A year ago I gave a presentation in the BookKids department at BookPeople in Austin, Tex. I started the presentation by explaining that even though my eyes are open I can’t see. “When I was little, I went to school just like you — and then when I lost my sight I had to go to school and learn to do things all over again,” I told the kids.

Only trouble was, there were no kids in the audience — I had no idea that I was talking to a bunch of adults!

A similar thing happened at the Memoir Writing Workshop at Printers Row Lit Fest yesterday, only in reverse. Wanda Bridgeforth, a student from the memoir-writing class I teach for Chicago’s senior citizens, presented with me, and I assumed the audience was full of seniors like her, eager to learn how to get started writing their own life stories. I talked about how writing can be therapeutic, how memoir-writing in particular is good for memory. Searching for the right word really makes our brains work hard, I told my audience. Knowing that we’ll be writing these memories down on paper makes it all feel more official. That makes us think even harder about the words we use — that’s good for our brains. Wanda chimed in then, saying that when she sees the doctor the very first thing he asks her is, “Are you still writing?” When she answers yes, he says, “Keep it up! It’s good for you!”

It wasn’t until the q&a session afterwards that it started dawning on me. The voices asking the questions were young voices, and if that wasn’t enough of a clue, the questions they asked betrayed their youth. I’d misjudged my audience. They were closer to senior high than they were to senior citizenry.

It stinks being blind sometimes! Had I been able to see, I would have adjusted my talk, spoken more about creative ways to get personal essays and stories published and less about how memoir — writing is good for keeping our brains alert.

Ah, well, couldn’t spend too much time fretting about all that. Session over, it was time to celebrate with my sisters, Flo, Wanda and her family at the author hospitality suite. My sister Marilee sat next to me there, and she quietly acknowledged that my suspicions were right. Most of the audience probably had come looking for something different from our session. She was quick to point out, though, that the younger people could have snuck out early if they wanted. None of them did, she said. “They liked you and Wanda!” We toasted to that sentiment over our sandwiches and sodas, and then again later that afternoon — at Hackney’s, of course!

At last! The great Billy Balducci and the irrepressible Flo meet.

Our Hackney

The great comments you left after reading my post about driving a Mustang convertible got me thinking. Maybe Chicago Public radio would be interested in airing a piece about my 80 mph experience.

Most commentators read their public radio essays.

But that doesn’t work for me. I can read Braille, but I’m very slow. So Joe DeCeault, one of my favorite producers, puts me in front of a microphone, asks me what my essay was about, and I retell the story. Joe refers to my printed essay while we record, which was especially helpful for this car-driving piece. Anyone who has been around me in the past month knows how I can go on and on and on about that Mustang I drove –using my written piece as a guide, Joe cut me off when I gushed over race car driver Tommy Kendall too much. He interrupted if he found something I’d forgotten to mention.

“Tell me about your sister’s 1967 Mustang,” he’d say. Or, “What did they tell you during the safety drill before your ride?”

The resulting radio piece is, in my humble opinion, a joy to listen to. The folks I worked with during my drive in Phoenix sent some sound clips from the event– Joe wove them into the piece. He used some priceless rock ‘n’ roll tunes in the background, too.

Joe’s sound-bit magic brought me right back behind the wheel again. In the driver’s seat. The piece aired this morning on Chicago Public Radio’s 848 show. If you missed it, you can take a listen online. Just be sure to buckle your seat belt first.

That's Tommy Kendall behind the wheel before we headed out and switched places. It was over 100 degrees in Arizona, but he was cool as a cucumber. Thanks to Tommy, at 80 mph, so was I. (Photo by Mike Maez, M2 Autophoto)

Flo, having her cake and eating it, too, at 93.

You know her as the birthday gal who dances with younger men at jazz clubs, the sophisticate who insists on having a phone near the toilet when she stays in a hotel room, the athlete who bounces back from serious injuries – broken pelvis, for example – in record time. Now’s your chance to meet Wonder Woman in person. Flo, my mom, is coming to Printers Row this Sunday!

My sister Marilee is flying in from Florida, too, and my sister Bev is coming by train from Michigan. Along with Mike, all three of them will escort Flo to my Memoir Writing Workshop at noon on Sunday, June 7.

