he did next was the best part.  He went on to say what I would expect to be the greatest compliment a writer could give to another writer. He said that she has a way of capturing emotion better than any writer he’s ever read.  Patchett doesn’t TELL you that her characters love each other.  She SHOWS you that her characters love each other.

I’m not sure if he meant to, but Sedaris was open and honest in a way that I don’t think I could be.  His words were incredibly positive about Patchett’s writing, but it seemed to me that he was admitting something that he struggles with in his own writing.  I came out of the event wondering whether Sedaris feels like he can’t access the same level of emotion as other writers.  Does a person have to be able to feel a wide range of emotions before being able to write about them?  Is it more a question of allowing yourself access to those emotions?

Frankly, if this is something that Sedaris questions about himself, I don’t think he has anything to worry about.  However, I think this type of introspection about one’s own writing is what all writers should be doing.  Sedaris acknowledges successes in the writing of others, and in so doing, is able to point to things that he wants to do better in his own writing.   It’s a continuous journey towards self-improvement and also a great way to view the works of writers that you already enjoy.