at Lighthouse on the lovely, the talented Tobias Wolff. He swept into Denver, blew us away with two great readings (actual gooseflesh was spotted after "Bullet in the Brain"), waxed philosophical in an on-stage chat with Eli Gottlieb (complete with the stroking of the moustache and chin, a few worrisome backleans in his chair), told great stories about his friendship with Raymond Carver, about how parenting cured him of teaching sternly, and how various life events have and haven't made it into his fiction. Later, he chatted Sopranos, war, and family dogs over dinner on the rooftop terrace at Tamayo, where he also read a new story---this all on Saturday. Then Sr. Wolff wooed another audience at the Tattered Cover LoDo on Sunday. In his packed seminar, "The Truth of Fiction, the Lies of Memoir," it was impossible to take down all the nuggets of wisdom without getting a hand cramp. His take, which is one that yours truly will tape to the computer, is that in writing the "right choice is the one that trusts the reader the most." Also, if you're writing memoir or fiction, opening your eyes to your own nature is a sure path to "truth." We don't recommend pursuing this regimen without first consulting your psychotherapist. (And if you do, please read paragraph 5, line 3 of our Disclaimer.)
Thanks, all, who came out this weekend. It was one for the record books.
