Y’all come on down

September 16, 2007 in Uncategorized

November is a really lovely time to visit my town, here in the mountains of North Carolina.

The weekend of November 16-18 should be especially lovely, I’m thinking, capped with a tiny reading by yours truly at Asheville’s spectacular independent bookstore, Malaprop’s, from 3-4pm on Sunday, November 18th.

[More importantly, you can watch Emma march with her sousaphone in her high school band during the Holiday Parade the Saturday afternoon of that weekend. Who on earth could resist that?]

On that Sunday, I think I’ll read in a British accent or a Scottish one or as a wacky New Zealander from Paper Road, just to amuse myself and keep myself from wondering if I’m popping my "p’s" on the microphone, if I have a poppy seed between my right front tooth and that canine one, or if everyone in the audience is thinking to themselves either "I could write better than that" or "bread, orange juice, paper towels…what was that other thing?"

I’ll be reading with a Neela Rao, a colleague from a writing class I took last spring as part of the Great Smokies Writing Program, and would love to see you there, if you’re in the area.

Makes me nervous, just thinking about it. I’d better step up my aggressive moisturizing.

About Patti Digh

Patti Digh is an author, speaker, and educator who builds learning communities and gets to the heart of difficult topics. Her work over the last three decades has focused on diversity, inclusion, social justice, and living and working mindfully. She has developed diversity strategies and educational programming for major nonprofit and corporate organizations and has been a featured speaker at many national and international conferences.

3 comments to " Y’all come on down "


Rick

September 18, 2007 AT 5:58AM

Emma must be one of a kind, Patti! It may be common practice today, but when I was in marching band, we had no ladies on the larger brass instruments. One played french horn and a few, trumpet. No sousaphonists, though, or trombone players.

While we won’t be in Ashville to hear your reading, I’m hopeful that you will give us the inside scoop after the fact.

My wife is in love with the Ashville area, having grown up in the Piedmont of NC (Lexington). I have NC roots, as well: my hatching occurred in the hospital of the University of North Carolina.

We’ll be thinking of you that day in November!

Jack Yan

September 19, 2007 AT 8:34AM

I wonder what accent you eventually adopted (remember, a good Kiwi accent takes a lot of rehearsing of fush and chups).

catherine

September 19, 2007 AT 4:10PM

I’m there. Cheering for Emma. And you too.