Authors

I've never personally heard an author speak.  I've dealt with professors who have written books, but somehow, that doesn't seem the same to me.  For my english class that I signed up for with no purpose whatsoever, we get to actually talk to the authors of the books we read.  I really like this idea, only because we are so used to being spoon fed all that literary junk such as symbolism, metaphors, and all that jazz, and for once, you get to hear the author's take on the book.  Today I listened to Andre Dubus III, famous for penning The House of Sand of Fog, and it was really mind boggling.  For a brief moment in time, I got to hear an author actually say (gasp!) that he had no intention whatsoever of using symbolism!  That's perfectly fine to me.  I absolutely hate having to analyze books I love for subtle clues that really shouldn't mean more than they are.  Sure, some authors totally plan it out, but it seems utterly impossible that every one does.  Anyway, listening to this guy made me want to read all the assigned books more.  Not only does it give you a chance to personally ask everything you wanted to ask, but you can honestly have a good time! I really enjoyed sitting amongst so many literary lovers, listening to their questions that I would never have thought of asking.  If there ever is a chance to go out and hear an author speak, definitely try it (and read a book by them so you have some idea of their style).