Things Ann Beattie Said

This weekend I was in the same room with the amazing Judy Blume. She was in Atlanta as part of the Jewish Film Festival to promote the new film, “Tiger Eyes,” directed by her son Lawrence Blume, and the whole thing made for an enjoyable Sunday afternoon. We didn’t get a lot of time with  Judy herself, but it didn’t matter because she was lovely and ebullient and inspiring, and the film was also really well done.

The whole experience reminded me of seeing another author, Ann Beattie, last spring. Because I got to meet her in person (and actually stand there and share a glass of wine with her), that experience affected me even more than seeing the great Judy Blume. Ann was the keynote speaker for an award ceremony hosted by Georgia Perimeter College, and I remember I was literally shaking when I met her. I used to want to be Ann Beattie, after all, until I found out I didn’t have the talent or the drive to do so. (Still, her short stories are nuggets of literary perfection; often, even on a second or third read, they  leave me feeling stunned, awed, breathless, and almost a little confused by what I’ve just read. “Janus,” and “Where You’ll Find Me,” come to immediate mind, though there are many others.)

I’m not sure if the others at my table thought I was being rude, but as she delivered her talk, I took a few notes on my phone, wanting to preserve as much of this great writer’s wisdom as I could. I have to say, months later, that she said much, much more than what I noted down, and I’m sorry I didn’t take better notes. Still, I remember feeling in awe about it all, and I still nod, reading these, so I share them with you, hoping you might nod, as well.

“Being the Brightest of the Bright [as a writer] almost guarantees you’ll be only a shooting star . . . Would anyone want to be a Writer’s Writer, rather than a commercial success?”

“A writer as mere reader can feel the heat rising from the page.”

“Interjecting the sense of smell is always difficult.”

“Hard work also goes into being a mediocre writer.”

“Sometimes the best buzz is the sound of bees among flowers. All buzz doesn’t come from Manhattan.”