LA Times Festival of Books. Patti Smith and Dave Eggers in Conversation with David L. Ulin

The second panel I went to see was Patti Smith and Dave Eggers.  Patti Smith was vibrant while Dave Eggers left the impression that he is a tortured soul.  There was a fun moment, where Patti Smith went over to Dave Eggers and asked him to open her water bottle.


The below are biographical information stolen from the LA Times:


David L. Ulin:  Ulin is the book critic for the Los Angeles Times.  He is the author of 'The Lost Art of Reading' and 'The Myth of Solid Ground.'  He edited 'Another City' and 'Writing Los Angeles,' which won a 2002 California Book Award.

Dave Eggers:  Eggers has written seven books and is the founder and editor of McSweeney's, an independent publishing house based in San Francisco.  Eggers was the recipient of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize's first-ever Innovator's Award and was the 2009 Book Prize winner in Current Interest for 'Zeitoun.'

Patti Smith:  A writer, performer and visual artist, Smith gained recognition in the 1970s for her revolutionary mergence of poetry and rock.  Her album ' Horses,' bearing Robert Mapplethorpe's renowned portrait, has been hailed as one of the top 100 albums of all time.  Her memoir, 'Just Kids,' won the 2010 National Book Award and is finalist for the 2010 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Current Interest.

Here are my imperfect notes from the panel discussion:

Patti Smith.  She left public life in 1979. She didn’t stop writing; however. She spent 16 years writing prose. She was friends with Robert Mapplethorpe. Her book “Just Kids” is about that friendship. Poetry is code while a memoir is more generous. "Coral Sea" is a personal letter to Robert while the memoir is for the people.

It took her awhile to write this book. She had felt a lot of loss in her life. Her husband. Robert Mapplethorpe. She attempted to focus the book on Robert. Folks don’t know much about Robert other then that he took controversial photos and died from AIDS. Robert wasn’t much of a reader and so she wrote her book in a style that she felt he’d actually enjoy reading.

We live in an age where people aren’t truthful in their writings. Books should not be used to settle scores. One needs to look at people holistically.

Feels her role models were various oral poets. Doesn’t feel that she needs to be just a singer or a poet or an author. Did folks tell Michelangelo that he could only work in a single medium?

Feels that being a writer is both a blessing and a curse. Whenever she goes to a movie, she is re-writing it. When she goes to a party, she finds herself writing about it. Artists are always a little removed from life. Condemned to observe.

People are called to be something. One becomes like Jonah, you become dogged by it. You must do it.

Can we live in an atmosphere of truth?

She told a story about running into poet Allen Ginsberg at a cafeteria.  She was starving and was able to find $0.50 in her apartment.  She went to this cafeteria where you put money in a slot to get your food.  She put in her $0.50 and the slot wouldn't open.  She realized the price had gone up a dime.  Someone came over and offered her the dime, it was Allen Ginsberg.  She went over to eat with him.  After a brief conversation, he looked at her and asked, "Are you a girl?"  The message was clear, he'd thought she was a boy.  She asked, "Should I return the sandwich?"

Note: She wrote something on a piece of paper and tucked it into her pocket. She was asked what she wrote. "I wrote amplify," she responded. She always uses the word magnify and finds it redundant. Dave had used the word amplify and she felt it was a good synonym to use.


Dave Eggers. He has trouble reading memoirs, because he keeps on thinking about how his could have been improved. Wrote his in 8 months. Considers it a very sloppy, painful book. He thinks that Patti Smith’s book is beautiful.

He didn’t realize how permanent a book was. He decided to put the phone numbers of his friends into the book (with their agreement). What was the worst that could happen? Folks started to call his friends. After each addition, he’d make changes to the book. As books are permanent, he feels you have to be responsible in how your write it.

In regards to his diverse career:  When a door opens, you go through it.

When he was making money as a writer, he felt guilty. Ridiculous to make a living that way. There is a lot of hard work, but was feeling guilty. "Is that some kind of twisted Catholicism?"




For a more professional review, go to this article written at the LA Times.