For those of you who don’t know, the alternatives to being a sensuist are pretty bleak, especially if you take Jake Adam York and Chris Ransick’s word for it. They both made their case for stripping off the “calluses over the senses” and walking through the world like a giant receptor. The two didn't see eye to eye on everything, though. Thoroughly debated were issues like: Is it possible for the writer be replicated, through his or her work, in 100 years? Does pizza making rate with transubstantiation? Can a person have a “relationship” with a literary ghost? (Things got kind of racy, there.)
Following in Rothman’s martini-sipping footsteps, Ransick tantalized the audience by opening a nice bottle of red and tasting it throughout the talk, all in keeping with his Epicurean thesis. For his part, York made the comment that, upon being asked to speak on the topic of "Becoming a Sensuist," he felt like a “jackass” for not knowing what a sensuist was. (“And I really wanted to wait until I was up here to be a jackass,” he confessed, to an appreciative, well-oiled crew.)
In the end, Ransick wants us all to become a sensuist not only to improve our writing, but also to improve ourselves. York says, Become a sensuist. Go to the next level with your writing, and burn the bridge behind you. Or something like that. (The bartender had a heavy pour.) Thanks to the Jet Hotel for hosting.
--AD