June 7 (Sunday), noon
Printer’s Row Lit Fest
Memoir Writing Workshop
University Center
Multi-Media Room
525 S. State St.
Chicago, IL
www.printersrowlitfest.org

Wanda Bridgeforth, a student from the memoir-writing class I teach for Chicago’s senior citizens, will be reading from her work at our session. Flo has heard Wanda on Chicago Public Radio, and she’s enjoyed reading the first volume of essays in Wanda’s book, On the Move. Now, this Sunday, they’ll be able to meet in person. You can meet them, too — just come on over to University Center at noon.

If you can’t make it to the session, though, you might have one last chance. Billy Balducci is bartending at Hackney’s until 5 on Sunday, and he says if we can get Flo through the Printers Row crowds and over to the tavern, he’ll save a seat there for her. “I’ll reserve a seat for Flo all day until she gets here!” he exclaimed. “I’m all about Flo.” Printers Row may never be the same.

The schedule for this year’s Printers Row Lit Fest is in today’s issue of the Chicago Tribune – I’ll be leading a Memoir Writing Workshop at noon on Sunday, June 7.

June 7 (Sunday), noon
Printer’s Row Lit Fest
Memoir Writing Workshop
University Center
Multi-Media Room
525 S. State St.
Chicago, IL
www.printersrowlitfest.org

Wanda Bridgeforth, a student from the memoir-writing class I teach for senior citizens, will read one of her stories during the presentation. The two of us will offer tips on how to get started on a memoir, and then what to do to keep yourself writing once you get started. Wanda is the perfect living example of how this works –since starting my class three years ago she’s written enough stories to fill the first volume of her own memoir. With her daughter’s help, Wanda self-published On The Move last Fall — just in time to give the book to family and friends for Christmas. She’ll have copies on hand to show off at our workshop.

Printers Row Lit Fest will sponsor a book signing right after the presentation, and I’ll be signing books in front of our favorite local bookstore at 2:00 that afternoon, too.

June 7 (Sunday) 2 pm

Sandmeyer’s Bookstore
714 S. Dearborn St.
Chicago, IL 60605
Phone & Fax 312-922-2104

It can make a person feel downright proud, living in a neighborhood that devotes an entire festival to books every year. If you’re free on Sunday, June 7, consider coming down to Printers Row and checking out the hood. And our presentation, of course!

The Tappet Brothers knew they had to link to my blog after seeing this groovy picture of my sisters and me in front of Cheryl’s lime green 1967 Mustang.

You’ve heard of an NPR show called Car Talk, right? Tom and Ray Magliozzi? Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers? Well, then you can imagine what fun it was to hear my talking computer sing out Doug Mayer’s name from my in box the other day.

Doug Mayer is the head writer of Car Talk and the producer of the radio show’s website. And as all Car Talk fans know, Doug Mayer is not a slave to fashion. Doug Mayer had emailed me to let me know he liked the post I’d written about driving the 2010 Mustang. He liked that post so much, in fact, that he added it to the “Links We Like” Section of the Car Talk website! This is no small thing – cartalk.com receives more than 400,000 unique visitors per week. You read that right: more than 400,000 unique visitors a week.

Hanni didn’t seem at all excited about the attention we might get from this great news. She did, however, take notice when my talking computer started barking out a bio of Doug Mayer’s dog Chloe from the Car Talk website:

Chloe Mayer is Car Talk’s Assistant Staff Canine.

Chloe commutes to Car Talk Plaza with Doug Mayer, her human companion. At Car Talk, her primary responsibility is to greet visitors, shake her tail so violently that her butt knocks over boxes, and bark menacingly when a visit from weird Bob next door is impending.

When not on duty at Car Talk Plaza, Chloe is responsible for keeping a number of beds at Mayer’s home office warm and fur covered, and staying on guard against the constant threat posed by possible Fed Ex, UPS-guy or Jehovah’s Witness visits.

In her 22 hours of free time each day, Chloe enjoys sleeping, running alongside skiers, sleeping, hiking, trail running, compost-pile excavation and cataloging, mindless retrieving of objects of all kinds and sleeping.

Now, that’s one job any working dog would love. I’m afraid Hanni is envious.