The Miller/Isaacs show

As I discussed in a previous post, I got to hear Donald Miller and Susan Isaacs speak on Wednesday night, which was a real privilege as they are two of my favourite authors. It was a highly enjoyable night with the only drawback being that I thought there would/could be higher attendance. Come on people!

Susan Isaacs opened the show with a coruscating, witty monologue, based on her book Angry Conversations With God, that showcased her facility at portraying a variety of characters and moods. I enjoyed watching my wife Caitlin's reaction to Susan; I had an idea of what I was going to hear (having read her book), but Caitlin hasn't had the chance to read it yet so she was laughing pretty hard at Susan's highly irreverent and engaging style and stories. Even my (highly conservative) father was enjoying it and I caught many smiles out of the corner of my eye!

Mr. Miller brought his characteristic good humour and thought-provoking stories to the stage about 20 minutes after Susan finished. He was very low-key, but the audience was riveted from the get-go. Don shared some vignettes from his new book, A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, as well as some other stories. The great thing was how he was able to tie what seemed to be a number of highly disparate elements into a cohesive whole that talked about the importance of Story and how that can influence the lives we choose to lead. It was a powerful piece of speaking without being rah-rah, over-the-top, or emotionally manipulative. One of the things I love about Don's writing and speaking is that he is not a proselytizer; rather, he meets people where they are at and engages them in language that they can understand. What I found so revolutionary about Blue Like Jazz when I first read it (and subsequently what I found about books by Anne Lamott), is that it did not try to 'sell' you on a point of view or 'win you over' to a way of thinking. On the contrary, Miller confesses his shortcomings, pokes fun at himself, and admits to not having all the answers--his writing is all about real life: grit, pain, frustration, humour, and ultimately transcendence. On top of that, he tells a good story. It's refreshing.

Perhaps the coolest part of the evening was working up the courage to introduce myself to Susan Isaacs, who totally remembered me from conversing with me on Twitter!! I told her how much I loved her book, the story of how I accidentally stumbled upon it, and how I've been spreading the word about it to friends and loved ones. She was so incredibly down-to-earth and genuinely pleased that the book had had an impact on me and others; we got into a really good conversation and I did my very best to encourage her to continue doing what she is doing. Caitlin thought Susan was wonderful too and we both wished that we could have sat her down on a couch and had a good long conversation with her--she's one of those people that you feel you could talk with all day without ever running out of conversation topics! Plus, she's incredibly animated and really funny!