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Articles Conference Reviews |
2007BFeatureFinnFeatured B Session: “Who I Am, and Who I Think I Am” Speaker: Dorothy Allison I have friends who are music groupies. They are those of the backstage pass, the front row ticket, and the autographed t-shirt. They wait by the tour bus and are well versed in the history of every band member and every song. They are present for sound check and usually know where the band will be staying that night. One of my music groupie friends bursts into tears whenever any of her music idols take the stage; she’s on the verge of tears from the moment she’s bought her ticket. I’m not a music groupie. I, like many of those in the audience Thursday morning, am a literature groupie. Probably the most pivotal point in my life occurred when I met my literary hero, Margaret Atwood. I was tongue tied as I stood in front of her, waiting for her to scrawl her name and best wishes on my piece of paper. Literature groupies carry the books of their favorites around and wait in line to speak to their idol. We say things like, “I remember reading your book when I was in high school,” “My students love your book,” or “Your book changed my life.” Dorothy Allison’s session, entitled “Who I Am, and Who I Think I Am,” more than satisfied my literature craving. Her speech was part memoir, part call to action, and part stand-up but wholly inspirational. She introduced her speech by disclosing that she had actually left the draft with revisions on the plane. The audience gasped and then chuckled when Allison thanked the many people who had given her notebooks, paper, and scraps to recreate her speech in the hotel room the night before. Leave it to the generosity of her groupies to come to her rescue. She spoke for over 30 minutes reading excerpts from her book Two or Three Things I Know for Sure, chiding us for not “coming out as feminists” in this country, sharing stories of growing up “white trash” in South Carolina, and making her way to California “one woman at a time.” She told us of the women who shaped her life: Audre Lord, Tillie Olsen, Susan Sontag, and Ellen Willis. She enthralled us with the experiences that caused her to explore her own identity and shared with us the challenges of raising a sensitive and conscientious child in today’s world. Today, I hate myself for not taking better notes during her speech, but I was too enamored with her words and her way of speaking. The only legible note that I took during her talk reads: “Dear God, this woman is amazing.” Sessions like hers are what make us continue to attend CCCC and stand up and cheer. Comments? |